Tony Tanner's classic text on Jane Austen addresses the issues that have always occupied the author's most perceptive critics, and offers an illuminating and refreshing analysis of Austen's novels. Tanner shows how Austen changed from a basically accepting view of 'society' to a more questioning one and considers the problems of authority, power and the position of women, as well as the relationship between ethics, language and behaviour. This reissued edition features a new Preface by leading Romantic scholar Marilyn Gaull who examines Tanner's background and places the original work in context. Lively and informative, the Preface helps to reinforce and explain the continued importance of Tanner's work. Accompanied by an insightful Note on the Text by Austen scholar John Wiltshire, and an expanded Bibliography and Index, this is a timely republication of a study which is now regarded as one of the finest, and most accessible, introductions to a great novelist.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Cambridge scholar Tanner sums up two decades of close reading in a series of cogent essays describing Austen's novels in relation to "society, education, and language." Included are revisions of his excellent introductions (for Penguin Books) to Mansfield Park , Sense and Sensibility , and Pride and Prejudice. Much of the commentary is grounded convincingly in traditional interpretation, but Tanner's most intriguing perceptions relate to recent critical speculation, especially in his chapter on Emma Woodhouse as socially "ec-centric" and hence in need of community. Recommended for both scholarly and general readers interested in Jane Austen. Starr E. Smith, Georgetown Univ. Lib., Washington, D.C.

Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Tony Tanner's classic text on Jane Austen addresses the issues that have always occupied the author's most perceptive critics and offers a stimulating analysis of Austen's novels which is now regarded as one of the finest introductions to the author. This revised edition features a new Preface by leading Romantic scholar Marilyn Gaull who examines Tanner's background and places the original work in context, explaining why a reissue of this highly influential text is timely.