Jane Austen's Women

<p><b>An original critical introduction to women characters in the novels of Jane Austen.</b></p><p>Why does Jane Austen mania continue unabated in a postmodern world? How does the brilliant Regency novelist speak so personally to today's women that they view her as their best friend? <i>Jane Austen's Women</i> answers these questions by exploring Austen's affirming yet challenging vision of both who her dynamic female characters are and who they become. This important new work analyzes the heroines' relationships to body mind spirit environment and society. It reveals how despite a restrictive patriarchal culture these women achieve greatness. In clear lively prose Kathleen Anderson shares original theoretical insights from twenty years of studying Austen and illuminates the novels as guidebooks on how to become an Austenian heroine in one's everyday life. This engaging book will appeal to a broad readership: the serious student the general lit-lover and the Austen neophyte alike.</p>