Jane Austen's Life and Work

Jane Austen, one of the most celebrated novelists, wrote seven of the most distinguished novels in the English language. Her first novel--which she started in 1795, revised in 1809 or 1810, and finally published in 1811—was Sense and Sensibility. Many agree that her most renowned work would be Pride and Prejudice. Austen began writing in her early twenties but did not publish her work until later in her life. She obtained a better education than most women of her time. Born in Steventon Village in Hampshire on December 16, 1775, Austen was born into an upper middle class family. She was the daughter of George Austen, a clergyman, and Cassandra Austen. Austen received her education at Reading Abby School. Before she was eighteen Austen had written three volumes of juvenilia and her first book was published at the age of thirty-five. Pride and Prejudice, originally titled First Impressions, was submitted to a London publisher by her father in 1797, a year after Austen began writing it. Although the novel was enjoyed by many of her friends and family, the publisher rejected it. She moved to Bath in 1801 and continued to work on First Impressions until 1805 when her father and a close friend passed away in which time she stopped writing for almost five years. In 1809 Austen moved to Hampshire at Chawton College, close to her hometown of Steventon and on January 28, 1813 Pride and Prejudice was published anonymously. Austen’s novels are about people of her societal class on courtship and marriage and throughout her life there were approximately fifteen anonymous reviews, three on Pride and Prejudice. James Edward Austen-Leigh, Austen’s nephew, wrote her first biography in 1870 portraying her as a benevolent, devout, “spin...

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...te, clever, pointed, and satirical to say the least.

Jane Austen’s Emma relates to her life in the fact that she writes about the people in her societal class. All of her characters live near the area she grew up in and are all upper middle class families. In Emma George Knightley is often the voice of Austen herself. He relays her opinions and emotions in a subtle way that does not disengage the reader too much. While relaying her opinions and emotions through a character within the novel, it keeps the reader involved enough to keep their emotions within the story and not towards Austen herself.

Works Cited

Collins, K K. “Austen, Jane.” World Book Student. World Book Student. Web. 4 Jan. 2011.

Gale Student Resources in Context. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2011.

Hodge, J.A., et al. “Jane Austen.” Columbia Encyclopedia. EBSCOhost. Web. 4 Jan. 2011.