Paratexts and Annotations
Oh, brave reader,
Who ventures to read this letter,
Be warned that you may face great difficulty.
The words on the page
Have unified such that
They may no longer be distinct.
Yet with agile eyes,
You will see
Not the words on the page,
But the meaning underneath.
Go forth, brave reader,
And glimpse
The authorial talent
That awaits.
--from one modern reader to another
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To Jane Austen, Patron Saint of Letters:
Oh, Jane! Conserver of paper, painter of pages with pen, how wondrous is your writing! You have blessed many letters, such as the one to your sister on the 22ndof June in the year 1808, with your beautiful cursive handwritten two times over in one page. We, the modern writers and readers, are not worthy of your expertise and skill. Those who do not have the ability to read the overlapping words, those who cannot think to use the envelope as a letter, how shameful we are! Jane, I can only pray that you forgive me, in particular, for my letter-writing sins and bless me with the fortitude to be wiser with my space (for specific letters, state the date the letter will be written and the recipient—otherwise, say “overall”) in my future letter-writing endeavors. I am grateful, oh Jane, for your endless wisdom and talent, and I hope that, one day, I may be blessed with even some of your gift. Amen.
This prayer should be said before you write your letter—having the blank sheet in front of you is best.
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Commentary/Annotations:
- From the subject matter, it can be concluded that Jane Austen’s life is not incredibly exciting at this moment. Specifically, she mentions how Cassandra has more “little events” happening. However, in two years, Jane’s first novel will be published, which will definitely spur more events, both little and big, in her life.
- In response to hearing about the death of a Mr. Waller, we can see some of Jane Austen’s trademark snark. Instead of pretending to feel sympathy for the deceased in her letter, she says “I cannot grieve about it, nor perhaps can his widow very much”. One of Jane Austen’s peak characteristics in her writing is her ability to direct subtle but powerful jabs at people, and is exemplified here.
- “Miss Austen, Castle Square, Southampton” is written on the outward envelope portion of the letter, and at first, I could not distinguish “Miss Austen” due to the nature of calligraphy at the time. Additionally, the presence of two large, prominent stray marks makes it harder to decipher the words. In terms of the address, it seems a little general, and I am slightly surprised by the mail system’s ability to use three phrases to find an exact person.
- The location of “your very affect (sic) Jane” is important in that it shows how this cross-written letter should be read. This parting phrase is found on the top right corner of the sheet, with the text perpendicular to the date. With this, one can assume that the overlapping text section should be read last, even if it is on the same page as the initial text, and even though other text on the page may not have overlapping text accompanying it.