Jane Austen, born December 16, 1775, was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction earned her a place among the most widely read authors in English literature. Austen's novels criticize life in the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th century realism. Although his novels are in no way autobiographical, his fictional characters shed light on the facts of his life and, more importantly, they offer aspiring writers a model of how great works of literature were created. In 1796 and 1797, she worked on her novel First Impressions. This novel was later revised and published in 1813 under the title Pride and Prejudice. It is a 19th century English romantic story featuring the rebellious Elizabeth Bennet, a strong-minded young woman, and Mr. Darcy, an arrogant and wealthy man. Elizabeth's refusal to marry him threatened the future of her family. Jane Austen used her experiences of family life, her social class structure, and her knowledge of the 19th century to write Pride and Prejudice, a novel that humorously depicts the ideals of the era while conveying Austen's unique feminist perspective. Austen's life experiences have been described in various aspects of the book Pride and Prejudice. Similar to Austen, Elizabeth grew up in the same family structure. Austen lived with her parents and eight siblings, similar to Elizabeth in the novel, who lived with all of her sisters. "Oh! Single, my dear, of course! A single man with a large fortune would earn about four or five thousand dollars a year. What a beautiful thing for our daughters" (Austen 1)! For education, children would either learn to school, or would have a governess A governess is a woman employed to teach and train children ...... middle of paper ...... like herself. social conventions, she helped show that women could struggle Although Austen appeared to be a quiet, shy woman, she seemed to have had a turbulent life To have developed the detachment and supersonic social radar that characterized 's work. Austen, she had to be the person people didn't notice at the ball, but the one who noticed everything. Works Cited Boyle, Laura "The influence of Jane Austen's social environment on two of her novels." Austen Np, June 16, 2012. Web February 15, 2014. Emsley, Clive, Tim Hitchcock and Robert Shoemaker. "The Old Bailey Proceedings." Historical context. Old Bailey Proceedings, April 2013. Web. February 13, 2014. Swisher, Clarice. Readings on Jane Austen. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 1997. Print. Austen, Jane. Pride and prejudice. New York: Penguin, 1980. Print.