Jane Austen's superb pastiche of the gothic romance
Jane Austen was born in 1775 in rural Hampshire, the daughter of an affluent village rector who encouraged her in her artistic pursuits. In novels such as Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma she developed her subtle analysis of contemporary life through depictions of the middle classes in small towns. Her sharp wit and incisive portraits of ordinary people have given her novels enduring popularity. She died in 1817.
The work of a great writer flexing her creative muscles . . . As
well as being a deft comedy of manners, Northanger Abbey also fools
entertainingly with the slippery relationship of fact and
fiction.
*Guardian*
Austen’s Northanger Abbey was in part a playful response to what
she considered ‘unnatural’ in the novels of her day: Instead of
perfect heroes, heroines and villains, she offers flawed, rounded
characters who behave naturally and not just according to the
demands of the plot.
*New York Times*
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