生平和作品 　　THEIMPRESSIONoftheconditionoftheChurchofEnglandintheeighteenthcenturywhichisconveyedbythecharacterandwritingsofLaurenceSternereceivessomenecessarymodificationfromastudyofthelifeandworksofJaneAusten.Herfather,theReverendGeorgeAusten,heldthetworectoriesofDeaneandSteventoninHampshire,havingbeenappointedtothembythefavorofacousinandanuncle.Hethusbelongedtothegentry,anditseemslikelythatheenteredthechurchmoreasaprofessionthanavocation.Heconsideredthathefulfilledhisfunctionsbypreachingonceaweekandadministeringthesacraments;andthoughhedoesnotseemtohavebeenamanofspiritualgifts,thedecentanddignifiedperformanceoftheseformaldutiesearnedhimthereputationofamodelpastor.Hisabundantleisureheoccupiedinfarmingtherectoryacres,educatinghischildren,andsharingthesociallifeofhisclass.Theenvironmentofrefinedworldlinessandgoodbreedingthusindicatedwasthatinwhichhisdaughterlived,andwhichshepicturedinherbooks. 　　JaneAustenwasbornatSteventononDecember16,1775,theyoungestofsevenchildren.Shereceivedhereducation—scantyenough,bymodernstandards—athome.Besidestheusualelementarysubjects,shelearnedFrenchandsomeItalian,sangalittle,andbecameanexpertneedle-woman.Herreadingextendedlittlebeyondtheliteratureoftheeighteenthcentury,andwithinthatperiodsheseemstohavecaredmostforthenovelsofRichardsonandMissBurney,andthepoemsofCowperandCrabbe.Dr.Johnson,too,sheadmired,andlaterwasdelightedwithboththepoetryandproseofScott.Thefirsttwenty-fiveyearsofherlifeshespentatSteventon;in1801shemovedwithherfamilytoBath,thenagreatcenteroffashion;afterthedeathofherfatherin1805,shelivedwithhermotherandsister,firstatSouthamptonandthenatChawton;finallyshetooklodgingsatWinchestertobenearadoctor,andthereshediedonJuly18,1817,andwasburiedinthecathedral.ApartfromafewvisitstofriendsinLondonandelsewhere,andthevaguereportofaloveaffairwithagentlemanwhodiedsuddenly,thereislittleelsetochronicleinthisquietanduneventfullife. 　　Butquietanduneventfulthoughherlifewas,ityetsuppliedherwithmaterialforhalfadozennovelsasperfectoftheirkindasanyinthelanguage.Whilestillayounggirlshehadexperimentedwithvariousstylesofwriting,andwhenshecompleted"PrideandPrejudice"attheageoftwenty-two,itwasclearthatshehadfoundherappropriateform.Thisnovel,whichinmanyrespectssheneversurpassed,wasfollowedayearlaterby"NorthangerAbbey,"asatireonthe"Gothic"romancestheninvogue;andin1809shefinished"SenseandSensibility,"begunadozenyearsbefore.Sofarshehadnotsucceededinhavinganyofherworksprinted;butin1811"SenseandSensibility"appearedinLondonandwonenoughrecognitiontomakeeasythepublicationoftheothers.Successgavestimulus,andbetween1811and1816,shecompleted"MansfieldPark,""Emma,"and"Persuasion."Thelastoftheseand"NorthangerAbbey"werepublishedposthumously. 　　ThemostremarkablecharacteristicofJaneAustenasanovelistisherrecognitionofthelimitsofherknowledgeoflifeandherdeterminationnevertogobeyondtheselimitsinherbooks.Shedescribesherownclass,inthepartofthecountrywithwhichshewasacquainted;andboththetypesofcharacterandtheeventsaresuchassheknewfr