Jane Austen is one of England's most enduringly popular authors, renowned for her subtle observations of the provincial middle classes of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century England. This guide to Austen's much-loved work offers:

• an accessible introduction to the contexts and many interpretations of Austen's texts, including film adaptations, from publication to the present
• an introduction to key critical texts and perspectives on Austen's life and work, situated within a broader critical history
• cross-references between sections of the guide, in order to suggest links between texts, contexts and criticism
• suggestions for further reading.

Part of the Routledge Guides to Literature series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of Jane Austen and seeking not only a guide to her works but also a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds them.