Английский язык. Часть II. Коныгина Г.И - 7 стр.

H From 1816 onward, Austen's physical condition was not good. She was oc-
cupied with several new works some of which remained unfinished owing to
Austen's badly declining health. In May 1817, she moved to Winchester to seek
medical attendance from an expert doctor. However, the progress of her malady
was rapid. It is recorded by her family that she endured the pain and physical
suffering with great courage and cheerfulness. She died quietly on July 18, 1817
and was buried in Winchester Cathedral. Just as her novels were published
anonymously, the inscription on her tomb makes no mention of her literary tal-
ents.

I The family was cultivated and prosperous, although not rich. Their father, an
Oxford-educated man, encouraged the love of learning in his children. Jane Aus-
ten was mostly tutored at home, and irregularly at school. She acquired the stan-
dard accomplishments of young ladies of her class and time. She learnt French
and Italian, could draw and sing. Less conventionally, Jane read widely and av-
idly. Rev. George Austen apparently gave his daughters access to his large and
varied library, provided both sisters with expensive paper and other materials for
their writing and drawing. In general, Jane Austen’s education was superior to
that normally given to girls of her time. It is believed that the Austens lived in an
optimistic and good-humoured atmosphere. The great family amusement was
acting. Private theatricals were frequently staged. Besides the Austens were
devoted readers of novels at a time when reading novels was regarded as a
questionable activity.

J In her early twenties, Jane Austen wrote in earnest. She produced three nov-
els Elinor and Marianne, First Impressions and Susan, which are original
versions of, respectively, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Nort-
hanger Abbey. Jane's very full and exciting social life at Steventon and her trips
to Kent and Bath provided her with the settings, characters, and subject matter
of her books. Her early novels are brilliant, light, high-spirited, fast-paced books
written in a buoyant, satirical mood. Rev. George Austen supported Jane’s writ-
ing aspirations, was tolerant of her sometimes risqué literary experiments and
tried to help her get a publisher. The tenor of life at Steventon rectory was propi-
tious for Jane Austen's growth as a novelist.

Comprehension Check

Work with a partner. Read the following statements and decide whether
they are true or false according to the text. Correct the false ones.

1. Jane was an only neglected child and felt desperately lonely and deeply un-
   happy living in her father's vicarage.

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