Question

The author of the passage suggests that an important difference between the letters of Gide and Dickens and the letters of Austen is the

• A. Ultimate intended audience of the letters
• B. Era during which the letters were written
• C. Gender and nationality of the letter writers
• D. Number of surviving letters by each author
• E. Influence of the letters on each author's novels

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

Ultimate intended audience of the letters

The author argues that authors like Gide and Dickens probably intended for the letters that they wrote to friends and relatives to find their way to print and thereby to the public whereas Jane Austen probably meant for the letters that she wrote to her sister to be limited to her sister's eyes only. Thus the ultimate audience of the letters of Gide and Dickens and the letters of Austen were vastly different. A is the best answer.