Margaret will look at extracts from the novels of this well-loved author, creator of characters such as Mr Elton, Mr Woodhouse, Mrs Allen, and the Bennet family. Jane Austen’s witty and often piercingly accurate observations about people and social behaviour are timeless and still very relevant to today’s world. We begin by considering one example of Jane Austen’s very early writing, where foundations were laid for her later work. There was also a serious side to Jane Austen’s character, and the advice she gave usually strikes us as being measured and thoughtful, blending romance with a healthy dose of realism about life, love and literature.