Jane Austen Biography

A Jane Austen biography is not one that features a glamorous tale. Though Austen is now considered to have been one of the greatest English authors, she never published novels under her own name and was never publically acknowledged as an author until after her death. This means that she never enjoyed the wealth and fame that come with being a popular writer.

Early Years
Austen was born Dec. 16, 1775,  the seventh of eight children born to the comfortable, but far from wealthy, Reverend George and Cassandra Austen in Hampshire, England. Jane Austen had six brothers and only one sister, Cassandra Elizabeth. The two girls were very close for their entire lives. Both girls were well-educated at home and at boarding school.

Austen wrote her first pieces, or Juvenilia, for her family's entertainment from 1787 to 1793. The little stories and parodies were based on popular pieces of literature. By the age of 19, she had composed the novella, or short novel, Lady Susan. Austen lived a comfortable and humble life, but she was able to occasionally enjoy a taste of privilege through her brothers and their various successes. This mixing of wealthy and poor social classes becomes a popular theme in many of her works.

Adulthood
Austen began two stories in her early twenties that went on to become some of her most famous works. Elinor and Marianne became Sense and Sensibility. First Impressions became Pride and Prejudice. Austen's father sent a copy of First Impressions to a publisher, but the novel was quickly rejected. Undaunted, she continued to work on her two novels. She also wrote a third piece during this time called Susan, which became Northanger Abbey.

Austen's father retired in 1800 and moved the family to Bath. In 1803, Austen sold her first novel, Susan, but it remained unpublished until after her death. Austen's father died in 1805; by 1809, the family was living in a cottage in Hampshire. Austen continued to write during this period. In 1811, she had her first big success when Sense and Sensibility was published. Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813, Mansfield Park in 1814 and Emma in 1815.

Later Years
Austen continued to write later in life, finishing Persuasion in 1816. She began having health problems. Though she started a novel in 1817, she was soon too sick to write. Austen never married or had any children and, realizing her health was failing, she wrote out a will naming her sister Cassandra as her heir. Austen died on Aug. 18, 1817, just a few months after creating her will. She was buried in Winchester Cathedral with a tombstone that makes no mention of her work as an author.  

After Austen's death, her family had Northanger Abbey and Persuasion published. These were the first pieces to display her name. Though only moderately popular during her life, Austen's novels have gained respect and admiration through the years. By the 1900s, she was considered a cornerstone of English literature.