An A-Z of Jane Austen de Michael Greaney

Cet essai sort en poche en anglais chez Bloomsbury le 20 octobre 2022 :

Citation :

Jane Austen's richly textured worlds have enchanted readers for centuries and this neatly organised, playful book provides Austen enthusiasts and students alike with a unique insight into the much-loved writer's way with words.

Using a lively A-Z structure, Greaney provides fresh angles on familiar Austen themes (D is for dance; M is for matchmaking), casts light on under-examined corners of her imagination (R is for risk; S is for serious), and shows how current social and cultural concerns are re-shaping our understanding of her work (Q is for queer; W is for West Indies). Through this approach, we learn how attention to the tiniest linguistic detail in Austen's work can yield rewarding new perspectives on the achievements of one of our most celebrated authors.

Sharply focused on textual detail but broad in scope it broaches questions that, like Austen's work, will intrigue, delight and inspire: Why are children so marginal in her storylines? Who is the best exponent of matchmaking in her fiction? Why are many of her female characters - but none of her heroines - called Jane? Providing a new close-up encounter with one of our most celebrated writers, this book invites a renewed appreciation of the infinite subtlety and endless re-readability of a body of writing in which every word counts.

Même si j’ai du mal à croire qu’il y ait encore un “fresh angle” pour aborder quoi que ce soit ayant un rapport avec Jane Austen, il est intrigant (sûrement parce que j’aime beaucoup la couv)

Moi je pense qu'un auteur brillant peut toujours trouver quelque chose à dire au sujet de son oeuvre. Je guetterai celui là, en espérant le trouver aussi intéressant que l'essai de John Mullan