Jane Austen was born in 1775 in Hampshire, England. She came from a literate family who encouraged her intellectual development and passion for writing and theater. From age 12, Austen began writing parodies which revealed her gifts for wit and comedy. Her first serious works were written in the 1790s. Although her first novel, Sense and Sensibility, was not published until 1811, she had begun revising earlier works. Austen went on to publish Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma. She sadly passed away in 1817 at the young age of 41, but found great success posthumously as her insightful portrayals of love and society continue to resonate with modern readers.

1. Jane Austen’s biography

2. She is one of the most widely read and best-loved writer in British literature.

4. Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in the small village of Steventon in Hampshire, England.

5. Her childhood was happy: her home was full of books, and many friends and relatives.

6. Her parents encouraged both their children’s intellectual interests...

7. ... and passion for producing and performing in amateur theatricals.

8. Austen’s closest relationship was with her only sister, Cassandra.

9. Jane Austen – watercolour produced by her sister, Cassandra

10. From about twelve years old, Jane began writing spirited parodies of the popular Gothic...

11. ... and sentimental fiction for the amusement of her family.

12. These early works reveal in nascent form many of her literary gifts:

13. ... particularly her ironic sensibility, wit, and gift for comedy.

14. Serious works began around 1794: Lady Susan , Elinor and Marianne and First Impressions .

15. In 1797, First Impressions ( Pride and Prejudice ) was offered to a publisher by Jane Austen’s father...

16. ... but the publisher declined to even look at the manuscript.

17. After her father’s death, Jane, Cassandra and her mother became dependent on support from the Austen brothers.

18. In 1808, they moved to a cottage in Chawton, which is today a museum.

19. Jane Austen revised her earlier works which were entitled: Sense and Sensibility (1811) and Pride and Prejudice (1813).

20. She also wrote Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1815).

21. In 1816, Jane Austen’s health began to fail. She died at the age of 41 on July 18, 1817.

22. She loved balls, music, country walks, conversation, children, novels.

23. Her works were concerned with courtship, love and marriage but she never married.

25. All Jane Austen’s work lifetime appeared in print anonymously.

26. Just few months following her death a biographical notice appeared in the books revealing her name.

27. She lived in privacy and, after her death, her family censored and destroyed many of her letters.

28. On her grave there was no mention of her writings...

29. ... just an allusion to “ the extraordinary endowments of her mind. ”

30. She represented the ordinary world of men and women as it was...

31. ... a place where love and romance were constrained by economics and human imperfection...

32. ... a place where characters were never simply good or evil but more complicated amalgams, reflecting both their own moral nature...

33. ... and the virtues and failings of the families and society that shaped them.

34. Because Jane Austen is still in tune with today’s sensibilities, her novels have been adapted to many movies...

35. The more recent are...

36. (1995)

37. (1996)

38. (1999)

39. (2005)

40. (2007) (tv)

41. (2007) (tv)

42. (2007)

43. And others had Jane Austen’s novel like background...

44. (1998) Paraphrasing Pride and Prejudice ...

45. (2006) Paraphrasing Persuasion ...

46. (2007) ... paraphrasing five of her novels. ... And...

47. Jane Austen’s works are full of intelligence and precisely crafted to convey its often subtle meaning.

48. . . .

49. Sources http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/janelife.html http://www.jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk/

50. 19th Century English Literature