Jane Austen

  • The most well-known female writer in the history of English literature.
  • She was born in Steventon, UK, on December 16, 1775.
  • She was the youngest of seven children in her family.
  • Jane Austen’s father was a country vicar.
  • Jane got most of her education at home. Her family members are all fond of reading books.
  • She appreciated Dr. Johnson particularly. She was also a lover of both the poetry and prose by Scott.
  • Jane died on July 18th, 1817.
  • She was never married.
  • Austen was buried in the cathedral in Winchester.
  • She achieved modest success and little fame in her lifetime, as the books were published anonymously.

Jane Austen’s Literary Features

  • In all her novels, the love affairs and marriages of young people, though serious and sympathetic, are subdued by humor to the ordinary way of narration, in which most of us live.
  • She was the founder of the novel which deals with unimportant middle-class people and of which there are many fine examples in later English fiction.
  • Her use of biting irony, along with her realism and social commentary, has earned her acclaim among critics and scholars.
  • Her style is easy and effortless.
  • In these novels, the life of the gentry, landowners, and clergy of the late 18th century and the early 19th century is shown in detail.
  • Jane thought that a person should be sincere, unselfish, disinterested, and unworldly. These beliefs are fundamental to her work.
  • Jane Austen had been guided by Christian principles, and she accepted the Church’s teaching without question.
  • Her faith is implicit in all her writing: the virtues of a disciplined life, a caring relationship with her husband, and a loving upbringing are both reflected in her novels.

Some of her writings are-

  • Sense and Sensibility (1811), 
  • Pride and Prejudice (1813), 
  • Mansfield Park (1814),
  • Emma (1816)
  • Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published after her death in 1818

Jane’s incomplete writings are-

  • Sanditon,
  • Lady Susan,
  • The Watsons.