Jane Austen’s Brother
Without him there would
Likely be no books
He gave her a home
A garden and a cook
When Jane’s letters were
Purged so was he
Edward hardly has
A place in history
Was he just a cameo
A man who frets and feeds
Or the hero of the hearth
And daring deeds
Does he deserve
His own fan fiction show
Spin-off spoof of things
Too late to know
We are all her brother
As we save or shred
Creating or destroying
What we could have read
–Ticky Kennedy
Poet in Residence
SchoolNewsToday.com
NOTE
Jane Austen’s brother Edward was adopted by rich childless relatives. He gave up his name and took the name Knight to assume their large estate. When Edward Austen Knight came into his riches, he provided his impoverished mother and sisters, including Jane, a modest house near his manor. It was in this cottage that Jane was most prolific, revising Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility and writing Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion.
After her death, most of Jane Austen’s private papers were destroyed.
See: “Edward Austen Knight: A tightwad or a man with heavy responsibilities?” JaneAustensWorld.com
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