Jane Austen was an English novelist born in 1775 who wrote 6 novels during her lifetime, including Pride and Prejudice. She never married and died in 1817 at age 41. Her novels addressed themes of conservatism through proper social conduct, the need for self-control and restraint, and defining right versus wrong. Though writing during her own time in history, Austen's exploration of morality and social values continue to influence modern western society.

1. JANE AUSTEN

2. A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

3. Jane Austen
• Born December 16, 1775 in
Hampshire, England
• Profession: English novelist
• Wrote 6 novels throughout
her life as well as other
writings
• Her most famous novel is
“Pride and Prejudice”
• Was never married
• Died July 18, 1817 at age 41

4. LITERARY WORKS

5. Literary Works and Publication Year
•“Sense and Sensibility”, 1811
•“Pride and Prejudice”, 1813
•“Mansfield Park”, 1814
•“Emma”, 1815
•“Persuasion”, 1817
•“Northanger Abbey”, 1817

6. THEMES

7. Conservatism
• Jane Austen conveyed her approval of conservatism through her
novels.
• A person’s social standing held a lot of weight in Austen’s day.
• Social standing was easily tarnished through misconduct.
• The slightest misconduct could tarnish a person’s reputation as well as
their family’s reputation.
• When a person or persons were found to be morally unsuitable it was
not taken lightly.
• A lot of times a person was completely barred from certain circles in
society and in some cases all.

8. Self Control
• A lot of Austen critics say that her works convey the need for self control.
• This need is shown through a lack of discipline concerning the conduct of unmarried
men and women.
• A lot of Austen’s characters are overly flirtatious (Louisa, Lydia, Kitty, Mr. Crawford, Mary
Crawford, Maria, etc.).
• In Austen’s day this was seen as inappropriate behavior, especially in a public setting.
• Austen addresses this by showing what a lack of self control as pertaining to flirtation
and romance can lead to.
• Mr. Crawford and Maria’s affair
• Lydia and Mr. Wickham’s elopement

9. Right versus Wrong
• As simple as this concept is it is one that is hard fought even to this day.
• Throughout all of Austen’s writings there is a clear line drawn between right and wrong.
• Most of Austen’s main characters are intelligent enough to know right from wrong and
she uses them to point out the moral, societal short comings of her day.
• Topics she addresses in her novels include:
• Slavery
• Adultery
• Drug addiction
• Jealousy
• Pride
• Conceit

10. EVERLASTING
INFLUENCE

11. Values
• The values Austen pushes in her book i. e. freedom, fidelity, self-
discipline, devotion to family, respect for parents, adherence to societal laws
and standards, etc. are all values which are still highly regarded by today’s
western societies.
• Austen’s purposes are still very applicable to modern society and people of all
ages and ethnicities.
• Austen’s willingness to publish so openly about topics which in her day were
still very touchy is one of the reasons she is still so highly regarded as an author.
• Jane Austen is by far one of the best writers of her time.

12. Works Cited
• The jane austen society of north america. (2013). Retrieved from
• http://www.jasna.org/info/about_austen.html