“Every line, every word was -- in the hackneyed metaphor which their dear writer, were she here, would forbid -- a dagger to my heart. To know that Marianne was in town was -- in the same language -- a thunderbolt. -- Thunderbolts and daggers! -- what a reproof would she have given me! -- her taste, her opinions -- I believe they are better known to me than my own, -- and I am sure they are dearer.”

English writer

Jane Austen was an English writer. She is best known for her six novels, which examine the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century with irony and close social observation. Her work is admired for the way it interprets and critiques the world it depicts, especially the manners, values, and assumptions of her characters’ social class. The novels remain widely read for their wit and their clear view of relationships, status, and society.