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Jane Austen is unique among British novelists in maintaining her popular appeal while receiving more scholarly attention now than ever before. This innovative introduction by a leading scholar and editor of her work explains what students need to know about her novels, life, context and reception. Each novel is discussed in detail, and all the essential information about her life and literary influences, her novels and letters, and her impact on later literature and culture is covered. While the book considers the key areas of current critical focus its analysis remains thoroughly grounded in readings of the texts themselves. Janet Todd outlines what makes Austen's prose style so innovative and gives useful starting points for the study of the major works, with suggestions for further reading. This book is an essential purchase for all students of Austen, as well as for readers wanting to deepen their appreciation of the novels.
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The Cambridge Introduction to Jane Austen Jane Austen is unique among British novelists in maintaining her popular appeal while receiving more scholarly attention now than ever before. This innovative introduction by a leading scholar and editor of her work suggests what students need to know about her life, context and reception, while proposing a new reading of the novels. Each work is discussed in detail, and essential information about her literary influences and her impact on later literature and culture is provided. While the book considers the key areas of current critical focus, its analysis remains thoroughly grounded in readings of the texts themselves. Janet Todd outlines what makes Austen’s prose style and character development so experimental and gives useful starting points for the study of the major works, with suggestions for further reading. This book is an essential tool for all students of Austen, as well as for readers wanting to deepen their appreciation of the novels. J a n e t To d d is Herbert J. C. Grierson Professor of English at the University of Aberdeen. Cambridge Introductions to Literature This series is designed to introduce students to key topics and authors. Accessible and lively, these introductions will also appeal to readers who want to broaden their understanding of the books and authors they enjoy. r Ideal for students, teachers, and lecturers r Concise, yet packed with essential information r Key suggestions for further reading Titles in this series: Eric Bulson The Cambridge Introduction to James Joyce John Xiros Cooper The Cambridge Introduction to T. S. Eliot Janette Dillon The Cambridge Introduction to Early English Theatre Jane Goldman The Cambridge Introduction to Virginia Woolf David Holdeman The Cambridge Introduction to W. B. Yeats Ronan McDonald The Cambridge Introduction to Samuel Beckett John Peters The Cambridge Introduction to Joseph Conrad Martin Scofield The Cambridge Introduction to the American Short Story Peter Thomson The Cambridge Introduction to English Theatre, 1660–1900 Janet Todd The Cambridge Introduction to Jane Austen From Fragments on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening by H. Repton, assisted by his son, J. A. Repton (London: printed by T. Bensley and Son, for J. Taylor, 1816), opposite p. 58. Reproduced by permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library. The Cambridge Introduction to Jane Austen JA N E T TO D D c a m b r i d g e u n i ve r s i t y p re s s Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, S˜ao Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521674690 C Janet Todd 2006 This publication is in copyright. Subject to sta