1. JANE AUSTEN

2. EARLY LIFE & FAMILY
Born in 1775, in Hampshire, England. Hampshire was a peaceful, rural country in Southern England
Daughter of a clergyman, whose wife was from an upper-class family
She had one sister, Cassandra, and six brothers.
The Austens were avid readers of literature, and they discussed it often.
Jane began writing around age 11, usually about a blushing heroine, a noble hero, and a melodramatic plot involving courtship.
By her early 20s she was writing full-length novels

3. Her works
In 1795 Austen began work on one of her best-known novels, Sense and Sensibility.
In 1797, her father submitted an early version of Pride & Prejudice, but it was rejected. It was first titled First Impressions, and said to have been her favorite.
Both works were rewritten before their publication in 1811 & 1813.

4. Love Life
At age 26, Jane agreed to marry a wealthy man but broke off the engagement the next day. His fortune would have protected her from a life of poverty; however, she may have known they were not a good match.

5. Writing Themes/Focus
In all her novels, Austen focuses on courtship and marriage.
Society- rigid expectations for women
Filled with wit and good humor
Her novels provided a realistic picture of relationships between men & women.
She had an ironic tone and lifelike characters. Mainly about “ordinary people”, members of the English middle class.
Her own life made her an expert on human behavior and provided all the material she needed for her six enduring novels.

6. Death Jane Austen died at the age of 41, on July 18, 1817
She died of a fatal illness. (many suggestions)
Her brother, Henry Austen, went on to publish a couple of her works.