Lady Susan (Illustrated‪)‬

Lady Susan is a short epistolary novel by Jane Austen. This book describes the schemes of the main character as she seeks a new husband for herself. Although the theme, together with the focus on character study and moral issues, is close to Austen's published work, its outlook is very different, and the heroine has few parallels in 19th-century literature. Lady Susan is a selfish, attractive woman, who tries to trap the best possible husband while maintaining a relationship with a married man. She subverts all the standards of the romantic novel: she has an active role, she's not only beautiful but intelligent and witty, and her suitors are significantly younger than she is. Although the ending includes a traditional reward for morality, Lady Susan herself is treated much more mildly than the adulteress in Mansfield Park, who is severely punished. (Wikipedia)