Robert Dryden. Illustrated by Joe Lee.
 
On their surface, Austen’s novels all involve
characters from provincial communities in
rural England, far removed geographically and
thematically from greater social movements,
war, industry, colonization, and imperialism. This
impression could not be further from the truth.
Jane Austen For Beginners explores the intentions
behind Austen’s work. Her examination of money
and power, of the marriage market, of social class,
and of the rending of the British social fabric of her
day are among her many concerns.