Born On This Day: Jane Austen December 16, 1775
- Library Zest Team
- Dec 16, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 29, 2021
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”
Jane Austen was born December 16, 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, England, the youngest of seven children. At the time of her birth, her father wrote in a letter that they had expected the baby to arrive the month prior and that they hoped the young girl would grow to be a companion for her older sister Cassandra. Mr. Austen’s predictions for his little daughter Jane certainly came to fruition as the girls aged. It is said Cassandra and Jane grew inseparable and became the closest of friends.
At the age of eight and ten (respectively), Jane and Cassandra were sent to Oxford to be educated by Mrs. Ann Cawley. Later that year, both girls contracted typhus, an infection which nearly killed Jane, and they were sent home. In 1785, at the age of 10, Jane was sent alongside her sister to Reading Abbey Girls’ School where they remained until December 1786 when enrolment fees became too high for their family’s modest income.
From then on, Jane was primarily home educated using the books her father used to tutor and with access to the private library of a family friend, Warren Hastings. These two resources undoubtedly offered a variety of reading material. Jane’s father tolerated Jane’s experiments with writing and even went so far as to purchase expensive pens and paper for her and Cassandra to use.
The Austen Family home in Steventon, Hampshire
From the age of 14 to 18, Jane Austen wrote prolifically including a number of satirical plays and novels. At the age of 18, Jane began work on a novel titled Lady Susan, which is described as her most sophisticated work resulting from her early writing. Shortly after, she began work on a book titled Elinor and Marianne, though biographers are unsure if this piece is directly related to a later book titled Sense & Sensibility, which feature two main characters of the same names.
First Impressions, which was later published under the title Pride & Prejudice, was started in 1796. It was around this time at the age of 21 when Jane’s father began inquiries to have his daughter's work published. Jane probably never learned of her father’s efforts due to their continued rejection.
Following revisions to Elinor & Marianne, Jane began work on another novel which would later become Northanger Abbey. In 1803, a London publisher by the name Benjamin Crosby paid 10£ for rights to Lady Susan, even promising to promote the book in the press. The manuscript remained unpublished until 1816 when Austen re-acquired the rights from him.
In 1809, with the help of her brother Henry, Jane was able to publish Sense & Sensibility, which like most of her novels except Pride & prejudice, were published ‘on commission’ meaning the financial risk was all on the shoulders of the author. Women in these times published anonymously so as not to give the impression writing was a full time endeavor and that the female writer was not looking to become a celebrity. In 1811, Sense & Sensibility hit bookstore shelves and was described as being ‘written by a lady’. The edition sold out by 1813 and reviews were favourable. After Sense & Sensibility’s success, all Jane’s subsequent work were noted as “by the author of Sense & Sensibility”.
Pride and Prejudice was released in 1813, followed by Mansfield Park in 1814, Emma in 1815, and Persuasion in 1816. That same year, Jane began to feel unwell but ignored the symptoms. Over a number of months, her health declined even more and could not be ignored. Historians believe her illness could have been Addison’s disease or even Hodgkins’ lymphoma. Despite her decline, Jane began work on her last novel Sanditon which she would never finish. Jane Austen died July 18, 1817, at the age of 42.
Despite her relatively small list of titles, Jane Austen's name and works have endured centuries later, spawning countless screen adaptions and a string of successful fanfiction enterprises such as The Jane Austen Book Club, Lost in Austen, and Pride & Prejudice with Zombies.
Jane Austen works in our collection…
Persuasion (also available in Large Print, e-audiobook)
Sense & Sensibility (also available in e-audiobook)
Emma (e-audiobook)
Pride & Prejudice (also available in e-audiobook)
Mansfield Park (also available in ebook)
The Watsons
Lady Susan (ebook)
Northanger Abbey (ebook & e-audiobook)
By Tracy Ward
Commenti