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History of England By: Jane Austen
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At the
age of 16, Jane Austen wrote a parody of Oliver Goldsmith's
"History of England. "She entitled her work The History of
England, but added "By a partial, prejudiced, & ignorant
Historian... There will be very few Dates in this History." She
never did like "perfection," preferring rather to employ her
wit to provide some representative version of society. Austen
invents her "History of England," with her own version of
England's great leaders. As for the character in this book, of Henry the
4th, "It is supposed that Henry was married, since he had certainly
four sons, but it is not in my power to inform the Reader who was his
wife." During the reign of Henry the 6th, Austen writes, "It
was in this reign that Joan of Arc lived and made such a row among the
English. They
should not have burnt her — but they did." Writing about Anne Bullen, Austen says, "It is however but Justice, & my Duty to declare that this amiable Woman was entirely innocent of the Crime with which she was accused, of which her Beauty, her Elegance, & her Sprightliness were sufficient proofs, not to mention her solemn protestations of Innocence, the weakness of the Charges against her, & the King's Character..."
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