Jane Austen

No one would have guessed that this proper daughter of an English clergyman
could have possessed such ironic humor, keen insight, and biting wit regarding
the social lives of those in her pre-Victorian era. No one would have guessed
it, and indeed very few besides her family and close friends even knew. During
the early 1800s when Jane Austen was composing and publishing her works,
fictional novels were frowned upon by some segments of society, and novels
written by women were especially shunned. In fact, many of Austen’s works went
to print with no name on the title page to avoid linking her to the negative
stigma of female authorship. Although anonymity and lack of recognition and fame
characterized her life, Jane Austen’s novels have since become celebrated,
enjoyed, and studied for their humorous and pointed observations of societal
life, lively character interaction, and detailed style. 

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