“A lifeof usefulness, literature, and religion, was not by any means a life of event,”wrote Henry Austen of his spinster sister Jane. This image of the sequesteredauthor persisted for years. But contemporary scholars have reappraised: “dearAunt Jane” as an independent and worldly-wise woman who wielded a sardonic pen.She continues to fascinate, 200 years after the publication of Pride andPrejudice. This is the charm of a new biography from Paula Byrne, a Britishauthor, who breathes yet more life into Austen and her works by considering theobjects that populated her days.

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　　Eachchapter is organized around a single thing. Some are Austen’s possessions, suchas a topaz cross she received from her brother. Others are simply from theperiod, such as a barouche (an upmarket carriage), which helps to illustratehow well-traveled she was and transport indicates status in her novels. In Northanger Abbey Catherine Morland findsa trip in Henry Tilney’s curricle erotic, whereas she is nonplussed by JohnThorpe’s gig. Broadly chronological, this thematic approach offers a revealingpicture of Austen and a lively social history.

　　Austen’sformative years are the most interesting. Three vellum notebooks contain her“Juvenilia” – the stories and poems she wrote as a teenager. Her “greatestgifts are here in embryo”, writes Ms Byrne, clearly relishing Austen’s satireand lack of restraint. The young author lampooned famous figures and offeredparodies of sentimental novels. But she reserved her choicest words of wit forher sister Cassandra. When they were not living together they correspondedfrequently, and Austen often tried out different voices – “gossipy, jokey,affectionate” – to make her laugh.

　　Duringthis time the movements of the family followed the flows of inheritance; avexatious matter that drives Austen’s narratives. Old maids and mothers wereoften housed by rich cousins; a child might be made heir to childlessrelatives. An East Indian shawl introduces Aunt Phila – who at 21 sailed toBengal in order to find a husband – and her daughter, Eliza. A romantic figure,and presumably illegitimate, Eliza first married a man who fell under theguillotine in the French Revolution, and later married Austen ’s brother Henry.This coquettish cousin is fictionalized as Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park. Austen also drew onHenry’s militia experience for her depiction of flirtatious redcoats in Prideand Prejudice. Her midshipman brothers helped inform reference to the navy.

　　Thebook’s liveliest passages are about city life and romance. Austen frequentlyvisited London and lived in Bath for years. She was probably not a beauty – notonly one authenticated portrait exists. But her wit and intelligence lured manya suitor. None of them stuck, but many are recalled with mirth in her letters.

　　還原一個(gè)真實(shí)的簡(jiǎn)·奧斯汀

　　“她的一生裨益于他人，與文學(xué)和宗教為伴，而無任何大起大落，”對(duì)終身未婚的妹妹，亨利·奧斯汀如此評(píng)價(jià)道。簡(jiǎn)的這種隱居作家形象持續(xù)了多年。然而當(dāng)代的學(xué)者重新評(píng)價(jià)了“親愛的奧斯汀姑姑”，將其視為筆鋒辛辣、深諳塵世智慧的獨(dú)立女性。《傲慢與偏見》問世兩百年后，她依然令人著迷。這就是英國(guó)作家寶拉·伯恩新近為奧斯汀所著傳記之魅力。作者從簡(jiǎn)·奧斯汀時(shí)代的流行物品入手，為她及其作品注入了新的活力。

　　傳記的每一章都圍繞著一件物品展開。有些是奧斯汀的私人物品，例如她從哥哥那兒得到一個(gè)黃寶石十字架。而另一些物品則是那個(gè)時(shí)代的代表物，例如四輪四座大馬車(一種高檔馬車)，足以展現(xiàn)她游歷之廣，以及交通工具在其作品中所代表的身份地位。在《諾桑覺寺》中凱瑟琳·莫蘭覺得坐著亨利·蒂爾尼的雙馬雙輪馬車“情”趣盎然，而面對(duì)約翰·索普的輕便雙輪馬車時(shí)卻不知所措。作者用這種大刀闊斧按時(shí)序展開的主題式記傳方式，為我們展現(xiàn)出簡(jiǎn)·奧斯汀的真實(shí)形象，勾勒出一幅鮮活的社會(huì)歷史圖景。

　　奧斯汀寫作的成型期最耐人尋味。三本羊皮紙記錄了她的“少女之作”——她在青少年時(shí)期寫的故事與詩(shī)歌。伯恩女士很欣賞此時(shí)的奧斯汀那種譏諷語(yǔ)調(diào)和無拘無束風(fēng)格，稱奧斯汀“無與倫比的天賦在此已見端倪”。此時(shí)年輕的奧斯汀嘲諷當(dāng)時(shí)鼎鼎有名的人物，戲仿感傷小說，而把連珠妙語(yǔ)全留給了姐姐卡桑德拉。姊妹兩不住在一起時(shí)，頻繁通信。奧斯汀經(jīng)常試圖用“嚼舌的、詼諧的、親切的”等各種不同語(yǔ)氣博姐姐一笑。

　　這一時(shí)期，在繼承了大筆遺產(chǎn)之后，奧斯汀家?guī)锥冗w居，也正是這種搬遷所造成的種種困擾促成了奧斯汀的敘述風(fēng)格。在奧斯汀的筆下，老姑娘和單身母親們往往寄居在有錢的堂親家中，孩童可能會(huì)成為沒有子女的親戚的繼承人。一條東印度圍巾引出了費(fèi)拉阿姨和她女兒伊萊扎的故事——為覓夫婿，費(fèi)拉阿姨21歲去了孟加拉。而伊萊扎這位浪漫人物可能是個(gè)私生女。她第一次所嫁的丈夫在法國(guó)大革命中被送上了斷頭臺(tái)，后來她又嫁給了奧斯汀的哥哥亨利。這個(gè)輕佻妖冶的嫂子后來被塑造成《曼斯菲爾德莊園》里的瑪麗·克勞福德。奧斯汀還從哥哥亨利的民兵生涯中汲取素材，在《傲慢與偏見》里描繪了輕浮的英國(guó)軍人形象。她那些曾有過海軍經(jīng)歷的兄弟們則為她描寫海軍生活提供了相關(guān)的參考資料。

　　本書最精彩逼真的篇章是對(duì)城市生活和浪漫軼事的描述。奧斯汀頻繁地出訪倫敦，并旅居巴思多年。從僅存的一張得到認(rèn)證的肖像看，她可能并不算美人，但她的聰明才智吸引了眾多的追求者。盡管無一人長(zhǎng)久，但在簡(jiǎn)的書信中，他們給她留下的回憶大都充滿歡聲笑語(yǔ)。

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