Jane Austen Books: 6 Themes in Jane Austen’s Writing

ane Austen was a writer who wrote a series of popular novels, short stories, and poems in late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century English literature. She is best known for her romantic plots following bold and headstrong young female protagonists. Austen’s novels often center around people in the middle or upper classes of British society, making sharp commentary about gender and the societal mores of the time. Her literary work—including Emma and Pride and Prejudice—has served as the source material for numerous Hollywood films, literary modernizations, theater adaptations, and television miniseries over the years.

Born in 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, Jane was the seventh of eight children. Jane was already writing during her childhood, and all of Jane’s works that were published during her lifetime were written under her pen name, “A Lady.” She was considered a successful author during her lifetime, and the money she earned with her writing allowed her to be independent. Though Jane’s books often centered around romantic stories, she never pursued marriage with any interested suitors. Jane Austen died of unknown causes (speculated to likely be either Hodgkin’s lymphoma or Addison’s disease) in 1817 at the age of 41.

Jane Austen’s novels have a number of distinctive features that make her work stand out from other literature of the time. Some recognizable characteristics and themes of Austen’s works include:

1. 1. Colloquial language: Austen’s dialogue is written in the colloquial speech style of the time, capturing the realism of the way that people communicated when navigating the nuances of society.
2. 2. Satire: In books like Emma and Pride and Prejudice, Jane parodies the social culture of her time, offering a sometimes scathing commentary on the obligation of marriage.
3. 3. Romantic comedy: Most of Jane’s writing is a blend of romance and comedy, with many of her stories—like Mansfield Park and Emma—ending in engagements or an assumption that the romantic leads get married and live happily ever after.
4. 4. Examination of class: From Mansfield Park, to Sense and Sensibility, to Northanger Abbey, many of Jane’s stories begin with young, middle class or working-class women being sent to live with wealthy relatives or neighbors, opening up a whole new social and romantic world to these young heroines.
5. 5. Morality: Jane’s characters—like the irreverent Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice—struggle with acting in accordance with their social duty and following their hearts, reflecting a battle between the individual and the rest of society.
6. 6. Gender: Many of Jane’s narratives center around gender constructs. Her novels focus specifically on what it means to be a woman living in a period of repression and rigid social expectations of “proper” female behavior.

From her short stories, to her selected “juvenilia” writings from her childhood, many of Jane Austen’s works are part of the Western literary canon. Her novels are often included in school syllabi from middle school into college because of their importance to literary history. Here are some of the most recognizable Jane Austen novels:

1. 1. Sense and Sensibility (1811): This novel centers around the three Dashwood sisters—Elinor, Margaret, and Marianne—and their widowed mother, when their father dies and they’re displaced from their estate. The sisters are introduced to a new social circle of charming and intriguing people when they move away from their ancestral home. There are a number of screen adaptations of the story notably, the 1995 Ang Lee-directed adaptation starring Emma Thompson.
2. 2. Pride and Prejudice (1813): Jane Austen’s 1813 romantic novel Pride and Prejudice (originally called “First Impressions”) follows Elizabeth Bennet, the second eldest of the five Bennet sisters, and the conflict following her and her sister’s quest to get married and produce a male heir to inherit her father’s estate. In 2013, nearly 100 literary adaptations and interpretations of this story had been published since the book was released, including the bestseller Bridget Jones’ Diary, which was adapted into a hit film starring René Zellweger and Colin Firth as Mark Darcy.
3. 3. Mansfield Park (1814): Austen’s third published novel, this book focuses on Fanny Price, a young girl sent to live with her wealthy relatives. Growing up, her cousins mistreat her with the exception of her one cousin Edmund. As the novel continues, we see Fanny’s relationship with Edmund evolve. This story has been adapted numerous times, including a BBC limited series, and a 1999 film adaptation.
4. 4. Emma (1815): Written after Jane moved to the village of Chawton, Emma is a comedy of manners depicting the lives and challenges of society women living in Georgian–Regency England, centering on Emma Woodhouse. Emma makes matches between her friends and acquaintances for amusement but finds that busying herself in other peoples’ affairs is a frivolous distraction from the real growth she has to do. Two major film adaptations have been made of this story, including a 1996 version starring Gwyneth Paltrow. The 1995 film Clueless is a modernized version of this story.
   
5. 5. Northanger Abbey (1817): This satirical novel follows a young clergyman’s daughter named Catherine Morland, who visits her wealthy neighbors to participate in a season of balls. This novel was published after Jane’s death in 1817. It has also been made into a number of TV and film adaptations, including a 1987 BBC miniseries.
6. 6. Persuasion (1818): Persuasion was Austen’s last novel, published after her death in 1817. It follows the character Anne Elliot and her relationship with a navy captain which ends, then picks back up again after many years. The story was turned into a BBC miniseries in 1960, and a made-for-TV movie in 1995.

Become a better writer with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Amy Tan, Roxane Gay, Neil Gaiman, Walter Mosley, Margaret Atwood, Dan Brown, and more.