Part 9 (1/2)
[66] The Blackall family had been established and respected in Devonshi+re since the episcopate of their ancestor, Offspring Blackall, Bishop of Exeter in the time of Queen Anne Our Sam Blackall (an uncle of the sarandson of the Bishop; he beca of North Cadbury in 1812, and lived until 1842
His college record (which e to the courtesy of the Fellows) corresponds very ith our notices of him He was evidently a sociable and lively member of the combination-room The 'parlour-book'
contains frequent mention of bets made by him on politics and other subjects, and his own particular pair of bowls still survive He was tutor in 1811, when a great fire occurred in the College, and took his share in appealing for funds hich to rebuild it, application being chiefly e politics in Church and State He seee fa John Blackall, of Balliol College, Oxford, for uished Exeter physician, who did not die until 1860
[67] Mr Heathcote and Miss Elizabeth Bigg werea family MS) calls _him_ 'Blackall'; but it seems from what has been said above that the MS confused two differentthe story to her niece Caroline, did not give her that, or any other, na--so far as she knew it--'naestion is that there were two Blackalls concerned: one being the Sam Blackall mentioned above, the other Jane Austen's adland
[69] The author of the _Meentleood character and connexions and position in life--of everything, in fact, except the subtle power of touching her heart
CHAPTER VII
AUTHORshi+P AND CORRESPONDENCE
1796-1798
The appearance of Jane Austen's na the list of subscribers to Mada of her literary career Her father must have paid the necessary subscription for her: and he probably did so believing that his daughter's talent deserved encouragement Jane's cousins, the Cookes of Bookham, were some of Mada in that neighbourhood, from 1793 to 1797, and it is quite likely that they were active in getting subscribers One likes to think that--as Miss Hill has suggested[70]--Janea visit to Bookham
Jane was destined to have two periods of active authorshi+p: periods of unequal length, and divided froht or ten nearly barren years This unfruitful time has been accounted for in several different ways: as arising froriefs, literary disappoint causes all existed, and it is probable that each contributed its share to her unwillingness to write; but at present she enjoyed hope and happiness, the vigour and cheerfulness of youth aenial companions, and a home as yet unvisited by any acute sorrows
No precise date has been assigned to the writing of _Elinor and Marianne_; but after the completion of that sketch her time has been fully inal of _Pride and Prejudice_), begun October 1796, ended August 1797
_Sense and Sensibility_, begun Noveer Abbey_ (probably called _Susan_), written in 1797 and 1798
It has been usual to dwell on the precocity of intellect shown in the co and inexperienced girl, and no doubt there is much justice in the observation; but we venture to think that it is in _Northanger Abbey_ that we get the best exae of three- or four-and-twenty In the two others, the revision they underwent before publication was so complete that it is impossible now to separate the earlier froer Abbey_, while there is good evidence from the author's preface of a careful preparation for the press before she sold it in 1803, there is no mention of any radical alteration at a subsequent date On the contrary, she apologises for what eth of time that had elapsed since its completion There is internal evidence to the same effect: she has not quite shaken off the tendency to satirise conteances; and it is not until several chapters are past that she settles herself down to any serious creation of characters The superiority also in interest and fun of the first voluh no doubt inherent in the scheme of the story, is a defect which she would hardly have tolerated at a later date Nevertheless, we think her admirers may be satisfied with this exaes to invest a sihtness of Henry Tilney--even the shallowness of Isabella and the boorishness of John Thorpe--are things we part fro with our friends at the end of one of her novels, we part with theood and all; they never re-appear in another shape elsewhere; even Mrs Allen and Lady Bertram are by no means the sah no doubt an accident very likely to occur) which prevented _First Ie Austen was ready, and indeed anxious, that his daughter's work should be published; and when she had finished the story in August 1797, he took steps to find a publisher Years afterwards (probably in 1836), at the sale of the effects of Mr Cadell, the fa letter was purchased by a connexion of the family:--
SIR,--I have in3 vols, about the length of Miss Burney's _Evelina_ As I am well aware of what consequence it is that a work of this sort sh{d} make its first appearance under a respectable naed, therefore, if you will inform me whether you choose to be concerned in it, ill be the expense of publishi+ng it at the author's risk, and what you will venture to advance for the property of it, if on perusal it is approved of
Should you give any encouragement, I will send you the work
I am, Sir, your humble servant, GEORGE AUSTEN
Steventon, near Overton, Hants: November 1, 1797
This proposal, we are told, was declined by return of post
The earliest of Jane's letters which have survived date froin at Steventon in the eround[72]
Steventon: Saturday [January 9, 1796]