Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen Characters

The book’s narrator, Fay, is eighteen-year-old Alice’s aunt. Fay is a successful novelist who travels the world writing and publicizing her books. She considers herself a feminist and also believes strongly in the power… read analysis of Aunt Fay

Alice is Fay’s eighteen-year-old niece. She is in her first year of a university literature course in England, and although she aspires to write a novel herself, she is not convinced of the value… read analysis of Alice

The British novelist Jane Austen is such a central part of the correspondence between Fay and Alice that she becomes a fully realized character herself. The reader knows much more about Austen’s life than those… read analysis of Jane Austen

Enid is Fay’s sister and Alice’s mother. Little is known about her life, except that she stayed with her mother when the sisters’ parents separated. Enid is married to Edward and is worried… read analysis of Enid

Grace D’Albier is the fictional protagonist of the short story that Fay sends Alice in Letter 11. She is first-time novelist on tour for her new book, which is about incest. Grace bemoans the fact… read analysis of Grace D’Albier