And to this day, Miss Austin Jane is one of the most famous English writers. Often she is called the First Lady of English literature. Her works are compulsory for study at all British colleges and universities. So who was this woman?
Brief biographical information
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775. Her family's house was in the small provincial town of Steventon, in the county of Hampshire. Her father George, a truly educated and enlightened man, came from an old Kent family and was a parish priest.
The mother of the writer, Cassandra Lee, also came from an old but impoverished family. In addition to Jane, the family had seven more children - brothers James, George, Edward, Henry, Francis and Charles, as well as Sister Cassandra. The writer was especially close with her sister. It was from their correspondence that some facts about Jane's life and hobbies became known.
The childhood and youth of the famous writer
In fact, not much is known about Miss Austin's childhood and youth. The same applies to her appearance, because descriptions from different sources sound differently. Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that Jane was an elegant, graceful and pretty girl with an inquisitive mind, a subtle sense of humor and incredible curiosity. Moreover, the girl loved fashion, was interested in gentlemen, attended balls, adored funny walks and playful skirmishes with relatives and friends.
Where did Miss Austin get her education?
The writer's works demonstrate not only outstanding talent, but also Miss Austin's considerable intellectual development. Jane was educated in several different institutions. In 1783, the future writer, along with her sister Cassandra, began her studies at Oxford. But here, the sisters were not lucky, since they suffered from the despotism of the director, and then contracted typhus. Then there was a school in Southampton, after which the girls changed schools again. The educational institution in Reading also did not suit the curious girl, because the kindness of the director went in conjunction with the absolute indifference to the education of children.
After so many failures, Jane returned home, where her father took up her education. George Austin managed to instill in his daughters not only a love of reading, but also a delicate literary taste. The girl grew and developed in an intellectual atmosphere, and her evenings were spent reading and discussing classics.
Impact on the writer's work
Of course, home education and literary knowledge of his father left an imprint on the work of the writer. But there were other factors that influenced the process of creating the novels of the famous Miss Austin. After all, Jane lived in the time of famous historical events - it was also a revolution in France, an industrial revolution in England, uprisings in Ireland, the war for independence in America, etc.
Despite the fact that most of her life, Jane spent in the provinces, she actively corresponded with her relatives and friends, who vividly described to her the historical events in which they participated. It was these letters that became for the young girl an inexhaustible source of ideas and useful information.
Jane Austen: Early Work
Not all fans of the writer know that she created her first works at the age of fifteen. For example, one of such works was the epistolary novel “Love and Friendship”, which was created as a kind of parody of the popular English love affairs at that time.
At the same time, she worked on The History of England, which, in essence, was a parody, a pamphlet for O. Goldsmith's textbook. Here Jane skillfully and witty ridiculed the author’s claim to objectivity, while at the same time setting out some real historical facts. Another parody of traditional English novels was a short novel, The Beautiful Cassandra.
Famous novels of the writer
Surely almost every person at least once in his life had the opportunity to get acquainted with the work of Jane Austen. Her novels are very popular among fans of classical literature.
In 1811, the first work of Jane Austen, Reason and Feelings, was published. By the way, she published this book under the pseudonym “Lady”. This is a simple and at the same time exciting story about two sisters with different characters. Marianne is an emotional and sensitive girl who wants to find true love, while Elinor is more restrained, judicious and practical.
The success of this work allowed the writer to publish the following book in 1813 - the well-known novel titled “Pride and Prejudice”, which, incidentally, was written much earlier. They say that this work was written immediately after the break with Tom Lefroy, but since the publishers first rejected it, it waited its turn for fifteen years. The love story, which has to go through a lot of prejudices and overcome pride, is today one of the most popular books of the writer.
The next published work was the book Mansfield Park. Jane Austen worked on her for three years. By the way, this work belongs to the so-called educational novel. The story of a girl who has to choose between the call of the heart, the rules of decency and reasonable arguments, became the plot for the mini-series.
In 1816, another famous novel was published - Emma. Jane Austen here in a humorous manner described the story of a cheerful, perky girl who is having fun helping her friends get married. Preoccupied with the role of matchmaker, whom, incidentally, is not very good at coping, Emma almost overlooked her own happiness.
In 1817, another posthumous book was published, entitled "The Reason of Reason." Jane Austen told the reader a sad story about how Ann Elliot, guided by the practical advice of her mother’s girlfriends, rejected the only person she loved. By the way, this book is often considered a kind of autobiography of the writer herself.
A year later, another novel was published - “Northanger Abbey”, which is a fun and witty parody of mystical Gothic novels.
Jane's unfinished work
In fact, far from all the works of the famous writer were completed. For example, during the life of Miss Austin, a small epistolary novel entitled “Lady Susan” was not published. Written between 1803 and 1805, the story of the cunning and treacherous intriguer Lady Susan, trying to find a suitable husband, raises important issues of morality.
The same theme of hunting for grooms was also mentioned in another unfinished novel by the writer called Watsons. By the way, this work was subsequently added by Jane's niece and published under the title “Younger Sister”.
There is another popular work of the British writer, which she never managed to complete. Jane started working on the Sanditon novel several months before her death and managed to compose only a fragment of it. In 2000, this work was completed by the English writer Julia Barrett - a novel published from the name of Charlotte.
The personal life of the writer
It's no secret that, despite her pretty good looks, Jane Austen remained lonely. In her youth, she received a marriage proposal from the nephew of the wealthy lady Gresham Weasley, but refused, because she did not feel any feelings for him.
In 1795, a poor law student, Thomas Lefroy, met Miss Austin. Jane mentioned these events several times in her letters to her sister. Mutual feelings immediately flared up between the young people, but they had to leave. After all, young people came from poor families, and only a profitable marriage with wealthy heirs could rectify the situation. By the way, Thomas eventually became Lord Supreme Judge of Ireland. And Jane at the age of 30 put on a cap of the old maid, telling the whole world that she was not going to get married.
After the death of her father, the writer helped her mother with the housework, as the financial situation of the family was extremely difficult. In 1817, Jane moved to Winchester, where she treated Addison's disease while working on the novel Sanditon. Here she died on July 18.
Jane Austen: adaptations of novels
In fact, the works of the English writer have always been of great interest. For example, only the book Pride and Prejudice was filmed ten times. For the first time, a picture based on the novel appeared on the screens in 1938. The last television version of the famous novel was released in 2005 - the role of Elizabeth Bennet went to Keira Knightley, and Mr. Darcy brilliantly played Matthew McPheiden.
The novel "Mind and Feelings" was filmed five times. Another popular work entitled "Emma" formed the basis of the plot for eight paintings. Of course, these are not all films by Jane Austen. For example, there are four films based on the novel “Reason of Reason”. And “Northanger Abbey” was filmed twice - in 1986 and 2006. There are also three screen versions of Mansfield Park. As you can see, all completed novels by Jane Austen became the basis for the plot of many films. And despite the time, changes in lifestyle and traditions, these simple stories about love, friendship and morality still enjoy great interest among viewers and readers.
Films about the life of a writer
In fact, the object of interest from the cinema guru was not only the works of Jane Austen, but also her life itself. To date, three films have been shot, the plot of which is to one degree or another based on the biographical data of the famous writer. For example, in 2002, a documentary was released for hire called The Real Jane Austen, based on well-known biographical data and the writer's remaining letters to Sister Cassandra.
In 2007, a drama entitled “Jane Austen's Love Failures” appeared on the screens, which tells the story of the last years of the life of a talented but lonely writer and her relationship with one of her nieces. Here, the role of Jane went to Olivia Williams.
In the same 2007, the melodrama Jane Austen (Becoming Jane) was shot, the plot of which is based on the sad love story of a novice writer and poor, arrogant but charming lawyer Tom Lefroy.