Jane Austen: A Brief Biography

Jane Austen *

Born in Hampshire, England, on Decemeber 16th 1775, Jane Austen was the 7th of her 8 siblings. She never married and died on July 18th 1817 aged 41 from an illness (probably Addison's disease).

Austen started writing in order to entertain her family through comic sketches, parodies and dabbling in Burlesques. However, through the years she started turning her thoughts into series of novels.

She wrote seven novels:

• Sense and Sensibility
• Pride and Prejudice
• Northanger Abbey
• Mansfield Park
• Emma
• Persuasion
• Sanditon (which was in the early stages of writing at the time of her death)

Four of her novels were published anonymously and after her identity was revealed (after her death) Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published with her own name.

Austen never married despite the fact that she had suitable suitors and accepted one of their proposals. However the following day she changed her mind.
She was expected to marry for material advantage rather than of love, which as she states in her books, is not something she believes in. Therefore she refused the offer.

Pride and Prejudice was the most popular of all her novels and offered her a lot of earnings.
Unfortunately with the rise of Gothic tales and novels, her books were out of print.
In 1870 however, her books were rediscovered and secured a place as for her as one of Britain's leading figure in literature.

Book reference:
Austen, Jane, Persuasion (Amersham: Thansatlantic Press, 2012)

*Image Reference: Encyclopedia Britannica  (follow link here)

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