Jane Austen was a romantic novelist who captivated English readers with her inspired writing skills. Even today, readers around the world learn to appreciate his writing style and the context of the landed gentry, a largely historical British social class of landowners who could live entirely on their rental income (Wikipedia. org), at a time when a woman's place was considered to be in the home and subordinate to the man. Jane Austen reflected her times in that she understood that women needed marriage or were dependent on their families. Yet his female characters incorporated their own free will and spirit. Additionally, Jane Austen grew up in a time when women were excluded from many things in society. She established herself as an influential writer who overcame the educational barrier faced by young women her age and succeeded with a writing style that was uniquely her own. Jane Austen's influence on literature is quite significant and would be changed today without her, as her writings encouraged other women to write, even if it meant using a male pseudonym, she was writing about the real life of her time and made people feel like they were there to experience the stories with her, and her legacy also extends to modern literature through the continuing influence of her themes and characters. To begin with, Jane Austen was born in the English village of Steventon on December 16, 1775, to an educated daughter. father George Austen who was a clergyman and an aristocratic mother named Cassandra (Reisman 8). She was only the second daughter in a family of seven children. Jane Austen's family had a great love of writing and literature, all extremely educated. She had the freedom to...... middle of paper ...... 2014.Johnson. Austen's Cults and Cultures, The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen, 211.Gilson. History of the later edition, with illustrations. p. 127.Johnson, Claudia L. Jane Austen: Women, Politics and the Novel. Chicago: U Chicago 1988. Litz, A. Walton. Jane Austen: A Study of Her Artistic Development. New York: Oxford University Press. 1965. O'Connor, Kate. The anonymous Jane Austen. writersinspire.org. April 25. 2014.Merriam-Webster.com. Distinguished. April 25, 2014.Gable. FB A Companion to Jane Austen. London: Macmillian Press Ltd. 1973. Reisman, Rosemary M. Canfield. CAREER LIFE AND INFLUENCE: Biography of JaneAusten. Critical Insights: Jane Austen. 2010: 8-14. Literary Reference Center Plus. Internet. April 12, 2014.Wikipedia.org.Jane Austen. Earthly kindness. Authors influenced by Jane Austen. Modern films influenced by Jane Austen. April 11. 2014.