Biography:

Jane Austen is a famous writer of classical literature, familiar to readers from her works in the genre of realism. Her novels are still popular among young people and adults, and famous directors bring Jane’s works to television screens.

On December 16, 1775, in the small town of Stevenson, in the county of Hampshire, located in the south of Great Britain, a daughter, Jane, was born into the Austin family. Since the winter was harsh, the girl was baptized in the church only on April 5. We can say that the parents of the future writer predetermined her fate, because the name Jane means “God is merciful,” “God’s grace.” The Austin family lived modestly, the head of the family was a parish priest, and his wife kept house. The couple met at St. John’s College. Cassandra came from a noble noble family, her father was the rector of All Souls College. Mrs. Lee’s dowry was quite modest, because the entire inheritance from her grandmother was received by her older brother James. George also came from a wealthy family of merchants, but his family became poor.

During the Age of Enlightenment, medicine was not developed, and at that time there was a high infant mortality rate: diseases such as mumps, cholera, tuberculosis and many others progressed. But all the children of George Austin and his beloved miraculously survived.
Thus, the writer grew up in a large family, in which, in addition to her, six boys and one girl were raised. Jane was the second to last child and was born ten months pregnant. Initially, newborns stayed at home under the care of their mother. Then the woman gave them to the care of her neighbor Elizabeth Littlewood, who raised the children until they were 12-18 months old.

Since childhood, the elder James realized his creative potential and studied literature: he wrote fictional stories. But fate prepared a different path for the young man: as he grew older, James began serving as a pastor in a local church. History is silent about the other brother, George, because… The Austins preferred not to talk about him. It is known that the boy was retarded and never learned to speak. But the writer loved George, so for his sake she learned the alphabet of the deaf and dumb. Edward was adopted by the Austin relatives, the boy was brought up in the wealthy Knight family, and Henry, an ambitious man, worked as a banker and then was ordained. Francis and Charles connected their lives with the sea, and sister Cassandra, who painted in watercolors, never found happiness in her personal life. Jane and Cassandra were enrolled in many educational institutions, but the girls had no luck with headmistresses. Among other things, on one of her trips to Southampton, Jane contracted fatal typhus, and the Austin family never had any money for education.

George quickly realized that his daughters would not receive a decent education in this way, so he personally acted as a teacher, taking all responsibilities upon himself. Thus, the future writer and her sister learned more from the lectures of their erudite and well-read father than at school. The man emphasized literature, so girls from an early age fell in love with the works of Shakespeare, Hume, Richardson and other writers. After reading, they recited the works to each other from memory, discussed the novels, debated and expressed opinions.

Literature:

Goethe once said: “A person who has an innate talent experiences his greatest happiness when he uses this talent.” In fact, Jane took full advantage of God’s gift: the girl began to become interested in writing at the age of 14. Then she composed her debut epistolary work, “Love and Friendship.” Also in his youth, the burlesque “History of England” that mimicked school textbooks and the essay “The Beautiful Cassandra” were written, which ironically ridiculed the creative attempts of sentimentalists of the 18th century, for example, Rousseau and Chateaubriand, for whom feelings stood above reason. Therefore, works about sugary or unrequited love are read society ladies in salons were no match for her: Jane Austen went down in the history of literature as a supporter of realism, according to the laws of which life was described in its typical features, without unnecessary metaphors and overly pathetic, pretentious expressions.

In 1811, under the trivial pseudonym, Lady Jane published the dissonant novel “Sense and Sensibility,” which tells about the love intricacies and intrigues in the lives of two sisters, completely different from each other: Marianne Dashwood lives by the call of the heart, while Eleanor is guided by reason. Thus, a certain disharmony between two human qualities develops in the reader’s imagination.

Three years later, Jane delights sophisticated ladies and gentlemen with the novel “Pride and Prejudice,” which over time has become widely quoted. It is noteworthy that Austen began working on the book in 1795 (96), but this novel did not make the right impression on the publishers, so the manuscript collected dust on a shelf for about 15 years.

Only thanks to “Sense and Sensibility” – the novel that gave the writer a path into the literary world – Austen’s second work saw the light of day. True, before submitting the book for publication, Jane reworked the brainchild, which was originally called “First Impressions,” almost beyond recognition, because over so many years the writer managed to change her life views and gain experience. In 1814, the instructive novel “Mansfield Park” was published, and after This year, John Murray’s publishing house publishes the humorous work “Emma”, which tells the story of a lonely young lady trying with all her might to arrange the personal life of her acquaintances and friends. This novel impressed even the master of the pen Walter Scott.

In 1816, Jane became the author of the domestic novel Persuasion (published posthumously), the plot of which revolves around the life of the smug and vain Sir Walter, who found himself on the verge of bankruptcy due to his own stupidity. Of all the abundance of characters in this work, Walter’s 27-year-old daughter Anne Elliot can be singled out, because this lonely girl is an atypical book hero for Jane Austen. Despite her youth, Anne appears before readers in the image of a wise and sophisticated woman, who is called an old maid in society. Anne fell in love with a young man, but, guided by reason, rejected him for the sake of further well-being.

If we talk about Jane Austen’s writing style, then, of course, she is a sophisticated psychologist who understands both the souls of people and everyday problems, as can be judged from her works. Moreover, Jane was accustomed to seasoning her manuscripts with a dose of irony and sarcasm. Although the Enlightenment and Victorian eras have passed hundreds of years ago, such human vices as hypocrisy, greed, pride, lust, laziness, etc. have not sunk into oblivion. All this happened even in the days of luxurious balls and literary salons. For example, one can recall how Mrs. Bennet’s hatred of Darcy is instantly transformed into enthusiastic feelings after the news that the young man is going to propose marriage to her daughter (“Pride and Prejudice”). Thus, Jane shattered to smithereens the stereotypes that had formed among readers of sentimental novels.

Personal life:

The personal life of the English novelist is filled with secrets and mysteries. For example, biographers to this day do not know the true appearance of the Lady. Some sources claim that she was a lovely young lady, others describe her as a plump simpleton who was teased by her brothers as a child by pulling her cheeks. There are also different opinions about the girl’s character: either she appears as a prim and obstinate girl, or, on the contrary, as a sensitive and charming lady with a soft voice and kind character. Jane’s appearance can be judged by the portrait that Cassandra painted in 1810.

The novelist gave the world elegant love stories, but she herself never found happiness. Her life turned upside down in 1796. Thomas Langlois Lefroy, an educated young man of Huguenot descent, came to visit his relatives, who, ironically, lived not far from the Austins. Thomas captivated the writer’s heart, a fleeting passion resulted in a short romance, which quickly began and faded away. According to family legend, the relationship of the young people reached a dead end due to the dissatisfaction of Aunt Lefroy. Later, contemporaries said that these events found echoes in Persuasion, but Thomas used to say that he loved Jane with a “childish love” – the relationship meant nothing to him.

But Austen was not guided by reason, but turned into a sentimental girl who spent days and nights remembering her unrequited love, because, as Pushkin used to say through the mouth of Eugene Onegin, “the less we love a woman, the easier it is for her to like us.” While the novelist was suffering, Thomas easily adjusted his personal life: he became the Chief Justice of Ireland and married a wealthy person, Mary, who gave her husband eight children.

Three years later, Jane delights sophisticated ladies and gentlemen with the novel “Pride and Prejudice,” which over time has become widely quoted. It is noteworthy that Austen began working on the book in 1795 (96), but this novel did not make the right impression on the publishers, so the manuscript collected dust on a shelf for about 15 years.

Only thanks to “Sense and Sensibility” – the novel that gave the writer a path into the literary world – Austen’s second work saw the light of day. True, before submitting the book for publication, Jane reworked the brainchild, which was originally called “First Impressions,” almost beyond recognition, because over so many years the writer managed to change her views on life and gain experience.

In 1814, the instructive novel “Mansfield Park” was published, and a year later, John Murray’s publishing house published the humorous work “Emma,” which tells the story of a lonely young lady trying with all her might to arrange the personal life of her acquaintances and friends. This novel impressed even the master of the pen Walter Scott.

In 1816, Jane became the author of the domestic novel Persuasion (published posthumously), the plot of which revolves around the life of the smug and vain Sir Walter, who found himself on the verge of bankruptcy due to his own stupidity. Of all the abundance of characters in this work, Walter’s 27-year-old daughter Anne Elliot can be singled out, because this lonely girl is an atypical book hero for Jane Austen.
Despite her youth, Anne appears before readers in the image of a wise and sophisticated woman, who is called an old maid in society. Anne fell in love with a young man, but, guided by reason, rejected him for the sake of further well-being.

If we talk about Jane Austen’s writing style, then, of course, she is a sophisticated psychologist who understands both the souls of people and everyday problems, as can be judged from her works. Moreover, Jane was accustomed to seasoning her manuscripts with a dose of irony and sarcasm. Although the Enlightenment and Victorian eras have passed hundreds of years ago, such human vices as hypocrisy, greed, pride, lust, laziness, etc. have not sunk into oblivion.

But Austen was not guided by the arguments of reason, but turned into a sentimental girl who spent days and nights remembering her unrequited love, because, as Pushkin used to say through the mouth of Eugene Onegin, “the less we love a woman, the easier it is for her to like us.” While the novelist was suffering, Thomas easily adjusted his personal life: he became the chief justice of Ireland and married a rich lady, Mary, who gave her husband eight children. But for the young man Harris Bigg, everything was completely the opposite: the guy loved Jane. The girl agreed to the marriage proposal, but was a bride for only one day: the medicine of time did not help Austen, she did not forget Thomas, so the lady exchanged the future for an illusory past. The girl never managed to feel like a loving wife and experience the beauty of motherhood, because the novelist had no children. In her free time from literature, Jane sewed and helped her mother around the house.

Death:

Jane Austen suffered from Addison’s disease (adrenal insufficiency). Judging by the clinical description, this disease can last for several years without symptoms and go unnoticed, but it progresses due to stressful situations or other diseases. The patient’s appetite is impaired, nausea, weight loss, tetany, etc. appear. The writer passed away in the summer of 1817 at the age of 42. She arrived in Winchester for treatment, but the girl was unable to cope with the disease. Jane did not have time to complete Sanditon, The Watsons and Lady Susan. The novel Northanger Abbey was published posthumously.

Movies:

It is not surprising that Austen’s meaningful works have been filmed more than once.

In 1995, director Ang Lee brought the novel Sense and Sensibility to television screens. It is noteworthy that Emma Thompson wrote the script for about five years. The roles were played by Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant and other actors. Also in 1995, the mini-series “Pride and Prejudice” was released, where Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth, Suzanne Harker and others worked on the set. Thanks to its plot, this series has gained the love of avid film fans around the world.

In 2005, Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen and Rosamund Pike took part in the melodrama Pride and Prejudice. Emma Thompson once again acted as screenwriter and chose to change the dialogue from the original handwritten script.
In 2006, Julian Jarrold’s biographical film Jane Austen was released, telling the story of the relationship between the writer and Lefroy. The role of the novelist was played by Anne Hathaway, and James McAvoy played her lover.
In 2008, director Dan Zeff presented the mini-series “Jane Austen’s Book Comes to Life” starring Jemima Rooper and Elliot Cowan.
The same year, Jeremy Lovering’s film Jane Austen’s Misfortunes in Love was released.

Bibliography:

“Love and Friendship” (1790);
“History of England” (1791);
“Three Sisters” (1792);
“Sense and Sensibility” or “Reason and Sensibility” (1811);
“Pride and Prejudice” (1813);
“Mansfield Park” (1814);
“Emma” (1815);
“Persuasion” (1817);
“Northanger Abbey” (1818).
“Beautiful Cassandra”;
“Lady Susan”
“The Watsons”;
“Sanditon”;
“Castle Leslie”