Jane Austen successfully bridged the gap between romance and realism with her literary works in the 18th century. She mainly tackled women’s dependence on marriage to achieve much-favorable social status and home security.
Her works get credit for analyzing the second half of the 18th century’s sentimental novels and become a part of the 19th-century literary realism transition. Her way of using biting irony, coupled with realism, humor, and social commentary earned her a heap of praise from critics, scholars, and influential people alike.
With six major novels that were interpreted, critiqued, and commented on by the British landed gentry, here is everything you need to know about Austen.
The Early Life of Austen
There are only little details about the early life of Austen, except for a few surviving letters and biographical notes from her family members.
What is known is that she was born in December 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, to a couple who was well-respected community members. His father, George Austen, who was an Oxford educator, used to serve as a rector for an Anglican parish. With her father’s extensive library and an environment wherein creative thinking and learning were a must, Austen learned how to read, write, and put on plays and charades.
She then went to have a formal education with her sister, Cassandra Austen, but due to financial problems, they had to return home, not giving Austen the chance to earn her degree.
The Literary Classics
With her deep interest in stories, Austen started writing in bound notebooks when she was young. She then began working on her own novels in the 1970s, starting with Love and Friendship, which was a parody of romantic fictional tales arranged as a series of love letters.
From here, she learned her distaste of sensibility while unveiling her wit that gave birth to some of the literary classics that we know today.
These notebooks are now known as her Juvenilia. She then wrote The History of England, a parody of historical writing with illustrations by Cassandra.
As she honed her talent and developed her style, Austen penned Lady Susan, followed by some of her major works. She started to receive credits when she did Elinor and Marianne, which was later published as the famous Sense and Sensibility.
The novelist also worked on the drafts of First Impressions, which was famously known as Pride and Prejudice, and Susan, which was published as Northanger Abbey.
Austen first published Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma using a pseudonym. Her brother, Henry Austen, later published these works to her name after her demise.
Legacy, Accolades, and Critical Acclaims
Despite feeling unwell, Austen continuously worked at a normal pace and edited her works. She also started penning a new novel, called The Brothers, which was later called Sanditon and Persuasion. These two novels were published posthumously.
Her condition started deteriorating to such an extensive degree that she had to stop writing. In 1817, the world said goodbye to the great writer that was Austen.
Austen didn’t only receive numerous accolades for her works, but her first three novels also earned critical acclaim and financial rewards. It wasn’t until her passing, however, that Henry revealed to the public she was the author behind these successful novels.
Centuries might have passed since Austen departed, but she’s still considered one of the greatest writers in English today. She ranked No. 70 on BBC’s “100 Most Famous Britons of All Time”.
She then became an international author, starting in the 1920s when scholars acknowledged her works as masterpieces, which incredibly increased her popularity. Her novels, on the other hand, earned movie adaptations and credits, making Austen’s name known all over the world.