Jane Austen

Intro

Jane Austen (1775-1817) was an English novelist
noted for her witty studies of early 19th century English society
Austen portrayed the quiet, day-to-day life of members of the upper middle class
combine romantic comedy with social satire and psychological insight (comedy of manners)
two common things her her books:
- the loss of illusions- usually leading characters to a more mature outlook
- the clash between traditional moral ideals and the everyday demands of life
because of her sensitivity to universal patterns of human behavior, Austen was one of the greatest novelists of the 18th and 19th centuries

Life

born on December 16 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, England
seventh child of eight
apart from three years of school in Oxford which she attended with her older sister, Cassandra, she was homeschooled
at age 13 she was writing amusing and instructive parodies and variations on 18th century literature -- from sentimental novels to serious histories
at age 23 she had written 3 novels
- Elinor and Marianne
- First Impression
- Susan
as a young woman Jane enjoyed dancing and she attended balls in many of the great houses of the neighborhood
in 1801 the family moved to the town of Bath
after Jane’s father’s death in 1805, Jane, Cassandra, and their mother moved to the village of Chawton, very near Steventon
she led a secluded life with her family, never marrying

Early Works

from 1795 to 1798 she wrote the first versions of:
- Sense and Sensibility
- Pride and Prejudice
- Northanger Abbey
Austen’s family preserved the writing she did as a teenager which was published more than a century after her death as : Love and Friendship
is is a comic parody of 18th century melodramatic fiction

later works

Austen’s later major writing period lasted from 1811 to 1816
revised and prepared Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice for publication
wrote her last three completed novels:
- Mansfield park
- Emma
- Persuasion
several other incomplete works were published after Austen’s death
- The Watsons
- Fragment of a Novel
- Plan of a Novel
her correspondence has been published as Jane Austen’s Letters

Illness and Death

although the cause for Austen’s final illness is not known for certain, the symptoms seem to suggest that she may have been affected by Addison’s disease
Austen died in Winchester on 18 July, 1817, at the age of 41
she was buried in Winchester Cathedral on 24 July, 1817

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice is a complex novel mixing romance and realism
Austen used a variety of feature to make this novel seem more realistic and relevance to the Regency period
at the same time, it also is a romance
the social milieu of Austen’s Regency England was particularly stratified, and class divisions were rooted in the family connection and wealth
in her work, Austen is often critical of the assumptions and prejudice of upper-class England
she distinguishes between internal merit (goodness of person) and external merit (rank and possession)
nevertheless, Austen was in many ways a realist, and the England she depicts is one in which social mobility is limited and class consciousness is strong
socially regimented ideas of appropriate behavior for each gender were extremely relevant in Austen’s work as well: while social advancements for young men lay in the military, church, or law, the chief method of self-improvement for women was the acquisition of wealth
women could only accomplish this goal through successful marriage which explains the importance of marriage as a goal and topic of conversation in Austen’s writing
though young women of Austen’s day had more freedom to chose their husband than in the early 18th century, practical considerations continued to limit their options
it was typical for a young women to live in her father’s house util she moved into her husband’s
because of this social climate, the reality is that the five Bennet sisters do not have a choice about marriage. they must marry in order to secure their financial future
Austen addresses the social realities of the time and satisfies the reader’s desires for romance by having Jane and Elizabeth’s suitors not only be rich but also be dashing, attractive, and moral
realism of characters makes the novel believable an also contributes to the romantic appeal of the novel
a special emphasis has been placed on the way Austen portrays her character’s speech and thoughts. her dialogue is described as the most appropriate means to achieve an approach to reality
we also find a touch of romance in the dialogue. it is a very subtle because it was so necessary to preserve a ladylike manner that women had to be careful of the words they chose, lest they be deemed unladylike and thus, unmarriageable
there are elements of conventional romance in the novel, by illustrating everyday life and activities, it seems that much more real

Reasons for Novels’ everlasting Popularity

take the reader into the minds of the character, and her acute observation make us feel we know them
use of irony is excellent
she had a good ear for dialogue, and her characters represent universal failings and strengths, so are instantly recognizable and interesting
Jane Austen’s world, with its ability to ignore the outside world and comforting absence of disaster an horrific suffering is one to which the modern reader can escape and find the certainty and tranquility of things pat

Manners and Morality

manners matter greatly in Jane Austen’s world
behavior must be controlled
Austen admires love, generosity, compassion, and common sense
she can sometimes be seen as callous mercenary, and heartless because she satirizes her regency world

Style

clarity, economy, skillful use of dialogue, tight plotting and satisfying completeness to her plots are the main features of Jane Austen’s style