Austin Jane (Jane Austen). Jane Austen: novels, screen versions

And to this day Miss Austen Jane is one of the most famous English writers. Often called the First Lady of English literature. Her works are compulsory for study in all British colleges and universities. So who was this woman?

Brief biographical data

Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775. Her family's house was in a small provincial town of Stephenton, which is in the county of Hampshire. Her father, George, a truly educated and enlightened man, came from an old Kent family and was a parish priest.

The mother of the writer, Cassandra Lee, also came from an old but impoverished family. In the family, in addition to Jane, there were seven more children - the brothers James, George, Edward, Henry, Francis and Charles, and also Sister Cassandra. The writer was especially close to her sister. It was from their correspondence that some facts about Jane's life and hobbies became known.

Childhood and adolescence of the famous writer

In fact, little is known about Miss Austen's childhood and youth. The same goes for her appearance, because the descriptions from different sources sound different. Nevertheless, it is commonly believed that Jane was an elegant, graceful and pretty girl with an inquisitive mind, a subtle sense of humor and incredible curiosity. Moreover, the girl loved fashion, was interested in gentlemen, attended balls, adored fun walks and playful quarrels with relatives and acquaintances.

Where did Miss Austin get an education?

The works of the writer demonstrate not only an extraordinary talent, but also a considerable intellectual development of Miss Austen. Jane was educated in several different institutions. In 1783, the future writer, together with her sister Cassandra, began her studies in Oxford. But the sisters were not lucky, because they suffered because of the despotism of the headmistress, and then contracted typhus. Then there was a school in Southampton, after which the girls again changed their school. The educational institution in Reading also did not fit an inquisitive girl, because the kindness of the directress went in combination with absolute indifference to the education of children.

After so many failures, Jane returned home, where her education was occupied by her father. George Austin managed to instill in his daughters not only a love of reading, but also a subtle literary taste. The girl grew and developed in an intellectual atmosphere, and her evenings passed for reading and discussion of books of classics.

Influence on the writer's work

Of course, home education and literary knowledge of his father left a mark on the writer's work. But there were other factors that influenced the creation of the novels of the famous Miss Austen. Jane, after all, lived in the days of famous historical events - it was also a revolution in France, an industrial revolution in England, an uprising in Ireland, a war for independence in America, and so on.

Despite the fact that most of her life Jane spent in the province, she actively corresponded with her relatives and acquaintances, who vividly described to her the historical events in which they participated. It was these letters that became for the young girl an inexhaustible source of ideas and useful information.

Jane Austen: Works of an Early Period

Not all fans of the writer know that she created her first works at the age of fifteen. For example, one of these works was the epistolary novel "Love and Friendship", which was created as a kind of parody of the then popular English romance novels.

At the same time, she worked on the "History of England", which, in fact, was a parody, a pamphlet on the textbook O. Goldsmith. Here Jane skillfully and wittily ridiculed the author's claims to objectivity, while setting out some real historical facts. Another parody of traditional English novels was a small novel "Beautiful Cassandra."

Famous novels of the writer

For sure, almost every person at least once in his life had the opportunity to see the works of Jane Austen. Its novels are very popular among fans of classical literature.

In 1811 the first work of Jane Austen was published - "Reason and feelings". By the way, she published this book under the pseudonym "Lady". This is a simple and at the same time fascinating story about two sisters with different characters. Marianna is an emotional and sensitive girl who wants to find true love, while Elinor is more restrained, sensible and practical.

The success of this work allowed the writer to publish the following book in 1813 - a well-known novel called "Pride and Prejudice", which, incidentally, was written much earlier. It is said that this work was written immediately after the break with Tom Lefroy, but since the publishers rejected it at first, it waited fifteen years for its turn. The love story, which has to go through a lot of prejudices and overcome pride, is by far one of the most popular books of the writer.

The next published work was the book "Mansfield Park." Jane Austen worked on it for three years. By the way, this work is attributed to the so-called educational novel. The story of the girl who will choose between the call of the heart, the rules of decency and reasonable arguments, has become a storyline for the mini-series.

In 1816, another famous novel, Emma, was published. Jane Austen here in a humorous manner described the story of a cheerful, fervent girl, who is entertaining, helping girlfriends to get married. Engaged in the role of matchmaker, who, by the way, is not doing very well, Emma almost overlooked her own happiness.

In 1817, posthumously, another book was published entitled "Arguments of the mind". Jane Austen told the reader a sad story about how Ell Elliot, guided by the practical advice of her mother's girlfriends, rejected the only person she loved. By the way, this book is often considered an autobiography of the writer herself.

A year later, another novel was published - "Northanger Abbey", which is a fun and witty parody of mystical Gothic novels.

Unfinished works of Jane

In fact, not all the works of the famous writer were finished. For example, during the life of Miss Austen, a small epistolary novel titled "Lady Susan" was not published. Written between 1803 and 1805, the story of the cunning and insidious intriguer Lady Susan, trying to find a suitable husband, raises important problems of morality and morality.

The same theme of hunting for the grooms was also affected in another unfinished novel by a writer called "Watsons." By the way, this work was later completed by the niece of Jane and published under the title "Younger Sister".

There is also one more popular work of the British writer, which she never managed to complete. Over the novel "Sandton" Jane began to work a few months before her death and managed to compose only a fragment of it. In 2000, this work was completed by the English writer Julia Barrett - a novel from afar entitled "Charlotte".

Personal life of the writer

It's no secret that, despite her rather pleasant appearance, Jane Austen has remained alone. In her youth, she received a marriage and marriage offer from the nephew of wealthy Lady Gresham Weasley, but refused, for she had no feelings for him.

In 1795, an acquaintance of poor law student Thomas Lefroy and Miss Austin took place. Jane several times mentioned these events in her letters to her sister. Between the young people, at once, mutual feelings broke out, but they had to part. After all, young people came from poor families, and only a profitable marriage with wealthy heirs could remedy the situation. By the way, Thomas eventually became the Lord Supreme Judge of Ireland. And Jane, at 30, put on the old maid's cap, telling the whole world that she was not going to get married.

After the death of her father, the writer helped her mother in the household, as the family's financial situation was extremely difficult. In 1817, Jane moved to Winchester, where she treated Addison's disease, while working on the novel "Sandton". Here she died on July 18.

Jane Austen: film adaptation of novels

In fact, the works of an English writer have always been of great interest. For example, only the book "Pride and Prejudice" was screened ten times. For the first time the picture based on the novel appeared on screens in 1938. The last television version of the famous novel was released in 2005 - the role of Elizabeth Bennet went to Keira Knightley, and Mr. Darcy brilliantly played Matthew Macfadyen.

The novel "Reason and feelings" was filmed five times. Another popular work called "Emma" formed the basis of the plot for eight paintings. Of course, this is not all movies by Jane Austen. For example, there are four films created based on the novel "Arguments of the mind." And the "Northanger Abbey" was screened twice - in 1986 and 2006. There are also three screen versions of the work "Mansfield Park". Apparently, all the completed novels of Jane Austen have become the basis for the plot of many films. And despite the time, changes in the way of life and traditions, these simple stories about love, friendship and morals still enjoy great interest among viewers and readers.

Films about the life of the writer

In fact, the object of interest from the guru of cinema was not only the works of Jane Austen, but also her life itself. To date, filmed three films, the plot of which is more or less based on the biographical data of the famous writer. For example, in 2002, a documentary film entitled "The Real Jane Austen" was released, based on well-known biographical data and the writer's remaining letters to Sister Cassandra.

In 2007, a drama entitled "The Love Failures of Jane Austen" appeared on the screens, which tells the story of the last years of the life of a talented but lonely writer and her relationship with one of her nieces. Here the role of Jane went to Olivia Williams.

In the same year 2007, the melodrama "Jane Austen" ("The Becoming of Jane") was shot, the plot of which is based on the sad love story of the beginning writer and the poor, arrogant but charming lawyer Tom Lefroy.