Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey/Persuasion

This approachable guide explores the secondary criticism surrounding Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, from their publication in 1818 through to today. Enit Karafili Steiner explores the key themes and concerns that have stimulated debate over the years, as well as providing an overview of the critical responses to screen adaptations.

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Northanger Abbey was one of Jane Austen's earliest manuscripts; Persuasion was her last. Published together in a single volume after her death, the two books differ widely. Northanger Abbey is a spirited, Gothic parody, while Persuasion has increasingly been seen as a new direction for the Austen canon. The two texts have been widely analysed and debated since publication, and continue to be so today.

In this Readers' Guide, Enit Karafili Steiner:
- Delineates a clear trajectory through the books' many interpretations over two centuries, mapping these out thematically and chronologically.
- Contextualises and brings into dialogue influential approaches such as psychoanalytical criticism, structuralism, deconstruction, Marxism, New Historicism, and feminism.
- Discusses film adaptations of the novels and their relation to literary criticism.