Jane Austen

Familial Background

  • Had eight siblings

  • Was born to an Anglican Clergyman

  • She loved her sister Cassandra dearly

Life

  • 1775–1817

Early Life

  • She spent a short amount of time at boarding school

Mid-Life

  • Turned down a marriage proposal in 1802

  • Began sending work to a publisher in 1797

Late Life

  • Austen died at 41

Works & Prominent Themes

  • Austin wrote several books in her lifetime, notably:

    • Sense and Sensibility

    • Pride and Prejudice

    • Emma

    • Love and Friendship

    • Persuasion

    • Mansfield Park

    • Northanger Abbey

  • Many of her novels encompass the life of a young woman in her time,

    “[They are] pictures of domestic life in country villages.”

    Jane Austen

  • She didn’t publish under her name, only under the inconspicuous guise of “a lady” author

    • Austen’s work had a recognizable voice at the time, so it was often an open secret when she had written a novel

  • Her novels mainly focused around routines, community, women’s competence and

  • She wrote many parodies of common books

  • Criticized literature at the time and wanted to perfect the novel form