Jane Austen Society of Australia

Jane Austen  in Perspective

An introduction to Jane Austen's background and times, and the context in which her novels are written. 
By Joanna Penglase

Jane Austen’s life was a brief one, lasting only from 16 December 1775 to 18 July 1817. During that time she lived in Steventon, Hampshire, until the age of 25 in 1801; for the following eight years mostly in Bath and briefly in Southampton; and then, from 1809 to her death, at Chawton Cottage, again in Hampshire. She never travelled abroad, and did not travel extensively within England either. Her father died in 1805, but her mother, despite several health scares during Jane’s lifetime, outlived her daughter by 10 years and lived to the age of 88. Her brothers and sisters also all outlived her. Only four of Jane Austen’s novels were published during her lifetime, and while they enjoyed a moderate success and popularity then, they have never been out of print since.

For more info on Jane Austen see the rest of this article:
Introduction | Her family | Education | The Siblings & Cousin Eliza | After Steventon | What was she like? | Her illness and death | Her times: a brief background | Her works | Was she a legend in her lifetime? | In conclusion | Further reading

Most of the illustrations for this article are by E Hill from Jane Austen: Her Homes and Her Friends by Contance Hill (1901)

HOME | What's New | About Jane | About JASA | JASA News | Sensibilities | Calendar | Conference | Book Reviews | JASA Library | Writing Competition | Mrs Goddard's School | Regency Fair | LINKS

FEEDBACK: info@jasa.net.au

13 July 2006