While the literary art of Jane Austen is remarkable, the facts of her biography, at first glance, are not. The contrast has long intrigued Austen readers and scholars, and interest in her life is today almost as keen as interest in her works. Dating back to her own time, when Austen's first four novels were published anonymously, sources of information about her life still exist — some of her letters (those her sister Cassandra did not destroy after her death), and A Memoir of Jane Austen, written by her nephew J.E. Austen-Leigh in 1869. These sources reveal that Austen did lead the quiet life of an unmarried clergyman's daughter. She found early encouragement for her art within her family circle, and a starting point for her novels in her personal and family history.
Born in 1775 to George and Cassandra Austen in the English village of Steventon, Jane Austen grew up in a highly literate family. Austen's father was an Oxford-educated clergyman and her mother was a humorous, aristocratic woman. Educated only briefly outside of her home, Austen read freely in her father's library of 500 books, which left her better educated than most young girls of the time. While her family never anticipated she would be a published writer (not considered an appropriate profession for a young lady of her background), within the walls of their household she was encouraged to write. In this lively intellectual household, the 15-year-old Austen began writing her own novels; and by age 23 she had completed the original versions of Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice. Her own delight in reading and her ironic mocking of its impact on young girls comes alive in Northanger Abbey.
After Austen's father died in 1805, Jane, her mother, and sister Cassandra lived in a small house provided by her then-wealthy brother Edward in the village of Chawton. When Jane received a proposal from the wealthy brother of a close friend, for whom she felt no affection, she initially accepted him, only to turn him down the next day. This was a painful decision for her, as she understood deeply that marriage was the sole option women had for social mobility. She further understood the vulnerability of single women without family estates who depend on wealthy relatives for a home. This subject is at the heart of Sense and Sensibility.
Austen keenly observed the shifting of social class during her day. Two of her brothers were in the Royal British Navy, and she saw first-hand the rise of naval officers in class-conscious British society. Those who returned from the Napoleonic wars with both wealth and notoriety were able to break through class barriers that were previously impenetrable. She wrote elegantly about this sea change in her last novel, Persuasion.
Jane Austen died on July 18, 1817, at age 41. She never wrote a memoir, sat for an interview, or recorded whether she had herself felt the joys and disappointments of love. The biographical facts may never adequately explain the quick wit, the sharp insight, and the deep emotional intelligence she brought to her novels. Perhaps that is impossible; it is likely that the novels will continue to transcend our understanding of where they came from.
Jane Austen's Family Tree
Regency Era
The Regency era spans the reign of the Prince of Wales from 1811 to 1820. It occurred at the latter end of the Georgian period when King George III was declared unfit to rule for reasons of insanity and his son, George IV was appointed as Regent to govern the country. The Prince Regent was notable for his lack of restraint in most areas of life. He was a womanizer who over-ate, over-drank and over-spent. As such he lost the respect of many of his subjects, including Jane Austen herself. In fact, she mocks over-indulgence and vanity of all kinds, while restraint is depicted as a mark of character strength. Nevertheless, his extravagance characterized the period and his patronage of the arts resulted in marked expansion in the areas of:
1) Architecture (typified by the elegant designs of architect John Nash)
2) Literature (typified by work of Romantic writers Austen, Byron, Shelley and Keats)
3) Music (typified by the works of Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt).
4) The character of Sir Walter in Persuasion could be interpreted as a parody of the Prince Regent.
A widening gap between rich and poor
While the upper classes in the Regency era were enjoying an opulent lifestyle, the lower classes experienced a grinding poverty. The Prince Regent made little effort to relieve the situation and his lavish lifestyle caused a growing resentment. The gap between rich and poor was exacerbated by:
1) A sudden increase in the population and increasing overcrowding in the cities, which led to squalid housing conditions. This gave rise to city slums (colloquially known as rookeries). They were associated with prostitution, drunkenness and crime in general
2) Inflated food prices, due to Napoleon's blockade of exports to Britain, as well as high wheat prices resulting from the Corn Law of 1815
3) Technological advances in the textile industry which eventually wiped out spinning as a cottage industry - hence the Luddite Riots (1811-1816) in which English craftsmen protested about the negative impact of technological advances on employment in the weaving industry.
Lady Susan
Lady Susan was possibly written in 1794 but not published until 1871. Beautiful, flirtatious, and recently widowed, Lady Susan Vernon seeks an advantageous second marriage for herself, while attempting to push her daughter into a dismal match. A magnificently crafted novel of Regency manners and mores that will delight Austen enthusiasts with its wit and elegant expression. The entire novel is composed of letters, offering different viewpoints, with an epilogue tying the events together. The film adaptation is titled Love and Friendship (2016), not to be confused with her juvenilia novella of the same name.
Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen's first major novel was written in 1798-99, when she was in her early twenties. It is a comic love story set in Bath about a young reader who must learn how to separate fantasy from reality. Miss Austen sold the novel (then entitled Susan) to a publisher in 1803, and the work was advertised but never published. She bought it back many years later, and her brother Henry Austen published the novel as Northanger Abbey after her death in 1817.
Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be published. She began to write it sometime around 1797, and she worked on it for many years before its publication in 1811. The title page said that it was written "By a Lady", and only her immediate family knew that Jane Austen was the author. Impetuous Marianne Dashwood tumbles into a fairytale romance that goes sour, and her practical older sister Elinor copes with the family's financial problems while hiding her own frustrated romantic hopes. The book was a success, and it even earned a profit!
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice was first written in the late 1700's, then rewritten in 1811-1812 and finally published in early 1813. It is probably the most-read of all of Jane Austen's novels and is a popular favorite among many. Originally entitled First Impressions, the novel deals with the misjudgments that often occur at the beginning of an acquaintance and how those misjudgments can change as individuals learn more about each other.
Mansfield Park
Mansfield Park was written between February, 1811 and the summer of 1813. It was the third novel Jane Austen had published and it first appeared on May 4, 1814. During her lifetime, it was attributed only to "The author of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice", and the author's identity was unknown beyond her family and friends. It is Jane Austen's most complex novel and deals with many different themes, from the education of children, to the differences between appearances and reality.
Emma
Emma was written in 1814-1815, and while Jane Austen was writing it, it was suggested to her by a member of the Prince Regents' household that she dedicate it to His Royal Highness. Austen took the suggestion as it was intended (as a command) and Emma was thus dedicated, but the dedication itself is rather slyly worded. Emma deals with a young woman's maturation into adulthood and the trouble she gets herself into along the way.
Persuasion
Persuasion was written in 1815-1816, while Jane Austen was suffering from her fatal illness. She was still working on some revisions at the time of her death in 1817. The novel was published posthumously by her brother, Henry Austen. Persuasion is a novel of second chances, expectations of society, and the constancy of love. You can also read the preface which Henry wrote telling the world of his sister's authorship, life, and untimely death: A Biographical Notice of the Author.
Juvenilia & Letters
Jane Austen's works from her childhood are full of enthusiasm, humor, and very creative spelling. We also have some letters and correspondence, though Jane’s sister destroyed any that could have given us insight into her psyche and love life.
3) Technological advances in the textile industry which eventually wiped out spinning as a cottage industry - hence the Luddite Riots (1811-1816) in which English craftsmen protested about the negative impact of technological advances on employment in the weaving industry.
Major Works
Lady Susan
Lady Susan was possibly written in 1794 but not published until 1871. Beautiful, flirtatious, and recently widowed, Lady Susan Vernon seeks an advantageous second marriage for herself, while attempting to push her daughter into a dismal match. A magnificently crafted novel of Regency manners and mores that will delight Austen enthusiasts with its wit and elegant expression. The entire novel is composed of letters, offering different viewpoints, with an epilogue tying the events together. The film adaptation is titled Love and Friendship (2016), not to be confused with her juvenilia novella of the same name.
Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen's first major novel was written in 1798-99, when she was in her early twenties. It is a comic love story set in Bath about a young reader who must learn how to separate fantasy from reality. Miss Austen sold the novel (then entitled Susan) to a publisher in 1803, and the work was advertised but never published. She bought it back many years later, and her brother Henry Austen published the novel as Northanger Abbey after her death in 1817.
Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be published. She began to write it sometime around 1797, and she worked on it for many years before its publication in 1811. The title page said that it was written "By a Lady", and only her immediate family knew that Jane Austen was the author. Impetuous Marianne Dashwood tumbles into a fairytale romance that goes sour, and her practical older sister Elinor copes with the family's financial problems while hiding her own frustrated romantic hopes. The book was a success, and it even earned a profit!
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice was first written in the late 1700's, then rewritten in 1811-1812 and finally published in early 1813. It is probably the most-read of all of Jane Austen's novels and is a popular favorite among many. Originally entitled First Impressions, the novel deals with the misjudgments that often occur at the beginning of an acquaintance and how those misjudgments can change as individuals learn more about each other.
Mansfield Park
Mansfield Park was written between February, 1811 and the summer of 1813. It was the third novel Jane Austen had published and it first appeared on May 4, 1814. During her lifetime, it was attributed only to "The author of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice", and the author's identity was unknown beyond her family and friends. It is Jane Austen's most complex novel and deals with many different themes, from the education of children, to the differences between appearances and reality.
Emma
Emma was written in 1814-1815, and while Jane Austen was writing it, it was suggested to her by a member of the Prince Regents' household that she dedicate it to His Royal Highness. Austen took the suggestion as it was intended (as a command) and Emma was thus dedicated, but the dedication itself is rather slyly worded. Emma deals with a young woman's maturation into adulthood and the trouble she gets herself into along the way.
Persuasion
Persuasion was written in 1815-1816, while Jane Austen was suffering from her fatal illness. She was still working on some revisions at the time of her death in 1817. The novel was published posthumously by her brother, Henry Austen. Persuasion is a novel of second chances, expectations of society, and the constancy of love. You can also read the preface which Henry wrote telling the world of his sister's authorship, life, and untimely death: A Biographical Notice of the Author.
Juvenilia & Letters
Jane Austen's works from her childhood are full of enthusiasm, humor, and very creative spelling. We also have some letters and correspondence, though Jane’s sister destroyed any that could have given us insight into her psyche and love life.
We know that Jane and Elizabeth are based on Jane and her sister Cassandra but I’m wondering if she based any other characters in her books based on her family. When I was reading about her life, it was said that her father was an “Oxford-educated clergyman and her mother was a humorous, aristocratic woman”. Those descriptions to me seem like Mr. Bennet has aspects of her parents in him. He is very educated and always seem to be reading something and also the fact that he is very humorous and sarcastic. Another thing that caught my eye was that it is said that “[Jane] never wrote a memoir, sat for an interview, or recorded whether she had herself felt the joys and disappointments of love.” I find it hard to believe that she never wrote about her own love life since she seemed to have loved writing about many different things from a young age, but what I can believe is that maybe Cassandra had found them and realized that Jane would not want these to get out. We do know that Cassandra burned letters that Jane had sent her after she died to maybe she did the same to the writings about her love. My question is do we know if she wrote more novels than the six that we know of? Her brother published her work after her death so I was curious to know if there was more or if that was it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading more on Jane Austen I’m curious as to why she never had a single photo of her taken over the whole course of her life and that there is only a single piece of art that could look like her but it might not and we will never know. It said that, “Jane received a proposal from the wealthy brother of a close friend, for whom she felt no affection, she initially accepted him, only to turn him down the next day” and I’m curious what her life would have been like if she stayed with him and how her books would have changed, or maybe she wouldn’t have been writing after she got married. I am also curious as to what happened to Jane’s brother’s money because it said that, “Jane, her mother, and sister Cassandra lived in a small house provided by her then-wealthy brother Edward.” It also says though that they were struggling with money and I’m curious if he just cut them off or if something happened to the money. Jane also wrote so many books with such a wide variety of characters and I’m wondering who or if she based them off of people she met or knew well. As we know she based some characters off of her family in “Pride and Prejudice” but I’m curious to know if she had people in mind when she was writing about all of these characters.
ReplyDeleteJane Austen was born in 1775 in the English Village of Steventon. Jane grew up in a highly educated family. Her father was educated at Oxford and her mother was an aristocratic woman. Jane grew up reading books inside her fathers large library. At 15 years old she began writing her own novels and by the age of 23 she finished famous pieces such as Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, and Sense and Sensibility. Her father sadly passed away in 1805 which left her sister, mother, and herself living in a house provided by her wealthy brother. Jane was proposed to by her close friends brother who she had no affection for. She ended up accepting his proposal but then declining not too long after. “When Jane received a proposal from the wealthy brother of a close friend, for whom she felt no affection, she initially accepted him, only to turn him down the next day.” Jane knew that marriage was very important for her because at that time you needed a husband to provide for you. This idea later became the main subject of Sense and Sensibility. At the age of 41 Jane Austen passed away leaving not much of a trace of who she really was as a person. She never had been interviewed, wrote memoirs, or wrote about her persona feelings. “The biographical facts may never adequately explain the quick wit, the sharp insight, and the deep emotional intelligence she brought to her novels.” I wonder if Jane Austen had any other close friends who may have more information on who she was as a person.
ReplyDeleteJane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, born to clergyman George Austen and his wife Cassandra. She was the 7th of 8 children but one of her brothers, Edward, “was adopted by wealth cousins, the Knights, becoming their heir and later taking their name.” I found this surprising because I really wonder why they adopted her brother and I wonder if it was just to have a blood relative if they couldn’t have children of their own since their cousins had 8 children. Her family was pretty well off and she had a lot of access to great education in her home and she read from the books that her father had in his extensive library. While she was mainly educated in her home, she learned a lot through her brothers about the world around her which at the time was harder to do. Her brothers “Francis (Frank) and Charles, officers in the Royal Navy, served on ships around the world and saw action in the Napoleonic Wars.” They were able to use their experiences to show Jane what the world truly was like and give another perspective of how people can move in the class system which was not previously possible. While Jane Austen is now acknowledged as “one of England’s foremost novelists, [she was] never publicly acknowledged as a writer during her lifetime.” I find this interesting because “her gravestone, which is visited by hundreds of admirers each year, does not even mention that she was an author.” I wonder if because her grave doesn’t show that she was an author, if her family truly supported her and acknowledged that she was such a great writer.
ReplyDeleteBorn in 1775 to highly literate parents George and Cassandra Austen, Jane was allowed to be more educated than most women her age at the time. She was encouraged to read and write. At the age of 23, she had finished Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey. Many of the characters from her novels and works she had based on people from her own life. “Oxford-educated clergyman and her mother was a humorous, aristocratic woman”. This quote seems like it was the basis of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. She kept her life a secret and did not write anything about her life, but she had many letters about her love life burned after she died. “Jane Austen died on July 18, 1817, at age 41. She never wrote a memoir, sat for an interview, or recorded whether she had herself felt the joys and disappointments of love”. Did she ever want to, or did she ever intend to become this popular of an author? Why did she want to keep these from the public and why did she not write anything about her own life?
ReplyDeleteJane Austen was raised into a family who were well. With her father, George Austen, possessing a library of around 500 books, there was no shortage in reading material for Jane; “Born in 1775 to George and Cassandra Austen in the English village of Steventon, Jane Austen grew up in a highly literate family. Austen's father was an Oxford-educated clergyman and her mother was a humorous, aristocratic woman”. As a result of growing up into an educated family, Jane started to write her very first novels at the age of 15, completing Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice all by the age of 23. Although we don’t know all that much when it comes to Jane Austen and her influences, it’s apparent that she was influenced by the people around her and all the novels she read. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Collins is a clergyman who comes across as being foolish yet well off financially. It is known that she had two brothers, Frank and Charles, who served in the Royal Navy and got to travel all around, stories which could’ve influenced some of her fiction. 1811 was the beginning of Jane’s most productive writing period, when she and her mother resided in a comfortable cottage provided by Cassandra’s brother, Edward, in 1809, who was the male hire after George Austen died in 1805. At the age of 35, Austen published Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice in 1813, Mansfield Park in 1814, and Emma in 1815. “The title page of each book referred to one or two of Austen’s earlier novels—capitalizing on her growing reputation—but did not provide her name”. Jane has a brief period where she began a piece called Sanditon, but was too sick to work by March. She wrote her will on April 18th, passing during the early hours of July 18th. There’s no doubt that Jane Austen’s writing are world renowned and have given many others inspiration; but is that because of the writing itself? Or the mysterious lore about her personal life that has made many people question over the years.
ReplyDeleteOften authors make stories that relate to their life in some way or another. Jane Austen often wrote stories with characters that were like her sisters and her family. And often critiqued social norms that she disliked. Jane was not a fan of Prince of Regent, the govern of the time. “In fact, she mocks over-indulgence and vanity of all kinds, while restraint is depicted as a mark of character strength”. We often see Ms. Austen making fun of the wealthy families when we read the novel Pride And Prejudice. Jane didn’t grow up super wealthy, but her family had a respectable name. Just like the Bennett family in Pride and Prejudice. What I find the most interesting about Jane Austen is that historians don’t really know anything personal about her. “She never wrote a memoir, sat for an interview, or recorded whether she had herself felt the joys and disappointments of love”. All we have is her novels. I’m curious as to if she did this on purpose or not? I know her sister disposed of their letters that they wrote to each other, but I wonder why. Jane Austen was mysterious, she never followed protocol, and she was very funny. She was also very smart. “Austen read freely in her father's library of 500 books, which left her better educated than most young girls of the time”. She was most likely taught to read and then she self taught herself different things by reading books. I think that makes her unique compared to girls during her time. She had the motivation to be what she wanted to be, even if she didn’t know she was making an impact on society.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of Jane’s novels tights into wealth and classification in some way or another. After learning more about her and the society in which she lived, I could understand how she was inspired to write these novels. Jane was better educated than most of the girls at her age. She reads and writes an incredible amount of books and letter, which made her an outstanding writer. When she turned down a proposal from which she had no affection for, she expressed that, “This was a painful decision for her, as she understood deeply that marriage was the sole option women had for social mobility”. The society at the time measures the successes of a women by whether or not she is married to a well off husband. What impressed me the most is that Jane has the courage, which most women didn’t have, to turned down the proposal. I love how she wasn’t defined by the society’s rule, believing marriage should occur between those who love each other.
ReplyDeleteGrace
Nick Criniti
ReplyDeleteWhile reading about Jane Austen's background, I found some really interesting information about her early life. ‘At fifteen year old Austen began writing her own novels’ Seeing how early Jane started to become a writer is really cool and shows that anyone can do something if they put their mind to it. Another interesting fact I found while reading about Jane was she died at the very early age of 41 and never sat for an interview. “Jane Austen died on July 18, 1817, at age 41. She never wrote a memoir, sat for an interview” Its crazy to thing that anyone who thinks they know everything about Jane Austen really don't know everything because its never been discovered.
Jane was born on December 16th, 1775, as the seventh child of a clergyman and his wife and was highly educated. “Austen was born on December 16, 1775, at Steventon Rectory in Hampshire, the seventh child of a country clergyman and his wife, George and Cassandra Austen...Jane Austen was primarily educated at home, benefiting from her father’s extensive library and the schoolroom atmosphere created by Mr. Austen’s live-in pupils.” Jane was able to access the greater world through her brothers, which was reflected in her novels. “Her brother Edward was adopted by wealthy cousins, the Knights, becoming their heir and later taking their name. On extended visits to Godmersham, Edward’s estate in Kent, Austen and her sister took part in the privileged life of the landed gentry, which is reflected in all her fiction.” I believe that her experiences with her brother’s different jobs in the world highly influenced her as just like Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice, her brother Henry was a clergyman. “Henry, who eventually became a clergyman like his father”. The one question that comes to mind is What made Jane Austen start writing in the first place?
ReplyDeleteAfter going into more detail about Jane Austen’s life, I have discovered the importance of her living at the time that she did in England. If she had not been alive at the time period that she was, her stories would not have the same magnitude that they do today. Jane Austen had been known to write her stories about things that were happening in her everyday life, like how she wrote the novel Sense and Sensibility on women who lived off of their wealthy family members after she, “further understood the vulnerability of single women without family estates who depend on wealthy relatives for a home,” after refusing to marry a man who had proposed to her. Another part of Jane’s life that influenced her writing was the time period she lived in and the man who ruled England at the time. George IV was the Regent of England and he was known to be very extravagant with his purchases, not showing any care for the amount of money he spent. So, when Jane Austen created her characters, “she mocks over-indulgence and vanity of all kinds, while restraint is depicted as a mark of character strength.” If Austen had lived at some other time, even the basis of her critical characters in her novels would be different. So, one question I would like to ask about Jane Austen and her works is that if she were to live at a different time in history, do you believe her works would still be as famous and impactful on the world of literature as they are today?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading more about Jane Austen I want to know why her sister destroyed most of her letters. Didn't she want her sisters legacy to live on with all of her work along with it? To this day no one knows all that much about Jane Austen, where there would have been more clues as to what her life was like. Also through more research about Jane Austen, and how Pride and Prejudice relates to her and her sister, makes me wonder are more of the characters related to her family. Do Jane's parents personalities match up with Mr. and Mrs. Bennetts personalities. Was someone like Mr. Collins a big part in Janes life in which she was trying to reiterate in this novel? “Her gravestone, which is visited by hundreds of admirers each year, does not even mention that she was an author.” I am very surprised that her gravestone doesn't mention that she was an author. She is such a well known author I would presume her gravestone would say that. I also wonder why “her closest friend was her only sister, Cassandra.” Was Jane not a very social person and was very focused on family?
ReplyDeleteMaddy Francis
Jane Austen is a very concealed person if there was one way to describe her. From what it is we’ve read and what the Jane Austen Society has provided, she fits the character of one who wishes to truly stay away from the spotlight without being a hypocrite. The first thing I can really state is how well she is educated given her lack of outside education, whether it be private or public. According to the education section on the Jane Austen Society website “Jane Austen was primarily educated at home, benefiting from her father’s extensive library and the schoolroom atmosphere created by Mr. Austen’s live-in pupils.” It’s interesting that even with such a limited selection of what she was able to read and study that Austen was still able to compose the books she produced. Especially books with complex themes for that time, such as a more individualized women, or rather a “Renaissance woman”. Given that this was the regency era, it’s very surprising to see the women that Austen speaks of in her books, as they’re all different from one another in some shape or form. Another thing that aso surprised me was how many military connections Austen had. Everyone is aware of her brother Henry being in the militia. However, I was not aware that she had two other brothers, Francis and Charles, were officers in the Royal Navy. For most families, it is very uncommon to have multiple sons in the military, and it almost makes me think of what happened to the Sullivan Brothers during the Guadalcanal campaign as possible outcome for what could’ve happened to all of them. I guess the most interesting piece about Jane Austen is indeed the mystery and legend behind her ”We also have some letters and correspondence, though Jane’s sister destroyed any that could have given us insight into her psyche and love life.” Seems as though Jane’s sister didn’t want us knowing the dirt on Jane. Just thought it was a bit interesting that she herself probably wanted that to happen.
ReplyDelete- Paul Yannalfo
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, she was the 7th of 8 children. Seven of these eight children were born to clergyman George Austen and his wife Cassandra. The eight, her brother Edward was adopted. She was born in the village of Steventon in England to her well-educated parents “Oxford-educated clergyman and her mother was a humorous, aristocratic woman”. Jane Austen was“one of England’s foremost novelists, [she was] never publicly acknowledged as a writer during her lifetime.” Jane lived her life without leaving much of a trace, to this date we only have one painted portrait of her. Jane started writing he first book at the age of 15 and had published multiple books by the time she was 23 such as Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey. At the age of 41, on July 18, 1817, Jane Austen passed away leaving no trace of who she really was as a person. However, she left behind quite a few well-written books but none of which described her life.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking through the website, I have learned much about the author of Pride and Prejudice Jane Austin. As a young child she already loved to write, composing comics called “Juvenilia”. Where did she learn all this knowledge to actually write all of these? Her father had a library full of books and homeschooled her. By age 19 she had composed her first mature work Lady Susan. In her early twenties she then wrote two more novels in Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejustice. What I found interesting is the manner in which she died. I found it strange that she named Cassandra as her heir. I know that she was her best friend in the world but I feel she should have passed it down to the next generation. I also wonder what could have been if Austin had stayed alive past the age of 41. What other books could we read? What character could we have met? We may never know.
ReplyDeleteBen Weeden
When I read the website about Jane Austen, I learned that Austin was lives in rural towns, a quiet and comfortable living environment, so there are no major social contradictions in her works. With her unique and meticulous observation, she truly depicted the small world of the world around her, especially the marriage and love story between gentlemen and ladies. She is unmarried for the rest of her life, but she has a deep insight into love, which makes people puzzled. People were widely accepted that Austin's neighbor, Tom Lefroy, was Austin's, true love. Lefroy is the prototype of Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice. But somebody said that Blackall is much more important than Lefroy. Later, Blackall fell in love with Austin. But after a failed love, Austin is no longer as open-minded as she used to be, only a few people close to Austin, including her two-year-old sister Cassandra, knew her "secret."
ReplyDeleteWhile reading about Jane Austen on the website I learned that she was born on December 16, 1775, she was the 7th of 8 children. Seven of these eight children were born to clergyman George Austen and his wife Cassandra. The Sixth, child was adopted. I question why her sister burned the rest of her books away, once she passed. I wonder because wouldn't she have wanted her legacy to live on? I learned that the book Pride and Prejudice, was based off the way she grew up with her sisters. Her sisters played a big role in her life, “her closest friend was her only sister, Cassandra.” This quote brings up the belief pf her maybe not having many friends nor being the most sociable.Did she spend most of her time writing? -David
ReplyDeleteMatt Gaetano
ReplyDeleteWhile looking into the Jane Austen Society of North America, I found it interesting how its 40 year anniversary is coming up soon, on October 5th. After digging deeper, I found it especially interesting how her father was a clergyman. I wonder if she wrote Mr. Collins to represent her father in any way. Another thing that caught my eye was that many of her brothers served in the military. Because of this, the JASNA website says that, “Though she lived a quiet life, she had unusual access to the greater world, primarily through her brothers”. Especially given the fact that they served during the Napoleonic Wars, I would think that would have really shaped the Austen’s. I learned that she had a great interest in writing very early on in her life. I learned that after Henry served as a military officer, Jane “... visited Henry in London, where she attended the theater, art exhibitions, and social events and also corrected proofs of her novels”. I can tell that she was very intrigued in the arts by the fact that she went to visit London to go to events of writing and literature around the city over spending time with her brother.