Described as the "English writer who first gave the novel its distinctly modern character through her treatment of ordinary people in everyday life" (Encyclopaedia Britannica), Jane Austen (1775-1817) wrote six novels (four published in her lifetime), all of which continue to receive attention both in the academic and popular spheres today. Seventh child to a rector, Austen's well-connected family and their community of wealthy aristocrats and clergy and provided both the supportive network within which she grew to love literature and the material which was to fill her novels.
Austen's life at her father's rectory in the village of Steventon provided a stability which also proved...
