Photo: Cassandra Austen, Public domain — Source
English novelist whose six major works — including 'Pride and Prejudice,' 'Sense and Sensibility,' and 'Emma' — are cornerstones of Western literature. Writing in the late Georgian era, she used wit, irony, and razor-sharp social observation to examine the lives of the English landed gentry, particularly the dependence of women on marriage for social standing and economic security. Her novels, initially published anonymously, achieved modest success in her lifetime but became canonical in the 20th century. Her influence on the novel as a form — particularly the use of free indirect discourse — is incalculable.
Source: Jane Austen's House Museum