Fanny Price felt independent when she could choose her own books, and Emma meant to read more. Isabella Thorpe introduced Catherine Morland to something horrid, and Mr Collins shared sermons with young ladies. Edward Ferrars could not read aloud with the passion of Willoughby, much to Marianne's dismay. The reading choices of Austen's characters form a backdrop and advance the story, but Susan Allen Ford shows us they do much more. This is the first detailed account of Austen's characters' reading experiences. Ford introduces us to Austen's own reading and shows how the books her characters read inform us about their lives outside of the novels. Learn how people in Austen's time would have understood her characters through their literary choices. A new way to appreciate Austen's love of reading and reach a new understanding of her novels. Bloomsbury. 2024. Paper. NEW. $21.00