‘It’s a common point of view, though one which ignores facts such as the apparent influence on Austen’s early work of Laclos’ Les Liaisons Dangereuses.’

…and let’s not forget the influence of Samuel Richardson’s ‘Clarissa’ on Liaisons and Austen’s love of ‘Sir Charles Grandison’. I think I only really started to get Austen when I read Sir Charles – when you look at the influences either side, i think her mastery really starts to come to the fore.