Jane Austen (1775 – 1817)

World-renowned novelist, Jane Austen, was the first to give the novel its modern character through her description and treatment of ordinary people in everyday life.

Born on December 16th, 1775 in Hampshire, England, Austen was one of eight children, with six brothers and one sister, who she considered the center of her world. Austen’s family strongly valued education, allowing Austen to begin writing as a young adult. Austen’s biggest supporters for her writing were her brother, Henry, along with her sister, Cassandra.

Austen relied on Henry for financial support for her works. Henry later negotiated with a publisher to help Austen publish her novel Sense and Sensibility, published in 1811. Austen went on to publish three more novels during her lifetime, Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815).

Due to the patriarchy of the 19th century, Austen had to publish her first four novels anonymously. It was not until after her death that it was announced Austen was the author of her novels.

Prior to publishing her work, Austen relied on her family for finances, but as her novels reached popularity, Austen was able to earn her own money, an uncommon occurrence for women at the time. Although Austen’s novels were first published anonymously, her descriptions of ordinary people and their lives during the 19th century defined a new era of writing: “novels of manners.” Austen and her work’s popularity continue to grow to this day.