Jane Austen

British author Jane Austen is one of the most beloved writers of all time. Her novels are famous for their sharp wit, astute social commentary, colorful characters, ironic observations, and romance.

Austen lived her entire life as part of a large, close-knit family who was part of the lower fringes of the English gentry. Austen's artistic apprenticeship lasted from her teenage years until she was about thirty-five years old. During this period, she wrote three major novels and began a fourth. From 1811 until 1815, with the release of Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma, she achieved success as a published writer. She wrote two additional novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, which were both published after her death in 1817. Austen began another novel but died before completing it.

• 1811: Pride and Prejudice
• 1813: Sense and Sensibility
• 1814: Mansfield Park
• 1815: Emma
• 1817: Northanger Abbey
• 1817: Persuasion

Emma Wodehouse Mr. Darcy Ms. Bennet

• December 16, 1775: Born in Hampshire, England

• 1796: Flirtation with Irishman Tom Lefroy

• 1796-1797: Writes First Impressions, which would later become Pride and Prejudice

• 1797: First Impressions rejected by a London publisher

• 1801: Father moves the Austen family to Bath

• 1802: Accepts marriage proposal from Harris Bigg-Wither, then changes her mind and refuses him the next morning

• 1805: Death of her father

• 1809: Moves to Chawton with her mother and sister; revises original versions of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility

• July 18, 1817: Dies from a fatal illness

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• 1940: Pride and Prejudice

• 1995: Sense and Sensibility

• 1995: Persuasion

• 1995: Pride and Prejudice (Miniseries)

• 1996: Emma

• 1999: Mansfield Park

• 2005: Pride & Prejudice

• 2007: Northanger Abbey

• 2007: Persuasion

• 2007: Becoming Jane

• 2008: Sense and Sensibility (Miniseries)

• 2008: Miss Austen Regrets