On December 16, 1775, in the midst of a hard winter, a baby girl was born to a family already blessed with six children. The child was named Jane Austen. An innocent enough name, but this little girl would grow up to be no ordinary young lady. Mrs. Austen needed no doctor and one wasn’t available anyway when she gave birth. Her sister, Philadelphia, and niece, Eliza, probably helped with the birthing. (Ruth 9 and Shields 12)
Jane’s father, Mr. (or Rev.) George Austen, was a minister of the 13th century Church of St. Nicholas in the small village of Steventon, which boasted a mere thirty families. A Mr. Thomas Knight, Mr. Austen’s cousin, was the land owner and had given the parish to George as a gift. Later, the Austens would also receive the Deane parish from Mr. Austen’s Uncle Francis. Steventon was complete with wheat fields, a dairy, poultry yard, orchards, and a kitchen garden. That may seem like a lot, but Steventon rested on only 3 acres of land and the Austens were poor, though not miserably so. (Nokes 34, Bloom 5-6, Wagner 2) For money, Mr. Austen also boarded young boys in his home and tutored them. Mrs. Austen took care of their other needs and would sometimes even make up little rhymes to playfully, but effectively, scold them. Mr. Knight also allowed the Austens to sell produce from nearby Cheesedown Farm of two hundred acres located north of the parish. (Ruth 11-12, Nokes 34, 62-64)
When Jane was 14 weeks old, she was sent away to be cared for by a foster family until she was about two years old. It was generally thought that this wouldn’t be harmful for an infant because people didn’t think that such young children had real emotions or were able to reason. Of course, it must have been a horrible shock to baby Jane when she left home, and again when she came back. (Wagner 20) As a young child she would play with her other siblings, in order from oldest to youngest: James, George, Edward, Henry, Cassandra, Francis (or Frank), and Jane’s younger brother, Charles. She quickly became close to her only sister, Cassy. The family was pleased that Cassandra finally had a sister to play with.
By the time Jane turned seven, she and Cassy were so extremely close that Mrs. Austen would say, “If Cassandra were going to have her head cut off, Jane would insist on sharing the fate.” (2)(Ruth 9, 15-16) Thus, when Jane’s parents were deciding to send Cassy off to school with her cousin, Jane Cooper, Jane insisted on going too. So Jane went with her sister and cousin to Mrs. Ann Cawley’s Academy for girls, which was located near Oxford. Jane would later describe being “dragged through dismal chapels, dusty libraries, and greasy halls”. (1)(4) It was enough to give her “the vapours”. (1)(Nokes 79, Wagner 27, Ruth 16) Mrs. Cawley, who also happened to be Mr. Cooper’s sister, decided to move the school to Southampton. It was literally a fatal decision. Troops had brought the typhoid fever there and soon the girls were sick. Mrs. Cawley wasn’t worried about contacting their parents, but Jane Cooper disobeyed and wrote to her mother. Both she and Mrs. Austen came quickly to rescue their daughters. Sadly, Mrs. Cooper became ill herself and died on October 25th. Mr. Cooper sent Cassy a ring and Jane a headband in memory of their Aunt. (Nokes 79, Ruth 17-19)
In 1785, 2 years later, the Austen parents decided to try again. This time the sisters were sent to Mrs. LaTournelle’s Abby School. In spite of her name, Mrs. LaTournelle wasn’t even French and couldn’t speak the language. She was from London and her real name was Miss Sarah Hackett. She had a leg of cork and clomped around most of the day worrying about trivial matters such as what to have for dinner. (Nokes 83-86, Ruth 17-19) A Miss Pitts and two assistants actually taught the girls French, music, drawing, writing, dancing, and perhaps a little needlework and spelling. The rest of their days were spent running around gossiping and telling ghost stories. Oh, yes! The girls had ample material for ghost stories, what with the eyeless corpse of King Henry I buried nearby, King John’s grandchildren, Isabella and John, supposedly haunting the grounds, and stories of St. James’ shriveled hand that was discovered in the Abbey ruins. Needless to say, the girls were in no danger “of coming back prodigies”. (1) Their father realized this and brought them home in time for Jane’s 11th birthday. (Nokes 83-86)
After the Abbey School, Jane and Cassandra were expected to continue their education on their own. In 1774, a parenting book had been published that stated that if a girl tried to acquire knowledge, she should “keep it a profound secret, especially from men”. Another book said, “Wit is a very desirable quality in a man…in women I am sure it is always to be feared.” (2) However, contrary to popular practice, the girls’ parents encouraged their daughters’ intelligence. Jane and Cassy were taught how to sew, embroider, play the piano, draw, cook, raise veggies, supervise servants, and overall run a household. Jane would learn French and a little Italian as well. (Ruth 16-17, Wagner 35)
Mr. Austen owned 500 books in a library of his own, and put no restrictions on what Jane read. Accordingly, she read stories with questionable (highly questionable) characters, plays, poetry, history, classics, travel accounts, magazines, Shakespeare, as well as works by Samuel Johnson, Henry Fielding, Samuel Richardson, and William Cowper. Henry, Jane’s favorite brother, would later write, “It is difficult to say at what age she was not intimately acquainted with the merits and defects of the best essays and novels in the English language.” (2) (Ruth 19, Wagner 35-36) The Austen family also enjoyed reading aloud, practicing using correct expressions, pauses, etc. Jane learned the art of writing elegantly with a quill pen as well. Back then, handwriting had to be small to save money on paper and postage. (Wagner 37)
In December of 1786, Jane’s cousin, Eliza Hancock, arrived for a visit. At 19 years old, she had married a French officer, so she considered herself a countess. Her tales of her dramatic life in France and of her travels were fascinating to Jane. The young people loved putting on plays together as Jane watched and learned. Jane and Eliza would become very close over the years. Eliza thought both Austen girls clever, but in her heart, preferred Jane. (Wagner 33-35, 38; Nokes 88-96; Ruth 25) The Austens had a very active social life. They would visit relatives: the Coopers in Bath and the Leigh Perrots in their country home in Berkshire. Jane was friends with the Lefroys (especially Mrs. Lefroy), Mary and Martha Lloyd, and Alethea, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Harris Bigg. Jane was pleased at having so many girl friends. (Wagner 39-40, Bloom 11, Ruth 29)
Even at a young age, Jane showed a keen interest in writing. At the age of 12 she wrote Juvenilia, a collection of prose, drama, and verse dedicated to family and friends. Jane also composed a History of England “by a partial, prejudiced, & ignorant Historian”. (4) In it, she poked fun at all the pure and mighty royalty. She concentrated more on the Queens than the Kings, and preferred the crazy, murderous Mary Queen of Scots to the Virgin Queen Elizabeth. Cassandra helped draw the comic, unflattering illustrations of the royalty. (Bloom 10, Wagner 40-41, Ruth 34-35, Nokes 124-127)
In 1791, all Jane’s brothers were gone from home and there were less students being boarded. Jane and Cassy could use an extra room for writing, playing the pianoforte, art, as well as sewing and languages. Jane, at 16 years old, was ready for her coming out in society. She attended balls and formal dinners, and was expected to be searching society for an appropriate match. Jane was definitely well admired. She was tall, slim, and graceful. She loved to dance, had dark, curly hair and bright, hazel eyes. (Ruth 33-34, Wagner 43-44)
Jane continued to read all sorts of novels, including the popular Gothic and horror stories. She put lots of murder and violent passions in her stories. Jane’s heroines were free from restraint, and if over-looked girls, Jane raised them up. Jane would also dedicate her works to family members. Examples: Henry and Eliza, Eliza steals money, elopes, lives beyond her means, and is almost eaten alive but she pulls through to a triumphant ending. Lesley Castle includes adultery, a baby being abandoned and Charlotte, the heroine, is converted to Roman Catholicism. Also in Jack and Alice, Jane creates a country gentleman who sets steel traps to stop the women who run after him. “Cruel Charles” one of the women laments, “to wound the hearts and legs of all the fair.” (3) (Shield 31, 34; Nokes 110, 117; Ruth 31) Overall, Jane loved to shock her readers! In a notebook to Jane, from Mr. Austen, he writes “effusions of Fancy by a very Young Lady consisting of Tales in a style entirely new.” (2)
Also in 1791, in December, Jane’s brother, Edward married 18 year old Elizabeth Bridges. The Knights provided them with a home called Rowlings in Kent. Later, they would move to Godmersham. In 1792, James, now a clergyman, married Miss Anna Matthew whose parents provided them with a nicely sized allowance. Also that summer, Jane Cooper was married to a captain in the Royal Navy. A Mr. Thomas Fowle performed the ceremony. Cassy, at 19 years old, became engaged to him. The families were very pleased, but the couple decided to wait until Thomas had a position of a large parish in Shropshire. He would then be better able to support a family. (Wagner 44, 46-47) Perhaps the fact that Jane was witnessing so many engagements and weddings led to her daydreaming about her own marriage some day. She even made up some names that she would like her husband to have and wrote them down on a page from her father’s parish register. For example: “Edmund Arthur William Mortimer of Liverpool”, “Henry Frederick Howard Fitzwilliam of London”, and the much simpler, “Jack Smith”. (Wagner 44)
That summer, Jane was described by one lady as, “the prettiest, silliest, most affected husband hunting butterfly she ever remembered.” (4) Jane must have felt a little friendly rivalry with Cassy. She at once thought herself attracted to a Mr. Edward Taylor of Bifrons, her brother Edward’s neighbor. She gushed over his beautiful dark eyes, but the flirting came to nothing. (Wagner 48-49, Nokes 148 & 245) For Jane’s 19th birthday, her father gave her a mahogany writing desk, perhaps hoping that she would confine her wild passions to the pages of her writing. Fortunately, Mr. Austen succeeded. Lady Susan was an incredible flirt, strong and clever, but traitorous and a predator of men. (Wagner 48-49, Shield 46-47)
In 1793, Jane became an aunt to Fanny, Edward’s daughter, and Anna, James’ daughter. Jane was a dream auntie for her brother James’ children. Caroline later said, “Everything she could make amusing to a child. She would tell us the most delightful stories chiefly of Fairyland, and her Fairies had all characters of their own…. She was the one we always looked to for help. She would furnish us with what we wanted from her wardrobe, and she would often be the entertaining visitor in our make believe house.” (2) (Wagner 46, Ruth 75)
On a much more serious note, in February of 1793, England declared war on France. Francis, now a lieutenant, returned home, but Henry decided to join the Oxfordshire Militia. (Wagner 46, Bloom, 12 & 41) The war had other, fatal consequences. On February 22, 1794, Jane’s cousin Eliza’s husband was beheaded on the guillotine.
In 1795, Jane began writing ideas for a novel about two sisters who were complete opposites, written in the form of letters. It would be named Elinor and Marianne but would later be revised and re-titled Sense and Sensibility. This novel reflected the financial situation and few marriageable chances of the Austen girls. When the book was eventually published, some critics believed that Jane was like Marianne and Cassandra like Elinor, but the Austens disagreed. A family member wrote “Cassandra had the merit of having her temper always under command, but Jane had the happiness of a temper that never required to be commanded.” (2) (Wagner 50, Ruth 44-46) Also in 1795, Thomas Fowle, Cassy’s fiancé was invited by Lord Craven to go as his private chaplain on a journey to the West Indies. Thomas reluctantly agreed. Before Thomas left, he wrote his will leaving Cassy 1,000 pounds and his property to his father. Not long after Thomas left, James’ wife, Anne, suddenly died. Their little daughter, Anna, was sent to Steventon where she attached herself to Jane, who spent much time making up stories for her. (Wagner 49-50)
As Jane was finishing her first great novel, she began to have suitors. Young Charles Powlett and wealthy Mr. Heartley were two of them. In January 1796, Jane wrote to Cassy about a handsome, intelligent and charming Irishman, Tom Lefroy. This suitor really caught Jane’s eye! She danced with Tom and the next day, as was the custom, he visited her. They even talked of Tom Jones, a shocking novel, so they must have been quite bold around each other. (Wagner 50-51, Ruth 47) Jane and Tom were in love, but his parents, Rev. and Mrs. Lefroy, disapproved of Jane’s lack of wealth. Jane sadly wrote to Cassandra, “At length the day is come on which I am to flirt my last with Tom Lefroy, and when you receive this it will be over – my tears flow as I write, at the melancholy idea.” (2) (Ruth 48-49, Wagner 51)
Mr. and Mrs. Lefroy sent Tom away to London. He later married an heiress and became a lawyer. He was a member of Parliament and was appointed Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1852. Lefroy never forgot Jane though. He would later tell his nephew that he had been in love with her, but he called it a “boyish love”. (4) (Wagner 51) Mrs. Lefroy must have felt a little sorry for Jane, so she invited Reverend Samuel Blackall to stay with her for Christmas. He visited the Austens, but Jane described him as having a “noisy perfection”. (1) Needless to say, Madam’s matchmaking came to nothing. (Nokes 179-180, 245)
Jane would also never forget Tom Lefroy. She now had experience of disappointed love, and the pressures of family disappointment. Her pain would transfer into her novels, for Jane began to write again. In October of 1796, she began working on First Impressions. In it she showed that women can be as strong and intelligent as men are, without destroying their roles in society. Jane finished the novel in nine months. (Ruth 49, Wagner 51 & 53) In April of 1797, word came to Cassandra that her fiancé, Tom Fowle, had died of yellow fever in February. Cassandra kept her emotions under control and mourned quietly. Both sisters, as they suffered the blows of lost love, turned to each other for help and became even closer. (Ruth 50, Wagner 56)
Jane also found some comfort in Eliza’s lighthearted attitude towards living as a widow. She had flirted with both James and Henry, Jane’s brothers. When Eliza seemed ready to accept James offer in marriage, Henry got himself engaged to a Miss Mary Pearson. However, the engagement was broken off, and Henry sought comfort from (go figure) Eliza. James, who couldn’t get a yes or no from Eliza, became engaged to Mary Lloyd. They were married and lived in the Deane parsonage. Finally, Eliza decided to accept Henry who was ten years younger than her. They were married on December 31, 1797. She turned out to be an excellent wife, although that may be partially because Henry let her have her own way. (Wagner 58-59, Nokes 161-162, 176-179)
Meanwhile, Mr. Austen had sent First Impressions to the London publishing company of Thomas Cadell. He apparently didn’t think the book showed much promise, for the novel was returned “Declined by Return of Post”. (4) Jane probably found it rather ironic that his first impression of First Impressions was misled. (Wagner 58, Nokes 174) In 1798, Jane, Cassy, and their parents visited Edward in Kent. In mixing with society there, Jane came to realize that even when clever and witty, a girl’s wealth and connections mattered more. She did make a real friend of Miss Sharp, the governess, however. Miss Sharp also enjoyed writing. In the gorgeous library, Jane did some writing of her own, revising Elinor and Marianne into Sense and Sensibility. (Ruth 53-54, Wagner 60-61)
While Cassy stayed behind at Godmersham to help Elizabeth after a pregnancy, Jane returned with her parents to Steventon. Mrs. Austen became ill and would stay in bed for the next five weeks, so Jane was to run everything. At first she enjoyed it, writing to Cassy, “I am very fond of experimental housekeeping. I always take care to provide such things as please my own appetite, which I consider as the chief merit in housekeeping. My mother desires me to tell you that I am a very good housekeeper.” (2) (Ruth 55, Wagner 61-62) But as time went on, Jane became depressed and even bitter. She cared for her tragic, sick mother and had to listen to Mary, James’ wife, constantly gushing over her new baby, James Edward. She had problems with servants and didn’t enjoy balls anymore. She longed to be with Cassy in Kent, living in a rich, happy, sophisticated atmosphere. She struggled not to become jealous of her sister and became quite moody in her letters to her. Finally in December, Jane decided her happiness was in her own hands; she would find amusement where she could. She had a great time dancing at the Christmas ball, and when she next wrote to Cassy she said to “Seize upon the scissors” and destroy all those cranky letters. (2) (Nokes 186-189, Ruth 56, 58-59)
In May of 1799, Jane and Mrs. Austen were invited by Edward to join him in Bath. Perhaps Mrs. Austen would find a cure in the thermal waters or in the new “electrical” cure. (4) Meanwhile Jane could enjoy herself eating fine food, seeing fireworks and plays, and admiring the latest fashion of wearing flowers or fruit on your hat. Jane also worked on Susan, later called Northanger Abbey, which was set in Bath. (Wagner 63, Ruth 59, Nokes 195-197) After returning to Steventon for a while, Jane went with a friend to Ibthorpe in November of 1800 for about a week. Literally as soon as they returned, Mrs. Austen suddenly declared, “Well girls, it is all settled, we have decided to leave Steventon in such a week and go to Bath.” (4) Jane then fainted. She was of course shocked that her parents had decided to leave Steventon, their home, and move to Bath. It would be hard to leave their friends and the country itself. But Jane tried to be hopeful, writing to Cassy, “We have lived long enough in this neighborhood, the Basingstoke balls are certainly on the decline, there is something interesting in the bustle of going away and the prospect of spending future summers by the sea or in Wales is very delightful.” (3)
For the next ten years, until the summer of 1809, Jane would write very little. Her writing depended on quiet and time, not exciting places or people surrounding her. (Wagner 69-71, Shield 89) In 1801, the family moved to Bath. They stayed with Mrs. Austen’s brother, James Leigh-Perrot, and his wife, also named Jane, until they finally found a house, No. 4 Sydney Place, overlooking the Sydney Gardens. Jane was most likely unhappy that she didn’t have peace to write and thought the parties at Bath rather “stupid” anyway. (4) The family traveled a lot that year to the coast, Godmersham, and Lyme Regis with Henry and Eliza. (Ruth 64-64, Wagner 72-73)
In late November of 1802, Jane and Cassy went to Marydown to visit their friends Catherine and Alethea Bigg, but they ended up staying barely a week. Harris Bigg, five years younger than Jane, proposed to her on December 2nd. Jane didn’t love Harris, but she had to consider carefully. In two weeks she would be twenty-seven; she needed to marry. Marianne in Sense and Sensibility had declared, “A woman of seven and twenty can never hope to feel or inspire affection again.” (3) Jane accepted his proposal. However, some time during that night she was able to think it over and also to speak with Cassy about it. The next day, Jane spoke to Harris privately and broke the engagement. Embarrassed, the sisters quickly left and went to James for help to return home to Bath. Two years later, Harris would marry Anne Howe Frith and have ten children. (Ruth 66-67, Wagner 74-75, Shield 106, 109)
Back home in Bath, Jane re-wrote Susan and with Henry’s help, in 1803, sold it to Richard Crosby, a London publisher for 10 pounds with the promise that it would be published soon. Jane also began The Watsons. She was trying to decide how the father of the four poor, unhappy girls was going to die, when real people she cared about began to die. She never finished the novel. (Wagner 75-76, Ruth 68) Anne Lefroy died on Jane’s 29th birthday. After her birthday, Mr. Austen was subject to fevers, and on January 21 of 1805, Jane lost her father. Jane wrote to her brothers, “Our dear Father has closed his virtuously happy life, in a death almost as free from suffering as his children could have wished.” (2) Mr. Austen was buried in Walcot churchyard in Bath. Jane believed that “the Goodness which made him valuable on Earth will make him Blessed in Heaven.” (1) (Ruth 68-69, Wagner 76-77, Shield 94, Nokes 344)
The Austen ladies and Martha Lloyd traveled around staying with the various Austen boys. Their situation was not unlike the Dashwood sisters’ when their father died. It was decided that, for a while, the ladies would live at Southampton with Frank and Mary. Frank married Mary Gibson on July 2th. (Ruth 69-70, Nokes 200) James and Henry also offered to help Mrs. Austen, Jane, and Cassandra in their financial situation. From 1806-1808, the ladies would travel to Steventon, Marydown, Bath, Southampton, and Cassy was often at Godmersham. Then, in 1808, Edward’s wife, Elizabeth, died a few days after giving birth to her 11th child, a son. Two of Edward’s sons, George, 13, and Edward, 14, were sent to Southampton where Jane helped care for them. (Ruth 70, Wagner 77-79) Perhaps seeing how much Jane and Cassy had helped his family in this tough time opened Edward’s eyes to what he could do for them. He offered the ladies two choices of a new home, either in the village of Wye or a cottage at Chawton.
They chose Chawton and sent Henry to inspect the place for them. He had a favorable report. The cottage had six bedrooms and lots of storage space. Also, many family members could visit them there. (Wagner 77-79, Ruth 70-71) When the Austen ladies and Martha Lloyd moved to Chawton, the cottage was already one hundred years old. It was shaped like an “L”, had red brick walls, and a tile roof. Yet, in spite of the simplicity, they loved their new home. Jane even wrote a poem about it: “Our Chawton home- how much we find Already in it to our mind, And how convinced that when complete It will all other houses beat. That ever have been made or mended With rooms concise or rooms distended.” (1) Life in the cottage was simple but pleasant. The ladies grew produce and received more for teaching some children in the neighborhood how to read. They even owned a donkey and a donkey cart to go with it. Jane also loved her now much more settled routine. (Wagner 16, Nokes 358, Shields 138-139)
After moving to Chawton in 1809, Jane began revising Sense and Sensibility, the title of which she found in her mother’s Lady’s Monthly Museum in a moralizing essay. She did her best to keep her writing a secret from everyone except immediate family. She even refused to have a creaky dining room door fixed because she could hear people coming. (Nokes 179, Ruth 77) Also, in April of 1809, Jane decided to take matters into her own hands and write to Mr. Crosby about Susan, which she had sold to him six years before. She threatened to send the novel to another publisher, but offered to supply another copy if it was lost. He replied saying that he wasn’t worried about publishing it soon, and that “the [manuscript] shall be yours for the same as we paid for it.” But Jane couldn’t afford to pay the 10 pounds and wouldn’t be able to re-purchase it until 1816. (Nokes 353, Wagner 808, Ruth 71)
In 1810, with her brother Henry’s help, Jane’s Sense and Sensibility was accepted by the publisher Thomas Egerton. In March of 1811, Jane traveled to London to correct page proofs. She had a great time visiting with Henry and Eliza but never for a moment wasn’t thinking about her novel. In a letter to Cassy, Jane declared, “I am never too busy to think of S&S. I can no more forget it than a mother can forget her suckling child.” (1) Finally, in late October of 1811, Sense and Sensibility appeared in three volumes. The author was known only as “A Lady” (or incorrectly as “By Lady A-“). Jane, of course, must have been elated. “It is a truth universally acknowledged that published authors, even those whose books have not yet appeared before the public, are filled with a new and reckless confidence in their own powers.” (3) So, filled with new confidence, Jane began another novel which would later become Mansfield Park. Though generally it would be thought not as clever as Pride and Prejudice, it would still be admired. (Wagner 36, 84; Nokes 377; Ruth 79-80; Shields 145)
In 1812, Jane made some small revisions in First Impressions and changed the title to Pride and Prejudice. She found the new title in a novel by Miss Burney called Cecilia. Egerton paid 100 pounds for the right to publish it. Pride and Prejudice appeared in 1813. By May it was considered the fashionable novel in England. Elizabeth Bennet was praised as being “superior…to the common heroines of novels.” (2) Jane herself said of Elizabeth, “I must confess that I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know.” (4) Jane called Pride and Prejudice her “own darling child.” (1) (Wagner 85-86; Ruth 81, 83; Nokes 399-400)
On April 25, 1813, Eliza died of a long and painful illness at the age of 51. She was buried in Hampstead parish churchyard next to her mother, Phil, and her son Hastings. Henry wrote on her epitaph describing her as “A woman of brilliant, generous, and cultivated mind.” Jane went to London to comfort and help Henry, while he proclaimed Jane as the author of her best-selling novels wherever he went. (Wagner 87-88, Nokes 407) In 1814, Jane visited Godmersham and continued to work on Mansfield Park. Later one of Jane’s nieces would describe her as she wrote, “Aunt Jane would sit quietly working beside the fire in the library, saying nothing for a good while, and then would suddenly burst out laughing, jump up, and run across the room to a table where pens and paper were lying, write something down, and then come back to the fire and go on quietly working as before.” (1)
Mansfield Park is definitely very different from Jane’s other works in its general serious tone and in its heroine, Fanny. Fanny Price is not nearly as clever and witty as some of Jane’s other heroines, but she is humble, sweet, and good, all traits that are very valuable as well. Even having written such a serious novel, Jane was horrified of solemn piety and preachy perfectionism. Fanny’s perfection was definitely not noisy! (Nokes 413-415, 422) When Mansfield Park was finished, Jane, with help from Henry, sold it to Egerton on commission. In other words, Jane would cover any losses. It was published in three volumes on May 9, 1814. It sold out when it was first printed, but Egerton decided not to print it a second time. Even Jane’s family seemed to think it not as much a success as Pride and Prejudice had been, though the novel was praised as still being clever and it certainly wouldn’t be “being considered discreditable to the talents of its author.” (1) Besides, the Austens were more focused on a lawsuit concerning Edward’s right to the Knight lands, which included Chawton. There weren’t many critical reviews of the novel. (Wagner 88-90; Ruth 84-86; Nokes 443)
Jane, now 38, began to get ideas for yet another novel, completely different from Mansfield Park. She finished the new novel, Emma, by the end of March in 1815. Meanwhile, Henry had become ill and was being cared for by a Dr. Baillie, who was also one of the Prince Regent’s (future King George IV) doctors. He told Jane that the Prince liked her novels and that she was invited to visit the palace at Carlton House. Jane deplored the Prince himself, who gambled and had a generally bad attitude, but she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to visit a palace! While she was on her tour, the librarian told her that the Prince wanted her to say “that if Miss Austen had any other novel forthcoming, she was quite at liberty to dedicate it to the Prince.” (4) Jane was, of course, shocked and probably didn’t plan on doing any such thing. Henry and Cassy, however, convinced her to do it. So Jane sold Emma to the publisher John Murray who agreed that Jane would pay for 2,000 copies, pay him 10% commission, and get any extra profits for herself. He also agreed that it would be published in one month. Jane informed him that it was to be “Dedicated by Permission to H.R.H. The Prince Regent”. (2) (Wagner 89-92, Nokes 467-469, Ruth 91-92) The reviews for Emma were satisfying. The most important was published in the Quarterly Review by an anonymous author. The author, who turned out to be Sir Walter Scott, wrote “that young lady has a talent for describing the involvements and feelings and characters of ordinary life, which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with.” (4) Sadly, Emma was to be the last of Jane’s novels to be published in her lifetime. (Wagner 92)
Jane once again began working on a new novel, The Eliots, later named Persuasion. The moral of this novel is that your emotions are very important, though not quite as much as sense when it comes to love. Jane completed the first draft in July of 1816. It was slow work, for Jane’s health was beginning to decline. (Ruth 93-94, Wagner 93-94)
Jane turned her mind back to her still unpublished novel Susan. Jane and Henry were finally able to purchase the copyright back from Crosby, who had possessed it for 13 years. Afterwards, Henry had the satisfaction of informing the publisher who his sister really was. Jane was then able to revise Susan, changing the title to Catherine, and finally to Northanger Abbey. (Wagner 93-94, Ruth 92)
Jane began another novel, never finished, that would later be published as Sanditon. It poked fun at people, including those who worry a lot about their health. Jane, herself now 41, was struggling with her own health. She had terrible back pain and fevers. She had to set aside Sanditon and another novel, The Brothers, unfinished.
Jane was likely suffering from breast cancer. In April of 1817, Jane wrote her will. She left gifts for Henry, 50 pounds for his housekeeper Madam Bigeon, who had helped care for her cousin Eliza, and everything else “to my dearest Sister Cassandra.” (2) (Ruth 95, Wagner 95, Shield 172) In mid-May, Jane had new symptoms. So Cassy and Henry moved Jane to Winchester on May 24th. She stayed near the cathedral and was seen by a specialist, Dr. Lyford. Jane was content, for she said in a letter to a nephew “If ever you are ill, may you be as tenderly nursed as I have been.” (2) She would live for six more weeks, comforted by her family and friends. James and Henry, her clergymen brothers, read her religious devotions, and she felt both loved and satisfied. But by the third week of July, the doctor told first her brothers and then Jane herself that she would soon be gone. At least she had time to say goodbye to her family. (Ruth 96, Wagner 95-97) (Video recording) Towards the end, the pain grew almost beyond bearing. “God grant me patience, pray for me, oh pray for me,” she pleaded. (1) She was drifting in and out of consciousness and then, early on July 18, 1817, Jane died in Cassandra’s arms. She was 41 years old.
Cassy mourned, “I have lost a treasure, such a Sister, such a friend as never can have been surpassed. She was the sun of my life…the soother of every sorrow. I had not a thought concealed from her, and it is as if I had lost a part of myself.” (2) There was a small funeral on July 24th and Jane was buried in Winchester Cathedral in the north aisle. There a plaque was placed which reads, “The benevolence of her heart, the sweetness of her temper, and the extraordinary endowments of her mind obtained the regard of all who knew her, and the warmest love of her intimate connections.” (4) (Wagner 96-97, Ruth 87, Shield 174, Nokes 518-519)
The Austens had Northanger Abbey and Persuasion published under Jane’s name just six months after her death. There was a short biography in the introduction of Persuasion written by Henry. He concentrated on her Christian virtues and great love for her fellow creatures. It is obvious from this biography and from the fact that Cassy destroyed a lot of Jane’s letters that the Austens were trying to have people picture Jane as gentle and quiet, but Jane’s novels show us a different story. Jane was no ordinary girl growing up in the 19th century, and she was not an ordinary adult. Her extraordinary novels will always be admired and loved, and they will be considered some of the greatest classics for generations to come. (Ruth 98-99, Nokes 524-525)
I would now like to spend some time discussing Jane’s six famous novels and some of the things critics have to say about her style of writing, the characters, and the stories themselves. Let us first look at her style of writing.
At first, when Jane was a young girl, she wrote to entertain herself and her family. Her characters were scandalous, crazy, and ignorant. They rarely escaped horrible (and hilarious) consequences. Her plots were just as crazy and shocking as the characters, but you can still see traces of a few themes in her later writings such as poking fun at people who were unreal, overly sentimental, or who married for money, not for love. As she got older, her writings matured and she was also blessed to be surrounded by people who knew her and her capabilities. They were able to give her good advice. However she didn’t really know anyone who was as equally talented or a novelist like herself. (Shields 140-142, Ruth 23-24)
One of the things that people love so much about Jane’s writing is its perfect balance of comic drama and moral seriousness. I personally think that in order for a book to be a classic, it must be both entertaining and teach an important life lesson. Jane was a master in doing just that. Jane also had the great talent of taking only a few families in a country village and making their lives into a wide-screen drama. She called it the “delight of her life.” (3) However some people consider this talent a weakness. They don’t like the lack of scope in her stories. I can say, along with Harold Bloom, “The world of her fiction is limited to the world she knew, but within this universe her work shows remarkable variation. Each novel has its own personality just as each heroine has her own situation and problems. This gives each a unique perspective, but Austen shows that as women they all faced similar issues.” (5) I couldn’t explain it any better than that. (Shields 8, 26-27; Bloom 69)
Another aspect of her writing that people criticize is the lack of passion in her stories. Currently, our culture seems to define love more as an attraction to someone’s physical beauty, which I think is a shame. While I think it is important that you are physically attracted to the person you marry, it shouldn’t be the main reason why you fall in love with them. I think Jane would agree. She didn’t make her heroines and heroes unattractive certainly, but she didn’t dwell on describing their bodies. She concentrated on the eyes, heart, and hands. The eyes are the windows to the soul, the heart is the center of the emotions, and the hands the means by which we act. It seems almost a miracle to be able to read love stories that are personally satisfying, but not immoral in the nature of the hero and heroine’s passions. (Shield 178-181)
Another thing that is criticized about her works is that she didn’t let any of the historical events happening around her really influence her writing at all. The war between America/France and Great Britain went on during her lifetime, but she didn’t write about it or incorporate any warlike themes into her novels. I am glad she didn’t. Jane also refused the “advice” that the Prince Regent gave her on what to write after Emma. She wasn’t about to use her talent writing about the lives of royalty or their regents. She declared, “I must keep to my own style and go on in my own way; and though I may never succeed again in that, I am convinced that I should totally fail in any other.” (1) (Nokes 484, Ruth 9)
One more interesting aspect of Jane’s writing that I want to mention is her use of language. Language is extremely important in Jane’s novels. It allows the characters to literally speak for themselves. Jane is able to portray a character’s education and general disposition or attitude simply through their manner of speaking. If they are able to speak well with understanding and wit, they are well educated. If they carry on about silly things, don’t use good grammar, or overuse words, they are not as well educated or refined. What the characters talk about is, of course, a huge clue to their personality as well. Finally, what is spoken and what isn’t spoken among the characters has a huge importance. Marianne in Sense and Sensibility learns this the hard way when she is forced to realize that Willoughby, her suitor, never verbally said that they were engaged or even that he loved her. Overall, Jane’s use of language is greatly admired and she used it as a tool to allow her readers to judge the nature of her characters and plot themselves. (Bloom 48-49)
Finally, what better way to wrap up than to discuss a little bit about each of the six books and their heroines? Let us begin with Jane Austen’s most celebrated novel, Pride and Prejudice. The story centers on the pretty, witty, intelligent, and spirited Miss Elizabeth Bennet and the rich, aristocratic Mr. Darcy. Miss Elizabeth is very proud of her ability to quickly assess character, but soon finds that she can be fooled. Her pride is hurt when the wealthy, aloof Mr. Darcy refuses to dance with her at a ball and immediately determines from his generally non-outgoing behavior that he is snobbish and proud. Actually, Mr. Darcy is concerned by the behavior of Elizabeth’s outlandish mother and obnoxious younger sisters. Meanwhile, she receives a proposal from the detestable Mr. Collins who could promise her security but not real happiness. She refuses, and her mother, whose life is spent in trying to marry off her five girls (all while complaining of about her nerves), is, of course, furious. Lizzy then meets the handsome but deceiving Mr. Wickham and believes herself to be in love with him. He tells her lies about Darcy that make her dislike him even more. But Mr. Darcy has ideas of his own. He has been in love with Elizabeth, almost against his will, for a while now. He proposes to her, but in such a way as to make Lizzy feel inferior, as if he was giving her a great honor. So he is shocked when Lizzy refuses him, but won’t give up. When Wickham runs away with Lizzy’s foolish younger sister, Lydia, Wickham’s real character is revealed, leaving Lizzy confused. Mr. Darcy, at great expense to himself, forces Wickham to marry Lydia in order to salvage the reputation of the other Bennet sisters, particularly Elizabeth and Jane. Over time, Elizabeth comes to understand she was mistaken about Mr. Darcy’s character and eventually returns his love. They become engaged and get married. Elizabeth learns that her first impressions of people can be wrong, and Mr. Darcy learns that just because he is a gentleman by class, he must act like a gentleman too, open up, and be more receptive toward the people around him. They both learn to guard against pride and prejudice.
Of course, Elizabeth and Darcy do not have the only romance going on. Jane, Elizabeth’s older sister, marries Mr. Bingley, Darcy’s friend, and Charlotte, Elizabeth’s friend, marries Mr. Collins but for security, not love. We see these romances and other events through Elizabeth’s eyes. That is one of the wonderful things about Jane Austen. Through her heroines, we can see how women’s lives back then were affected by marriage, love, education, and social standing. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of Jane’s novels. It shows the best in her. I’m not the only one either. It was and is considered one of the most superior novels of all time, with well created characters, an intelligent and lovable heroine, and a hero that appreciates and values the lady’s virtues to the fullest. (Bloom 48, 58-59; Wagner 86) (Video recording) (8)
Sense and Sensibility is also one of my favorites. It is, in short, a story of two sisters who are complete opposites. Elinor, the sensible one, falls in love with a Mr. Edward Ferrass, but it turns out that he is already engaged, which breaks her heart. She is able to somewhat control her feelings enough not to show it. Marianne, her sister, is the opposite of her, being extremely romantic and impulsive. She refuses to acknowledge the feelings of the more serious Colonel Brandon and instead falls head over heels for a Mr. Willoughby. He in turn breaks her heart and marries an heiress. After Marianne becomes ill and almost dies, she wakes up to how impulsive and even inappropriate her behavior was and repents. She learns to love Colonel Brandon and Edward ends up marrying Elinor when the girl Lucy Steele, who he was engaged to, dumps him for his older, wealthier brother. Overall, Marianne learns to become more sensible like her sister, and Elinor learns to open up more and can barely keep it together when Edward announces that he isn’t married to Lucy Steele. She flees from the room and soon her happiness is complete as she gets to marry her love, Edward. Sense and Sensibility shows us that the perfect mix of these traits are ideal when it comes to love. (Bloom 56-57) (9)
Mansfield Park is extremely different from Jane’s other novels. It is a much more serious and moral work. For once, the heroine, Fanny Price, has almost nothing to improve upon. She has a goodness and a humility that are astounding in the face of the neglect she faces from her adoptive family, really her aunts, uncle, and cousins, the Bertrams. No one tried to purposefully make her unhappy, but her cousin, Edmund, was the only one who really cared about her. It isn’t surprising then that Fanny was in love with Edmund ever since she was a little girl. He, however, is smitten with Miss Mary Crawford, who is visiting in the neighborhood with her brother, Henry. Mary is spirited and clever, like Elizabeth Bennet in a way, but cruel. She refuses to accept the fact that Edmund is to be ordained and it haunts him. He won’t change his mind however, which irritates her. Henry meanwhile has charmed both the Bertram sisters, the engaged Maria and Julia. Later, he even tries his charming powers on Fanny but to no avail. It turns out that the married Maria runs away with Henry, and Edmund finally opens his eyes to who Mary really is. Edmund proposes to Fanny and they live happily ever after. This novel isn’t liked as much because of its seriousness, but I love it still. It is a great lesson to learn. It is far better to be good and gentle than clever and witty, and it is far more rewarding. (11)
After Mansfield Park, Jane switched gears again and wrote Emma. Jane would write of Emma, “The real evils indeed of Emma’s situation are the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself.” (1) That was just her problem. She was rather spoiled due to being such a high class and there were few people that she knew that were her equals. Emma befriends Harriet who looks up to and trusts her a little too much. Emma, who loves to play the matchmaker, decides to try and get Harriet and Mr. Elton together. There is just one problem. Harriet is already in love with Robert Martin, a farmer. When he proposes though, Emma advises Harriet to decline, so she does. Mr. Knightley, Emma’s brother-in-law and great family friend, greatly disapproves of this and tells Emma of Robert’s great disappointment. Emma begins to repent a little of her matchmaking. It turns out that it didn’t work anyway. Mr. Elton is really in love with her. Appalled, she of course refuses him. All other attempts to marry Harriet off fail. Emma, meanwhile, thinks herself to be in love with a Frank Churchill, but it turns out that he is already engaged. Things are such a mess. Finally in the end, Emma is able to understand her own heart at last and marries Mr. Knightley. Harriet also gets happily married to her first love, Robert Martin. I must say that Emma was very entertaining and a definite warning against matchmaking. (10) (Nokes 433)
Northanger Abbey is the only novel of Jane’s where the heroine, Catherine, is in danger of being eclipsed by the hero, Henry Tilney. Catherine is staying at Bath with family friends and is enjoying herself reading gothic novels and making friends with Isabel. Unfortunately, Isabel is encouraging her to get together with a man she doesn’t like at all. Isabel turns out to have highly questionable motives as she is very flirty and unwise, unlike Catherine’s other new friends, Eleanor and Henry Tilney. From Henry, Catherine is learning to improve her naivety, but on a visit to their home, Northanger Abbey, she is carried away with suspecting General Tilney, Henry’s father, of doing dreadful things to his wife. She has obviously read way too many gothic novels, but she learns her lesson when Henry gently rebukes her. It is true, though, that his father isn’t the nicest man, for in learning that Catherine isn’t as wealthy as he supposed, she is forced to leave. Henry is shocked by this, defies his father, and marries Catherine. It is clear what you can learn from this story. You should choose your friends carefully and make sure you know the difference between fiction and reality! (Shield 81, Booth 52) (12)
Finally, we get to Persuasion. This novel was the hardest for me to grasp, but I will do my best. In short, it is a story about Miss Anne Elliot who was in love with a Frederick Wentworth, a naval captain. Catherine’s friend and elder, Lady Russell, convinces Anne to break off her engagement to him because of his lack of fortune and rank. Anne soon regrets her decision, but doesn’t blame her friend. She tries to go on with her life without dwelling on the past. However, Anne will get a second chance with Frederick when she sees him again and he realizes that she still loves him. “She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older.” (7) Persuasion is definitely one of the most moving love stories you’ll ever read and it was also Jane’s last completed novel. (7)
What did Jane want to accomplish with her novels? According to Elizabeth Bennet, “I hope I never ridicule what is wise and good. [However] follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me…and I laugh at them whenever I can.” Jane Austen has had a huge impact on my life 200 years later and I appreciate her and feel that she has more than accomplished her goals. Long live Jane Austen’s world!
