Hugh Thomson
1) Cranford
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Elizabeth Gaskell's episodic second novel, sometimes dismissed as nostalgically "charming," is now considered by many critics to be her most sophisticated work. The country town of Cranford is home to a group of women, affectionately called "Amazons" by the narrator, whose seemingly uneventful lives are full of conflicts, failures, and unexpected connections. A rich commentary on Victorian culture by one of its most astute observers, Cranford owes...
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When Catherine Morland is taken to Bath to "come out" in society, she meets Henry Tilney, a young clergyman, and his sister. They are the children of the eccentric General Tilney, who when he meets Catherine belieces her to be wealthier than she is and arranges for her to visit his house in Gloucestershire -- Northanger Abbey -- to entice her into marriage with Henry. When Catherine learns that the General's wife has been dead for some years, she...
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Taken from the poverty of her parents' home in Portsmouth, Fanny Price is brought up with her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with her cousin Edmund as her sole ally. During her uncle's absence in Antigua, the Crawford's arrive in the neighbourhood bringing with them the glamour of London life and a reckless taste for flirtation. Mansfield Park is considered Jane Austen's first mature work and, with its quiet heroine...
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Appears on these lists
Amherst ESL Books for New Readers
Jones Library's Jane Austen's Regency World Book Club Reading List
Northampton Book Group - Great Books
Jones Library's Jane Austen's Regency World Book Club Reading List
Northampton Book Group - Great Books
Description
Jane Austen's first published novel, sparkling with wit and artistry, captures the inequities of birth, class, and marriage faced by the sisters Dashwood. Published in 1811, Sense and Sensibility has delighted generations of readers with its masterfully crafted portrait of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Forced to leave their home after their father's death, Elinor and Marianne must rely on making good marriages as their means of support....
5) Emma
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"Beautiful, clever, rich--and single--Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee, Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With...
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It is the mid-seventeenth century in Boston. Hester Prynne, dignified and silent, is led through prison doors to her public shaming by members of the Puritan town. Holding her illegitimate child to her breast, and bearing a bright scarlet letter “A” embroidered on her bodice, Hester must now struggle to create a new life for herself and her child within this censorious community. When her missing spouse reappears, reveals himself to her, and takes...
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"Seven Seas is pleased to present Pride and Prejudice, an all-new, illustrated edition of Jane Austen’s most famous novel, now brought to life in a unique way featuring manga-styled artwork that will appeal to readers and fans of all ages. Alongside Jane Austen’s original, unadulterated text, this edition includes over 120 delightful black-and-white full-page illustrations, four color inserts, and gorgeous wrap-around cover art. Elizabeth...