30 Great Myths about Jane Austen

30 GREAT MYTHS ABOUT JANE AUSTEN

We all know Jane Austen never mentions the war. It was only women who read her novels, after all. But what about all those men in uniform? Was there really no sex in Jane Austen's world? In a series of short essays, 30 Great Myths About Jane Austen examines myths like these that have shaped our reading of Jane Austen. For like Austen's novels themselves, myths about Austen can also claim greatness. Great myths about Austen have a powerful impact on how we read and re-read.

This volume takes 30 of the most powerful myths about Austen and explores their social, emotional, and imaginative lives—showing how they illuminate Austen's life, work and reception, and why they have the hold they do over our hearts and minds. Along the way, the authors apply the most up-to-date scholarship to questions that continue to shape our appreciation of Jane Austen and her writings and the changing historical contexts in which they continue to delight, intrigue and excite.

Offering engaging narrative and original insights, 30 Great Myths About Jane Austen is a must-read for scholars, instructors and students of English and Romantic literature, as well as general readers with interest in the life and works of Jane Austen.