Jane Austen

One of the most important novelists of the nineteenth century was the English writer Jane Austen. With her literary work focusing on the thoughts and feelings of limited characters, Austen created a view of the potential human spirit in a deep and detailed art of fiction. Many have come to believe that Jane Austen was a woman of influence, humor, and keen intelligence. 

The seventh child and second daughter of Cassandra and George Austen, Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, England. Austen and her siblings grew in a positive household where they were continuously encouraged to work creatively and authentically. Over her life span, Austen was really close to her father and learned from him many valuable skills. Moreover, George Austen’s library helped her develop her reading and analytical skills.  

Jane and her sister were sent off to boarding school for their formal education in 1783. Their education would consist of learning foreign languages (mainly French), music, and dancing. When their family no longer afforded the tuition fees, they returned to their hometown with the same spirit of continuous love of knowledge inquiring and continued to develop their abilities. 

In her early twenties, Austen started working on her writing First Impressions, which later on became Pride and Prejudice; one of the most famous and enduring works of hers. Mr. Austen then took a step forward to help his talented daughter to succeed and sent her work to a London-based publisher but his offer was rejected. Austen then continued to write and revise Elinor and Marianne and completing a novel called Susan (later to become Northanger Abbey).  

At the age of 27, Austen and her family moved out to the town of Bath for her parent’s retirement. During her stay in Bath, Austen began to write the novel, The Watsons, which she never completed as the Austen family was thrown into the crisis of her father’s death. The Austen brothers contributed to help Mrs. Austen and her two daughters and offered them a cottage in the village of Chawton. Austen managed to excel in her work during that period, as she settled in a peaceful and supportive environment.  

In 1811, Austen published Sense and Sensibility, which identified her as a “Lady.” The contrast between two sisters who reflect reason (sense) and emotion (sensitivity) is explored by Austen, as they deal with surviving financial instability after their father’s death. London publisher Thomas Egerton published Pride and Prejudice in January of 1813 and put an effort into marketing the novel and it was a success with both the public and critics.  

Mansfield Park soon followed and the Austen family was welcomed with another success. With all copies sold, Mansfield Park became the bestselling and most profitable of Austen’s works at that time. Mansfield Park, published in 1814 tells the story of Fanny Price, a girl from a poor family who was raised in Mansfield Park by her wealthy aunt and uncle. The book focuses on morality and the fight between conscience and social forces and is considered the “first modern novel” by some readers. 

In the novel Emma, published in 1816, a rich and clever heroine “Emma Woodhouse” is introduced. On her journey of bringing people together, Emma Woodhouse learns humility and discovers love. It’s believed that she’s one of the most complex characters of which Austen had introduced. The last novel by Austen was Persuasion (published in 1818). This novel deals with Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth’s broken engagement and their second chance at love eight years later. The book’s “Autumnal feel” caught many readers’ attention as well as Anne Elliot’s character being the least self-confident heroine introduced by Austen. 

Austen lived in Chawton for the last eight years of her life. Her personal life tended to be confined to family and friends. She was a great and loving aunt as much being a novelist. On July 18th, 1817, Jane Austen died in Winchester of a sudden illness, possibly Addison’s Disease. Two more novels “Persuasion” and “Northanger Abbey” were published after her death and a final novel was left unfinished. 

Austen’s repeated fable of strong natured women coming from different backgrounds and their journey to find true love is a recognizable aspect of life. It’s the focus on personality and the pressure between heroines and their society that relates her work more closely to the modern world events than to the 18th century. Readers of all kinds are fascinated by her timeless, real, and skillfully told novels. We are left with what are truly timeless works of art. 

References: 

Pride and prejudice. (n.d.). Retrieved February 08, 2021, from https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/p/pride-and-prejudice/jane-austen-biography 

History – jane austen. (n.d.). Retrieved February 08, 2021, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/austen_jane.shtml 

Jane Austen. (n.d.). Retrieved February 08, 2021, from http://jasna.org/austen/