"northanger abbey" and "persuasion" were published together in december 1817. they were reviewed in the "british critic" in march 1818 and in the "edinburgh review and literary miscellany" in may 1818. the reviewer for the "british critic" felt that austen's great use of realism was proof of a limited imagination. the reviewer for the "edinburgh review" thought differently. he praised austen for her " invention". he was also pleased with austen's stories because they mixed familiar scenes with surprising twists. austen scholars have pointed out that these early reviewers did not know what to make of her works. for example, they wrongly understood her use of irony. reviewers thought "sense and sensibility" and "pride and prejudice" were stories of virtue overcoming vice.