Jane Austen (1775–1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage for the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism and are renowned for their use of social commentary, realism, and biting irony.

The anonymously published Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816), were a modest success during her lifetime. She also wrote two other novels—Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1817—and began another, eventually titled Sanditon, but died before its completion. Austen also left behind three volumes of juvenile writings in manuscript, the short epistolary novel Lady Susan, and the unfinished novel The Watsons.

Since her death, Austen's novels have rarely been out of print, and her reputation has continued to grow. A significant transition in her reputation occurred in 1833, when her works were republished in Richard Bentley's Standard Novels series. They gradually gained wide acclaim and popular readership. In 1869, her nephew's publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced a compelling version of her writing career and supposedly uneventful life to an eager audience. Her work has inspired numerous critical essays, literary anthologies, and films, including the 1940's Pride and Prejudice, 1995's Sense and Sensibility, and 2016's Love & Friendship.