Jane Austen
Born 1775 · Age 250
English novelist (1775–1817) known for six major novels (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion). Wrote influential works of literary realism and social satire; published mostly anonymously in her lifetime.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born at Steventon Rectory
Jane Austen is born at Steventon Rectory, Hampshire, daughter of the Reverend George Austen and Cassandra Leigh; seventh of eight children.
Baptised at local church
Jane Austen is baptised and christened Jane at the local parish church.
Early schooling and near-fatal illness (typhus)
Sent to school in Oxford (with Cassandra) and later Southampton; in 1783 she caught typhus and nearly died and was returned home.
Attended Reading Abbey Girls' School
Jane and Cassandra attend the Reading Abbey Girls' School (Mrs La Tournelle) from early 1785 until late 1786; curriculum included French, dancing, music and needlework.
Begins composing Juvenilia and plays
From about age 11–12 Austen begins composing juvenile writings: poems, short stories and dramatic works; she wrote three short plays in her early teens.
Compiles Juvenilia (Volume the First/Second/Third)
Between 1787 and 1793 Austen compiled fair copies of 29 early works into three bound notebooks now known as the Juvenilia (approx. 90,000 words).
Wrote 'Love and Freindship' (juvenilia)
Austen wrote the satirical epistolary juvenile work Love and Freindship (sic) at about age 14–15 (dated c.1790).
Wrote 'The History of England' (juvenilia)
A satirical manuscript 'The History of England' (c.1791) accompanied by Cassandra's watercolour miniatures; part of early juvenilia.
Begins Catharine or the Bower
At around 17, Austen began the longer work Catharine or the Bower (presaging Northanger Abbey); left unfinished until later.
Wrote Lady Susan (epistolary novella)
Between 1793 and 1795 Austen wrote Lady Susan, a sophisticated early epistolary novella distinct from her later style.
Sent juvenile 'Scraps' to niece
As an aunt, Austen sent juvenile writings ('Scraps' and miscellanies) to her niece Fanny Catherine Austen Knight and to Jane-Anna-Elizabeth Austen, including a dedication dated 2 June 1793.
Tom Lefroy stays at Steventon ( courtship / flirtation )
Tom Lefroy visited December 1795–January 1796; Austen and Lefroy flirted and exchanged intimacies; Lefroy sent away by family and they never resumed a relationship.
Begins 'First Impressions' (Pride and Prejudice draft)
Austen began First Impressions (later Pride and Prejudice) in 1796 and completed the initial draft in August 1797.
Met cousin Eliza de Feuillide
Met Eliza de Feuillide in 1797 (who later married Henry Austen), an influence on Austen and a source for cosmopolitan anecdotes; Eliza's French husband's execution in 1794 haunted Austen.
Completed 'First Impressions' (later Pride and Prejudice)
Completed the first draft of First Impressions in August 1797; read aloud to family; became a family favourite.
Father offers First Impressions to a publisher; declined
In November 1797 George Austen wrote to publisher Thomas Cadell offering First Impressions; the offer was returned marked 'Declined by Return of Post'.
Begins Susan (Northanger Abbey)
Around 1798 Austen began the novel Susan (later Northanger Abbey), a satire of Gothic novels; completed c.1799.
Family moves to Bath (George Austen retires)
In December 1800 Reverend George Austen retired and the Austen family moved from Steventon to 4 Sydney Place, Bath; Jane was unsettled by the move.
Accepts, then rejects, Bigg-Wither marriage proposal
On 2 December 1802 Austen accepted an offer of marriage from Harris Bigg-Wither but withdrew her acceptance the next day; the only known marriage proposal she seriously entertained.
Sells copyright of 'Susan' to Crosby & Co. for £10
Henry Austen (acting) arranged the sale of the manuscript Susan (Northanger Abbey) to the London publisher Benjamin/Richard Crosby for £10; Crosby advertised but did not publish it.
Begins The Watsons (unfinished)
While living in Bath, Austen began but did not complete The Watsons; she likely stopped after her father's death when circumstances mirrored her fiction.
Family moves to Worthing (Stanford Cottage) in autumn
After father's death and a period of instability the Austen women moved in autumn 1805 to the seaside resort of Worthing and lived at Stanford Cottage.
Death of Reverend George Austen (father)
George Austen died suddenly on 21 January 1805; Jane, Cassandra and their mother were left in precarious financial circumstances and relied on contributions from brothers.
Move to Southampton with brother Frank
In 1806 Jane, Cassandra and their mother moved to Southampton, sharing a house with Frank Austen and his wife; much time was spent visiting family.
Angry letter to Crosby demanding manuscript return
On 5 April 1809 Austen wrote to publisher Richard Crosby demanding the return of her Susan manuscript or immediate publication; Crosby replied that she could repurchase it for £10.
Moves to Chawton cottage (new settled home)
Early 1809 Edward Austen offered his mother and sisters use of a cottage in Chawton; Jane, Cassandra and their mother moved into Chawton cottage on 7 July 1809, beginning a productive period.
Sense and Sensibility published (anonymously)
Sense and Sensibility was published 'By a Lady' in Oct/Nov 1811 by Thomas Egerton on commission; the novel was favourably reviewed and sold well; Austen earned £140.
Pride and Prejudice published (as 'By the author of Sense and Sensibility')
Pride and Prejudice (a revision of First Impressions) was published in January 1813 by Thomas Egerton; Austen sold the copyright to Egerton for £110.
Second edition(s) begin for early novels
By October 1813 demand enabled Egerton to authorize second editions (e.g., Pride and Prejudice second edition); Austen's profile as an author rose among readers.
Begins Emma (composition period spans 1814–1815)
After Mansfield Park Austen began work on Emma (written between Jan 1814 and March 1815), continuing her most productive period.
Mansfield Park published
Mansfield Park was published by Egerton in May 1814; while reviewers largely ignored it, it sold very well and all copies sold within six months; Austen's earnings were larger than for other novels.
Prince Regent's librarian invites Austen and requests dedication
In November 1815 James Stanier Clarke, librarian to the Prince Regent, invited Austen to meet the Prince and hinted that she should dedicate Emma to him; Austen complied with a discreet dedication.
Emma published (dedicated to the Prince Regent)
Emma was published in December 1815 by John Murray (Austen had moved publishers mid-1815); it sold well and was the last novel published in her lifetime besides subsequent reprints.
Sir Walter Scott review praises 'nameless author' (Emma)
In March 1816 Sir Walter Scott reviewed Emma in the Quarterly Review and hailed the anonymous author as a masterful exponent of the modern novel — an early critical recognition.
Repurchase of 'Susan' copyright by Henry (for Austen)
In 1816 Henry Austen repurchased the previously-sold manuscript Susan (Northanger Abbey) from Crosby for £10 so it could be published posthumously; Austen had been unable to buy it back earlier.
Writes 'Plan of a Novel' (parody of royal librarian's hints)
At the onset of illness in mid-1816 Austen wrote 'Plan of a Novel, According to Hints from Various Quarters', a satiric parody of the literary advice she had received (written 1816; first published 1871).
Second edition of Mansfield Park (John Murray)
A second edition of Mansfield Park was published by John Murray in February 1816; it sold poorly relative to Emma and offset income from Emma.
Henry Austen's bank failure causes family financial crisis
In March 1816 Henry Austen's bank failed, depriving him of his assets and causing family financial stress which affected Austen's publication plans.
Completes first draft of Persuasion (The Elliots)
Austen completed the first draft of The Elliots (later Persuasion) in July 1816 and later rewrote final two chapters, finishing 6 August 1816.
Cassandra censors/destroys many letters
After Jane's death Cassandra Austen destroyed and heavily edited many of Jane's letters (to protect family reputations); only ~160 of an estimated ~3,000 letters survive.
Begins The Brothers (Sanditon)
In January 1817 Austen began The Brothers (later titled Sanditon) and completed 12 chapters before illness forced her to stop in mid-March 1817.
Ceases writing due to illness (notes stopped on 18 March)
Austen put down her pen on 18 March 1817, noting she could not continue; illness progressively worsened thereafter.
Makes short will
On 27 April 1817 Austen made a short will leaving nearly everything to her 'dearest Sister Cassandra'.
Moves to Winchester for medical treatment
On 24 May 1817 Austen left Chawton and moved with Cassandra to Winchester to seek medical treatment for her declining health.
Death in Winchester
Jane Austen died at her lodgings in Winchester on 18 July 1817 (aged 41). Cause of death has been variously attributed; retrospective diagnoses include Addison's disease or Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Burial at Winchester Cathedral
Jane Austen was buried on 24 July 1817 in Winchester Cathedral; her authorship was announced to the public later by her brother Henry.
Northanger Abbey and Persuasion published posthumously
Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published together in December 1817 posthumously; for the first time Jane Austen was publicly identified as the author.
Henry Thomas Austen's 'Biographical Notice' (1818)
Henry Thomas Austen's short 'Biographical Notice' appeared in a posthumous edition of Northanger Abbey (1818), the first biographical account of Jane Austen.
Bentley republishes Austen's novels (Standard Novels series)
In 1833 Richard Bentley republished Austen's novels in his Standard Novels series (illustrated and sold as a set), marking a significant transition in her posthumous reputation and wider readership.
A Memoir of Jane Austen published (nephew)
Jane Austen's nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh published 'A Memoir of Jane Austen' in 1869, shaping the 'good quiet Aunt Jane' popular image and furthering her legacy.
Plan of a Novel and other pieces first published
Some minor pieces, including the satiric 'Plan of a Novel, According to Hints from Various Quarters' (written 1816), were first published in the 19th century (commonly cited publication years c.1871 for some fragments).
Sanditon (fragment) published as Fragment of a Novel
The unfinished novel Sanditon (The Brothers), abandoned in 1817 after 12 chapters, was published as a fragment in 1925.
Jane Austen's House opens to the public
The house in Chawton where Austen wrote and lived (Chawton Cottage / Jane Austen's House Museum) was opened to the public in 1949.
Major film/TV adaptations (1995): Sense & Sensibility, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice miniseries
Notable modern adaptations mentioned include the 1995 film Sense and Sensibility, the 1995 film Persuasion, and the hugely influential 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice miniseries.
2005 Pride & Prejudice film adaptation
A major 2005 film adaptation of Pride & Prejudice (starring Keira Knightley) helped sustain Austen's global popular appeal into the 21st century.
Love & Friendship (Lady Susan adaptation) film (2016)
An adaptation of Austen's Lady Susan was released as the 2016 film Love & Friendship, showing ongoing reinterpretation of her works.
Emma (2020) film adaptation
A modern film adaptation of Emma (2020) continues the long tradition of reimagining Austen's novels for contemporary audiences.
Key Achievement Ages
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