Whether she's describing bickering families, quiet declarations of love, or juicy gossip, Jane Austen's writing often feels as though it was written just for you.
Her dry wit and cheeky playfulness informs her heroines, whose conversational tone welcomes readers with a conspiratorial wink.
It's even been said that some readers feel like the author's secret confidante, trading letters with their delightfully wicked friend Jane.
But this unique brand of tongue-in-cheek humor is just one of the many feats found in her sly satires of society, civility, and sweeping romance.
Written in the early nineteenth century, Austen's novels decode the sheltered lives of the upper classes in rural England.
From resentment couched in pleasantries to arguing that masks attraction, her work explores the bewildering collision of emotions and etiquette.
But while romance is a common thread in her work, Austen dismissed the sentimental style of writing so popular at the time.
Instead of lofty love stories, her characters act naturally, and often awkwardly.
They trade pragmatic advice, friendly jokes and not-so-friendly barbs about their arrogant peers.
As they grapple with the endless rules of their society, Austen's characters can usually find humor in all the hypocrisy, propriety, and small talk.
