Alert AustenBlog Reader Sonja of www.jane-austen.de wrote to tell us about a book that is out now in the U.K. and that will be out in the U.S. in June: Jane Austen, The Complete Critical Guide by Robert P. Irvine. (Amazon.co.uk link; Amazon.com link)

Jane Austen’s early nineteenth-century novels marked a turning point in the history of the genre and paved the way for the blossoming of the form in the decades to follow. As a result, her work has long occupied a central place in the study of English literature, as well as entertaining generations of readers. This volume: outlines the social, historical and literary contexts within which Austen wrote offers an extensive, insightful guide to her novels explores critical issues related to her work, from gender and class to ideology and imperialism surveys the criticism of Austen’s work and offers suggestions for further reading traces adaptations of Austen’s novels on film. Robert P. Irvine’s guide to this major novelist and her work is essential reading for any serious student of English Literature. Accessible and broad-ranging, it is suitable both for students examining one novel at an introductory level, as invaluable extended reading, or for those beginning a more detailed study of Austen, as a reference and guide to a vast and varied critical field.

For those who prefer their Austen criticism with a less scholarly bent, Alert AustenBlog Reader Elizabeth wrote to tell us about Flirting With Pride and Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives on the Original Chick Lit Masterpiece, edited by Jennifer Crusie, which will be released in September 2005.

One of fiction’s most well-loved novels, this 19th-century classic continues to capture the hearts of contemporary readers with its notions of marriage, dating, and romance. Leading authors in the area of women’s literature and romance contribute to this fresh collection of essays on everything from Lydia’s scandalous marriage to George Wickham to the female-dominated Bennett household and the emphasis placed on courtship and marriage. Contributors include Jo Beverly, Alesia Holliday, Mercedes Lackey, Joyce Millman, and Jill Winters. This compilation is an excellent companion for both those new to Jane Austen and well-versed Austen-philes.

And yes, we ground our teeth over the “Chick Lit” in the title, though we think the book sounds like an interesting read.

Publishing Powers That Be, we beg of you: in your mania to categorize everything to the nth degree, please don’t ghettoize Jane Austen’s work. Her novels have a wide and lasting appeal that goes beyond any one genre. The two books described in this post are proof of that.