Yes, there are new, fresh ways to think about Jane Austen. Johnston argues that we need to leave behind the "early" and "late" (or "youthful" and "mature") labels we've put on Austen's works. She sees them as a continuum, and picks up several themes throughout Austen's writings to show how Austen's satire, humor, and style are present throughout her life. She also brings in fresh perspective on Austen's relationship with her predecessors and contemporaries. By looking at Austen's lifelong habits of responding to her world, and revisiting, revising, and experimenting in her writing, we have a new way to read all her works. Of course, we want to read all our Austen, the early and the late, again, after delving into Johnston's engaging book. Princeton University Press. 2021. Hb, Dj. NEW. $29.00
