In this course we will study the career of Jane Austen (1775-1817), one of the world’s greatest novelists. Proceeding chronologically, we’ll concentrate on Austen’s six major novels, but we’ll also read some of her letters, juvenilia and unfinished pieces of fiction. The main goal of the course is to enhance students’ appreciation and understanding of Austen’s development through close reading of her works. In class discussions and in both formal and informal writing assignments, students will analyze the relationships between on the one hand, the language, structure and form of the novels and on the other hand, themes such as family dynamics, courtship, education, politeness, and psychological growth. We’ll also pay attention to various contexts that illuminate Austen’s stylistic and thematic choices and strategies, approaching Austen’s works in terms of biography, British history, and the development of the genre of the novel, as well as recent scholarly criticism. In addition, we’ll extend the pleasures and intellectual rewards of studying Austen by discussing various screen adaptations of her novels.