Systems of Belief and Internal Social Values: Game Theory and Strategic Thinking in Jane Austen's Sanditon (1817)

The present research applies game theory to Austen's Sanditon (Austen, 1817b) by analyzing the novel ' s characters in the light of games, choices, and rational thinking. The application of game theory is especially relevant, considering Austen's particular focus on interactions and choices within society in her work. Moreover, a lack of incorporation of rational and mathematical models of decision-making in the field of literature, along with the shortage of academic studies on Austen's Sanditon (1817b) prompts the present study. In the present paper, the major characters in Austen's original novel fragment are divided into strategic and non-strategic (or clueless) characters. Some characters (Lady Denham, Charlotte Heywood, and Mary Parker) are found to be strategic, while others (Tom Parker, Sir Edward Denham, and Diana Parker) are established as clueless. On a larger scale, the study's concentration on rational decision-making and the prediction of character decisions in Sanditon (1817b) creates an opportunity to incorporate empirical evidence while studying works of literature.