The functional notion of “topic” or “topicality” has suffered, traditionally, from two distinct drawbacks. First, it has remained largely ill defined or intuitively defined. And second, quite often its definition boiled down to structure-dependent circularity. This volume represents a major departure from past practices, without rejecting both their intuitive appeal and the many good results yielded by them.

In 1806, Captain Frederick Wentworth and Miss Anne Elliot fell in love, but since neither of them had any money, Anne’s friend Lady Russell persuaded Anne not to marry the Captain. Eight years later, Anne and Frederick meet again. By this time Frederick has made a fortune in the Navy, but he is still angry with Anne for rejecting him. This – the last of Jane Austen’s novels – is also the most delicate and moving love story she ever wrote.