A Goodreads user
A Goodreads user asked:

why do people don't count this novel when they discuss jane austen? the say she wrote 6 novels and not 7

To answer questions about Lady Susan, please sign up.
Cricket Muse It’s so short, that it is probably considered a novella. But I agree, It should be counted.
adriana It is because it is a novella, and written in epistolary form; some say it is even unfinished. Furthermore, it was not as successful as some other of Jane Austen's books; Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park. These are considered her "6 major novels". So it is not only because it may be shorter; similarly, Sanditon and The Watsons is not considered a major novel of hers, and yet it is 112 pages.
Barbara I agree it should be counted. It is a complete short novel, unlike works like The Watsons and Sanditon, or her earlier partial works.
Steve It's a piece of juvenilia.
Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) It wasn't published till long after her death. Perhaps Jane herself felt it was unfinished and didn't have time to go over it.
Image for Lady Susan
Rate this book
Clear rating

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more