"I am indeed provoked at the artifice of this unprincipled woman." This high-spirited tale, told through an exchange of letters, is unique in Jane Austen's small body of work. It is the story of Lady Susan, a brilliant, beautiful and morally reprehensible coquette who delights in making men fall in love with her, deceiving their wives into friendship and even tormenting her own daughter, cruelly bending her to her will. Austen clearly delighted in her wicked heroine—tracing Lady Susan's maneuverings to remarry yet continue on with her lover, and to marry off her young daughter, with great wit, zest and unfailing panache. This little-known gem, Austen's only epistolary work, is perhaps both her funniest and bitchiest book. The Art of The Novella Series Too short to be a novel, too long to be a short story, the novella is generally unrecognized by academics and publishers. Nonetheless, it is a form beloved and practiced by literature's greatest writers. In the Art Of The Novella series, Melville House celebrates this renegade art form and its practitioners with titles that are, in many instances, presented in book form for the first time.
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.
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