Studying Jane Austen

by I. Mulligan

Studying Jane Austen is a critical appreciation of the life and works of one of the most popular of English novelists. Jane Austen has long been rightly acclaimed as a witty and shrewd commentator on the society in which she lived, with a sharp eye for snobbery and pretension. The fact is sometimes overlooked, however, that she was also a subtle moralist, deeply concerned with the ways in which relationships are formed and developed. This Handbook sets out to look beneath the surface polish and wit of her novels to reveal the profounder human issues that underlie them. At the same time it provides a detailed commentary on each of the major novels, examining their structure, themes, style and characterisation; and it considers the ways in which Jane Austen's outlook and novelistic techniques developed in the course of her literary career.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988