Born December 16, 1775 in Hampshire, England, Jane Austen was the second daughter of Reverend George Austen and his wife Cassandra. She was the seventh of their eight children. Jane and her siblings were encouraged from a young age to read from their father's extensive library ("Biography").
In order for Jane and her older sister Cassandra to obtain a formal education they were sent away to boarding school. They were unable to stay for long due to their family's financial situation ("Jane Austen Biography"). |
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Jane started writing at a young age. She had always had a fascination with stories and began writing stories in notebooks. Her family was very supportive of her writings ("Jane Austen Biography").
Jane published her first novel, Sense and Sensibility, in 1811 (Merriman). However, during her lifetime her name was never placed on her novels. Instead her novels were all signed "By a Lady" ("Biography"). Two of her novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, were not published until after her death in 1817. |
Love LifeIn 1795, Jane spent a lot of time with Tom LeFroy, a relative of a friend. The two of them openly flirted in public and their conduct was often frowned upon ("Biography"). Jane admitted in a letter to her sister, Cassandra, to falling in love with LeFroy. However, Lefroy did not have the funds to marry Jane. The two were forced apart and never saw each other again. LeFroy admitted years later to having a "boyish love" for Jane ("Biography").
Jane was proposed to by Harris Bigg-Wither in December 1802. Although he was six years her junior, they were old family friends and their marriage would have been advantageous to her family. Despite the fact that she had no feelings for him, she accepted his proposal only to change her mind the next day ("Biography"). |
"I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal." |