Jane Austen

Jane Austen was born to the family of George and Cassandra Austen on December 16, 1775. She was the seventh child amongst the eight children of her parents. The Austen’s spent their lives in Steventon Hampshire of South-Central England where George Austen worked as a minister. Jane’s family was a spirited and loving family who read novels a lot, and this background contributed to her writing skills.  Amongst all the children of the Austen, Jane was more attached to her sister Cassandra who was the only other girl in the family.

Jane’s Schooling

Jane and Cassandra started schooling from 1783 to 1785 when their parents couldn’t pay their tuition. They passed through schools in Oxford, Southampton, and the Abbey School at Reading. When they returned home due to a lack of funds, the two girls started reading on their own and learned French, Italian, and playing the piano.

Love Life & Marriage

Jane Austen fell in love with an Irishman Tom Lefroy when she was twenty. Then, the young man was on a visit with his uncle who lives in Hampshire. Unfortunately, Tom’s family didn’t want their son marrying a poor clergyman’s daughter. So, they sent him back home before he could get engaged with Jane.

Another man who proposed to Jane was Harris Bigg-Wither when she was twenty-seven years old. Even though Harris had money, Jane didn’t marry him because she wasn’t in love with him. Even though Jane never married, she portrayed her interest in love and marriage through her novels.

Works

Jane Austen wrote three novels from 1796 to 1798, and that was the beginning of her first attempts at writing. The three novels were “Northanger Abbey” which she first titled “Susan,” “Sense and Sensibility” first published as “Elinor and Marianne” and lastly, “Pride and Prejudice” which was earlier titled “First Impressions.” Unfortunately, none of her three novels were published until in later years. The first novel “Northanger Abbey” was published posthumously in the year 1818; “Sense and Sensibility” came out in 1811 while “Pride and Prejudice” saw the lights in 1813.

After Austen’s father died in 1809, the family moved to a country town Chawton, and that was where Jane picked up her writing again after nine years of silence. She wrote three more novels titled “Mansfield Park,” in 1814, “Emma” in 1816 and “Persuasion” in 1818.

The last part of Jane’s life was spent in Chawton. Before she died on July 18, 1817, from Addison’s disease, she was working on a new novel titled “Sandition.”

Conclusion

Jane Austen is one of the English novelists recognized and appreciated even after two hundred years. Austen didn’t marry, but she wrote about love, courtship, and marriages to show her experiences and interests on the subject. Although her novels weren’t appreciated as would have been expected during her time, some of them have been featured in many TV shows. Pride and prejudice aired as a six-episode of a 1995 British television drama, adapted by Andrew Davies from Jane Austin’s novel. In the show, Jennifer Ehle and Colins Firth were Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.

Her work in Pride and Prejudice can never be seen lesser than it was, a masterpiece filled with many lessons.