 | Jane Austen (RLE Jane Austen): A French Appreciation Subjects: Language & Literature; Literature; Feminist Literature & Theory; Literary Genres; Literature by Geographic Area; Literature by Period; First published in 1924, thisnbsp;unique titlenbsp;provides an extremely valuablenbsp;early Twentiethnbsp;Century perspective on Jane Austen,nbsp;offering analysis from both sides of the channel.nbsp;Thenbsp;book includesnbsp;both a translated studynbsp;of Jane Austen by French academic Léonie Villard, and a study by influential biographer and critic, R. Brimley Johnson. Johnson's study, made with particular reference to the unpublished epistolarynbsp;novel, Love and Friendship,nbsp;seeks to redress the balance of contemporary criticism of Austen, challenging the established links betweennbsp;Austen andnbsp;Nineteenth Century realism, and suggesting instead that her work owes a great deal to the conventions of romance. He also demonstrates how her art transformed from the parody of Nothanger Abbey to the portraiture of the later novels. Léonie Villard's ambitious work analyses a variety of topics relating to Austen's work, including women and marriage, psychology, satire, the gentry and the lasting value and scope of the novels. All in all, a very engaging, informative and insightful reissue. Léonie Villard, R. Brimley Johnson |
