After focusing in such detail on Austen’s childhood and early adulthood, Fay skips over the details of her later life, presenting Alice with only basic facts. The lack of emotion in this section provides a form of evidence for the idea of history as a kind of story, which requires a reader’s attention to come to life. Without Fay’s active engagement, Austen’s life becomes a flat series of facts rather than a narrative, demonstrating the need for the reader in the creative process.