The life and times of Jane Austen
A potted history of one of our greatest literary influences.

Two centuries after her death, Jane Austen remains one of the most beloved novelists in the English language. Since their publication, her novels have never been out of print and, despite there only being six, the list of adaptations seems endless—few authors can boast such literary influence.
For dedicated Janeites, her 2017 anniversary is the perfect excuse to talk of nothing else.
Famous fans of Austen
‘One of my most vivid memories of reading any book is standing at a bus stop completely engrossed in the last chapters of Persuasion. I was so tied up in the story, I let two buses go by. Jane Austen was a supreme storyteller and, as E. M. Forster lamented in a sort of drooping, regretful voice: “Yes–oh dear, yes–the novel tells a story.” Few have ever done it better ’ Philip Pullman, author
‘Jane Austen is the greatest ever romantic novelist, who, in Mr Darcy and Mr Knightley, created ultimately desirable heroes. She is also one of the funniest writers because, like Proust, she has perfect pitch class-wise and has affection for even the most ludicrous characters, such as Mrs Elton and Mr Collins. As one of her most endearing characters, Mr Bennet, points out: “For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?” ’ Jilly Cooper, author
‘I adore Jane Austen’s novels. She has been my favourite writer since I read Mansfield Park when I was 14. Reading her novels is like sipping a warm, comforting brandy - with just a hint of pepper and spice ’ Paula Byrne, author and Jane Austen biographer
Jane Austen Timeline
December 16, 1775
Austen is born at the Steventon rectory in Hampshire, the seventh of eight children born to George and Cassandra Austen
1787–93
She begins to write short stories and poems, now referred to as the Juvenilia
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
1795–99
Austen begins early versions of her novels, including First Impressions, which later became Pride and Prejudice
1801–06
The family moves to Bath for her father’s health. She sells her manuscript, Susan, to a publisher for £10, but it isn’t published
1805
Austen’s father dies. With little income, she, her mother and her sister move house frequently in the following years
1809
Her brother Edward offers them a cottage in the grounds of his Chawton estate
1811–15
At Chawton, Austen completes and publishes four novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma
1816
She falls ill, but manages to finish another novel, The Elliots
July 18, 1817
Having moved to be near her doctor, Austen dies in Winchester and is buried in the cathedral
December, 1817
Her brother Henry arranges the posthumous publication of Persuasion (originally The Elliots) and Northanger Abbey (originally Susan)
Pride and Prejudice at 200
The 200th anniversary of the celebration of the publication of Pride and Prejudice means a glut of events in 2013
Country Life's top ten parties in literature
Inspired by a new book about the most memorable gatherings in literature, Emma Hughes compiles her top 10 of unmissable
-
How to make a gloomy city garden into a haven of colour and nature
Tiffany Daneff discovers how to transform a typically dark London back garden into a light-filled green haven that is always in use. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
The world's hairiest animal, Saturday Night Fever and winning the lottery twice: Country Life Quiz of the Day 21 February 2025
Have a stab at our Quiz of the Day. Good luck!
By Toby Keel Published
-
How to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen
2025 marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth. Here are exhibitions, events and more — happening across the UK — that mark the occasion.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
-
Unputdownable: 12 page turners to see you through the rest of the winter
From cookbooks to cricket, biographies to Sunday Times bestsellers, Country Life contributors name some of their favourite books from last year.
By Country Life Published
-
J.R.R. Tolkien: The life and times of the lord of the books
From a sentence born of an exhausting teaching job, J. R. R. Tolkien crafted a series of fantastical novels that, 50 years on from his death, still loom as large in our imagination as Sauron’s all-seeing eye, says Matthew Dennison.
By Matthew Dennison Published
-
Thomas Hardy's Wessex vs the real-life Dorset: Which bits are real, which dreams, and which are exact to the last stream and stile
Thomas Hardy’s depictions of a fictional Wessex and his own dear Dorset are more accurate than they may at first appear, says Susan Owens.
By Country Life Published
-
The English villages that are hotbeds of murder, intrigue and endless summer days — at least in the minds of novelists
Comforting yet complex, intriguing and alluring, the village setting is territory to which writers — and readers — will return again and again. Flora Watkins looks at how the customs, characters and communities of the English village have long sparked literary inspiration, from Jane Austen to Midsomer Murders.
By Flora Watkins Published
-
With love from Father Christmas: J.R.R. Tolkien's enchanting Christmas letters to his children
For nearly a quarter of a century, J. R. R. Tolkien sent his children elaborate letters and pictures from the North Pole. Ben Lerwill explores the penmanship, kindness and magic that went into Letters From Father Christmas.
By Country Life Published
-
The best characters created Charles Dickens, still utterly unforgettable even 150 years after his death
Charles Dickens died 150 years ago, on 9 June 1870. Since then, Mr Micawber has become a byword for optimism, Scrooge for meanness and Uriah Heep for obsequiousness, and we still quote Mr Bumble’s ‘the law is an ass’. Rupert Godsal explains why these characters are so exuberantly unforgettable.
By Country Life Published
-
Charles Dickens timeline: The best of times, the worst of times
Rupert Godsal paints the major events in the life and times of Charles Dickens, who died 150 years ago on 9 June, 1870.
By Country Life Published