What Matters in Jane Austen?: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved
John Mullan
'Any new book on Jane Austen raises the urgent question, Would I get more pleasure from reading this than from re-reading my favourite Jane Austen novel? If you decide to give What Matters in Jane Austen? a chance you'll know after a few pages that you've made the right choice' John Carey, Sunday Times
'Almost as good as finding an unpublished novel' The Lady
Is there any sex in Jane Austen?
Why do her plots rely on blunders?
And which important characters never actually speak?
In twenty short chapters, each of which answers a question prompted by Jane Austen's novels, John Mullan illuminates the themes that matter most to the workings of Austen's fiction. Inspired by an enthusiastic reader's curiosity, based on a lifetime's study and written with flair and insight, What Matters in Jane Austen? uncovers the hidden truth about an extraordinary fictional world.
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About John Mullan
Reviews for What Matters in Jane Austen?: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved
Evening Standard
Highly entertaining ... reveals a quite unexpected aspect to the novelist and her books
Daily Mail
Any new book on Jane Austen raises the urgent question, Would I get more pleasure from reading this than from re-reading my favourite Jane Austen novel? If you decide to give What Matters in Jane Austen a chance you'll know after a few pages that you've made the right choice
John Carey, Sunday Times
[A] fine collection of essays ... Like all good literary critics, he has the happy knack of making you read even familiar works with fresh eyes, and the essays in this book are among the best of their kind
Daily Telegraph
A detailed primer on Jane Austen's attitudes to sex, money, class and even the weather
Sunday Times Must Reads
Fascinating ... If you love Jane Austen, you'll love this book too - it's almost as good as finding an unpublished novel
The Lady