A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen

Lewis, C. S.; Woolf, Virginia; Quindlen, Anna; Carson, Susannah [Editor]; Bloom, Harold [Foreword];

ISBN 10: 0812980018 / ISBN 13: 9780812980011

Published by Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2010

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 0812980018-3-18989445

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0812980018
• ISBN 13: 9780812980011
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Good
• Weight: 8 ounces

About this title

Synopsis

Why are we so fascinated with Jane Austen's novels? Why is Austen so universally beloved? The essayists in this volume offer their thoughts on the delightful puzzle of Austen's popularity. Classic and contemporary writers--novelists, essayists, journalists, scholars, and a filmmaker--discuss the tricks and treasures of Austen's novels, from her witty dialogue, to the arc and sweep of her story lines, to her prescriptions for life and love.

Virginia Woolf examines Austen's maturation as an artist and speculates on how her writing would have changed had she lived another twenty years, while Anna Quindlen examines the enduring issues of social pressure and gender politics that make Pride and Prejudice as vital today as ever. From Harold Bloom to Martin Amis, Somerset Maugham to Jay McInerney, Eudora Welty to Amy Bloom, each writer reflects on Austen's place in both the literary canon and our cultural imagination.

About the Author

Susannah Carson is a doctoral candidate in French at Yale University. Her previous degrees include an M.Phil from the Sorbonne Paris III, as well as MAs from the Université Lyon II and San Francisco State University. She has lectured on various topics of English and French literature at Oxford, the University of Glasgow, Yale, Harvard, Concordia, and Boston University.