"To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love"- Pride and Prejudice
I love reading about the life of Jane Austen. She's just about the only (historically speaking) woman I ever really wanted to do research on. And I'm putting all my findings here. If I've missed anything let me know through a comment. So here we go:
Jane Austen was born to Reverend George Austen and to Cassandra Austen on December 16, 1775, on a Saturday. Funny, she was born the same year as the Marine Corpse. Fun times.
At the age of 7, in 1786, Jane and her sister Cassandra were sent to a girls boarding school. However, that didn't last long. Typhoid broke out among the school and everyone was sent home.
At nine Jane and her sister are sent to a reading school and at ten they go back home having completed their formal education. Imagine that! Finishing all your formal education at ten! For everyone who doesn't understand, that's like finishing high school at ten. At fourteen Jane wrote Love and Friendship which you can now find a copy in Barnes and Noble for anyone interested. I sure am. Love and Friendship was dedicated to her cousin Eliza.
At nineteen she reads aloud to her family a story called Elinor and Marianne. During this time is said she fell in love with a man visiting nearby. There is a movie based on this relationship. Here's the trailer:
I personally loved this movie. However, it's just a version of what someone else thinks happened. There are many unanswered questions when it comes to Jane Austen's "love life". Unfortunately Tom (the man she fell in love with) had an arranged marriage planed shortly after meeting Jane.
The only proposal of marriage Jane ever received was from a very well educated, very rich man from oxford who is said to be a good friend of the family. Jane accepts, but only for one day. The very next day she rejects his proposal, knowing that she did not accept him for love.
Many people think that these two men are who she bases most of her male characters off of. I can see how that may be true the more I read about each man.
The first a good looking, Irish, law student. Family friend.
The second is an ugly man (So says Austen), much richer than Tom LeFroy, who's main care at the moment is to marry "properly".
Oh, decisions, decisions.
On July 18, 1817, Jane Austen died.
I was looking up some info on her and I found this:
This is the manuscript of Persuasion. Notice the many crossed out or scribbled lines ands words. And then rewritten words above it. :] This is what my journal looks like. Mainly because I use a certain amount of words to express a certain emotion and I'm never sure which words I should use until I write them.
And I'd just like to say, tat even though Jane was considered a "lower" class, Jane's house (bought by her brother for her) will forever be bigger than mine.
It's huge, and cute. I love the little fence.
Well, that's it for Jane Austen today. It wasn't in great detail, but I reading about her.
Here are some sites you should go to, to find out more.
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