Jane Austen’s depictions of musical performers and listeners in her novels suggest her belief that musical performances should strengthen intimacy between people, both between listeners and performers as well as among listeners. Austen commends music for its power to increase intimacy through honest expressions of taste, which more often arise in private performances, but she warns against its power to decrease intimacy through pretentious displays of taste, which more often arise in public performances. Austen’s belief that music allows for this healthy intimacy indicates that music has great significance in society. Austen suggests that music has a greater importance to everyday life than many may originally suppose, as it is a universal connection between people. Ultimately, Jane Austen’s perspective of music’s great power both to expose pretentiousness and to cultivate intimacy should lead all of her readers to recognize and respect music’s true power and to consider seriously the importance and role of music in their own lives.

Possible owners inscription, "Augustine Birrell / March 10th 1921 / Dies dolorosa - 1915." The reverse of the page includes a handwritten list of other works by the author and some annotations are included in the text. If it is the same Augustine Birrell, he was Chief Secretary for Ireland (1907-1916). The "Dies dolorosa - 1915" might refer to the troubles he experienced that year with World War I, the Irish uprisings and the death of his wife Eleanor. He resigned in 1916 after criticisms of his response to the Irish uprisings.