Jane Austen

Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction are admired for their wit, their social observation, and their psychological insight. Her six major novels are among the most beloved works of English literature.

Early Life and Education

Austen was born in 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, the daughter of a clergyman. She was educated at home and at boarding schools, and she read widely in the literature of the eighteenth century.

She began to write in her teens, and her early works include parodies and sketches. She wrote the first versions of several of her novels in the 1790s.

She lived with her family in Bath, in Southampton, and finally in Chawton, Hampshire. She never married and had a close relationship with her sister Cassandra.

Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice

Sense and Sensibility was published in 1811 and was followed by Pride and Prejudice in 1813. The latter is her most famous novel and the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy.

The novels treat the marriage market and the position of women in a society in which marriage was a matter of economic necessity. They combine comedy with a sharp social critique.

Pride and Prejudice is admired for its dialogue and for the development of the relationship between the two central characters. It has been adapted many times for film and television.

The Later Novels

Mansfield Park was published in 1814 and Emma in 1815. The latter is notable for its use of free indirect discourse and for its treatment of a heroine whom the author described as one whom no one but myself will much like.

Northanger Abbey was published posthumously in 1817 and is a parody of the gothic novel. Persuasion, also published posthumously, is a more autumnal work that treats the theme of second chances.

The novels were published anonymously during her lifetime. Her authorship was known to a small circle and was revealed after her death.

Style and Themes

Austen's style is characterised by irony, by precision, and by a mastery of dialogue. She describes the world of the landed gentry and the professional classes.

Her themes include marriage, class, money, and the education of the moral sense. Her novels are concerned with the growth of self-knowledge in her heroines.

She is admired for the economy of her prose and for the realism of her characters. She has been called the most perfect artist among women writers.

Later Life and Death

Austen's health declined in 1816, and she died in 1817 in Winchester at the age of forty-one. The cause is uncertain, and several illnesses have been proposed.

She was buried in Winchester Cathedral. Her tombstone does not mention that she was a novelist.

Her brother Henry arranged the publication of her later works and wrote a biographical notice. Her letters were largely destroyed by her sister, and few survive.

Legacy

Austen's novels are regarded as masterpieces of English fiction and are read throughout the world. She has influenced generations of novelists.

Her work has been the subject of extensive critical study and of many adaptations. The Jane Austen Society and the Jane Austen's House Museum preserve her memory.

She is remembered for her wit and for her insight into human nature. Her novels continue to delight readers and to inspire debate.

The Letters

Few of Austen's letters survive, because her sister Cassandra destroyed most of them. The surviving letters provide evidence for her daily life and for her opinions.

The letters are often playful and ironic. They record family news, visits, and comments on the books that she read.

They are a source for the biography of the author and for the study of her style. They have been edited and published in several editions.

The Novels and Their Society

The novels are set in the world of the landed gentry and the professional classes. The characters are concerned with marriage, with money, and with social position.

The marriage market is a central theme, and the heroines must navigate the expectations of their families and of society. The novels criticise the mercenary and the hypocritical.

The world of the novels is small and domestic, but the moral and psychological issues are universal. The comedies of manners have been compared to those of Shakespeare and of Molière.

The Composition and Publication

Austen wrote the first versions of Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Northanger Abbey in the 1790s. The works were revised and published later.

Sense and Sensibility was published in 1811 on a commission basis. Pride and Prejudice followed in 1813 and was a success.

She sold the copyright of Pride and Prejudice for a lump sum. She later published on her own account, which was more profitable.

The Critical Reception

The novels were admired by the critics of the time and by the Prince Regent. They were praised for their wit and for their realism.

The critical reputation grew in the nineteenth century, and the novels were read as moral and as social documents. The twentieth century saw the development of a substantial body of criticism.

The novels have been adapted for film, television, and the stage. The adaptations have brought her work to a new audience.

See also

• Pride and Prejudice
• English novel