“Scholarly efforts at clarification of Austen's political sympathies are sometimes accompanied by efforts at reconstruction not of Austen but of her readers, as where Auerbach's stated purpose is to dispel popular notions of Austen as limited and priggish, and to redress ‘two centuries of putdowns and touch-ups.’ Though one would have thought these notions had long since been outmoded, she shows that, surprisingly enough, they persist, not only among readers of the recent past but in present-day students and readers as well, perhaps even, judging from her apologetics, Auerbach herself. . . . Her detailed knowledge of Austen's sources does give us a more complete impression of Austen's wide and eclectic interests.”—New York Review of Books

"This 'search' for Jane Austen finds the playfulness and irreverence of her early writings present, to varying degrees, in all of the novels, but also finds a daring and powerful artist polishing her craft. Novel by novel, Auerbach overturns patronizing concepts about Austen's tiny canvas and limited view."—Booklist

"Emily Auerbach's approach to Jane Austen is lively, engaging, and thoroughly modern. Like Austen, Auerbach wears her wide learning lightly, and imparts a great deal of information in a most enjoyable manner. A witty, approachable introduction to Jane Austen for today's readers, using modern analytical techniques to reveal new aspects of a great writer."—Margaret Drabble, editor of the Oxford Companion to English Literature