Jane Austen Influences

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, men dominated the world of writing and though there were some female authors, they were few and far between. Living in an era where the words of women were violently overlooked by society, Jane Austen joined ranks with the greatest authors of her time, making her imprint on the history of literature. By overcoming the challenges that life hurled at her and using personal life experiences, Austen was able to create works of art that would reach out to readers for generations to come.

Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 to George and Cassandra Austen in Steventon rectory, Hampshire, England. Her family consisted of eight children, she being the seventh child over all and

As one observes the work of Jane Austen, they can begin to recognize that aspects of her work were greatly influenced by not only Austen personally, but also the world around her. Apart from a few novels such as Emma, a great amount of female protagonists created by Austen appear to have characteristics that are similar to her own. Some described Austen to be “doll-like” and to have had darker features, including her brown hair and hazel eyes. At that time those particular features were not ideal when compared to those of the fair skinned, blonde haired, blue-eyed ladies. Nevertheless, Austen used the physical appearances to enhance her characters from the inside out. She crafted personalities that stood out amongst the rest of society in order to create a sense of beauty that was more than mere physicality. Austen herself possessed quite a fiery spirit which led to a desire to break the mold of the average woman and to become her own person led by her own ambitions. This essence was added to many of imaginary individuals, on in particular being Elizabeth Bennet from one of Austen’s earlier novels, “Pride and Prejudice.” Many considered this novel to be somewhat of an autobiography of her life, in that she and Elizabeth Bennet and shared some extremely similar qualities. They were both at a

Her own life lacked the excitement and drama that she longed for, so instead she wrote it into her novels. She created worlds that captured people’s hearts and minds through unique literary styles. Some of her favorites were “parody, burlesque, irony, free indirect speech, and a degree of realism” that allowed readers to connect with the story and relate it to their own lives (Styles and Themes of Jane Austen). Through her writing, “she unveiled her wit and dislike of sensibility, or romantic hysteria, a distinct perspective” that would become the trademark of her novels (Jane Austen Society of North America). Her ideas were genius, but being a woman made it nearly impossible to be taken seriously. So, she decided to publish her works, including Sense and Sensibilities, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Mansfield Park, anonymously and never gained recognition while she was living. She put fame aside and wanted only to release her life’s devotion to the rest of the world. After her death, Austen’s brother Henry Austen revealed that his sister was an author. He and Cassandra Austen went on to publish their sister’s novels, “Persuasion” and “Northanger