Austen, Jane

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Austen, Jane (1775–1817) English novelist. She completed six novels of great art, insight and wit, casting an ironic but sympathetic light on the society of upper-middle-class England. In order of composition they are: Northanger Abbey (1818), a parody on the contemporary Gothic novel; Sense and Sensibility (1811); Pride and Prejudice (1813); Mansfield Park (1814); Emma (1816) and Persuasion (1818). Not particularly successful in their time, they have since established their place among the most popular and well-crafted works in English literature. Her work has recently undergone an enthusiastic revival in the public imagination, following several film adaptations, most notably Sense and Sensibility (1995).

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