Nearly two hundred years after her works first appeared, Jane Austen has the distinction of being widely read all over the world, and being considered by specialists as one of the most important English-language novelists. This eminence is surprising given the limited scope of her works: her narratives are primarily organised by the courtship of young gentlewomen in the period 1795-1810; her social scene is circumscribed by the drawing rooms, assembly rooms, walks and gardens of the minor landed gentry; her concern is primarily with the correct assessment of character and with right conduct. What makes this elementary matter of interest today is her extraordinary skill in drawing characters, many of whom remain indelibly etched in readers' minds, the elegant economy of her plot, and her
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Citation: Clark, Robert. "Jane Austen". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001; last revised 15 March 2010. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5167, accessed 27 November 2024.]
