Jane Austen - her life and works

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<< WRITING ESSAYS << LITERARY STUDIES << JANE AUSTEN Jane Austen her life and works 1775. Jane Austen born in Steventon rectory, Hampshire, the daughter of a local rector. She was the youngest of seven children. Two brothers go on to serve at sea. Two others enter the church. 1780+. Her father was a competent scholar who encourages her education in English literature, French, and Italian. 1790. Early writing and experiments with what she described as 'nonsense, burlesque and satire'. 1795. Lady Susan - a short novel written in epistolary form. Elinor and Marianne exists as first draft of what was to become Sense and Sensibility. 1796. Begins to write First Impressions, which was completed as Pride and Prejudice the following year. Reads Fanny Burney (1752-1840) the creator of 'the novel of home life'. Jane Austen: a Life is a biography which traces Jane Austen's progress through a difficult childhood, an unhappy love affair, her experiences as a poor relation and her decision to reject a marriage that would solve all her problems - except that of continuing as a writer. Both the woman and the novels are radically reassessed in this biography. Her life might have been superficially uneventful, but Claire Tomalin brings out the flesh and blood woman who lies behind the cool, ironic prose. 1798. Northanger Abbey a deliberate satire of the type of Gothic Romance (The Mysteries of Udolpho, The Monk) then in vogue. It was sold - but not published. This and all her subsequent work was published anonymously. 1801. Father retires to live with family in Bath. 1805. Death of father. The Watsons written about this time. 1807. Family settles to live in Southampton. 1809. Family moves to Chawton, Hampshire (owned by Jane Austen's brother). She writes all her novels in a corner of one sitting-room surrounded by the entire family. 1811. Sense and Sensibility published. Title pages states 'By a Lady'. Immediate success. 1813. Pride and Prejudice published and goes into second edition same year. 1814. Mansfield Park published. 1815. Emma published. First translations into French appear. 1817. Writes Sanditon. Dies at Winchester. Buried in the cathedral. Persuasion published posthumously. The Complete Critical Guide to Jane Austen is a good introduction to Austen criticism and commentary. It includes a potted biography, an outline of the novels, and pointers towards the main critical writings - from Walter Scott to critics of the present day. It also includes a thorough bibliography which covers biography, criticism in books and articles, plus pointers towards specialist journals. It also has an interesting chapter discussing Austen on the screen. These guides are very popular. Highly recommended. Full review HERE Jane Austen - study resources

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