Image: Jane Austen

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 …

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Citation: Clark, Robert. "Jane Austen". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001; last revised 15 March 2010. [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5167, accessed 18 April 2024.]

5167 Jane Austen 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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