Jane Austen was born on December sixteenth, 1775, to a well-educated family. Her father, George Austen, had studied at St. John’s College in Oxford while her mother, Cassandra, came from a family who had several connections at the college in Oxford (Bloom 5-6). She lived in an environment where it was encouraged to learn and be creative. Jane was the seventh child born to George and Cassandra, being one of only two girls; of the eight siblings, Jane had the closest bond with her elder sister Cassandra (Warren 1). Both Jane, who was only eight years old, and Cassandra were sent away to a boarding school in Southampton where they learned needlework, spelling, French, and dancing. However, Jane soon came home after becoming very ill with the …show more content…
Pride and Prejudice was originally titled First Impressions because the characters in the novel have a very particular first impression of each other, which becomes essential to the plot (Warren 1). She demonstrates how one’s initial judgement of a person can drastically change after getting to know the person (austen.com 1). Jane began writing this novel in her twenties, which can be assumed as her courtship days. By the time she had finished revising Pride and Prejudice, Jane was well past her courting stage, into her late thirties. This separation of years shows her knowledge that she acquired about courting as she vividly displayed the “…Dangers, difficulties, pains, and foolishness, as well as its joy,” of courtship (Teachman 54). Jane also shows the reader an insight to the ethics of relationships during the time period that she lived in. For example, if a woman lived with a man without being married to him, and if she showed neither remorse nor embarrassment, then society would think very disapproving of her (Teachman 62). In addition to the ethics of relationships, Jane demonstrates the factors, which include one’s wealth, social status, and physical attraction, that make marriages succeed and fail (Teachman