Comprising one finished novel, Lady Susan, which was published posthumously, and two unfinished fragments, Sanditon and The Watsons, this collection – full of melodrama and burlesque, and exploring a range of literary styles and social classes – spans the entirety of Jane Austen's writing life. The epistolary novel Lady Susan is the darkly humorous tale of the amatory schemes and machinations of an ambitious and unprincipled coquette. The Watsons is the tale of the refined and well-educated Emma Watson, forced by the second marriage of her aunt to return to the house of her impecunious father and face the marital plots and intrigues of her sisters. Begun in the last few months of Jane Austen's life, Sanditon, set in a fast-growing former fishing village, swiftly becoming a fashionable resort, pokes fun at the inhabitants of the new coastal town, with all their hypochondria, witlessness and self-obsession.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist born in 1775 in Hampshire, England. She is best known for her novels which explore the lives and manners of the English gentry in the early 19th century. Austen's most notable works include "Pride and Prejudice," "Sense and Sensibility," and "Emma." Her writing style is characterized by wit, social commentary, and keen observation of human nature. Austen's works have had a lasting impact on the literary genre of the novel, particularly in the development of the comedy of manners. Her most famous work, "Pride and Prejudice," is considered a classic of English literature and continues to be widely read and studied today. Austen's contributions to literature include her insightful portrayal of characters and relationships, her exploration of the role of women in society, and her enduring appeal to readers of all ages.