In January 1817 Jane Austen commenced work on a new novel, to which she never assigned a name. By mid-March, she had completed twelve chapters, at which time she ceased working due to illness. The unfinished work was eventually published in 1925 under its working title: Fragment of a Novel Written by Jane Austen, January–March 1817. It has since become known simply as Sanditon, and a number of completions by other authors have since been published.
The novel opens with Mr. and Mrs. Parker's visit to Sanditon, a village on the coast of Sussex. Sanditon is being developed into a bathing-place under the patronage of the two principal proprietors of the parish, Mr. Parker and Lady Denham.
Mr. Parker suffers an injury and receives assistance from a local farmer, Mr. Heywood. The latter's daughter, Charlotte, is of marriageable age and has three eligible suitors: Lady Denham's foppish son, Sir Edward; Mr. Parker's devil-may care brother, Sydney; and Arthur, who is an unemployed hypochondriac. Sir Edward, however, is more interested in wooing his rich and rather bashful cousin, Clara.
After settling in, Mr. and Mrs. Parker receive an unexpected visit from Arthur and his valetudinarian sisters, Susan and Diana. Shortly afterwards, Sydney also appears.
Lady Denham is very keen to find a suitable match for Sir Edward, and accordingly seeks an introduction to a Miss Lambe, a wealthy young heiress from the West Indies who is to take lodgings at Sanditon. Meanwhile, Charlotte finds herself attracted to the witty and debonair Sydney.
The narrative ceases at this point, with little indication about the final results of the various romantic encounters. However, it appears clear that Charlotte is intended to be the heroine of the story.
"The characters in Sanditon are at least original and unlike any that the author had produced before…If the author had lived to complete her work, it is probable that these personages might have grown into as mature an individuality of character, and have taken as permanent a place amongst our familiar acquaintance, as Mr. Bennet, or John Thorp, Mary Musgrove, or Aunt Norris herself."
