Introduction
Jane Austen's life: Family background; First writings; Personal relationships; Adult career; Character
Jane Austen and the English language: Linguistic features of Austen's prose; Other linguistic characteristics; Language, class, and character in Austen; The Austen touch; From Shakespeare to Jane Austen; Jane Austen and her times; The gentrification of the English language; Jane Austen and the cult of improvement
Jane Austen's works: The world of Jane Austen's novels; Jane Austen's methods; The progress of Jane Austen's heroines
Synopses of Jane Austen's major novels: Emma; Mansfield Park; Northanger Abbey; Persuasion; Pride and prejudice; Sense and sensibility.