Jane Austen was an English author, primarily known for her six novels. She is one of the few novelists in the literary world who is regarded to as a “classic” as well as a widely read author.(Kelly.) She is still well known and much read in schools and just in general 200 years later.(Kelly.) Jane, known as ‘Jenny’ to the family, was born on 16 December 1775 into a somewhat well-off family on the edges of the middle class.(Harman, Claire; Kelly, Gary). Her father, George, was a country clergyman in a small village named Steventon in southern Hampshire.(Kelly) Austen's mother, Cassandra Austen, was from a higher social rank. Although, when she married Reverend Austen in 1764, she entered into the domestic life and responsibilities open …show more content…
Jane was helped by her father to select from his library which included books from circulating libraries.(Harman.) These rental libraries helped the middle class people afford books and magazines, greatly varied in stock, and specialized in lighter reading.(Harman.) With the access to her father's library and the benefit of his teaching, she came to love reading at an early age.(Harman.) During her youth, she was sent to many different schools and returned better educated than was thought necessary for women at the …show more content…
In 1809, Jane’s brother Edward was able to provide his mother and sisters with a cottage on his estates in Chawton, a village in Hampshire.(Harman.) In the eight years she lived there, she published multiple books including her first, Sense and Sensibility, in 1811.(Harman.) That same year, she began Mansfield Park and published it in 1814 and changed “First Impressions” into Pride and Prejudice, which was then published in 1813.(Harman.) Emma was written in 1814-1815 and published in 1816, she also started Persuasion in 1815 and finished it in 1816(Harman.) Then in 1816 manuscript of “Susan” was bought back and later changed to the Northanger Abbey.(Harman.) Unfortunately, Jane Austen published most of her books anonymously.(Harman.) Therefore, she wasn't awarded until after her death, 18 July 1817, when she achieved the status of a national