Portal:Jane Austen

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Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics. Austen lived her entire life as part of a close-knit family located on the lower fringes of the English landed gentry. She was educated primarily by her father and older brothers as well as through her own reading. The steadfast support of her family was critical to her development as a professional writer. Her artistic apprenticeship lasted from her teenage years into her thirties. During this period, she experimented with various literary forms, including the epistolary novel which she tried then abandoned, and wrote and extensively revised three major novels and began a fourth. From 1811 until 1816, with the release of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816), she achieved success as a published writer. She wrote two additional novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1818, and began a third, which was eventually titled Sanditon, but died before completing it. (more...) Template:/box-footer

The reception history of Jane Austen follows a path from modest fame to wild popularity; her novels are both the subject of intense scholarly study and the centre of a diverse fan culture. Jane Austen, the author of such works as Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Emma (1815), has become one of the best-known and widely read novelists in the English language.

During her lifetime, Austen's novels brought her little personal fame; like many women writers, she chose to publish anonymously and it was only among members of the aristocracy that her authorship was an open secret. At the time they were published, Austen's works were considered fashionable by members of high society but received few positive reviews. By the mid-19th century, her novels were admired by members of the literary elite who viewed their appreciation of her works as a mark of cultivation. The publication in 1870 of her nephew's Memoir of Jane Austen introduced her to a wider public as an appealing personality—dear, quiet aunt Jane—and her works were republished in popular editions. By the turn of the 20th century, competing groups had sprung up—some to worship her and some to defend her from the "teeming masses"—but all claiming to be the true Janeites, or those who properly appreciated Austen. (more...)

Fitzwilliam Darcy, generally referred to as Mr Darcy, is one of the two central characters in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. He is an archetype of the aloof romantic hero, and a romantic interest of Elizabeth Bennet, the novel's protagonist. The story's narration is almost exclusively from Elizabeth's perspective; she is portrayed as the sympathetic figure, and Darcy hardly so until the later chapters of the novel—as knowledge and ironic events are revealed to Elizabeth. Usually referred to only as "Mr. Darcy" or "Darcy" by characters and the narrator, his first name is mentioned twice in the novel.

The character of Fitzwilliam Darcy has appeared in and inspired numerous works in a variety of genres and mediums. He and Elizabeth are featured in Philip Jose Farmer's 'Wold Newton family' and Pamela Aidan's Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy, among others; Helen Fielding has admitted she "pillaged her plot" for Bridget Jones's Diary from Pride and Prejudice, developing the character of Mark Darcy (played by Colin Firth, who also played Fitzwilliam Darcy in the 1995 production). (more...)

Coloured version of Jane Austen, c. 1873, author unknown

• ...that Jane Austen's novels increased dramatically in popularity after the publication of her nephew's A Memoir of Jane Austen in 1870?

• ... that Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility is a critique of Charlotte Turner Smith's novel of sensibility Celestina?

• ... that Jane Austen began writing her novel Pride and Prejudice (originally named First Impressions) after staying with her brother at Goodnestone Park, Kent, in 1796?

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Featured articles

• Reception history of Jane Austen
• Pride and Prejudice (1995 TV series)
• Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)

• Sense and Sensibility (film)
• Persuasion (1995 film)

Featured lists

• Timeline of Jane Austen

• List of accolades received by Sense and Sensibility (film)

Good articles

• Sense and Sensibility (2008 TV miniseries)
• Northanger Abbey (2007 film)

• Becoming Jane
• Jane Austen

• Promote Austen-related biographies to GA and FA status (such as the article on Austen herself)
• Promote Austen novels to GA or FA status (such as Sense and Sensibility)
• Clean-up all Austen character articles (such as Anne Elliot)

Literature • Novels • England • Biography • Women's History

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