Jane Austen (1775-1817)
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Marina Spiazzi, Marina Tavella,
Margaret Layton © 2021
Jane Austen
1. Jane Austen’s life
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Born in Steventon, Hampshire in 1775. Her father was
the rector of the local church;
spent her life within the circle of her affectionate
family;
her sister Cassandra was
her lifelong companion;
educated at home by her
father;
showed an interest in
literature at an early age.
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The cottage in Chawton where Jane Austen lived the last
years of her life. Now it is Jane Austen’s House Museum.
Jane Austen
1. Jane Austen’s life
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Her earliest writings date from 1787;
after her father’s death the family settled in Chawton, a
small country village;
there she produced her
most mature works.
The cottage in Chawton where Jane Austen lived the last
years of her life. Now it is Jane Austen’s House Museum.
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Jane Austen
2. Main works
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Portrait of Jane Austen
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Northanger Abbey, written in 1798
but published posthumously;
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Sense and Sensibility (1811);
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Pride and Prejudice (1813);
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Mansfield Park (1814);
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Emma (1816);
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Persuasion (1818, after her death).
Jane Austen
3. Her style
From the 18th-century novelists she learnt:
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the insight into the psychology
of the characters;
the subtleties of the ordinary events
of life: balls, walks, tea-parties and visits;
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the omniscient narrator;
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the technique of dialogue;
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the use of verbal and situational irony.
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Jane Austen
4. The novel of manners
Jane Austen is the undisputed master
of the novel of manners.
Premise
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There is a vital
relationship between
manners, social
behaviour and
character.
Jane Austen
4. The novel of manners
Main features:
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set in upper- and middle-class society;
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influence of class distinctions on character;
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visits, balls, teas as occasions for joining up;
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main themes: marriage, the complications of
love and friendship.
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Jane Austen
4. The novel of manners
Main features:
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third-person narrator;
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dialogue: the main narrative mode;
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passions and emotions not expressed directly;
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use of irony.
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Jane Austen
5. Social mobility and marriage
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Austen’s values: property, decorum, money and marriage;
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Austen’s England: based on the possession of land, parks
and country houses;
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marriage: result of the growing social mobility.
The marriage market takes place in London, Bath and
some seaside resorts. Gossip, flirtations, seductions,
adulteries happen in these places.
the marriage market produces a range of villains:
unscrupulous relatives, seducers and social climbers.
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Jane Austen
6. The theme of love
In Austen’s novels:
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passions are rarely expressed openly;
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concern with analysis of character and conduct;
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romantic element of happy
ending: marriage between
the hero and heroine;
focus on the steps through
which the hero / heroine
reaches personal judgement
and moral autonomy.
A scene from BBC TV series Pride and Prejudice (1995).
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Jane Austen
7. Pride and Prejudice
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Set in Longbourn, Hertfordshire;
Mr and Mrs Bennet and their five daughters (Jane,
Elizabeth, Mary, Lydia and Kitty);
Mr Bingley, a rich bachelor, rents the large estate of
Netherfield Park nearby. He falls in love with Jane Bennet;
his friend Mr Darcy, a proud aristocrat, feels attracted
to Elizabeth;
Elizabeth cultivates a dislike of
Mr Darcy.
A scene from BBC TV series Pride and Prejudice (1995).
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Jane Austen
7. Pride and Prejudice
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Mr Darcy proposes to Elizabeth but she rejects him;
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she accuses him of separating Jane and Mr Bingley;
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she accuses him of ill-treating Mr Wickham, a young
officer;
Darcy writes her a letter to reveal that Wickham is an
adventurer without scruples.
A scene from BBC TV series Pride and Prejudice (1995).
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Jane Austen
7. Pride and Prejudice
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Wickham elopes with Lydia;
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Darcy finds them and organises their marriage;
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Elizabeth accepts Darcy’s renewed proposal;
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Bingley and Jane also get married.
A scene from BBC TV series Pride and Prejudice (1995).
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Jane Austen
7. Pride and Prejudice: themes
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The relationship between the individual and society;
the conflict between the individual’s desires and the
individual’s responsibility to society;
the use that the individual makes of freedom and its
consequences;
wealth, decorum and propriety;
the journey towards
self-awareness and knowledge;
love, courtship, and marriage.
A scene from Pride & Prejudice (2005) by Joe Wright.
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Jane Austen
7. Pride and Prejudice
The marriages in the novel
Marriage is presented from several points of view:
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in terms of security and independence
(Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins);
arising out of physical infatuation (Lydia and Wickham;
Mr and Mrs Bennet);
containing elements of love and prudence
(Jane and Bingley; Elizabeth and Darcy).
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Jane Austen
8. Elizabeth and Darcy
Elizabeth Bennet
Fitzwilliam Darcy
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has a lively mind;
is capable of complex
impressions and ideas;
has a strong spirit of
independence;
refuses to take on the
roles which her family or
society tries to impose on
her;
accuses Darcy of pride.
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knows the principles of
right conduct;
is selfish and unsociable;
accuses Elizabeth of
prejudice;
is prejudiced by his
upbringing and disgusted
by the vulgar behaviour of
Elizabeth’s mother and
younger sisters.
Jane Austen
9. The message of the novel
The search for a balance
through
the gradual change of the
main traits of the
characters’ personality
leads to
a reconciliation of the
themes that they represent.
A scene from Pride & Prejudice (2005) by Joe Wright.
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Jane Austen
10. The style of the novel
Vividness of characters
brightness of dialogue,
use of irony
Third-person narration
Elizabeth’s point of view
Epistolary technique
many letters
A scene from Pride & Prejudice (2005) by Joe Wright.
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