Jane Austen

Jane Austen's novels are among the most polished and carefully-crafted works in the English literary heritage. This book takes extracts and examines them in close detail, bringing out the extraordinary richness of irony and implication in Jane Austen's writing. Using the tool of textual analysis, the reader is taught to explore and enjoy the delicate comedy of her narratives, and to inquire into the serious moral purpose that lies behind each of these four novels. This guide does not simplify the study of Jane Austen, but invites the reader to pursue and revel in the ironic subtlety of her methods and thought.

General Editor's Preface.- PART 1: ANALYSING JANE AUSTEN'S NOVELS.- Language and Texture.- Characterisation.- Structure in Jane Austen's Novels.- Society.- The Place of Women.- The Theme of Change and the Change of Theme.- Irony, and the Author.- PART 2: THE CONTEXT AND THE CRITICS.- Jane Austen's Life and Work.- Jane Austen's Contribution to the Development of the Novel.- A Sample of Critical Views.- Further Reading.- Index.