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Jane Austen’s Writing Slope

Jane Austen’s writing slope is one of my favorite artifacts. A gift from her father, George Austen, in December 1794, it became one of her most treasured possessions. At the time, the Austens lived in Steventon, where Jane first began writing stories that would later captivate readers worldwide.

Jane called it her writing box, and she took it everywhere she traveled. Its importance to her is clear in a letter to her sister Cassandra, written on October 24, 1798:

“I should have begun my letter soon after our arrival but for a little adventure which prevented me. After we had been here a quarter of an hour it was discovered that my writing and dressing boxes had been by accident put into a chaise which was just packing off as we came in, and were driven away towards Gravesend in their way to the West Indies. No part of my property could have been such a prize before, for in my writing-box was all my worldly wealth… Mr Nottley immediately despatched a man and horse after the chaise, and in half an hour’s time I had the pleasure of being as rich as ever; they were got about two or three miles off.”

This moment says it all—her writing box wasn’t just a container for ink and paper. It held her secrets, her manuscripts, and, as she puts it, her “worldly wealth.” More than a possession, it was her creative refuge and trusted companion for 22 years.

It witnessed the first strokes of Sense and Sensibility, the revisions of Pride and Prejudice, and the brilliance of Emma. It traveled with her, absorbed her thoughts, and stayed by her side as she penned letters full of humor and insight.

What could be more important to a writer than that?

Sources: allthingsjaneausten.net, bl.iro.bl.uk

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