The English novelist, Jane Austen is an important figure in the English literary canon. Her most famous novel is Pride and Prejudice (1813) which, like her other works, examines and comments on the life of the British upper-middle class in the 18th and 19th centuries. We will learn more about Jane Austen and her historical context as we study her novels.
Fig. 1 - Jane Austen is one of the most celebrated female novelists in the UK.
Jane Austen: biography
Jane Austen's Biography |
| Birth: | 16th December 1775 |
| Death: | 18th July 1817 |
| Father: | George Austen |
| Mother: | Cassandra Leigh |
| Spouse/Partners: | None |
| Children: | 0 |
| Famous Works: | - Sense and Sensibility
- Pride and Prejudice
- Mansfield Park
- Emma
- Northanger Abbey
- Persuasion
|
| Nationality: | English |
| Literary Period: | Romanticism |
Jane Austen's biography starts when she was born on 16 December 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire. She was the seventh of eight children. Her parents encouraged their children to learn. Jane Austen's best friend throughout her life was her elder sister, named Cassandra after their mother. In a loving family environment, Jane was free to share her first literary experiments, thought to have been written around 1787.
Austen never married, but since one of the main themes in her novels is romantic love and marriage, there are disputes about her own love life. This part of her biography is mostly clouded in mystery due to her sister Cassandra's protection of Jane's private life.
The 2007 film Becoming Jane (starring Anne Hathway and James McAvoy) weaves together fact and fiction about Jane Austen's life; it is loosely based on the relationship between Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy.
In 1801, Austen moved to Bath with her parents and sister. Soon afterwards, tragedy struck when her father passed away in 1805. The three women moved to Southampton, and then to Chawton. In January 1817, Jane's health started to deteriorate. She thought she was suffering from bile but the modern clinical assessment points to Addison's disease. She prepared her will in April and moved to Winchester in May to seek medical help. She died in Winchester at the age of 41 on July 18th 1817.
Jane Austen wrote seven novels and two further unfinished ones, along with plays, poetry, letters, and three volumes of early writings. The novels Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815) were published anonymously during her lifetime, thanks to her brother Henry.
After his sister's passing, Henry published Persuasion (1818) and Northanger Abbey (1818) and announced her authorship.
Jane Austen: books and quotes
Jane Austen wrote a number of books, all of which deal with the themes of propriety and class, morality, romantic love, friendship, and the position of women in the Regency Era in England. You may recognise some of the quotes below from film or television adaptations.
Sense and Sensibility (1811)
Jane Austen's first full-length novel, Sense and Sensibility (originally titled Elinor and Marianne) tells the story of two impoverished sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Elinor represents 'sense' – she disregards her heart in favour of her mind. Marianne, on the other hand, is the epitome of 'sensibility' – she is open about her feelings and doesn't hold back.
I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way.
In the course of the novel, Elinor has the opportunity to embrace her feelings by marrying the man she falls in love with. As for Marianne, she learns a bit of common sense by suffering disappointment in love and then marrying a steady, older man.
Pride and Prejudice (1813)
The novel Pride and Prejudice (originally called First Impressions) is in part a cautionary tale about how deceiving first impressions can be. The novel follows the proud daughter of a country gentleman, Elizabeth Bennet, and the prejudiced aristocratic landowner, Fitzwilliam Darcy, as they go from resenting each other to falling in love.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
Pride and Prejudice is such a beloved story that there have been more than 15 screen adaptations!
But did you know that there are also adaptations set in modern times? Think of the romantic comedy Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and the Bollywood musical Bride and Prejudice (2004).
Mansfield Park (1814)
Mansfield Park is among Austen's more serious books. It tells the story of a poor young woman, Fanny Price, who is under the care of her wealthy relatives, the Bertram family, who mostly disregard her. The novel is a cautionary tale about morality and deception, at the end of which the heroine emerges morally unblemished.
We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.
Emma (1815)
Emma is the most comical of Austen's novels. The troubles of the main character, Emma, are of her own making but are resolved at the end of the story. Emma Woodhouse has apparently not a care in the world – she is beautiful, clever, and rich. It is because she has it all that she decides to take young, naive Harriet Smith under her wing. By trying to steer Harriet's life in what she considers to be the right direction, Emma creates chaos in her own life.
You must be the best judge of your own happiness.
Did you know that the cult-classic 1995 film Clueless is a modern adaptation of Emma?
Northanger Abbey (1818, posthumous)
Northanger Abbey (originally titled Susan) is a satire of the gothic genre (quite popular in Austen's day). The novel tells the story of young Catherine Morland, a kind-hearted but naive young woman. Her tendency to read gothic novels and her overactive imagination lead her to some misunderstandings and put her in uncomfortable situations. In the end, Catherine learns some common sense and finds happiness.
It is only a novel ... or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language.
Persuasion (1818, posthumous)
Persuasion is a novel about second chances. It tells the story of Anne Elliot, who was persuaded not to marry Frederick Wentworth, the man she was in love with, because of his lack of status. Eight years later, Wenworth returns from the Napoleonic Wars with the naval rank of a Captain. Anne meets him again and their love is rekindled.
Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything.
What are the main themes in Jane Austen's novels?
The five main themes in Jane Austen's novels are morality, class and society, gender roles, love, and family.
| Year of Publication | Title | Major Themes |
| 1811 | Sense and Sensibility | Marriage, character, gender roles |
| 1813 | Pride and Prejudice | Pride, preconceptions, class, family |
| 1814 | Mansfield Park | Marriage, morality, manners |
1815 | Emma | Class, marriage, gender roles, pride, love |
1817 | Persuasion | Class, marriage, gender roles, society |
1817 | Northanger Abbey | Deceit, youth |
Morality
Morality is a constant theme in Austen's novels. For the characters in her novels, morality is closely connected to social etiquette. Austen's main characters struggle to find the balance between their social obligations and their hearts' desires. In the end, they all overcome that struggle and find happiness, not in spite of, but because of, morality.
Religion, and more precisely Christianity, also plays an important role in the moral choices of the characters. The positive characters in Jane Austen's works are guided by Christian values. In fact, most of the female protagonists marry clergymen!
Morality in Jane Austen's works is tied to greed. Negative characters, such as Mr Wickham, are portrayed as immoral because their greed is stronger than their sense of morality.
Class and Society
Most of the female protagonists in Austen's novels are middle-class; their lack of fortune being the main obstacle in their pursuit of happiness. Upper-class characters are often unwilling to associate with people from a lower class.
Austen's social commentary is still relevant today – a person's status in society does not necessarily reflect their character or moral standing.
Gender roles
Austen's novels focus on women and their role in society. In 18th and 19th century England, women had to adhere to social etiquette. Austen commented on the challenges and limitations faced by women, including a lack of economic independence, expectations about marriage, and the underestimation of their intellect.
The fact that Austen herself had to publish her novels anonymously, and couldn't reveal that she, a woman, had written them, is indicative of the way women were viewed at the time.
Love
All of Austen's novels are love stories. Jane Austen's characters marry for all kinds of reasons, such as gaining wealth, security, social status, etc. At that time, marriage was the only ticket to freedom for a woman.
However, the main characters had one thing in common – they insisted on marrying for love. In Austen's world, men and women weren't equal in marriage, but at least her heroines are able to fall in love with men who love and respect them for who they are as women, and as people.
Family
Family is another important theme in Jane Austen's books. The family from which a character comes largely determined their social status, education and prospects.
Particular attention is paid to the relationship between sisters, which derives from the author's own relationship with her sister Cassandra.
Facts about Jane Austen's work
Here are some facts about Jane Austen's life and contribution to Literature
- Austen's style, which combined realism, humour, and social commentary, set the stage for the movement of literary realism.
- She was a master of irony and satire, and her wit and humour have made her one of the most beloved writers of English Literature.
- She initially published her works anonymously and they were only later attributed to her after her death.
- Austen was a keen observer of human behaviour and social customs, and her novels often commented on the status of women and marriage in her time.
- All of her novels have been adapted into numerous television shows and stage productions 200 years after Austen's death.
Jane Austen also wrote in the genre known as 'novel of manners', also known as the 'domestic novel'.
A novel of manners is a realistic work of fiction that depicts the customs and values of the time.
Jane Austen wrote stories about ordinary people and their lives in such a way that, over 200 years later, readers still care about the fates of her protagonists. Austen created vivid characters such as the witty Elizabeth Bennet and the pompous Mr Collins. Her characters and the themes of her novels were as relatable to readers of the nineteenth century as they are now in the twenty-first society.
Jane Austen - Key takeaways
- Jane Austen was an English novelist who wrote in the genre of the novel of manners (or the domestic novel).
- Jane Austen was born on December 16th 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire. She died of Addison disease in Winchester on 18 July 1817.
- In her works, Jane Austen used realism and humour to examine and comment on the life of the British middle class in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- Jane Austen's most notable novels are Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion.
- The main themes in Jane Austen's novels are morality, class and society, gender roles, love, and family.
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