Who's Who in Jane Austen: An Irreverent Guide to Heroines, Heirs, Hypocrites, Matchmakers and Men With Estates

It is a truth universally acknowledged that not everyone in a Jane Austen novel deserves the benefit of the doubt.Who's Who in Jane Austen is an irreverent, novel-by-novel field guide to Austen's unforgettable cast: the sensible sisters and the disastrous ones, the terrifying aunts, the financially convenient men, the emotionally unavailable heroes, and the mothers operating several degrees past panic.Designed as an accessible companion for teens and adults alike, it makes Austen's crowded drawing rooms easier-and much more entertaining-to navigate.Across all six novels, 59 character entries break down Austen's heroes, heroines, villains, relations, rivals, and assorted drawing-room hazards with: - Role (who they are and where they fit)- Personality- Best Known For (their defining moment)- Worst Decision (because everyone has one)- Trope (the archetype they exemplify)- One-Line Verdict Inside you'll also find: - All six novels: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and Northanger Abbey- Nine bonus cross-novel rankings, including Austen Men, Ranked by Emotional Availability, Mothers in Panic: A Field Guide, and Austen's Most Punishable Snobs- A tone that's affectionate without being reverential because Austen herself could be merciless about her characters while still allowing most of them to keep their dignity Whether you're meeting Austen's characters for the first time, revisiting Pride and Prejudice ahead of a new adaptation, deciding once and for all whether Mr. Darcy deserved Elizabeth, or simply trying to establish exactly how bad Wickham really was, this is the guide that finally says the quiet part about everyone in the drawing room.Perfect for teen and adult Jane Austen readers, students discovering the novels, book clubs, Regency fiction fans, and anyone who wants a smart, funny companion to the six Austen classics.