From Library Journal
This superb reference examines Austen's life, her work, and the body of criticism about both. The biographical sections consist of three chronological listings. They trace her life and literary development (with a map of key locations and a genealogical chart of the Austen family), the social and historical era in which Austen lived (with sketches of period costumes and methods of transportation), and the literary world in which she is embedded (including notes on books Austen read or knew). The heart of the encyclopedia is an alphabetical listing of extensive entries on her works, characters, plots, themes, and critical reception. This section addresses all of Austen's texts, be they juvenilia, minor works, or major novels. The work's final section, a three-part bibliography, lists all of Austen's works (with publication history and all scholarly editions); critical books on Austen published up to 1996 (presented in standard bibliography format and also in chronological order so that the development of Austen studies can be traced), and selected essays and articles. While there are many works on Austen and several good reference books on her work, most notably The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen (Cambridge Univ., 1997) and David Grey's The Jane Austen Companion (Macmillian, 1986), this work is unique in its scope and in its integration of biographical, literary, and critical contexts. The straightforward style and wealth of information makes this work highly suitable for public libraries, but D.H. Lawrence scholar Poplawski (Trinity Coll.) has created an encyclopedia that is a boon to Austen scholars, making this an essential purchase for all academic libraries.?Neal Wyatt, Chesterfield Cty.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
As the creator of numerous memorable characters ranging from the lively and intelligent Elizabeth Bennet in
Pride and Prejudice to the slyly obsequious Mrs. Norris in
Mansfield Park to the dashing but duplicitous Frank Churchill in
Emma, Jane Austen has always had a large and devoted following that admires her scintillating wit, mastery of repartee, and sense of irony. A recent spate of film and television adaptations of her works, and the publication of three Austen biographies in 1997, have attracted scores of new readers to this beloved British writer. Thus, the time was ripe for this encyclopedia, the nucleus of which is a dictionary containing entries for Austen's works, her characters, and selected family members.
Articles on Austen's major novels average 12 pages and include a detailed synopsis of the plot, publication information, a list of characters, and bibliographical references to critical sources. Character entries vary in length, but each provides a perceptive and finely honed description of the individual. Also notable are two general articles--criticism, which surveys selected critical and biographical writings on Austen, and themes and concerns, which discusses four thematic elements central to her works. Other features include chronologies that cover Austen's life and writings and outline major historical and literary events from the middle of the eighteenth century through 1820, a section of illustrations, a list of Austen's works, and extensive secondary bibliographies.
The detailed index covers names and titles noted in both the chronology of Austen's life and the dictionary entries. A useful section under the heading themes and concerns, keywords provides references to mentions of topics such as dancing, health and sickness, social climbing, and theatricals. Unfortunately, these references can be misleading; for instance, the subentry wit and wittiness guides the user to the entry for Mary Bennet, who is decidedly lacking in this regard, but it does not refer to Elizabeth Bennet, one of the wittiest of Austen's characters.
This compilation reflects meticulous research and a thorough knowledge of Austen's writings. However, Poplawski, a senior lecturer in English at Trinity College Carmarthen in Wales, could have increased its value by including articles on Austen's settings and associates, and on specific topics and themes; by providing a filmography of television and motion-picture productions of Austen's novels (or, at least, by mentioning film adaptations in entries for her works); and by acknowledging major Austen resources on the Internet, such as the wealth of material available through the Jane Austen Information Page at ley.com/janeinfo/janeinfo.html/. Because it lacks these and other elements, this book is not the definitive reference work on Jane Austen. Earlier guides, such as J. David Grey's The Jane Austen Companion with a Dictionary of Jane Austen's Life and Works (Macmillan, 1986) and F. B. Pinion's A Jane Austen Companion: A Critical Survey and Reference Book (Macmillan, 1973), offer better coverage of Austen's world and her themes and settings, while George L. Apperson's A Jane Austen Dictionary (C. Palmer, 1932; repr. R. West, 1977) continues to be useful for identifying places, people, and titles mentioned in her writings. However, Poplawski's encyclopedia provides excellent plot summaries and character sketches, and it will be a valuable addition to high-school, public, and academic libraries.
