The following information is provided for students of A Level English Literature

Resources and sources of information

Texts: unabridged texts are the focus of any study of Jane Austen's novels. No amount of reading around the subject (i.e. reading examination guides or viewing videos) will compensate for reading the texts themselves.

Literary Criticism: many volumes have been published about Jane Austen. The Society's advice is to be selective - use criticism to support your own reading of the text (not the other way around). Amongst the more accessible titles include Jones and the new Casebook series (see below for details).

Wider reading: A wealth of literature relates to Jane Austen, not only in terms of biography, but also history of English literature and social history. The classic biography is by Elizabeth Jenkins and a recent one by Claire Tomalin. Again, it is helpful to choose only a reasonable number to refer to.

School/college library: Your school or college library should be able to provide a good deal of resources to help your research, ranging from copies of the texts, biography, criticism and more general items. Other resources, including journal and newspaper articles and Internet access may be available.

Public library: Your local library may contain material of use to you, though you may be referred to another library with more resources (e.g. a main reference library). Alternatively, you could use the request service, whereby items available elsewhere may be acquired by your library on your behalf.

Some recommended titles include:

Jenkins, E
Jane Austen: a biography Victor Gollancz 1961
Jones, V
How to study a Jane Austen novel
Macmillan Education 1987 0333413466 £7.50
Mukherjee, M.
Jane Austen Macmillan 1991 0333392620
Tomalin, C
Jane Austen: a life Viking 1997 0670 865281
Weldon, Fay
Letters to Alice on first reading Jane Austen Coronet 1984 0340371706
Also: new Casebook series from Macmillan Press - the Casebook series are standard titles at A level English literature, and cover the major novels of Jane Austen.

Please note that a number of titles about Jane Austen's life and novels appear each year and it is impossible to list them all. Advice on currently available titles may be available from good bookshops and from public libraries.

Information for students of other subjects at A Level (history, media, cultural studies, etc.)

Subjects, other than English literature, may feature Jane Austen, via extended essay options. The following will provide some information for historians and those following media/culture courses.

Birtwistle, S
The making of Pride and Prejudice Penguin\BBC Books
1995 014025157X.
Briggs, A
The age of improvement 1783 - 1867 Longman 1979
0582491002
Ford, B (ed)
The romantic age in Britain (Cambridge cultural history)
Cambridge University Press 1992 0521428866
Hughes-Hallett,
Jane Austen: "My dear Cassandra", selected letters,
P. (intro.)
Collins and Brown, 1990. Illus. 185585015X
Lane, M
Jane Austen's England Robert Hale 1986 070903709 0
Le Faye, D (ed)
Jane Austen's letters (3 ed) OUP 1995 019 8117647
Watkins, S
Jane Austen's town and country style Rizzoli 1990
0847812324

Current topics include portrayal of Jane Austen's novels on television and screen and media interest in Jane Austen. Information about these aspects is best found in more recent general books on cultural studies, journal articles and newspapers (using CD-ROMs for particular newspapers can be a useful aid to finding articles quickly - ask the Librarian in your school or public library for further information).

The Jane Austen Society is a registered charity. If you write to the society, or any other charitable organisation, it will be most helpful if a stamped, addressed envelope (or a stamp) is enclosed for a reply.

© The Jane Austen Society 1997.
(Contents of this sheet may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior permission of the Society, provided the source is acknowledged.)

Many volumes have been published about Jane Austen. The Society's advice is to look in your school/college library for any books and also Internet access may be available. School/college library: Your school or college library should be able to provide a good deal of resources to help your research, ranging from copies of the texts, biography, criticism and more general items. Other resources, including journal and newspaper articles and Internet access may be available.

Public library: Your local library may contain material of use to you, though you may be referred to another library with more resources (e.g. a main reference library). Alternatively, you could use the request service, whereby items available elsewhere may be acquired by your library on your behalf.