Biography

Jane Austen was born in Steventon, Hampshire, England on December 16, 1775. So brutal was that winter, she was not baptized until the spring. Jane was one of eight children of George and Cassandra. Her father, George, was an Anglican rector but he also farmed and tutor boys to provide income for the family. Jane attended formal school for a while but after an illness, she was home schooled. Jane wrote several novels including Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Sense and Sensibility (1811). Though Austen never married, her characters dealt with various aspects of marriage. Her novels struck a chord with the women of the Victorian era since the characters in the novels struggled with issues close to the heart of many women. Some would cite Austin as a forerunner to the Feminist movement. She certainly allowed her characters to give voice to what others perhaps were feeling but couldn’t speak of, a woman’s perspective in a world were women-led “quiet” lives and men’s voices were heard. Her weaving of real-life choices, struggles, circumstances, and feelings into literary works that could be read by people of all ages and stages of life caused her works to be widely distributed and read. The popularity of Austen’s books is evidenced by not only the republishing of her novels but also the fact that many of them have been made into movies and plays. Jane died at the age of 41 on July 18, 1817, due to lymphoma and other health complications.

Wailand Groenendyk
CCEL Staff Writer