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1.Jane Austen
Jane Austen was born in December of 1775 in the town of Steventon
in Hampshire, the seventh of the eight children of the Reverend George
Austen and his wife. As a child she wrote farces and parodies and in the
late 1790s she wrote versions of what would become 'Pride and Prejudice'
and 'Sense and Sensibility'. Both books were extensively rewritten, and in
1811 'Sense and Sensibility' was published anonymously at Jane's
expense. She subsequently published 'Pride and Prejudice' in 1813,
'Mansfield Park' in 1814 and 'Emma' in 1816. She began 'Sandition' in
1817 but died at Winchester on 18th July leaving her novel unfinished.
As for her private life, Jane Austen had a very strong relationship
with her elder sister, Cassandra. Between 1785 and 1786, the two sisters
attended the courses of the Abbey boarding school in Reading. By
December 1786, Jane and Cassandra had returned home because the
Austens could not afford to send both of their daughters to school.
As an adult, Austen continued to stay at her parents' home, carrying
out those activities normal for women of her age and social standing:she
played the piano, assisted her sister and mother with supervising servants,
and attended female relatives during childbirth and older relatives on their
deathbeds She was a religious person attending church regularly,
socialized frequently with friends and neighbours, and read novels aloud
with her family in the evenings. This type of activities are mostly found in
her books.
Despite the fact that the dates about her life are a few, there are
several testimonials regarding this period of time. For instance, Ms.
Mitford, who had known the Austen girls since they were little, presented
Jane as being the most beautiful and foolish girl of the ones who were
looking for a husband. However, neither Jane nor Cassandra had ever
found a husband.
2.Summary
The story begins when Mr. Henry Dashwood dies, leaving all his
money to his son John Dashwood. Therefore, John Dashwood inherits the
Norland estate, on codition that he would help his stepmother and
halfblood sisters as they are left with no permanent home and very little
income, but John's selfish and greedy wife, Fanny, soon persuades her
weak-willed husband that he has no real financial obligation in the matter,
and he gives the girls and their mother nothing. John and Fanny move into
Norland immediately on the death of Mr Dashwood and take up their place
as its new owners.
The Dashwood women, now treated as rather unwelcomed guests in
what was their home, begin looking for another place to live, a difficult
task because of their small income. Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters
(Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret) are invited to stay with their distant
relations, the Middletons, at Barton Park. Elinor is sad to leave their home
at Norland because of her relationship with the young gentleman Edward
Ferrars, Ms. John Dashwood's brother.
However, once at Barton Park,
Elinor and Marianne discover many new acquaintances, including the
retired officer and bachelor Colonel Brandon, and the gallant John
Willoughby, who helps Marianne after she injures her ankle running down
the hills of Barton in the rain. Willoughby openly courts Marianne until he
suddenly announces that he must depart for London on business, leaving
Marianne in a state of misery. Meanwhile, Anne and Lucy Steele, two
relations of Lady Middleton's mother, Mrs. Jennings, arrive at Barton Park.
Lucy becomes close to Elinor and informs her that she has been secretly
engaged to Mr. Ferrars for five years. Elinor cannot believe her ears and
initially assumes that Lucy is referring to Edward's brother, Robert.
Unfortunately, she is shocked to learn that her beloved Edward is the one
Lucy is speaking about.
After a while, Elinor and Marianne travel to London with Mrs.
Jennings in order to get married. Colonel Brandon is fond of Marianne and
feels obliged to inform Elinor that everyone in London is talking of an
engagement between the Willoughby and her sister. Marianne is anxious
to meet her beloved Willoughby and writes him daily, but when they
finally see each other at a party in town, he abandons her, denying his
feelings for Marianne. Colonel Brandon tells Elinor of Willoughby's
unworthy history and Mrs. Jennings confirms that Willoughby has become
engaged to the wealthy Miss Grey as a result of his disinheritance.
Then, Lucy's older sister reveals the news of Lucy's secret
engagement to Edward. His mother is angry and also cuts him off,
3. Characters
Elinor Dashwood is the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Dashwood and the nineteen- year-old heroine of Austen's novel. She
represents the sense and feels responsible for her family, always placing
the welfare of the beloved ones above her own. Elinor is the most rational,
often having to remind her mother what is the proper way to behave or
handle ones money. It is she who notices all the little inconsistencies in
polite society, and the hypocritical nature of many with whom they
associate. Moreover, she is well-educated, mature and tends to hide her
true feelings, fact that leads others think she is cold-hearted.
individual
desires
and
familial
expectations.
5.Conclusion
Overall, even though the story has a happy end for the sisters, the
writter manages to make it clear how important money and connections
are to both women and men. Nevertheless, men have at least the option
of pursuing a career.
6.Bibliography
http://www.bookrags.com/
http://www.sparknotes.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.shmoop.com/
Bivolaru Madalina