Introduction
Jane Austen entered the world on December 16, 1775, in the little town of Steventon in Hampshire. Being one of an ordained minister’s eight children, she grew up in a loving and supportive family environment. Throughout her adolescent years, she developed a passion for writing. Around 1801, members of her family moved to Bath. Jane, Cassandra, and their sister did a lot of travelling after their parents’ deaths in 1805 before finally settling in Chawton, not far from Steventon.
Jane Austen
In 1811, with the help of Jane’s brother Henry, she published her debut novel, Sense and Sensibility. The prince regent, an avid reader, was honoured with a personal dedication in the book Emma. In order to protect her identity, Jane Austen used pen names for all of her works.
In 1816, Jane first had symptoms, most likely due to Addison’s illness. Her death occurred at Winchester, where she had gone to seek treatment, on July 18th, 1817. Another two works, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, were published after her death, and a third was never completed.
Biography
The life that Jane Austen supposedly lived was peaceful. Her sister Cassandra destroyed or heavily altered much of her sister’s correspondence just before she passed away, therefore only a small number of her documents remain today. So what little we know about her is sketchy and incomplete. It is possible to deduce her height, weight, sense of humour, and savviness from the letters that have survived and from her close friends.
Austen’s family members remember her as kind and holy. Those who have read what she wrote and what little of her letters have survived feel she was far more perceptive and insightful than her family ever let on.
Jane Austen was raised in a close-knit household. On December 16th, 1775, she was born in Steventon, Hampshire. Her father was an orphan, but thanks to the generosity of a distant cousin, he was able to complete his education and become a clergyman in the Church of England.
Austen and Cassandra were lifelong companions and best friends.
Austen completed her official schooling but continued her studies at home with the help of her father and brothers owing to financial difficulties. Reading aloud was a common pastime for the Austens. A string of short plays, in which Austen had a hand, resulted. She also satirised well-known plays of the day, such as Love and Friendship and History of England.
When Austen was 20 years old, she began to generate work and concluded what is now known as her First Trilogy.
The Austens were happy at Steventon until her father made the unexpected decision to relocate the family to Bath in 1801.
As her father passed away in 1805, their mother and sisters Jane and Cassandra were left with little income to survive on.
Mansfield Park and Emma were both originally released to the public in 1814. Despite the fact that neither Sense and Sensibility nor Pride and Prejudice were published under Austen’s name, she was already beginning to get some recognition for her work.
She passed away on July 18, 1817, at the age of 41, with her sister Cassandra by her side; when Cassandra inquired if there was anything else she wanted, she replied, “death itself.”
Major Novels
The three early novels by Jane Austen are a separate category in which the humorous depictions of people and society is combined with a strong literary satirical element.
The poor Dashwood sisters are the subject of Sense and Sensibility. Marianne is the sensitivity hero. She develops a crush on the alluring John Willoughby, who, despite appearing to be a romantic partner, is actually a cunning money hunter.
The conflict between Fitzwilliam Darcy, a wealthy and aristocratic landowner, and additionally, the country gentleman’s daughter Elizabeth Bennet is detailed in Pride and Prejudice. One of the most captivating characters in English literature is the witty and vivacious Elizabeth, who was Jane Austen’s personal favourite of all her heroines.
In Northanger Abbey, satires on Gothic horror stories and traditional books about refined society are combined. She is taught not to view the world through the lens of the Gothic thrillers she reads at Northanger Abbey itself.
Mansfield Park is Austen’s most sombre book in terms of tone and consideration of religion and moral accountability.
Emma is the Austen novel with the most consistently comedic tone out of the bunch. Emma Woodhouse, a rich, attractive, and smug young woman who indulges in meddling in and failing to arrange marriages for her friends and neighbours, is the focus of the story.
The novel Persuasion depicts the tale of a second chance, Captain Frederick Wentworth and Anne Elliot’s romance was rekindled, whom she had been persuaded not to marry seven years before.
Conclusion
Jane Austen was a famous English author who lived from 1775 to 1817. Her works are known for their serious undercurrents as well as their light sarcasm, humour, and representation of contemporary English rural life. The early 19th-century social satire, as well as Jane Austen’s wit and unique perspective as a woman, propelled her to fame. Her protagonists and the majority of the places included in her works are from the English middle and upper classes.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What made the readers relate to Jane Austen?
Ans. Jane Austen, an English author, created amazing works of art by writing about ordinary people in ordinary situations in everyday life. Readers are still spellbound by her work because of its economy, accuracy, and wit; the sly, amused pity and she shows compassion for her characters, and her storytelling and characterization skills are excellent.
2. What was Jane Austen’s background like?
Ans. Jane Austen was the seventh child out of eight. Her older sister Cassandra was by far her closest friend throughout her life. Their mother was a witty woman known for her spontaneous poetry and stories, Moreover, their scholar father instilled a passion of learning in them. Acting provided the best family entertainment.
3. Did Jane Austen suffer from any disease?
Ans. There is proof that when Pride and Prejudice, Austen’s second and most well-known book, was released in January 1813, she already had a deadly immunological disorder and lymphoma. Four additional novels would be written or altered in the wake of her deteriorating health.