girlyswot

Well, I don't. I see her as an acerbic observer of her times and mores. But when I compare her books with one of my favorites - East of Eden - which also records a period and place in human history, but with characters that evolve, face and make unexpected choices, and sometimes rise above their flawed nature - well, that's what I call thought-provoking. I feel like Austen is a photojournalists, whereas Steinbeck knows his characters' psyches, and uses them to teach his readers about their own.