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Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen
Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" was published anonymously in 1811. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (age 19) and Marianne (age 16½) as they come of age. They have an older half-brother, John, and a younger sister, Margaret, 13. The novel, which sold out its first print run of 750 copies in the middle of 1813, marked a success for its author. It had a second print run later that year. It was the first Austen title to be republished in England after her death, and the first illustrated Austen produced in Britain. The novel has been in continuous publication since 1811, and has many times been illustrated, excerpted, abridged, and adapted for stage and film.
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Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre is a novel written by Charlotte Bronte. It was originally published as "Jane Eyre: An Autobiography" in 1847. It follows the experiences of its unglamorous heroine, including her growth to adulthood as she comes into contact with Victorian society. The novel is considered to be revolutionary prose fiction as it was first to focus on its protagonist's moral and spiritual development through an intimate first-person narrative, where actions and events are colored by a psychological intensity. Charlotte Brontë has been called the "first historian of the private consciousness", and the literary ancestor of writers like Marcel Proust and James Joyce. The book contains elements of social criticism with a strong sense of Christian morality at its core. it is also considered to be ahead of its time because of Jane's individualistic character and how the novel approaches the topics of class, sexuality, religion, and feminism. It, along with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is one of the most famous romance novels of all time.
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Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
"Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus" is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. It is considered the first true science fiction story, though it is infused with elements of gothic and horror. Frankenstein tremendously influenced modern horror literature, theatre and film. She started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition was published anonymously in London, when she was 20. Her name first appeared in the second edition published in Paris in 1821. Shelley travelled through Europe in 1815 along the river Rhine in Germany, stopping in Gernsheim, 11 miles away from Frankenstein Castle, where two centuries before, an alchemist engaged in experiments. She then went to Geneva, Switzerland, where much of the story takes place. The occult ideas were themes of conversation among her companions, particularly her lover and future husband Percy B.Shelley. In 1816, Mary, Percy and Lord Byron had a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for days, Shelley dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made, inspiring the novel.
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Emma, by Jane Austen
"Emma" is a novel by Jane Austen published in 1815. It is set in the fictional country village of Highbury and the surrounding estates, and involves the relationships among people from a small number of families. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England. Emma is a comedy of manners, and initiates dialogues about marriage, sex, age, and social status. Before she began the novel, Austen wrote, "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like." Written after Austen's move to Chawton, was her last novel to be published during her lifetime. This novel has been adapted for several films, many television shows, and a long list of stage plays.
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Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
Originally titled First Impressions, Pride and Prejudice was written between October 1796 and August 1797 when Jane Austen was not yet twenty-one, the same age, in fact, as her fictional heroine Elizabeth Bennet. After an early rejection by the publisher, who had not even read it, Austen's novel was finally bought by Egerton in 1812 for £110. It was published in late January 1813 in a small edition of approximately 1500 copies and sold for 18 shillings.
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