Jane Austens Women : An Introduction

An original critical introduction to women characters in the novels of Jane Austen.

Why does Jane Austen "mania" continue unabated in a postmodern world? How does the brilliant Regency novelist speak so personally to todays women that they view her as their best friend? Jane Austens Women answers these questions by exploring Austens affirming yet challenging vision of both who her dynamic female characters are, and who they become. This important new work analyzes the heroines relationships to body, mind, spirit, environment, and society. It reveals how, despite a restrictive patriarchal culture, these women achieve greatness. In clear, lively prose, Kathleen Anderson shares original theoretical insights from twenty years of studying Austen, and illuminates the novels as guidebooks on how to become an Austenian heroine in ones everyday life. This engaging book will appeal to a broad readership: the serious student, the general lit-lover, and the Austen neophyte alike.