I found a letter Jane Austen wrote while doing while doing some research on letters for a presentation I made at the Jane Austen Experience last Friday. It’s dated April 25, 1811, and it’s a response to a letter Jane had received from her sister. She writes, “My dearest Cassandra, I can return the compliment by thanking you for the unexpected pleasure of your letter yesterday, and as I like unexpected pleasure, it made me very happy.” I spoke to a group of people last weekend

Throughout her life, Jane Austen wrote thousands of letters. I was recently doing some research for a presentation I am giving on April 13, and Jane’s letter writing is closely tied with her relationship with her sister, Cassandra. The two sisters wrote each other often, but Cassandra actually destroyed many of Jane’s letters because she wanted to maintain a traditional womanly image of Jane for their family’s sake. I love letters. I love what communicating through a letter m