The Woman behind the Novels(a)|走进珍．奥斯汀的世界

by Rebecca A. Fratzke and Marcus Maurice

Her name is synonymous with literature.

Whether they're for school assignments, on must-read lists, or used for film adaptations, Jane Austen's novels have been eagerly read for years. Her romantic love stories make women swoon and men take note of how to sweep women off their feet. They're not all about mushy feelings or cooing words, though. Austen's characters are some of the most celebrated in literature due to their complexity. Her novels, too, have made their mark with realism and blunt social commenting. However, one must know the author to truly know these timeless classics.

Jane Austen was born the seventh of eight children to a reverend and his wife in England in 1775. Austen's formal education started at boarding school when she was eight, but it was the family's large library that inspired her to try her hand at writing. In addition, her family acted out plays and literary stories for their own entertainment, which further nurtured Austen's talents.

In 1787, Austen began writing seriously. A decade later, Austen's father tried to get the novel known as First Impressions published. It was rejected, but Austen would edit and re-edit this work, which would go on to be her most enduring and popular novel, Pride and Prejudice. In the following years, Austen continued writing, taking a break only during the hard times that followed her father's death. Then, with the help of her brother, Henry, Austen's first novel was published in 1811 with great success. Quickly after, Austen's other works were published, including Pride and Prejudice in 1813. Four years later, Jane Austen died after a long illness, taking with her the countless stories she had yet to share with the world.

1775年出生于英格兰的珍‧奥斯汀出身牧师家庭，在家里 8 个孩子中排行老七。奥斯汀 8 岁时就读寄宿学校，开始接受正规教育，然而，是她家中的大图书室启发她尝试写作。此外，她的家人会表演戏剧和文学作品自娱，这进一步培养了她的天份。

　　奥斯汀于 1787 年开始认真写作。10 年后，奥斯汀的父亲试着出版她原名为《第一印象》的作品，却遭到退稿，但奥斯汀一再修改这部作品，后来成为她最隽永且脍炙人口的作品《傲慢与偏见》。接下来数年，奥斯汀继续写作，只有在她父亲过世的那段难熬时期暂停过。然后，在兄长亨利的帮忙下，奥斯汀的第一本小说于 1811 年出版，获得广大回响。随后奥斯汀的其他作品也接着出版，其中包括 1813 年的《傲慢与偏见》。4 年后，久病缠身的珍‧奥斯汀去世，她还没来得及跟世人分享的无数篇故事也随之而逝。