Lady Susan

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Lady Susan (1871) is a novel by English author Jane Austen. Originally written in 1794making it one of Austens earliest complete worksLady Susan was published posthumously and has since been of interest to readers and scholars alike. It is notable for its epistolary form, a popular style of prose fiction writing in the late-eighteenth century in which the narrative is told in the form of letters between characters embedded in the story itself. The epistolary novel mimics letter writing in order to distance the author from their work, as well as to simulate the secrecy and intimacy of private communication for its reader.

Austens novel, narrated by letters between its cast of characters, follows Lady Johnsons visit to Churchill, the country estate of her brother- and sister-in-law Charles and Catherine Vernon. At Churchill, Lady Susan seduces and denies Catherines brother Reginald De Courcy, a handsome but gullible man. When Frederica, Lady Susans teenage daughter, arrives, she begins to fall in love with Reginald. This disrupts not just her mothers control of the young man, but her plan for Frederica to marry Sir James Martin, a wealthy suitor who soon arrives at Churchill himself. As the plot unfolds, and as the bonds of familial and romantic affection are tested, a drama of chaos and comedy ensues which bears the hallmark clarity of Austens moral vision.

Lady Susan is an early masterpiece from renowned novelist Jane Austen, a text which not only clears the path for her more famous novels to come, but carves a space for itself in a truly legendary body of work.

With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Jane Austens Lady Susan is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Author Bio

Jane Austen (1775-1817) was an acclaimed English novelist known for six major novels: Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion. Her writing style has been widely thought of as a cross between realist and romantic genres. Austen's prose is poignant, and always features a strong-willed female protagonist. While sparing no detail depicting the lavishness of women in the English upper class, Austen also portrayed the reality of gendered social dynamics in the 19th century. Austen has been hailed as a heroine of her own time, in large part because most of the novels of the day were written by men. Indeed, her books portrayed a female narrative that was often overlooked in the catalog of male authors at the time. Austen's novels gave an important voice to girls and women in literature, and it is for that reason, among countless others, that her works continue to inspire readers today.