Author
Jane Austen
Jane Austen wrote six novels about love, money and manners among English country families. Two hundred years later they still feel sharp, funny and true.
- Born
- 16 December 1775, Steventon, Hampshire, England
- Died
- 18 July 1817, Winchester, Hampshire
- Best known for
- Pride and Prejudice (1813)
- Published as
- “By a Lady”, with no name, in her lifetime
Life in brief
Jane Austen was born in 1775 in the village of Steventon, Hampshire, where her father was the local rector. She grew up in a large, lively, bookish family that loved reading aloud and putting on plays at home.
She began writing as a teenager. Her first published novel, Sense and Sensibility, appeared in October 1811, described only as being written “By a Lady”. Pride and Prejudice followed in 1813, then Mansfield Park in 1814 and Emma in 1815. They sold moderately well but did not make her famous in her lifetime.
Austen died in Winchester on 18 July 1817, aged 41, and is buried in Winchester Cathedral. Two more novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, were published after her death, and she left a third, Sanditon, unfinished.
Main works
| Book | Published |
|---|---|
| Sense and Sensibility | 1811 |
| Pride and Prejudice | 1813 |
| Mansfield Park | 1814 |
| Emma | 1815 |
| Northanger Abbey | 1817, after her death |
| Persuasion | 1817, after her death |
Why read Jane Austen today
- Her heroines are clever and talk back.
- She is very funny about snobs, bores and silly parents.
- Her plots turn on choices everyone still makes: who to trust, who to marry, how to live with less money.
Where to start
Start with Pride and Prejudice: it is her liveliest book and the easiest way in.
On Bibliocity
Frequently asked questions
How many novels did Jane Austen write?
Six finished novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. She left Sanditon unfinished.
Did Jane Austen ever marry?
No. She never married, and lived with her family all her life.
Why were Jane Austen’s books published anonymously?
Her first novel was credited only to “A Lady”, and later books to the author of the earlier ones. Anonymous publishing was common, especially for women writers at the time.
Explore more
- Pride and Prejudice in shortJane Austen, 1813
- Mary Shelley1797 to 1851
- Herman Melville1819 to 1891
- F. Scott Fitzgerald1896 to 1940
- Classic books to readA starter list
- Famous book quotesExact quotes from classic novels
Sources
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Published 2026-10-27. Last checked 2026-10-27.