
An A-Z of Jane Austen
Michael Greaney(Author)
Bloomsbury Academic (Publisher)
Published on 20. October 2022
Book
Hardback
168 pages
978-1-350-25421-3 (ISBN)
Description
Jane Austen's richly textured worlds have enchanted readers for centuries and this neatly organised, playful book provides Austen enthusiasts and students alike with a unique insight into the much-loved writer's way with words.
Using a lively A-Z structure, Greaney provides fresh angles on familiar Austen themes (D is for dance; M is for matchmaking), casts light on under-examined corners of her imagination (R is for risk; S is for servant), and shows how current social and cultural concerns are re-shaping our understanding of her work (Q is for queer; W is for West Indies). Through this approach, we learn how attention to the tiniest linguistic detail in Austen's work can yield rewarding new perspectives on the achievements of one of our most celebrated authors.
Sharply focused on textual detail but broad in scope it broaches questions that, like Austen's work, will intrigue, delight and inspire: Why are children so marginal in her storylines? Who is the best exponent of matchmaking in her fiction? Why are many of her female characters - but none of her heroines - called Jane? Providing a new close-up encounter with one of our most celebrated writers, this book invites a renewed appreciation of the infinite subtlety and endless re-readability of a body of writing in which every word counts.
Using a lively A-Z structure, Greaney provides fresh angles on familiar Austen themes (D is for dance; M is for matchmaking), casts light on under-examined corners of her imagination (R is for risk; S is for servant), and shows how current social and cultural concerns are re-shaping our understanding of her work (Q is for queer; W is for West Indies). Through this approach, we learn how attention to the tiniest linguistic detail in Austen's work can yield rewarding new perspectives on the achievements of one of our most celebrated authors.
Sharply focused on textual detail but broad in scope it broaches questions that, like Austen's work, will intrigue, delight and inspire: Why are children so marginal in her storylines? Who is the best exponent of matchmaking in her fiction? Why are many of her female characters - but none of her heroines - called Jane? Providing a new close-up encounter with one of our most celebrated writers, this book invites a renewed appreciation of the infinite subtlety and endless re-readability of a body of writing in which every word counts.
Reviews / Votes
The 26 pint-sized essays comprising A Jane Austen A-Z are stuffed full of insights. Each is a masterpiece in miniature. Learned yet playful, Michael Greaney teaches readers new things about the forms and preoccupations of Austen's fiction. * Deidre Lynch, Professor of Literature, Harvard University, USA * A unique guide to the life and career of a much-loved author. ... It sheds new light on key images, ideas, objects, people and places in Jane Austen's writings. ... This neatly organised book provides Austen enthusiasts and students alike with a unique insight into the much-loved writer's way with words. * Lancashire Life * Michael Greaney's Jane Austen A to Z is a perfectly judicious and highly entertaining atlas of the great novelist's life and writings. Each short chapter is an informative delight, from A for Accident to Z for Zig-Zag, in a book cleverly written both for those in want of an engaging first primer, as well as those who already know Austen down to a T. * Devoney Looser, Regents Professor of English and Global Sport Scholar, Arizona State University, USA * Both entertaining and informative, this is a book for all Austen enthusiasts. It would make an ideal gift or a delightful treat for oneself. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and recommend it to all lovers of Jane Austen. -- Catherine Barker * Chronicle (Jane Austen Society of Australia) * Academic but entertaining...Encourages a deeper reading of Austen's works in an engaging, accessible format. * Canberra CityNews * Excellent...26 sharp, informative and interesting essays on everything Austenian -- Professor Adam Roberts * Royal Holloway, University of London *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
351 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-25421-3 (9781350254213)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Michael Greaney is a Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Lancaster University, UK where he teaches a first-year module on Austen's unfinished works and a third-year module on her major works. He is the author of three monographs, the most recent of which is Sleep and the Novel: Fictions of Somnolence from Jane Austen to the Present.
Content
Texts and abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
A is for Accident
B is for Bath
C is for Children
D is for Dance
E is for Eye
F is for Friend
G is for Gift
H is for Horse
I is for Ill
J is for Jane
K is for Kindness
L is for Letter
M is for Matchmaking
N is for No
O is for Obstacle
P is for Poor
Q is for Queer
R is for Risk
S is for Servant
T is for Theatre
U is for Unexpected
V is for Visit
W is for West Indies
X is for Xis
Y is for Young
Z is for Zigzag
Works cited
Acknowledgements
Introduction
A is for Accident
B is for Bath
C is for Children
D is for Dance
E is for Eye
F is for Friend
G is for Gift
H is for Horse
I is for Ill
J is for Jane
K is for Kindness
L is for Letter
M is for Matchmaking
N is for No
O is for Obstacle
P is for Poor
Q is for Queer
R is for Risk
S is for Servant
T is for Theatre
U is for Unexpected
V is for Visit
W is for West Indies
X is for Xis
Y is for Young
Z is for Zigzag
Works cited