# I'm looking for a scholarly description of Jane Austen's writing style and the appeal it exerts on the reader **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 29, 2022, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-scholarly-description-of-jane-austens-writing-style-and-the-appeal-it-exerts-on-the-reader/970516 "2022-08-29T10:47:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-scholarly-description-of-jane-austens-writing-style-and-the-appeal-it-exerts-on-the-reader/970516/1 "2022-08-29T10:47:05Z")
I’m looking for a scholarly description of Jane Austen’s writing style and the appeal it exerts on the reader. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-scholarly-description-of-jane-austens-writing-style-and-the-appeal-it-exerts-on-the-reader/970516/2 "2022-08-29T16:07:18Z")
> **[The Language of Jane Austen](https://books.google.com/books?id=JuBLDwAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&hl=en)** > > Joe Bray’s careful analysis of Jane Austen’s stylistic techniques reveals that the genius of her writing is far from effortless; rather he makes the case for her as a meticulous craftswoman and a radical stylistic pioneer. Countering those who have... ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-scholarly-description-of-jane-austens-writing-style-and-the-appeal-it-exerts-on-the-reader/970516/3 "2022-08-29T23:32:23Z")
Thank you very much gkster. ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-scholarly-description-of-jane-austens-writing-style-and-the-appeal-it-exerts-on-the-reader/970516/4 "2022-08-30T04:50:59Z")
Unfortunately this book focuses from what I have gathered on Jane Austen’s narrative techniques (free indirect discourse, free indirect speech and free indirect writing). It doesn 't mention what I’m really interested in: her use of parallism, alliteration, tightly polished prose etc. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-scholarly-description-of-jane-austens-writing-style-and-the-appeal-it-exerts-on-the-reader/970516/5 "2022-08-30T06:18:00Z")
> [@Octagon](#): > > Unfortunately this book focuses from what I have gathered on Jane Austen’s narrative techniques Maybe try searching on the phrase “stylistic devices” in this context. [Norman Page’s 1971 article “‘The Best Chosen Language’: Stylistic Modes in Jane Austen”](https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/ariel/article/view/31716/25791) might be more what you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-scholarly-description-of-jane-austens-writing-style-and-the-appeal-it-exerts-on-the-reader/970516/6 "2022-08-30T08:25:19Z")
Perfect! That’s exactly what I was looking for. Thanks KImstu. ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-scholarly-description-of-jane-austens-writing-style-and-the-appeal-it-exerts-on-the-reader/970516/7 "2022-08-30T15:12:48Z")
Just out of curiosity does anyone know why Jane Austen spelt ‘friendship’ as "Freindship’ (as in her work "Love and Freindship’). Did the word 'friendship, as we would spell it today not have a fixed spelling in the late 18th century? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-scholarly-description-of-jane-austens-writing-style-and-the-appeal-it-exerts-on-the-reader/970516/8 "2022-08-30T16:25:06Z")
Wikipedia says she wrote that when she was 14 and there’s a number of incorrect spellings in it, so I’m just guessing misspelling. ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-scholarly-description-of-jane-austens-writing-style-and-the-appeal-it-exerts-on-the-reader/970516/9 "2022-08-30T18:32:58Z")
Thanks pulykamell. That makds sense. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-a-scholarly-description-of-jane-austens-writing-style-and-the-appeal-it-exerts-on-the-reader/970516/10 "2022-08-30T21:50:04Z")
Yes, young Jane’s powers of spelling were a little shaky. See also [The Beautifull Cassandra](https://janeaustens.house/the-beautifull-cassandra/), a very short novel of delightfully bad manners, written when she was about twelve.