Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775.  She grew up in Stevenson, New Hampshire. She was the seventh of eight children in their family.  Her parents were George and Cassandra Austen, and she had six brothers and one sister. Jane’s father worked as a clergyman and her mother stayed with the children. Jane's early education started at Oxford, but soon after,  she and Cassandra became sick and were brought home. From 1785 to 1786 both Jane and her sister attended the Abbey House School in Reading. Ultimately, both girls were brought home and learned on their own out of their father's library. This is believed to be the lead up to why Jane started her writing career. Jane began writing between the ages of eleven and seventeen. During this limited time of education for women, she had begun writing many short novels and stories that influenced her later books. Soon after, the family  had moved to Bath due to their fathers retirement. Jane continued to write at this time; however in 1805, she lost her father at the age of 29. Her family’s love and tightness influenced a lot of her writing and is incorporated into many of her novels. By her early teenage years, Jane began writing Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. 

Jane Austen had many different writings in her lifetime. t. She described the middle class- life during the 19th century. Her novels took place right around the same time as the American Revolution. The American revolution was a time of new ideas and equality. Jane Austen’s novels connect to this because her novels typically revolve around an upper class woman dealing with different struggles during their time period such as,  social class, male dominance, and personal development.  Women often felt that they were less superior than men and wanted equality. She began her first novel at the age of 12, Juvenilia, which was made up of poems, short stories, and plays.  When Jane was fourteen she started writing the novel Lady Susan. Then Jane began on her six main novels. First off,  Sense and Sensibility, this novel is about two sisters who struggle with love and social expectation. Next, Pride and Prejudice focuses on the relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy and how their relationship develops as the story goes on. The third novel, Mansfield Park, is about Fanny Price, a young girl that is sent to live with her aunt and uncle at their home. Next,  Emma, which is about a young girl that sees herself as a matchmaker but often gets things wrong about relationships.  Next, is Persuasion which tells the story about how a woman regrets breaking off her engagement with her fiance.  Finally, Sanditon, where we get to hear the story of Charlotte Heyword and the many people she meets.  While there were two novels that Jane did not finish (The Watsons and Northanger Abbey) due to her death, she still had many great novels and stories that are still read and enjoyed today.  Her novels were anonymous and people were unaware they were hers until she had passed. Jane Austen’s novels are said to have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide. Pride and Prejudice sells over 100,000 copies each year.  Her novels continue to populate and have an impact on new authors and readers that get to enjoy her books. Jane Austen is a very successful writer that gives perspective on the 1700- 1800 time period. 

Jane has had a very fortunate life considering all of her books that she has written and how successful she has become. Jane has always been well connected with her family, especially Cassandra, her sister. While Jane Austen never got married, she was engaged with a man named Tom Lefroy for a day and then decided that they shouldn’t be together the very next day. Jane never had children either. During her adult age is when she wrote her six most successful novels. She grew up in Stevenson, Hampshire and lived there from 1775-1801. Once her father retired they moved to Bath from 1801-1806. Jane did not enjoy living in Bath as much so she did not write as much as she used to. Once her father had passed, she moved to Southampton from 1806- 1809. The most productive time period for Jane was when she moved to Chawton, Hampshire from 1809-1817. This is the time period where she wrote her six most famous novels. Lastly, she lived in Winchester, Hampshire in 1817. Not long after, Jane had become ill. She died on July 18th, 1817 at 41 years old. It was said that she died of Addison’s disease. Jane is now buried at Winchester Cathedral. People are still able to visit her grave today and remember her and her amazing influence on literature.