Jane Austen's heroines respond to the power of the natural world, seeking comfort in nature's calm or referencing "verdure"--meaning fresh greenness and fertility--in relation to their awakening sexuality. This book focuses on the interactions between Austen's heroines and the uncontrollable, wild world. Femininity and nature are interwoven; male characters often exploit nature as they exploit women. In the fragment _Sanditon_, Austen...