Jane Austen
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Author: Cassandra Austen | License: Public domain
Biography
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, at Steventon Rectory in Hampshire, England, into a family belonging to the English gentry.
She was educated mainly at home, thanks to the reading material provided by her father, who owned a library of nearly 500 books, and her brothers.
She probably began writing poems, stories, and plays for her own amusement and that of her family at the age of 12. Between 1793 and 1795, Jane Austen wrote Lady Susan, a short epistolary novel. She then began work on a novel, Elinor and Marianne, which would be published in 1811 under the title Sense and Sensibility. From 1796 to 1797, she wrote a second novel, First Impressions, which would later become Pride and Prejudice. Her father tried to get the text published, but without success.
In December 1800, the family moved to Bath. Jane Austen received a marriage proposal in 1802 from Harris Bigg-Wither, the younger brother of some long-time friends. She ultimately declined the proposal and never married.
Her father dies in 1805, and Jane, her mother and her elder sister Cassandra moved then to Southampton to live with her brother Frank. In early 1809, Edward, another of Jane Austen's brothers, provided his mother and sisters with a large cottage in the village of Chawton, which would become the Jane Austen's House Museum (see Museums and Memorials below).
During her stay in Chawton, Jane Austen wrote every day and published four novels (see below Jane Austen's books).
Jane Austen's health began to decline in early 1816. She died on July 18, 1817, at the age of 41. She is buried in the north aisle of Winchester Cathedral.
References
Notable Works
Sense and Sensibility [Novel] (1811)
Pride and Prejudice [Novel] (1813)
Mansfield Park [Novel] (1814)
Emma [Novel] (1815)
Persuasion [Novel] (1817)
Northanger Abbey [Novel] (1818)
Books About Jane Austen
Jane Austen: The Biography by Elizabeth Jenkins (2025) - View on Amazon
Museums & Memorials
Jane Austen’s House Museum: Chawton, Alton, UK. Visit website
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Jane Austen die ?
Jane Austen died on July 18, 1817, at the age of 41 after several months of illness. The exact cause of her death is unknown, but historians and medical scholars have proposed a few likely explanations based on her letters and symptoms. The most commonly accepted theory is Addison’s disease (adrenal failure) , another theory is Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Where did Jane Austen live ?
Jane Austen was born in Steventon, Hampshire, where she lived most of the time until 1801. The family then moved to Bath, Somerset (1801–1806), and, after Jane's father death to Southampton (1806 - 1809). In 1809, she moves with her mother and her sister to Chawton, Hampshire (1809 - 1817).
Who were Jane Austen's siblings ?
Jane Austen was the seventh of eight children in the Austen family. Her siblings were James (1765–1819), George (1766–1838), Edward (1767–1852), Henry (1771–1850), Cassandra (1773–1845), Francis (1774–1865) and Charles (1779–1852).
How many books did Jane Austen write ?
Jane Austen wrote six completed novels that were published during her lifetime or shortly after her death: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), Northanger Abbey (1817), and Persuasion (1817); the last two were published posthumously. An epistolary novella, lady Susan, written circa 1794 was not published until 1871.
Did Jane Austen marry ?
Jane Austen never married, although she did briefly accept a marriage proposal in 1802 by Harris Bigg-Wither,the younger brother of friends, before changing her mind the next day.
📍 Birthplace Location
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