Persuasion

“Critics, especially [recently], value Persuasion highly, as the author’s ‘most deeply felt fiction,’ ‘the novel which in the end the experienced reader of Jane Austen puts at the head of the list….’ Anne wins back Wentworth and wins over the reader; we may, like him, end up thinking Anne’s character ‘perfection itself.’” –from the Introduction by Judith Terry

Jane Austen’s novels, though focused on a limited world, showcase her sharp wit and insightful observations, placing her among the greatest novelists. Born on December 16, 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, as the seventh child of a rector, she received most of her education at home. Early on, she entertained her family by writing sketches and satires of popular novels. Her position as a clergyman’s daughter from a well-connected family allowed her to closely observe the manners of the middle class, gentry, and aristocracy. At twenty-one, she began “The First Impressions,” a precursor to Pride and Prejudice.

In 1801, the family relocated to Bath upon her father’s retirement. Two years later, she sold an early version of Northanger Abbey, but Sense and Sensibility, published at her own expense in 1811, was her first published novel. This was followed by Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815).

After her father’s death in 1805, the family moved to Southampton and later to Chawton Cottage in Hampshire. Despite this relatively secluded life, Jane Austen remained connected to the broader world through her brothers, one of whom became a wealthy country gentleman, another a London banker, and two naval officers. Though published anonymously, her novels gained early and devoted readers, including the Prince Regent and Sir Walter Scott.

In 1816, experiencing declining health, Austen wrote Persuasion and revised Northanger Abbey. Her final work, Sanditon, remained unfinished at her death on July 18, 1817. She was buried in Winchester Cathedral. Austen’s authorship was revealed posthumously by her brother Henry, who oversaw the publication of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion in 1818.

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