Twenty Things To Know About Jane Austen

As many of you are probably aware, Austen Variations has been joining The Book Rat for a month-long celebration of all things Austen. As August begins to draw to a close, I thought it might be fun to get to know Jane Austen a little better with some facts about the author’s life. Are you already an Austen expert? Find out below!

20 Things You Might Not Know About Jane Austen

Courtesy of the Jane Austen Society of North America

Jane Austen was the seventh of eight children. She had six brothers, James, George, Charles, Francis, Henry, and Edward, and one sister, Cassandra. Jane was devoted to  her sister who remained her closest friend and confidant throughout her life.

Jane began writing at the age of 11. By the time she was 23, she had already completed three novels: Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice.

In 1783 while at school in Southampton, Jane and her sister Cassandra caught an infectious fever, probably typhus, and very nearly died.

Jane was the only one of her seven siblings not to have a middle name.

Austen sold her copyright for Pride and Prejudice to her publisher for £110. It was priced at 18 shillings and was an immediate hit.

Jane wasn’t the only writer in the family. Her mother Cassandra also enjoyed composing poetry, even writing a recipe in rhyme, just for fun!

There are 14 kisses in Jane Austen’s novels, but none between hero and heroine.

It wasn’t until after her death in 1817 that Jane Austen’s name appeared in print. Her brother Henry penned a biographical note in the first edition of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, in which he revealed the identity of the author. Jane herself never saw her name published.

Northanger Abbey was the first novel Austen completed, and was sold by her uncle for £10. However, it was not published during her lifetime. Her uncle purchased the manuscript back in 1816 for the same price he sold it for. The publisher was completely unaware that the author had already published four other very successful books.

The final titles of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were not chosen by the author herself. The titles were decided upon after her death by Jane’s brother Henry, and her sister Cassandra.

Austen did not earn a penny until she was 36 years old . She mostly depended on pocket money provided by her parents. She began to make money for the first time when Sense and Sensibility was published in 1811.

The title Pride and Prejudice (formerly First Impressions) was inspired by the novel Cecilia by Fanny Burney. The phrase is mentioned three times in the final paragraph of Burney’s book in capital letters.

Jane Austen never married, however in 1802, when she was in her late 20s, Jane briefly accepted a proposal from Harris Bigg-Wither, the younger brother of two of her close friends. She rescinded the next morning, purportedly because she did not love him.

It is estimated that Pride and Prejudice has sold over 20 million copies worldwide in its 200 years in print.

Austen’s total assets were reportedly valued under £800 when she died.

Towards the end of her life, when very weak but still wanting to write, Jane used a pencil rather than pen and ink.

Cottage in Chawton where Jane Austen spent the last eight years of her life

Portrait of Jane Austen by  her sister Cassandra, circa 1810

The most familiar image of Jane Austen was painted by her sister Cassandra around 1810 when Jane would have been 34 or 35 years old. The unfinished watercolor was thought by Jane’s family not to be a very accurate or flattering likeness. The original sketch is currently on display at The National Portrait Gallery in London.

Around 1816, Austen began to suffer from a debilitating and painful illness, which was never diagnosed. Today it’s believed to have possibly been Addisons Disease, a tubercular disease of the kidneys. Cassandra was with her when she died in 1817 at the age of 41.

Waxwork on display at The Jane Austen Centre in Bath

Police forensic artist Melissa Dring took three years to construct the wax likeness of Jane Austen on display at The Jane Austen Centre in Bath, England. The waxwork was based on contemporary descriptions and eye-witness accounts by Jane’s family and friends and is thought to be a reasonably accurate depiction of the author.

Since October of 1833, Jane Austen’s novels have never been out of print. They have been published around the world in approximately 40 different languages.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about our favorite author. 🙂 Please feel free to share your own fun facts about Jane in the comments!

Until next time!