Jane Austen

 

Jane Austen is considered one of the greatest writers in English history, both by academics and the general public. Even though during her lifetime, she was not widely known and only got little acknowledgement. Born on December 16, 1775, in Hampshire, England, Jane was the seventh child from Cassandra and George Austen. Her family was very close, her parents were well-respected community members, and she grew up in an environment that emphasizes learning and creative thinking.

Jane spent much of her early adulthood helping run the family home, playing piano, attending church, and socializing with neighbors. Her nights and weekends often involved quadrille but on other evenings, she would choose a novel from the shelf and read it aloud to her family. Jane then began to write in notebooks and published it using a pen name called ‘The Lady’. Her first novel was Love and Friendship, which then followed by The History of England, Lady Susan, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma.

At 41 years old, Jane becomes ill; she tried to keep on writing her last work such as The Brothers and Persuasion until she passed away on July 18, 1817. Her brother, Henry, then published her last work and revealed to the public that Jane was an author. Nowadays, her name and works are known internationally, some of her works such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park were adapted for movies and TV series.

“It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do” – Jane Austen