Galperin reviews Austen's six novels plus Lady Susan and the fragment Sanditon against her contemporary world to show how she was extraordinarily aware of her method - free indirect discourse - and of the novel as a political and social instrument. He examines her world as it intersects with her life and works, and her reception. He argues that modern attempts to classify her as either conservative or subversive miss the nuance and complexity of her writing. VG condition. University of Pennsylvnia Press. 2003. Hb, Dj. $20.00