Jane & Dorothy

Jane Austen and Dorothy Wordsworth never met, but they had much in common. Born in the 1770s in Georgian England, to a world torn between heady revolutionary ideas and fierce conservatism, they were both influenced by the Romantic ideals of Dorothy's brother, William Wordswsorth, and his friends. They were supremely gifted writers yet suffered the frustrations of talented women of their age who had no independent income. Neither ever married. Jane and Dorothy uses each life to reflect light on the other, examining their emotional and creative worlds. In placing them in their historical and social context, Marian Veevers highlights the plight of single women of that era, who had little control over their lives. It also includes new insights: there has been much speculation about the true nature of Dorothy and William's relationship and Marian Veevers has discovered a missing piece of the puzzle; she also debunks enduring myths surrounding the one man who seems to have stolen Jane's heat--only to break it. -- Inside jacket flap.