Abstract
The Conclusion summarises the main arguments of the book by turning to the figure of the reader. Concentrating on Emma, Bray argues that Austen’s fiction invites, even demands a particular kind of attentive reading, which her heroines, especially Emma, often fail to perform. By picking up on subtle hints and clues, the careful reader is thus able to stay one step ahead of the character. This subtlety of style, Bray suggests, is what makes Austen’s fiction so rewarding and enjoyable, and so susceptible to re-reading.
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Austen, J. (1816) 2005b. Emma. Edited by R. Cronin and D. McMillan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Bray, J. (2018). Conclusion: After Reading. In: The Language of Jane Austen. Palgrave Studies in Language, Literature and Style. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72162-0_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72162-0_9
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