ABSTRACT
In this essay, Jodi A. Devine begins by acknowledging that in publishing Jane Austen’s letters, her relatives presented to the world their version of their aunt and that Jane Austen’s letters, especially those to her sister Cassandra, do reflect the ‘process of life’ with news of visits, balls, illnesses, travel, writing, and relationships. The essay uses historical methodologies and digital humanities tools to provide a brief historical survey of approaches to Jane Austen’s letters as well as discussions of the materiality of the letters and select cultural aspects of her time period.
