'The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid’. (Northanger Abbey, ch. 14). Jane Austen’s novels focus on the joys, problems, follies, and match-making attempts of members of the 18th century landed gentry; they (re-)assess questions of class and gender in ironic and critical fashion. In this seminar we will not only critically discuss three of Austen’s novels, but also look at modern examinations and adaptations of these works.