Sandie Byrne is University Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Oxford and Director of Studies in English Literature and Creative Writing at the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, UK. She is the author of a number of articles and books on nineteenth- and twentieth-century writing.

"Byrne is a knowledgeable guide to a fascinating topic. Her study is well-informed and has a well-stocked bibliography to peruse she always discusses interesting aspects of Austen's novels Byrne has a solid contribution to make to a rich field of study. The most interesting conclusion from her study is that we, Austen's readers, have done so much work in imagining her fictional worlds, without feeling particularly strained or even aware of it." Andre van Loon, JASNA News

• List of Abbreviations A note on the texts Introduction 1. Austen Possessions and Dispossessions 2. Sense and Sensibility Giving and Taking 3. Pride and Prejudice : General Impressions 4. Mansfield Park Benevolence and Gratitude 5. Emma The Obliged and the Obligated 6. Persuasion Loss and Retrieval 7. Northanger Abbey Signs taken for Wonders 8. The Early Writing and Fragments 9. The Land and the Big House Conclusion Bibliography Index