簡・奧斯丁(1775―1817),英國十九世紀初期傑齣的現實主義小說傢。她齣生在英格蘭漢普郡一個鄉村牧師的傢庭,從小沒有上過正規學校,隻在父母的指導下閱讀瞭大量古典文學作品和流行小說。她終身未婚,二十歲左右開始寫作,先後寫齣六部反映英國鄉紳生活的長篇小說。一八一一年,匿名發錶瞭《理智與情感》,受到好評,以後又接連齣版瞭《傲慢與偏見》(1813)、《曼斯菲爾德莊園》(1814)、《愛瑪》(1815)。她逝世後的第二年,《諾桑覺寺》和《勸導》同時問世,並且第一次署上作者的真名。

In this witty story of love and marriage, Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth meet again after many years. They are in love, but will they marry? "Penguin Readers" is a series of simplified novels, film novelizations and original titles that introduce students at all levels to the pleasures of reading in English. Originally designed for teaching English as a foreign language, the series' combination of high interest level and low reading age makes it suitable for both English-speaking teenagers with limited reading skills and students of English as a second language. Many titles in the series also provide access to the pre-20th century literature strands of the National Curriculum English Orders. "Penguin Readers" are graded at seven levels of difficulty, from "Easystarts" with a 200-word vocabulary, to Level 6 (Advanced) with a 3000-word vocabulary. In addition, titles fall into one of three sub-categories: "Contemporary", "Classics" or "Originals". At the end of each book there is a section of enjoyable exercises focusing on vocabulary building, comprehension, discussion and writing. Some titles in the series are available with an accompanying audio cassette, or in a book and cassette pack. Additionally, selected titles have free accompanying "Penguin Readers Factsheets" which provide stimulating exercise material for students, as well as suggestions for teachers on how to exploit the Readers in class.