From the Publisher
For so many of us a Jane Austen novel is much more than the epitome
of a great read. It is a delight and a solace, a challenge and a
reward, and perhaps even an obsession. For two centuries Austen has
enthralled readers. Few other authors can claim as many fans or as
much devotion. So why are we so fascinated with her novels? What is
it about her prose that has made Jane Austen so universally
beloved?
In essays culled from the last one hundred years of criticism
juxtaposed with new pieces by some of today's most popular
novelists and essayists, Jane Austen's writing is examined and
discussed, from her witty dialogue to the arc and sweep of her
story lines. Great authors and literary critics of the past offer
insights into the timelessness of her moral truths while
highlighting the unique confines of the society in which she
composed her novels. Virginia Woolf examines Austen's maturation as
an artist and speculates on how her writing would have changed if
she'd lived twenty more years, while C. S. Lewis celebrates
Austen's mirthful, ironic take on traditional values.
Modern voices celebrate Austen's amazing legacy with an equal
amount of eloquence and enthusiasm. Fay Weldon reads Mansfield
Park as an interpretation of Austen's own struggle to be as
"good" as Fanny Price. Anna Quindlen examines the enduring issues
of social pressure and gender politics that make Pride and
Prejudice as vital today as ever. Alain de Botton praises
Mansfield Park for the way it turns Austen's societal
hierarchy on its head. Amy Bloom finds parallels between the world
of Persuasion and Austen's own life. And Amy Heckerling
reveals how she transformed the characters of Emma into denizens of
1990s Beverly Hills for her comedy Clueless. From Harold
Bloom to Martin Amis, Somerset Maugham to Jay McInerney, Eudora
Welty to Margot Livesey, each writer here reflects on Austen's
place in both the literary canon and our cultural
imagination.
We read, and then reread, our favorite Austen novels to connect
with both her world and our own. Because, as A Truth
Universally Acknowledged so eloquently demonstrates, the
only thing better than reading a Jane Austen novel is finding in
our own lives her humor, emotion, and love.
About the Author
Susannah Carson is a doctoral candidate in French at Yale
University. Her previous degrees include an M.Phil from the
Sorbonne Paris III, as well as MAs from the Université Lyon II and
San Francisco State University. She has lectured on various topics
of English and French literature at Oxford, the University of
Glasgow, Yale, Harvard, Concordia, and Boston University.
About the Book
Why are readers so fascinated by Jane Austen's novels? In essays culled from the last 100 years of criticism, great authors and literary critics of the past and present offer insights into her writing and her unique appeal to readers across generations.
Format: Hardcover
Published: November 2, 2011
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Language: English
The following ISBNs are associated with this title:
ISBN - 10: 1400068053
ISBN - 13: 9781400068050
