Drawing on the Journals, her newly re-edited Letters, and later diary material not yet published, the authors give us a portait of a woman more strange yet touchingly human than any previous account has offered. Their interest in her does not stop at the "literary" but goes deeper to explore other facets of her character. They focus especially on her intense familial and domestic devotion, showing us how, from early childhood, she extended her warmth and selflessness to anyone who seemed to need her--a trait that tells us much about her particular intimate attachment to her brother.