Some Bicentennial Reflections by Angus Wilson
'The appreciation of Jane Austen's wonderful novels has been bedevilled by deforming partisan attitudes,' Professor Wilson claims. For too long both her admirers and detractors have been preoccupied by that perfect unity that arises from the narrow social, moral and dramatic range of her work. He argues for a recognition of the exciting variety of solutions that she offers for her characters' dilemmas and he examines the ways in which the novels reflect their author's deeply divided nature.
Enigma and variations; page 7