Jane Austen: An Analysis of Sense and Sensibility

Austen was a recondite writer with a new inside perspective with an outside view on life in the early 19th century. Born on December 16, 1775, Austen was a curious child given the unseal luxury of an education. Her father was a part of the gentry class and raised a family of ten, but was not well off by any means (Grochowski). Sense and Sensibility, written by Jane Austen, tells a dramatic story of three sisters and their emotional journey where they encounter love and betrayal. Because Jane Austen was raised in a liberal family and received a comprehensive education, her dramatic analysis of societal behavior in Sense and Sensibility was comparable to the hidden truths of social and class distinctions in 18th and 19th century Europe.
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...

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...a classic British author who observed and wrote on society in the late 1700s. Her comedic dramas focused on women and their journey through society even though her own remained stagnant.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Sense and Sensibility. London: T. Egerton, 1811. Print.
Grochowski, Jonathan. "Jane Austen (b. 1775- D. 1817)." Jane Austen. N.p., 7 Dec. 2005. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. .
"Sense and Sensibility." Novels for Students. David Galens, ed.Vol. 18. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2003. 119-122. Print.
Staves, Susan. "Sense and Sensibility." Literature and Its Times Supplement 1: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them. Joyce Moss, ed. Vol. 1: Ancient Times to the Harlem Renaissance (Beginnings-1920s). Detroit: Gale, 2003. Gale Power Search. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.