Perhaps the first modern novelist, Jane Austen (1775-1817) has left an indelible mark on the world of letters. Best known as the author of penetrating studies of English domestic life and manners, her works continue to be read and appreciated today. Her writings have also generated an enormous volume of scholarship, and critics continue to offer insightful interpretations of her writings. This reference book is a comprehensive and detailed guide to her life and works. The chronologies that begin the volume outline the principal events in her life and place her works within larger historical and literary contexts. The alphabetically arranged entries that follow identify characters, discuss works and themes, and synthesize the vast body of criticism devoted to her writings. The volume concludes with extensive bibliographies of works by and about Austen.