ABSTRACT
In A Jane Austen Education, William Deresiewicz considers Jane Austen “the godmother of chick lit,” but her letters show that her priorities are focused less on romance than on strong cooperation with kith and kin. Although the Austens are a close family, Jane Austen is aware that her people can be more than kin but less than kind. Altruism is an important topic in the Regency era, and Austen’s writings have much to do with her clerical and naval family background as family members respond differently to the practice of parental investment, kin aid, neighborly love, and war-time patriotism. Her family is sensitive to all of these issues, and each member’s decision greatly impacts the life of other members.
