An iconoclastic re-evaluation of one English Literature's most celebrated novelists.

An iconoclastic re-evaluation of one of English Literature's most celebrated novelists. This book introduces us to a woman living in an age of revolution who used the novel to grapple with the weightiest of subjects: feminism, slavery, abuse, the treatment of the poor, the power of the Church, even evolution.

'Jane Austen: the Secret Radical is wonderful; a revelation. It's difficult to stand out from the crowd when writing about such an influential figure, but Helena Kelly has certainly achieved that with this smart, knowing, perceptive book.'