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Jane Austen Timeline
(December 16, 1775 – July 18, 1817)Jane Austen (1775–1817) was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read and beloved writers in English literature. Her six major novels—including Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma—explore themes of love, marriage, social class, and women's economic dependence, and continue to inspire adaptations and scholarly study worldwide. More Less
Early Life
Jane Austen is born in Steventon, Hampshire
Dec 16, 1775
Jane Austen was born at the rectory in Steventon, Hampshire, the seventh of eight children of George Austen, a clergyman, and his wife Cassandra Leigh. She grew up in a close-knit, literary family that encouraged her early reading and writing.
Image source: Jane Austen
Austen attends boarding school in Oxford and Southampton
1783
In 1783, Jane and her sister Cassandra were sent to Oxford to be tutored by Mrs. Ann Cawley, then moved with her to Southampton. Both girls caught typhus, and Jane nearly died. The sisters then attended the Abbey House School in Reading before returning home.
Austen begins writing juvenilia
1787
Between 1787 and 1793, Austen wrote a large body of humorous and satirical pieces known as her juvenilia, including stories like 'The Beautifull Cassandra' and 'Love and Freindship.' These works were compiled into three notebooks later known as Volume the First, Second, and Third.
Image source: Love and Freindship
Austen meets Tom Lefroy
Jan 1796
In January 1796, Austen flirted with young Irish law student Tom Lefroy, as she recorded in letters to her sister Cassandra. The romance came to nothing, likely because neither had money, but it is often cited as an inspiration for Pride and Prejudice.
Image source: Thomas Langlois Lefroy
Austen's father retires and family moves to Bath
1801
In 1801 George Austen retired from the Steventon parish, and the family relocated to Bath, a move Jane reportedly disliked. Her social life in Bath featured balls, promenades, and visits to resorts like Sidmouth and Lyme Regis.
Austen receives marriage proposal from Harris Bigg-Wither
Dec 2, 1802
At Manydown Park, Harris Bigg-Wither, heir to a substantial estate, proposed to Austen. She accepted him initially for financial security but withdrew her acceptance the next morning, choosing not to marry without love.
Image source: Charles Bigg Wither
George Austen dies in Bath
Jan 21, 1805
Rev. George Austen died suddenly in Bath, leaving his wife and daughters financially dependent on his sons. This loss plunged the Austen women into years of reduced circumstances and frequent moves.
Major Works
Austen writes 'Elinor and Marianne', an early draft of Sense and Sensibility
1795
Around 1795, Austen composed 'Elinor and Marianne,' an epistolary novel that would later be revised into Sense and Sensibility, her first published novel.
Image source: Sense and Sensibility
Austen drafts 'First Impressions', the first version of Pride and Prejudice
Oct 1796 - Aug 1797
From October 1796 to August 1797, Austen wrote 'First Impressions,' which her father offered to publisher Thomas Cadell in 1797; it was declined unseen. The novel was heavily revised and eventually published as Pride and Prejudice.
Image source: Pride and Prejudice
Austen revises 'Elinor and Marianne' and begins writing Northanger Abbey
1798 - 1799
In 1798–1799 Austen completed 'Susan,' a satire of Gothic novels that became Northanger Abbey, and continued revising earlier manuscripts while living at Steventon.
Image source: Northanger Abbey
Key Facts
- Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, England, the seventh of eight children in a close-knit clergy family.
- She published four novels during her lifetime—Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815)—often anonymously, credited only as 'A Lady.'
- Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published posthumously in 1817, shortly after her death on July 18 of that year in Winchester.
- Her novels are celebrated for their wit, realism, and sharp social commentary on the limited options available to women in Regency-era England.
- Austen's works have never been out of print and have inspired countless film and television adaptations, making her one of the most influential authors in English literary history.
Source
This Jane Austen timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
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