Works
Jane Austen, Abolitionist: The Loaded History of the Phrase "Pride and Prejudice"
The history of the phrase "pride and prejudice" before it became the title of Jane Austen's most popular novel is largely forgotten today. This book demonstrates through hundreds of examples that the phrase was used to uphold independence and then to oppose slavery and the slave trade. Through her choice of title, Austen supported independent reason, reinforced writing by women, and opposed enslavement.
Publishing Northanger Abbey: Jane Austen and the Writing Profession
Jane Austen seemed lucky when her novel manuscript, then titled Susan, was snapped up immediately by publisher Benjamin Crosby. Crosby's firm not only bought the MS (for ten pounds) but advertised the novel in several places, both back pages and newspapers. However, the book was never published during Austen's lifetime. This examination of the actions and events involved traces the ins and outs of publishing directly relevant to Austen's earliest finished novel, finally published as Northanger Abbey.