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Jane Austen is one of the most-beloved and well-known authors of all time. Her classic 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice has inspired numerous retellings, spinoffs, and adaptations, and the original text is still regarded as one of the greatest love stories ever told, alongside works like . Austen, however, hardly benefitted from her success during her lifetime: None of her books were published under her name until after she died in 1817, impoverished, at the age of 41.
Yet, her legacy is as undeniable as it is enduring. After Austen's works eventually found their audience, they became a staple in arts and culture. She's credited with shifting literary style from the highly dramatized sentimental novels of the early 18th century to the more realistic fiction that portrayed everyday people and settings. Her books have been in continuous publication since 1833 and remain popular among literary scholars and casual readers alike. Her clever approach to social satire, richly layered women characters, and relatable relationship dynamics have a timeless quality that continues to draw in new fans over 200 years after her death.
Who was Jane Austen?
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in Hampshire, England. Her father George Austen was an Anglican reverend and scholar, and her mother, Cassandra Leigh Austen, was known for her wit and storytelling prowess. Jane was the seventh of eight children, with six brothers and one older sister.
In truth, there is little known for certain about Austen’s life beyond the novels, novellas, plays, and poems she wrote. While Austen was a prolific letter writer, her closest friend and confidante, her sister Cassandra, destroyed or heavily censored the majority of Austen’s letters to her family for unknown reasons. As Austen's writing gained in popularity after her death, the Austen family made efforts to represent Jane as modest, demure, respected, and focused primarily on living a quiet life centered around her family. But scholars believe Austen to be much more like the protagonists of her work: bold, clever, daring, and in possession of a fiery wit all her own.
Austen began writing as a child to entertain her family. Her earliest written works originated at age 11, when she wrote poems, stories, and plays to be read aloud or acted out in the rectory barn of her father's church. While Austen spent some of her early years at school, her formal education ended in 1786 due to her family's inability to pay tuition. Her writing skills were largely shaped by reading, thanks to access to her father's library and the libraries of family friends.
, released in 1811, was Austen’s first published work. The byline printed on the novel was simply "by a Lady." A woman writing under her own name was considered gauche at the time, since publishing a novel under her legal name would have signaled a taste for fame and any "respectable lady" should be focused solely on becoming a good wife and mother. Austen’s subsequent books, (1813), (1814), and (1815), were all anonymously credited to "the author of " Austen's books gained some popularity during her life and were considered an entertaining topic of conversation among high society, although she saw very little financial return for her work.The Austen family struggled with money throughout Jane's life. She never married, nor did her close, older sister Cassandra. After the death of their father in 1805, the sisters moved frequently between the homes of family members and friends, relying on loved ones for financial support. Jane Austen grew ill in 1816 with what most biographers now believe to be Addison's Disease, an endocrine disorder that causes chronic pain, weakness, and skin discoloration. She died on July 18, 1817, at the age of 41. Austen's brother Henry, who also served as her agent, assisted in posthumously publishing the novels and later in 1817. These works included a biographical note on Jane written by Henry, which marked the first time she was publicly identified as the author of her writing.
