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    Jane Austen is often placed next to Shakespeare on the literary pedestal. She is one of the most influential English novelists of all time. She wrote about romantics and women’s place in society, often ruffling many aristocratic feathers. Her dark humored novels are among the most well-thumbed pieces in literature anywhere. Jane Austen effectively “turned the washtub into the vase,” (“Jane Austen” 102).
    Jane Austen was from a time when women were not considered intelligent or experienced enough to make decisions for themselves or their families. Women were not allowed to inherit or own property. To be secure, women needed a hand in marriage. She was born in this restricting time period to Reverend George and Cassandra Leigh Austen in Steventon, Hampshire, England on December 8, 1775. Jane was the seventh of eight children (Bloom “Jane Austen” Bloom’s Notes 1 ). One of Jane’s brothers, George, was sent away at a young age to be cared for due to his epilepsy (Lorenz 1). The five remaining brothers often put on theatrical plays in the Steventon barn, flaunting their writing and acting abilities. One can only be curious as to what Jane thought of these events (Lutz 3).
    Early morning piano practices were commonplace for Jane, who also prepared breakfast in the hours of the morning. The Austen family breakfast normally consisted of tea, pound cake, bread and butter, and on occasion, chocolate (Krull 26). Jane and her only sister, Cassandra, received an early education at Oxford in Southampton, and were briefly enrolled in the Abbey School in Reading . After the age of nine, Jane and Cassandra were taught at home by their father. French, Italian, music, needlework and extensive reading were the subjects of their home lessons. The sisters joined their brothers and other local boys for daily lessons from Rev George (Bloom “Jane Austen” Bloom’s Major Novelists 1-2). He gladly opened the doors to the extensive library he had in his possession to his two daughters, who exploited it quiet often (Aronson 1). Jane’s favorite books included novels by Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding and Fanny Burney. She also enjoyed poetry by William Cowper, and essays by Samuel Johnson (Bloom “Jane Austen” Bloom’s Major Novelists 1).
    During 1787, Jane began writing for amusement, she loved creating parodies of sentimental novels. Even though Jane’s first writings were bare-boned, the underlying themes are all similar: blatant moralizing, and improbable heroes and heroines (Aronson 1). Jane’s affectionately dubbed juvenilia included several novels, short stories, and poems. “Love and Friendship: A Novel” was her first book, followed by “The History of England”, a parody of the British monarchy. “The Beautiful Cassandra: A Novel in Twelve Chapters” and

    “Frederic and Elfrida: A Novel” were also included in her juvenilia, which ranged from 1787 to 1793 (Aronson 1).
    Just as the French Revolution reached it’s climax with the execution of King Louis XVI and England declaring war on France due to the execution, Jane was beginning to create her first masterpieces.