Written for students at all levels including educated general readers and Janeites of all stripes, this tightly focused book situates Jane Austen in her time, and for all times. It provides a biography; locates her work in the context of literary history and criticism; explores her fiction; and features an encyclopedic, readable resource on the people, places, and things which are the chief matters of relevance to Austen the person and writer. Details on family members, beaux, friends, national affairs, church and state politics, themes, tropes, and literary devices ground the reader in Austen's world. Appendices offer resources for further reading and consider the massive modern industry that has grown up around Austen and her works.