Miss Austen Regrets, BBC One
Jane Austen biography
Jane Austen was one the finest romantic novelists of all time, her books noted for their wit and sharp social observations and insights into the lives of early 19th-century women and the relationship between love, money, marriage and social status.
Born on 16 December 1775 in the village of Steventon in Hampshire, Jane was one of eight children of a clergyman and grew up in a close-knit family. In 1801, the family moved to Bath.
After the death of Jane's father in 1805, Jane, her sister, Cassandra, and their mother moved several times – eventually settling in Chawton, near Steventon.
Jane started to write as a teenager and her first novel, Sense And Sensibility, appeared in 1811, after her brother Henry helped her to negotiate with a publisher.
Her next novel, Pride And Prejudice, which she described as her "own darling child", received highly favourable reviews.
Mansfield Park was published in 1814, then Emma in 1816.
The novel Emma was dedicated to the Prince Regent, an admirer of her work.
All of Jane Austen's novels were published anonymously.
In 1816, Jane began to suffer from ill-health. She travelled to Winchester to receive treatment, and died there on 18 July 1817, aged just 41 years old.
Two more novels, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, were published posthumously and a final novel was left incomplete.
Printable version