"Jane Austen: A Very Short Introduction combines critical introductions to each of Jane Austen's major novels with an exploration of the themes of Austen's writing. Austen wrote six of the best-loved novels in the English language, as well as a smaller corpus of works unpublished in her day. She pioneered new techniques for representing voices, minds, and hearts in narrative prose, and was a penetrating satirist of social tensions and trends. This VSI considers how Austen reveals the literary, social, and political tensions from which the novels emerge. It also analyses how her writing continues to charm and impact readers to the present day." -- From publisher's VSI database description.

Introduction -- Jane Austen practising -- The terrors of Northanger Abbey -- Sense, sensibility, society -- The voices of Pride and Prejudice -- The silence at Mansfield Park -- Emma and Englishness -- Passion and Persuasion -- Afterword -- Timeline.