A Jane Austen Trivia Thursday

A Jane Austen Trivia Thursday

Image by Mike Singleton from Pixabay

For today’s version of Trivia Thursday, I offer a selection of trivia for Jane Austen fans. As some of you know, I create variations on her most famous work, Pride and Prejudice. The following list is not confined to that novel, but rather explores the author’s influences and the times she lived in:

  • Anonymous Authorship
    During her lifetime, Jane Austen did not take credit for any of her creations. The title page of her first novel, Sense and Sensibility (1811), credited the author simply as “By a Lady.” Later works were attributed to “The Author of Sense and Sensibility.”

Photo by Dominika Walczak on Unsplash
  • Austen’s First Heroine
    Jane Austen wrote her first full-length novel, Elinor and Marianne, in 1795. She revised the work and published it as Sense and Sensibility.
  • The Unfinished Works
    Austen left two unfinished novels: Sanditon and The Watsons. Sanditon is about a developing seaside resort, while in The Watsons the story is about an impoverished young woman making her way in society.
  • Her Favorite Heroine
    Austen once said in a letter that Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice was “as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print.”
  • She Was a Pianist
    Austen loved music and played the piano every morning before the rest of her household woke up. This love of music often appears in her novels, with characters performing or enjoying musical gatherings.

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  • The Prince Regent Connection
    Despite her distaste for the Prince Regent (later George IV), Austen dedicated Emma to him. This was arranged, at his request, by his librarian, James Stanier Clarke, who arranged for the dedication.
  • Limited Formal Education
    Jane Austen received no more than a few years of formal education. Most of her knowledge came from books, family discussions, and her own curiosity. This prolific author was, for all intents and purposes, self-educated!
  • Her Mysterious Death
    She died at 41, possibly from Addison’s disease, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or tuberculosis. The exact cause of her illness is unknown.
  • Austen’s Personal Library
    Her home of Chawton Cottage housed many of the books that influenced her writing. She had a habit of rereading Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson, and William Cowper.
  • Her Fandom
    Sir Walter Scott wrote about her in his journal: “That young lady had a talent for describing the involvements and feelings and characters of ordinary life, which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with.”

Although she passed in 1817, her books have never been out of print. They gained steady recognition after her death in 1817, especially after the publication of her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh’s A Memoir of Jane Austen in 1869. His memoir reignited public interest in her novels, solidifying her place as a literary classic. Today, her novels remain widely read, studied, and adapted, ensuring their continued relevance and availability. Courses that cover her works are taught in universities around world.

Do yourself a favor and discover or, rediscover, her captivating stories. Even today, more than 200 years since she wrote her last sentence, they offer entertaining insight on the human condition.

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