Jane Austen

Jane Austen (1775-1817) was an English author whose novels reflect the gender and class struggles of 19th century England. Her works were very influential in the development of the contemporary novel, and her quiet but powerful voice during the foundational period of the feminist movement has made an influential impact on modern society and English literature.

Early Life
Austen was born on December 16, 1775 in Hampshire, England as the youngest daughter of George and Cassandra Austen's eight children. George Austen was a rector in the parsonage of Steventon, and during Jane's early life he ran a boys' school in their house to help supplement their income 3. During her life, Jane never had a continuous education. When Jane was seven, she and her sister Cassandra were sent to Oxford to study at a girl's school and stayed for a year until Jane became dangerously sick with typhus and they returned home 3. A year later, Jane and Cassandra went to another girl's school - Mrs. La Tournelle's Ladies' Boarding School- but again left after a year 3. Despite this, Jane continued her own education by reading many books from the family's large library, writing stories and poems, and putting on plays with her family 1.

When she was twenty, a year after she started writing her first book, she met Tom Lefroy. He was related to one of the family's neighbors and for a short time Jane and Tom developed a close friendship, although there is debate over the seriousness of their relationship 1. However, because of financial reasons Jane and Tom were not allowed to marry and Tom was sent back to his family 1.

Later Life
In 1801, Jane and her family moved to Bath following her father's retirement and she continued to write 1. There she was proposed to by a family friend, Harris Bigg-Wither, who was six years younger and had a substantial fortune 1. Jane ultimately turned him down, and with it her and Cassandra's chance at independence from their family 1. After her father's death in 1805, Jane and her mother and sister were forced to live with family members and in rented apartments for several years, until they were able to stay at her brother's house in 1809 2.

These were her most productive years, and between 1811 and 1816, she published Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma anonymously 1. In 1816 she became sick, and after continuing to write, she died a year later at the age of 411.

Contributions and Influences
Austen is most recognized and admired for her masterful satire of English society during her time period, and is known as one of the most influential novelists during that time 1. Austen's usually strong and independently-minded female characters 1 stood out in a genre that had previously been viewed as "frivolous and sub-intellectual" 5. Contrary to the novels that were being written then, which were for the most part wildly unrealistic and poorly written, Austen's books were centered around circumstances and characters that were realistic and very relatable to English society 6. Her novels used wit and irony to soften her criticisms towards society and class politics and the effects they cause for women and their choices in life, and is a significant reason for the contemporary view that women are skilled novelists 5.

Austen's novels also indirectly criticize society's expectations of women during her time period. The issue of women's dependency on marrying well to ensure financial and personal security is central in her novels 4, and they were some of the first to claim that women shouldn't have to marry for social status or security, but should be able to marry for love 5- in other words, that women should not conform to societal expectations. Austen also pointed out the inability of women to inherit, which could cripple a widow's finances, and was a topic most female authors were uncomfortable writing about 5. Far from objectifying women, Austen's female protagonists are often very educated and appreciate literature 5.

Although her novels were never appreciated during her life they way they are today, Austen gained her place among the most influential English authors in history and has influenced the way novels have been written and thought about by society ever since.

Criticisms
Despite her revolutionary perspectives, Austen has been criticized for "being obsessed with money and rich relations" 3. They certainly frequently appear in her novels, but their importance to Austen can be explained by the fact that money and rich relations were determining factors for the kind of life people were able to have during her time 3. Austen's novels also focus mainly on the gentry of English society, although she does address in depth the difficulties of lower-class families, most notably in Pride and Prejudice.

Austen was also never an outspoken defender of women's rights, despite contemporary influences such as Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Woman, which was published in 1792 (when Jane would have been about seventeen years old) 4. Austen also does not address aspects of intersectionality, with the majority of her characters being straight, white, and middle- to upper-class.

Taking these criticisms into account, as a whole Austen's indirect support for values and concepts central to the feminist movement can be seen in her novels through the lives and choices her characters experience, and in the social issues that are still relevant to many women today.