As a culminating prose classicist, Jane Austen has acquired an abiding place in English literature. Austen’s first novel was not published until she was thirty-five, however she wrote three volumes of juvenilia before the age of eighteen (Jane Austen). “Her career is generally divided into an early and a late period, the former encompassing the juvenilia, as well as Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice (1813), and Northanger Abbey (1818), the latter including Emma (1816), Mansfield Park (1814), and Persuasion (1818). They are separated by a hiatus of eight years.” (Jane Austen). There is an uncustomary viscosity in the work of the early and late periods; pronounced by a certain mollifying of tone in her later works. Though the literary art of Austen is outstanding, the facts of her biography, at first glance, are not. The foil has captivated readers and scholars, and engrossment in her life is today almost as appetent as interest in her works. “Dating back to her own time, when Austen's first four novels were published anonymously, sources of information about her life still exist — some of her letters (those her sister Cassandra did not destroy after her death), and A Memoir of Jane Austen, written by her nephew J.E. Austen-Leigh in 1869.” (PBS). These sources divulge the Jane Austen did portray the reserved life of an unmarried clergyman’s daughter. She found primary reinforcement for her art within her family circle and a foundation for her novels in her personal and family history.
Jane Austen based her character’s relationships with their siblings on her own ligature with her sister Casandra, from whom she thick as thieves with. When Jane and her sister were apart Jane would often write to her; this is reflected in al...
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...nheritance as Mr. Collins would be the next male in the line to inherit Mr. Bennet’s fortune. If the daughters did not marry they would be left with but a morsel and be condemned the life of a spinster. In the late 1700’s to early 1800’s it would have been frowned upon for a woman not to marry. A marriage between one of the daughters and Mr. Collins would have been beneficial for the Bennet sisters as the family fortune would have been passed into the immediate family. However, Elizabeth did not return feelings of love for Mr. Collins. Austen had very strong moral when it came to marrying for love, as shown in Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth refusing to marry Mr. Collins is similar to Emma refusing the clergyman, Mr. Elton, resembling the lack of belief in the church on Austen’s side and that a marriage between herself and a clergyman would not have pleased her.
Grey, J. David., A. Walton. Litz, B. C. Southam, and H. Abigail. Bok. The Jane Austen Companion. New York: Macmillan, 1986. Print.
Moving from the home she adored was troublesome for Jane, particularly in light of the fact that the family lived in a few better places until 1809, when Mr. Austen passed on. Amid that time of nine years, Austen did not compose. After her dad's demise, Austen and her mom and sister moved to Chawton, a nation town where Austen's sibling loaned the family a house he claimed. There Austen could seek after her work once more, and she composed Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion. Mansfield Park, which was published in 1814, narrates the story of Fanny Price, a young lady from a poor family who is raised by her rich auntie and uncle at Mansfield Park. The book concentrates on profound quality and the battle amongst heart and societal weights and is considered by a few pundits to be the "primary present day novel” (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1948).
"I can no more forget it, than a mother can forget her suckling child". Jane Austen wrote these words about her novel, Sense and Sensibility, in a letter to her sister Cassandra in 1811. Such a maternal feeling in Austen is interesting to note, particularly because any reader of hers is well aware of a lack of mothers in her novels. Frequently we encounter heroines and other major characters whom, if not motherless, have mothers who are deficient in maturity, showing affection, and/or common sense. Specifically, I would like to look at Sense and Sensibility, which, according to Ros Ballaster's introduction to the novel, "is full of, indeed over-crowded with, mothers" (vii). By discussing the maternal figures in this work, I hope to illustrate the varying possibilities of what mothering and motherhood can entail in Austen, and what this curious spectrum of strengths and weaknesses means for the heroine involved.
Collins, the Bennet family’s cousin who will own their house due to entailment, is one of the more prominent satirical figures in the novel. He represents the stereotype of a man only wanting to marry for wealth, status, and his own benefit. When choosing a future bride, it did not matter to him who it was is, as evident when he quickly switches his focus to Charlotte when Elizabeth rejects his marriage proposal. This event makes it clear that he has no real attachment or regard for his future wife and is just marrying to gain more money from a dowry, no matter how small it may be. Also, after marrying Charlotte, Elizabeth believes his love towards Charlotte “[..] must be imaginary” because they tend to be happier when they are apart from each other (82).
Fergus, Jan. “The Professional Woman Writer” The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen. Eds. Edward Copeland and Juliet McMaster. New York, Cambridge UP, 1997. (12-32).
The literature output in Jane Austen’s creation is full of realism and irony. Janet Todd once asserted that "Austen creates an illusion of realism in her texts, partly through readably identification with the characters and partly through rounded characters, which have a history and a memory.” (Todd, The Cambridge Introduction to Jane Austen, 28.) Her works are deeply influenced between by late eighteenth-century Britain rationalism phenomenon and early nineteenth-century of romanticism.
Scott, Walter. "Scott on Jane Austen." 1826. Jane Austen: The Critical Heritage. Ed. B. C.
Jane Austen Society of North America, Inc. A Brief Biography. jasna.org. 26 April. 2014.
Austen was raised in an unusually liberal family where her father was a part of the middle-landowning class. They had a moderate amount of luxuries, but were not considered well off. Unlike many girls of her time Austen received a fairly comprehensive education. She received this mainly through the undivided support of her family. Austen and her sisters, like most girls of their time, were homeschooled. Austen’s zealous parents encouraged the girls to play piano, read and write. Her parent’s encouragement led to her interest in writing. Austen’s father housed an extensive library filled with books which kept Austen occupied for years (“Sense and Sensibility” 119). Through her observant nature and passion to read and write, Austen was able to eloquently write of the many “hidden truths” of social and class distinction during her time. They included daily societal changes some of which foreshadowed future societal leniency. Familial support also extended societal norm of marriage. Her parents attempt...
“Biography of Jane Austen.” Critical insight: Pride and Prejudice (2011): 18-31. Literary Reference Center. Web. 24 Nov 2013.
Southam, Brian. "Jane Austen." British Writers. Vol. IV. Ed. Ian Scott-Kilvert. New York: Scribners, 1981.
Collins is interested in Elizabeth as well, and wants to marry her for several reasons which he deems proper and just. Mr. Collins is certain that he is worthy of Elizabeth’s acceptance because of his connection to the family of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and his position as a clergyman, but also because he will inherit her family’s estate when her father dies. He has no notion of love or lifelong happiness, which Elizabeth finds ideal in a marriage. He tries to understand her refusal, crediting it to her “wish of increasing [his] love by suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant females.” Elizabeth, for the sake of his understanding fully, says, “Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart” (108). Austen demonstrates how Mr. Collins considers marriage to him a perfect solution to the problem of the entailed estate, while Elizabeth knows marriage to him would make her miserable. He later finds an acceptable match with the practical Charlotte
Collins’ proposal shows little to no emotional attachment. He does not care about Elizabeth, but simply about having a wife; and, more importantly, one of the Bennet sisters. Being Mr. Bennet’s nephew, and the Bennets having no sons, Mr. Collins is next to inherit the estate. So he was formerly resolved to take a wife from the Bennet family. The single compliment he pays to Elizabeth is that he singled her out from her sisters in choosing which one to marry.
Jane Austen was an exceptional English author of romantic fiction novels. However, it was not until after Jane’s lifetime that she was well acknowledged as a writer. Jane grew up with a large family whom she was very close to. She was inspired by her family greatly, and because of this wrote about situations relatable to everyday life. She was also a very innovative author; she helped to shape new ways of writing in her works. Through examining Jane’s relationships, dynamics of her writing, and novels themselves, we will be able to have a much broader understanding of Jane.
Fergus, Jan. “Biography.” The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen. Ed. Janet Todd.