Noted for her witty depictions of English country life and sharply satirical views of class structure and human behavior, 19th-century novelist Jane Austen composed classics that possess a timeless appeal. Bloom's How to Write about Jane Austen offers valuable paper-topic suggestions, clearly outlined strategies on how to write a strong essay, and an insightful introduction by Harold Bloom on writing about Austen. This new volume is designed to help students develop their analytical writing skills and critical comprehension of the author and her major works.
Reading level: Grades 9 and up/College

An Introduction to Jane Austen

“ In this introductory study I am offering a detailed reading of the six completed novels of Jane Austen, together with enough background material for a student to locate the works in their historical moment. I have, however, concentrated on what strikes me as contributing most to Jane Austen’s universal popularity: her ability to create the illusion of psychologically believable and self-reflecting characters. ”

Combining linguistic theory with analytical concepts and literary interpretation and appreciation, "Jane Austen's Narrative Techniques" traces the creation and development of Austen's narrative techniques. Massimiliano Morini employs the tools developed by post-war linguistics and above all pragmatics, the study of the ways in which speakers communicate meaning, since Austen's 'wordings' can only be interpreted within the fictional context of character-character, narrator-character, narrator-reader interaction. 

This challenging quiz book, intended for professional-grade Austen readers only, arranges questions, in four ascending levels of difficulty for each novel. Some questions are short, factual and to the point, like “How old is Darcy?” (The answer is 28.) Others require interpretation. Why, for instance, does Wickham elope with Lydia, since he is a mercenary cad and she has no fortune? The authors, John Sutherland and Deirdre Le Faye, need more than a page to answer this one.