Who is Jane Austen? All about Her Biography and Famous Works

Jane Austen biography: In 2025, it will be 250 years since Jane Austen was born. She was one of the greatest writers who changed the English novel with her sharp wit and profound understanding. Austen wrote about the landed gentry, which may seem like a small world, but her work is still important today because it teaches readers about social class, women's rights, and the search for love and happiness. 

So, Jane Austen's biographical information, in itself, is a tribute to an author who, even though she only lived from 1775 to 1817, left behind a legacy that no one else has. Her famous works, like the timeless love story in Pride and Prejudice and the sharp social commentary in Emma, are still relevant and popular today. Find out more about her life, her famous books, and the mystery surrounding her death.

Who is Jane Austen?

Jane Austen was a pioneering English novelist who introduced the modern novel through her perceptive and humorous stories about the everyday lives of the English upper class. People love her books because they are realistic, have a lot of psychological depth, and show how hard it was for young women in the 19th century to deal with the pressure to get married and fit in with society. Austen was a master at using irony and humor to talk about things that everyone can relate to. This made her one of the most important writers in English literature.

Early Life and Family

Jane Austen was the seventh of eight children born to George Austen, an Anglican rector, and his wife, Cassandra. She was closest to her only sister, Cassandra, who, like Jane, never married. 

Growing up in a lively, affectionate, and intellectually stimulating household, Austen was encouraged in her reading and writing. The family often amused itself by reading and acting, which profoundly shaped Jane's keen observational skills and served as the initial setting for the social world she would later immortalize in her novels. 

Check Out - What is Marie Curie Famous for? Know All about Her Life and Legacy

Jane Austen Novels in Order?

Jane Austen published four novels anonymously during her lifetime, demonstrating a subtle yet powerful commentary on women's dependence on marriage for economic and social security. Two other major works were published posthumously. The core of Jane Austen's famous works remains these six major novels:

Major Novels in Order of Publication

1. Sense and Sensibility (1811)

2. Pride and Prejudice (1813)

3. Mansfield Park (1814)

4. Emma (1815)

5. Northanger Abbey (1817, posthumous)

6. Persuasion (1817, posthumous)

Austen also wrote three volumes of juvenilia and the unfinished novel Sanditon. Her earliest full work, Lady Susan, was published much later in 1871.

Read more about the List of Books Written by Jane Austen here!

How did Jane Austen Die?

Jane Austen died prematurely on July 18, 1817, at the age of 41 in Winchester, Hampshire. While the exact cause remains one of literature's great mysteries, her symptoms, which included fever, chronic pain, and skin discoloration, have led modern medical scholars to believe she likely succumbed to Addison’s disease. 

Other theories include Hodgkin's lymphoma or lupus. She had moved to Winchester two months before she died to get better medical care, but sadly, she died soon after that. Her two novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, were published after her death.

5 Most Famous Quotes by Jane Austen

Austen’s writing is studded with observations on human nature, love, and society, often delivered with her characteristic wit and irony. Here are five of her most famous quotes:

1. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." - Pride and Prejudice

2. "The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." - Northanger Abbey

3. "There is no enjoyment like reading!" - Pride and Prejudice

4. "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more." - Emma

5. "I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us wants to be in calm waters all our lives." - Persuasion

Also Read - List of American Authors: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry

Jane Austen is still a huge name in literature. She showed that deep human stories can be found in the most private of home settings. Her books are more than just historical romances; they are brilliant social satires that are still being adapted and praised all over the world, so new readers will always find them interesting.