Johnsonian and Other Essays and Reviews Book

Kirkham does an excellent write of the social and political mind of Jane Austen. She wrote her novels fron the standpoint of a feminist totally disgusted with men's views on the value of women's chastity compared to their lack thereof. Austen well portrayed her view that men and women were created equal and should behave in the same manner. Kirkham compares Austen to other women writers of her day; her inability to admit her authorship because publishers catered to men. Kirkland also defines her illness as most likely bovine tuberculosis from drinking unpasteurized milk whereas the family memoir only mentions that she died at the age 41 after an illness of a couple years that she called 'bile'. Yes, of course, I will be reading more Jane Austen books!