Like many of us, I first learned of Jane Austen in my english literature classes along with other authors such as the Brontė sisters. She wrote several novels, the most famous of which is Pride and Prejudice. Several years later, I saw the 1940 MGM motion picture version of Pride and Prejudice starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier. Although it was generally considered to be a great film, I didn't care for it. I thought it too fast and fluffy to properly develop the characters and, in point of fact, the female leads, although box office draws, were completely miscast. How could anyone believe that the 37 year old Garson was a 20 to 21 year old Elizabeth Bennett? Why even Laurence Olivier at age 33 was four years her junior. Similarly, Maureen O'Sullivan who played Jane, the eldest Bennett daughter, was 29 years old. She was old for her part as well, but nothing like Greer Garson. Of course once one adjusts to this, it can be a pleasant and carefree viewing experience. I must say that I did love that grand old dragon Edna May Oliver, as Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
I rediscovered Jane Austen after having viewed the Arts & 
Entertainment network presentation of Pride and Prejudice,
starring Jennifer Ehle
and Colin Firth.
Ever since then I've become extremely curious about her life, family and times. I have canvassed the web
like a man possessed in trying to find out everything that I could about her.
Among the many dozens of sources that I've come across, the most meticulous and encyclopedical
is the Jane Austen Archive 
by Henry Churchyard, a graduate student at the University of Texas.
The enormity of this archive is almost overwhelming; if you can't find what you're looking for or links
thereto at that site, you probably won't find it anywhere. The Jane Austen
page 
authored
by James Dawe
, an electrical engineering research associate at the University of Alberta,
is a visually pleasing and interesting reading experience containing a wide
mix of sources and links. You may also want to explore all of his pages, his
interests, much like his Jane Austen sources, are eclectic.
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 at Steventon, Hampshire England. She was the seventh of eight children (six boys and two girls), of the Reverend George Austen and his wife Cassandra. Jane's father was a Church of England clergyman; Jane's older sister Cassandra Elizabeth was her closest confidante and over 100 letters from Jane to Cassandra have survived. Two of Jane's brothers, Frank and Charles, fought in the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, and both rose to become admirals. This naval connection influenced Jane's novels Mansfield Park and Persuasion. Jane spent the first 25 years of her life in Steventon and when her father retired in 1801, the family moved to Bath which was a change that she deplored. After her father died in 1805 the family moved briefly to Southhampton and finally they settled in the small village of Chawton where she spent most of the remainder of her life which wasn't that long. She died July 18, 1817 at the young age of 41 and was buried in Winchester Cathedral.
Jane Austen's novels are satirical comedies of the domestic and social life of a limited sphere of English society. Although Jane never married and led a relatively restricted life, the world of family, of village life, and England's rural gentry withheld few secrets or subtleties from her observant and discriminating eye. In her own time, Jane was a retiring novelist whose name did not appear on her title pages. When attempts to interest publishers in her novels failed, Jane published Sense and Sensibility at her own expense in 1811 without her name on the title page (only "By a Lady"). Although she wasn't widely known or acclaimed, she had a select band of admirers that included the Prince Regent and the novelist Sir Walter Scott who wrote of Jane "what a pity such a gifted creature died so early." Jane also wrote Northanger Abbey written in 1798-99 and published posthumously in 1818 and Emma published in 1815 and was dedicated to the Prince Regent at his request; he later became king George IV from 1820 to 1830.
The Jane Austen Archive by Henry Churchyard at the University of Texas 
Pride and Prejudice from The Jane Austen Archive
The Jane Austen Page by James Dawe at The University of Alberta 
Discover Hampshire - Jane Austin Country
Jane Austen Article From Britannica Online
Photo Album From the BBC/A&E Miniseries of Pride & Prejudice
Behind the Scenes at A&E's In Process Production of Emma
A Writer's Life by Rachel Adelson
Additional Jane Austin Chronology
CNN - Hollywood popularizes Jane Austen - Jan. 14, 1996
CNN - Thompson brings 'Sense' to the screen - Dec. 14, 1995
MSNBC - See Jane surf: Surf, Jane, surf!
