That sounds very likely.

It does annoy me how Austen ignores the wider world. I came across an article the other day (I didn't read it) which was arguing she was a radical really- and I thought, "Get on yer bike!"

I don't think one could really argue that Austen was a social radical. Not convincingly, anyway.

But I don't think that's a criticism, necessarily, or that she had a duty to write about subjects that didn't interest her and about which she was very conscious of her own ignorance. It would be - to borrow her own analogy of the miniaturist - like critizing Hilliard for his lack of breathtaking landscapes.

That's fair enough.

And perhaps all I'm saying is I have more relish for Bronte than I have for Austen. I like it that Bronte's characters talk about Bonaparte and Castlereagh. I don't deny that Austen is a wonderful artist.