To most, the name Jane Austen brings to mind a vapid female figure closeted up in an English country cottage writing insipid novels of a long-forgotten era. Or, perhaps, an image of an authoress yearning for love so much that she writes nothing but stories about men and women finding true happiness with one another. To uncover who Jane Austen really was, explore the links below to decide for yourself!
- Henry Austen’s “Biographical Notice of the Author”
- “Jane Austen Lessons in Love” video
- A Chronology of Jane Austen’s life
Other artifacts also shed light on who Jane Austen was as a reader and writer.
- Austen’s inspiration for Northanger Abbey: The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
- “Jane Austen and literary traditions” by Isobel Grundy