The Language of Jane Austen

The book aims to elucidate what Jane Austen's mental model of "character" was by examining in detail the vocabulary associated with each of the four main components of that model - head, heart, spirits, manners. This is done by analyzing the different contexts in which Austen herself uses a word and also how it was used in other comparable literature of the period. The study is intended to enhance understanding and appreciation not only of Jane Austen's prose, but that of early 19th-century writings in general, through a detailed analysis of the particular period connotations and denotations of the vocabulary used to describe character. The study is aimed at sixth-form or undergraduate courses in literature, language or history of language.