Jane Austen (1775–1817) was an English novelist renowned for her six major novels that critique and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Her works often explore the dependence of women on marriage for social standing and economic security, using social commentary, realism, wit, and irony
. Born on December 16, 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, England, she was the seventh of eight children in a scholarly family. Her father was a country clergyman, and her upbringing in a lively, affectionate family provided much material for her novels. Austen was primarily educated at home and had access to her father's extensive library
. Her major novels include Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815), all published during her lifetime with modest success. Two others, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion , were published posthumously in 1817. She also began an unfinished novel, Sanditon , before her death at age 41 on July 18, 1817
. Though not widely famous during her life, Austen's reputation grew significantly after her death, and her novels have become timeless classics, adapted into numerous films and TV series. Her sharp social observations and pioneering role in the development of the modern novel have earned her lasting acclaim
