Jane Austen Research Paper

Imagine a world in which satirical fiction did not exist; brilliant novels such as Animal Farm or 1984 by George Orwell, or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Jane Austen was one of the very first satirical fiction writers in the literary world and, without her writings, satirical fiction may not have been what it is today, or it may not have even existed. Austen is a major novelist known for her famous six novels depicting common life in England at the end of the eighteenth-century. Her satires helped helped transition the literary world from eighteenth-century neoclassicism to nineteenth-century romanticism (Liao and He 293). Austen was also one of the first writers to include social realism in her novels and was one of the first women …show more content…
The historical background of the time had a great impact on Austen as well, whether she was aware of it or not. In the eighteenth-century, male members were typically the only people educated (Xu and Li 185). This lead women of her time to marry not for love, but for financial stability since most women could not obtain an education. Austen was also born in the midst of the Revolutionary War, which would be the first of three British wars in her lifetime (Xu and Li 185). This directly influenced her writings, specifically Pride and Prejudice where the girls attended balls and swooned over the soldiers that attended (Xu and Li 186). Austen does not mention specifically the wars she experienced in any of her novels though (Xu and Li 186). It can be argued that her growing frustrations with Britain and the wars lead her to not include them and forget they existed. It can also be argued that women were expected to stay out of the hard conversations of war and strife, so Austen chose not to address the topic to furthermore ridicule the outlook of women. These historical elements were crucial to shaping the mind and opinions of Jane Austen and helped her become one of the most thought-provoking writers of all …show more content…
An example of this impact would be that Austen will soon be replacing Charles Darwin on the new £10 note in England (Dames 94). This makes her the first female writer to ever receive such an honor (Dames 94). This is a direct example of Austen’s timeless impact on society. She is still being honored now, two-hundred years later, in society everyday. Another example of this influence is the JASNA organization. The Jane Austen Society of North America, or JASNA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to enjoy and appreciate Austen and her works (Home). The organization was founded in 1979 and has been growing since (Home). JASNA has more than five thousand members, making it one of the largest literary organizations in the world (Home). Each year JASNA holds meetings, while they also have regional groups, annual essay contests, tours of Austen’s home and hometown in England, and many more activities (Home). Austen’s influence on society runs so deep that JASNA is still functioning to this day dedicated only to honor her and her