Lepore has teased from the tiny remaining residue of jane franklin mecom s life her book of ages, her surviving letters to her brother, a will in which she lists descendents and possessions. A chance meeting with jane mecom, the sister of benjamin franklin, afforded wright an introduction to the whos who of 1770s london. The youngest sister of the inventor and politician benjamin franklin, jane franklin was his closest confidant. Nov 01, 20 lepore has teased from the tiny remaining residue of jane franklin mecom s life her book of ages, her surviving letters to her brother, a will in which she lists descendants and possessions. Jill lepore from one of our most accomplished and widely admired historiansa revelatory portrait of benjamin franklins youngest sister, jane, whose obscurity and poverty were matched only by her brothers. When benjamin franklin died in 1790, he left jane the house in which she lived in his will, and she continued to live there. From one of our most accomplished and widely admired historians, a. Apr 24, 2011 she wrote 14 pages of what she called her book of ages.
Jun 07, 2017 jane corresponded with franklin while he was abroad, keeping him informed of public opinion in america. Jane jenny franklin mecom 17121794 find a grave memorial. Meet bens sister jane, historys forgotten franklin. The life and opinions of jane franklin by jill lepore knopf, 464 pp. Her book of ages chronicles the deaths of these loved ones, but what little we know of jane herself can be traced to a lifetime of correspondence with her beloved brother. Oct 04, 20 book of ages has justly been nominated for this years national book award. The life and opinions of jane franklin by jill lepore. Jane franklin mecom march 27, 1712 may 7, 1794 was the youngest sister of benjamin. Janes neerdowell husband, edward mecom, was chronically broke. Jane corresponded with franklin while he was abroad, keeping him informed of public opinion in america.
Book of ages, about ben franklins sibling the new york times. Jane franklin mecom 17121794 did not come into her own until she was widowed in 1765. The life and opinions of jane franklin by jill lepore 20. The titular book of ages does little to fill in the gap. In writing about jane mecom, the younger sister of benjamin franklin, lepore investigates how history is written and considers the silence of material that does not exist. The life and opinions of jane franklin excerpt below. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Benjamin franklin 1706 1790 attended school for just two years before becoming a printers apprentice at age twelve, but was eventually awarded honorary degrees. Lepore a professor of american history at harvard, a new yorker writer, and the author of book of ages is an endlessly energetic and knowledgeable guide to the fascinating backstory of wonder woman. The life and opinions of jane franklin represents the culmination of extensive research, years of legwork and historical curiosity into and about the life and times of jane franklin mecom, obscure sister of the worldrenowned benjamin franklin. Book of ages is the name of lepores extraordinary new book about jane franklin, but to call it simply a biography would be like calling bens experiments with electricity mere kite. Book of ages has justly been nominated for this years national book award. Of course, it helps that her letters were to her brother, one of the most significant figures of the time period. Click download or read online button to get jane mecom the favorite sister of benjamin franklin book now. Though the book purports to be mostly about jane franklin mecom its more about her brother benjamin and the history of the time they lived in. However, whatever she was able to do is recounted in this absorbing history. National book award finalist one of the best books of the year npr time magazine the washington post entertainment weekly the boston globe a new york times notable book from one of our most accomplished and widely admired historiansa revelatory portrait of benjamin franklins youngest sister, jane, whose obscurity and poverty were matched only by her.
The franklin papers, including his correspondence with jane franklin mecom and his last will and codicil, are freely available at. Jane was proficient at reading and writing, her entries in her book of ages involve an elaborately looped and fashionable form of handwriting. She ignores chronology, inserting janes later comments at points that seem appropriate. The life and opinions of jane franklin by jill lepore knopf. Largely uneducated, poor, married to a man who likely suffered from mental illness, jenny nonetheless remained close with her famous brother throughout their lives. He, six years older than she, grew up to become one of the most famous men. This biography of benjamin franklins sister, jane franklin mecom, does. Author interview jill lepore, author of book of ages bookpage. Prior to that date, the only record of her writing is a slim book that she made to chronicle her life. Armed with a letter from franklin, she set about sculpting the faces of lords, ladies and members of parliament, most of whom were unprepared for this promethean modeler. Assembling the book from the letters which remain and a hand worked list of jane s families births and deaths, her book of ages, the author manages to tell us about daily life as well as to inform us about many characteristics of benjamin franklin that are not so revealed elsewhere. These are the kinds of events that mattered most to jane, whose body was consumed by childbearing, who endured the deaths of her children and grandchildren, and.
In the remarkable book of ages, harvard professor and new yorker staff writer jill lepore examines the life of jane franklin mecom. Author jill lepore joins me from a studio in cambridge. Jane mecom, benjamin franklins younger sister and closest confidante, died in 1794. The last letter benjamin franklin wrote to america from france was to jane mecom. The end product is thrillingan example of how a gifted scholar and writer can lift the obscure out of silence. Books arts gender issues history poor richards sister. Book of ages jane mecom kept to record births, deaths, and marriages in the family. But in jill lepores meticulously constructed biography, book of ages. The life and opinions of jane franklin, recently placed on the long list of nominees for the national book award in nonfiction. They were two among a group of seventeen siblings, an unfathomable number to we who live in the land of an average 2.
Using period spelling and reproductions of archival documents, jill lepore gives us a book about books. Jane franklin mecom 17121794 was the youngest sister of benjamin franklin. This is not a negative and it is not because of a lack of research effort on author jill lepores part. Author interview jill lepore, author of book of ages. She wrote 14 pages of what she called her book of ages. He wrote more letters to her than he wrote to anyone else. Lepore contends that janes opinions, through her brother and other. Deftly combines biography and cultural history to trace the entwined stories of marston, wonder woman, and 20thcentury feminism. Like her brother, jane franklin was a passionate reader, a gifted writer, and an astonishingly shrewd political commentator. Six years younger that her famous brother, jane benefited from a particularly close.
If you would like to read more about jane franklin mecom and her relationship with her brother, see book of ages. Oct 01, 20 jane franklin mecom 17121794 did not come into her own until she was widowed in 1765. So we learn in book of ages, an astonishing, if necessarily sketchy, biography of jane franklin 171294 by jill lepore, a harvard university history professor and new yorker staff writer. The story of benjamin franklins sister and how women are. And she muses at length about janes book of ages, the document. Jane would live here for most of her life, while benjamin would leave to pursue his apprenticeship. Oct 20, 20 jane franklin mecom was benjamins favorite sister. The author, a professor of history at harvard, places wonder woman squarely in the story of womens rights in americaa cycle of rights won, lost and endlessly fought for again. Book of ages is a remarkable biography of a woman whom no one. Oct 10, 20 book of ages is the name of lepores extraordinary new book about jane franklin, but to call it simply a biography would be like calling bens experiments with electricity mere kite flying. It consists entirely of her childrens birth and death dates, and that of her own marriage at age fifteen which is why there were so many of. Lepores lively, surprising and occasionally salacious history is far more than the story of a comic strip.
A new york times and national bestseller and winner of the 2015 american history book prize ms. Dec 30, 20 book of ages, i came to find out, was the title of a document that jane mecom wrote. Dec 19, 20 jane would live here for most of her life, while benjamin would leave to pursue his apprenticeship. She wrote to him all her life and many of their letters survive. National book award finalistfrom one of our most accomplished and widely admired historians, a revelatory portrait of benjamin franklins youngest sister and a history of history itself. The life and opinions of jane franklin 20 is a biography of the eighteenthcentury figure jane franklin mecom by american historian jill lepore. Jul 16, 2018 lepores new book is called book of ages. This is not a negative and it is not because of a lack of research effort. Though the book purports to be mostly about jane franklin mecom its more about her brother benjamin and the. Aug 22, 2014 jane franklin mecom, the subject of the book of ages suffered from a similar situation.
She had been reading a book by the englishman richard price. The life and opinions of jane franklin virginia woolf, writing a room of ones own, invented a sister for shakespeare. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get. Perhaps, lacking is not the way to articulate my thoughts and feelings. The house had belonged to jane franklin mecom, the youngest sister of benjamin franklin. And she muses at length about janes book of ages, the document that supplies lepores own volume with its title. Jane franklin mecom, the subject of the book of ages suffered from a similar situation. The titular book within this book was janes own work of history, the register of her lifes most important events. Although jane mecom and benjamin franklin corresponded for six decades following his departure from their childhood home, letters written by mecom before 1758 are lost. The first existing letter in her own hand was written when she was 45 years old. Knopf all there is to know about edward mecom is a scant paper trail of failure furniture. The life and opinions of jane franklin kindle edition by lepore, jill. Sep 21, 2012 jane mecom, benjamin franklins younger sister and closest confidante, died in 1794. She deduces the contents of janes lost letters from benjamins replies.
Landing on british shores, she quickly found herselfand her workin high demand. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading book of ages. New yorker writer lepore historyharvard univ the story of america, 2012 masterfully formulates the story of benjamin franklins youngest sister, who will be virtually unknown to many readers, using only a few of her letters and a small archive of births and deaths. Jane mecom the favorite sister of benjamin franklin. She became jane mecom at fifteen, married to an unremarkable and. About jane franklin mecom her married name, the author admits, the paper. National book award finalist from one of our most accomplished and widely admired historians, a revelatory portrait of benjamin franklins youngest sister and a history of history itself. Jul 11, 2017 jane mecom was benjamin franklins sister. Lepore has teased from the tiny remaining residue of jane franklin mecoms life her book of ages, her surviving letters to her brother, a will in which she lists descendents and possessions. Mar 28, 2014 the house had belonged to jane franklin mecom, the youngest sister of benjamin franklin. Apr 24, 2011 on july 4, 1786, when jane mecom was 74, she thought about the path to prosperity. Carl van doren published jane mecom, or, the favorite sister of benjamin franklin in 1950.
Since his resignation of his post as minister, he was the most celebrated private citizen in the world. Jan 01, 20 book of ages is history at its most enjoyable. The book is based on decades of correspondence ben and jane shared. It is not the life of benjamin franklin, but rather that of his unremarkable sister jane that is detailed in book of ages. Jill lepore is writing a book to bring her back the harvard historian has spent years, off and on, researching the life of the littleknown mecom, who was the closest person to her iconic brother, exchanging letters with him for 63 years. And she lived in an era in which women were kept low to make way for enlightened men. The life and opinions of jane franklin, by jill lepore is an ambitious effort to bring the reader information regarding the life of jane franklin, sister of benjamin franklin she succeeds in some areas, and in other areas i felt that she was lacking. Josiah mecom their first born on wednesday june the 4. A portrait of jane flagg greene, known as jenny, jane mecoms granddaughter and namesake.
Their educations were typical for common men and women of the time, and yet vastly different. This is the story of benjamin franklins favorite sister, jane franklin mecom. In book of ages, historian jill lepore draws a portrait of one of the american. On july 4, 1786, when jane mecom was 74, she thought about the path to prosperity. She has had to marshal her talents as historian and writer in the making of book of ages, for a simple reason. Nov 29, 20 books arts gender issues history poor richards sister.
Sep 29, 20 the titular book of ages does little to fill in the gap. A revelatory portrait of benjamin franklins youngest sister and a wholly different account of the founding of the united states. It was a chronology of the births and deaths of her family members. Largely uneducated, poor, married to a man who likely suffered from mental illness, jenny nonetheless remained close. It is a small, homemade book of 16 stitchedtogether pages in which jane recorded only the familys birth dates and death dates, adding.