Jane Austen ( 1775 – 1817) was an English woman of letters renowned for her realism, social criticism and biting irony. Widely adapted to the cinema, she is still one of the most widely read English writers today.
The first works for his family
Daughter of Cassandra Austen and William Georges Austen, Jane was born on December 16, 1775 into a family of the gentry (good English society). She has a sister (who will be her confidante and close friend) and six brothers.
In 1783, Jane and her sister Cassandra Elisabeth were sent to Oxford to be educated there by Mrs Ann Cawley and then went to boarding school in 1785. There they learned French, spelling, sewing and embroidery, dancing, music, and perhaps the theatre, until 1786, when their parents could no longer afford the board. Jane then completes her education through reading.
As early as 1787, Jane began to write poems, stories and plays which she shared with her family. She notably wrote a novel, Love and Freindship, in which she made fun of fashionable sentimental novels. As an adult, Jane continues to live in the house and devotes herself to the usual activities of a woman of her rank, continues to write and read novels to her family. From 1793, however, she embarked on more complex and longer works.
Women and marriage
When Jane Austen was 20, she became friends with Thomas Lefroy, a young man from the neighborhood, but her family intervened to remind them that marriage between these two poor families was unthinkable and they never saw each other again. In December 1802, she received her only marriage request, from a young man she had known since childhood and who offered her an advantageous union; however, she refuses. She would later write to a niece, about another proposal:"I am now going to beg you not to commit yourself any further, and not to think of accepting him unless he you really don't like it. Everything should be preferred or supported rather than marrying without affection. »
In 1805, William Georges Austen died leaving his wife and daughters in a difficult and precarious situation. One of her brothers then put a cottage at their disposal where they settled. Jane continues to write daily, privately. She published four new novels:Sense and Sensibility, in 1811, received a favorable reception. In 1813, Pride and Prejudice was an immediate success. Mansfield Park appeared in 1814, followed by Emma in 1815. Her novels highlight women's reliance on marriage.
In 1816, Jane Austen's health began to decline. In July, she died of illness, aged 41. She is buried in Winchester Cathedral.
Useful links
Jane Austen's Wikipedia entry