Concetti Chiave
- Jane Austen began writing at the age of 12, and her early works, known as Juvenilia, laid the groundwork for her later novels with their humorous and gothic themes.
- Her first published novel, "Sense and Sensibility," appeared anonymously and was well-received, marking the start of her successful literary career.
- Austen's novels, including "Pride and Prejudice," "Mansfield Park," and "Emma," were published in quick succession, showcasing her prolific writing during her lifetime.
- Austen's writing style is known for its limited settings, focus on provincial life, and effective use of dialogue and irony to bring characters and situations to life.
- "Pride and Prejudice" follows the romantic entanglements of the Bennet sisters, culminating in the marriages of Elizabeth to Mr. Darcy and Jane to Mr. Bingley.
How did Austen’s literary career start?
Jane Austen was born on the 16th of December 1775 in Steventon from George Austen, who was an Anglican pastor, and Cassandra Leigh. She was the penultimate daughter of eight brothers and sisters.
She was educated at home and she start writing when she was 12.
Between 1787 and 1793, she composed Juvenilia that can be considered three collections of humorous and gothic tales, poetries, parodies and drafts of novels.
This literary work was important for the structure, the preparation and the themes debated in Sense and Sensibility which was published anonymously "by a lady" in 1811 but it won favourable notices.
She was a fervent writer since she published at close range all her novels.
In 1813 she published Pride and Prejudice;
In 1814 she published Mansfield Park;
In 1815 she published Emma.
Then in 1818 Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were published posthumous because Jane Austen died on the 18th of July 1817 maybe because of the complication connected to Addison's disease.
Austen’s novels are usually characterized by limited setting and characters because she is used to describe "3 or 4 families in a country village".
Setting is focused on the provincial world which she knew from her experience.
On the other hand, descriptions depend on dialogue and irony.
As a matter of fact dialogues are the author’s style for their clarity and precision that help to make commonplace thing and characters interesting.
There is also a use of an omniscient third persona narrator but it is almost imperceptible. She is considered un-romantic for her use of irony and the didactic aim of her novels.
Pride and Prejudice: a summary of the plot
Pride and Prejudice is the story of the Bennet sisters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia.Their mother wants them to make good weddings, because only a son can inherit their family's house.
So when Mr. Bingley a rich man from the north of England comes into their neighborhood, their mother was happy. Mr. Bingley falls in love with Jane and Jane falls in love with him.
In the meantime Mr Darcy, Mr. Bingley's friend who spends with him his holiday, falls in love with Elizabeth, he also makes her a proposal, but she refuses: she hates him because a young soldier Mr. Wickham told her that Darcy has a dark past.
In the meantime Mr. Bingley leaves his house and goes to London abandoning Janes who finds her hopes deceived.
One of Darcy's relatives tells Elizabeth that it was Darcy who convinced Mr Bingley to leave Jane and go to London.
So Elizabeth's hate towards Darcy grows more and more. But when Elizabeth's youngest sister Lydia runs away with Mr. Wickham Darcy finds them in London and persuades Wickham to marry Lydia by paying him much money.
When Elizabeth knows how Darcy helped her sister, she realizes she loves him too and accepts his wedding proposal.
In the meantime, Bingley comes back and asks Jane to marry him. She accepts so there's a happy end: Jane marries Bingley and Elizabeth marries Darcy.
Domande da interrogazione
- How did Jane Austen's early writing experiences influence her later works?
Jane Austen began writing at the age of 12, creating Juvenilia between 1787 and 1793, which included humorous and gothic tales, poetry, parodies, and novel drafts. These early works were crucial in shaping the structure, preparation, and themes of her later novels, such as "Sense and Sensibility," published anonymously in 1811.
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