Anna Faszcza It isn't what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.

Jane Austen, the authorauthorauthor of the quotationquotationquotation above (Sense and Sensibility), was born in 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire as the second daughter among her six brothers. Her father was a scholarscholarscholar while her mother came from a prominentprominentprominent family. Jane took the passion forpassion forpassion for literature after her parents, who were avid readersavid readers [avid reader]avid readers. Jane was mainly homeschooledhomeschooledhomeschooled. Occasionally, she attended private schools, where she gained a broader education.

A.

Jane Austen gave the novelnovelnovel its distinctly modern character through her treatment of ordinary people in everyday life. She presented middle–class life and the social role of women in the early 19th century. As a writer, she gained popularitygained popularity [gain popularity]gained popularity during her life, and it lasts. She died over two centuries ago, and her novels are still well‑liked. Jane was a great observer, and although she had no degree in literaturedegree in literaturedegree in literature, she improved her technique to master level. Although she lived in a small village, she smartly described the nuancenuancenuance of life of upper class society.

B.

At the age of 12, she started writing poemspoems [poem]poems and short storiesshort stories [short story]short stories, most of which were of satiricalsatiricalsatirical and ironicironicironic character. She didn’t flauntflauntflaunt it and she used to hide her notes. Jane Austen’s lively and loving family circle provided a stimulating context for her writing. Her novels are deeply concerned with love and the relationship between a man and a woman. She wasn’t married herself, but she did get engaged… for only one night, after which she dismissed the candidate.

C.

Between October 1796 and August 1797, Austen completed the first versionversionversion of Pride and Prejudice, then called First Impressions. It was in 1797 that her father offered it to a London publisherpublisherpublisher for publicationpublicationpublication. The book was rejected. In 1809 after being motivated by her brother Henry, Jane began to work on Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice with the view towith the view towith the view to their publication. She was also prompted byprompted byprompted by her need for money. Sense and Sensibility was published anonymously in November 1811. Two years later Pride and Prejudice got into readers’ hands, and it turned out to be the novel of the season. The following years were the most gratifyinggratifyinggratifying for Jane. Her pieces of writingpieces of writing [piece of writing]pieces of writing were in printin printin print, she got uplifting reviewsuplifting reviews [uplifting review]uplifting reviews, and her novels were widely read. The Prince Regent, later George IV, was one of her most dedicated fans. He had a setsetset in each of his residences. Jane’s authorshipauthorshipauthorship was announced to the public by her brother Henry.

D.

Out of all Jane Austen’s novels, Mansfield Park is the most serious in its religious approach. The three other novels, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Northanger Abbey described society with a strong element of satire. The last mentioned one, is a famous novel that combines a satire of polite society with one of the Gothic talestales [tale]tales of terror. Sense and Sensibility tells the story of the two Dashwood sisters whose father dies leaving his possessions to his daughters. Pride and Prejudice, a romantic novelromantic novelromantic novel, is about the Bennet family, whose peaceful life in the country is disturbed by the arrival of a rich aristocratic landowner, Fitzwilliam Darcy.

E.

Although novels were written long before Austen wrote hers, it was Jane who gave them their peculiarpeculiarpeculiar character in the realistic treatment of average people in the average situations of everyday life. She focused on the issue of each woman’s self‑discovery on the way through love to marriage.

Modern critics remain fascinated by the timelessness of her proseproseprose, style, technique, and finally, the realism of skillfully told stories. She wrote her books in hard times, which included the French Revolution, and her novels remained calm pictures of society life and family bonds. She died in 1817 in Winchester at the age of 41. When looking at her life and literary creation, we come to the conclusioncome to the conclusion (conclude)come to the conclusion that not only words she said and thoughts she shared, but above all, her novels define her as a great writer.

1 Źródło: Anna Faszcza, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.