Jane Austen

Jane Austen, (born Dec. 16, 1775, Steventon, Hampshire, Eng.—died July 18,
1817, Winchester, Hampshire), English novelist. The daughter of a rector, she
lived in the circumscribed world of minor landed gentry and country clergy
that she was to use in her writing; her closest companion was her sister,
Cassandra. Her earliest known writings are mainly parodies, notably of
sentimental fiction. In her six full-length novels—Sense and
Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield
Park (1814), Emma (1815), Persuasion (1817), and Northanger
Abbey (published 1817 but written before the others)—she created the comedy
of manners of middle-class English life in her time. Her writing is noted for its
wit, realism, shrewd sympathy, and brilliant prose style. Through her
treatment of ordinary people in everyday life, she was the first to give the
novel its distinctly modern character. She published her novels anonymously;
two appeared only after her death, which probably resulted from Addison
disease.

Some general thoughts about Jane Austen:

Two key words that Jane Austen uses are sense and
sensibility. They summarize her advocacy for reason and
self-control, away from the exaggerated sensibilities of
romantic literature. We feel that she supports her sensible
heroines and rewards them with their desired happiness at
the end of the novels, whereas she ironically ridicules those
young ladies who give in to their whims and reckless
desires, like Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility.

Another important aspect is that her male characters are

usually condescending, sometimes too proud and cold in
their dealing with the female characters. We feel that the
female characters have to undergo a change of character
before they can have peace of mind. Besides, having no
fortune of their own leads many of her female characters to
strive desperately to win those wealthy gentleman who
might rescue them from their insecure social and financial
position.
The superficiality is largely due to the lack of a solid
education, and also to the narrow scope of experience they
have in their limited countryside setting where they only
move from one household to another, from one ball to
another, or simply go for walks amongst the fields or
gardens, etc... The information they get about life in London
or the outside world depends on new guests who may arrive
and communicate some news.