She played and sang

<p><b>A fascinating study of the role that music played in Jane Austen's life.</b><br><br>Like her much-loved heroine Emma Woodhouse Jane Austen 'played and sang'. Music occupied a central role in her life and she made brilliant use of it in her novels to illuminate characters' personalities and highlight the contrasts between them.<br><br>Delving into the Austen family music books Gillian Dooley discovers a treasure trove of evidence that unveils a previously underappreciated facet of Austen's world. She unravels the author's musical connections with family and friends revealing the intricate ties between her fiction and the melodies she performed.<br><br>With these revelations Austen's musical legacy comes to life granting us a deeper understanding of her artistic prowess and the influences that shaped her literary masterpieces.</p>