Jane Austen revolutionized literary romantic storytelling by using it as a platform to highlight issues of gender and social class in the British middle class at the end of the 18th century. This collection from the Knickerbocker Classics series includes all of Austen's completed novels—Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Lady Susan—and offers readers an entrance into the world that she and her unforgettable characters inhabited. With wit and steadfast morality, Austen depicts the life of the English middle class as the 18th century drew to a close and the 19th began. Austen's heroines find happiness in many ways, and each novel is a tale of love and marriage—marriage for love, financial security, and social status. Despite her career spanning less than ten years, her work brought her little personal fame or many positive reviews during her lifetime. It was not until the 1940s that she was widely accepted in academia as a great English writer. In the latter half of the 20th century, there was a growth in literature about Austen and the emergence of a fan culture. Her works continue to influence reading and enchant readers even today. Knickerbocker Classics brings together works of classic authors from around the world in stunning gift editions that can be collected and enjoyed. This hardcover edition is complete and unabridged, and is a must-have for every "Janeite." Also included is an original introduction providing readers with enlightening insights into Jane Austen's life and works.