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Authors who inspired Austen

Below is a list of several authors who Austen is known to have read. It is not exhaustive and Austen is known to have read a wide range of literature. 

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Maria Edgeworth

Maria Edgeworth (1768 - 1849) was an Anglo-Irish writer of adult and children's literature. She was known for being one of the first realist writers in children's literature and is credited as being a significant figure in the evolution of the novel in Europe. She was known for voicing on controversial issues of religion, race, and class to name a few. She was explicit in the fact that her works had a moral purpose behind them. 

 

Austen admired her so much that she sent Edgeworth a free copy of Emma upon its publication in 1815. Unfortunately, Edgeworth was not impressed with the novel and never acknowledged the gift, perhaps because Austen did not touch on the areas she valued.  She wrote to a friend "There's no story in it". Edgeworth was a close friend of Sir Walter Scott who wrote the most well known review of Emma

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Her father, Richard Lovell Edgeworth, reviewed a lot of her work and he had a connection with Jane's maternal aunt and uncle the Leigh-Perrot's. A letter written by James Leigh Perrot was included in Richard's memoirs and vice versa Richard wrote to congratulate them after Mrs Leigh Perrot was successfully cleared from charges of shoplifting.  

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Edgeworth's most controversial work was the novel Belinda (1801), which dealt with gender and race issues. It is referred to in Northanger Abbey: "It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda”; or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language."

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Although Edgeworth was controversial, she added a sense of humour and irony to her writing that Austen admired. Both writers desired to address the social wrongs, particularly to the role of women. Edgeworth's novel Patronage (1814) is considered to have an influence on Austen's Persuasion. 

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Her collected works can be read online for free at Project Gutenberg

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Samuel Richardson

Jane Austen was a big fan of Samuel Richardson. Her nephew James Edward Austen Leigh wrote in his memoir of his aunt that "Her knowledge of Richardson’s works was such as no one is likely again to acquire, now that the multitude and the merits of our light literature have called off the attention of readers from that great master.  Every circumstance narrated in Sir Charles Grandison, all that was ever said or done in the cedar parlour, was familiar to her; and the wedding days of Lady L. and Lady G. were as well remembered as if they had been living friends." Her brother Henry Austen also commented that she was an admirer of "Richardson's power of creating, and preserving, the consistency of his characters". 

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It is argued by some that he wrote the first English novel in 1740, entitled Pamela, an epistolary novel (in letters), but this would depend on your definition of the word novel. The novel told the story of a young serving-maid who describes her master's attempts to seduce her. His novel Clarissa is one of the longest books in literature. However, many suggest watching the 1991 BBC adaptation starring Sean Bean to get a taster before embarking on the journey.

 

His novel Sir Charles Grandison, which is referenced by Austen's nephew in the quote above, is described as Richardson's last, longest and least interesting book but is often referred to as Austen's favourite and one that had the most influence on her technique. Many draw parrallels between the characters in Sir Charles Grandison and Mansfield Park, and the similar themes that the novels tackle. Despite this, the character Isabella Tilney refers to the novel as an "amazing horrid book", which is an argument for not taking the speech in Austen's novels as her own thoughts. Austen and her niece Anna worked together in the 1790s to turn Richardson's novel into a ten-minute comic play for the family to perform.   

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You can read Richardson's works online for free at Project Gutenberg

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Henry Fielding

Following on from Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding actually wrote a parody of Richardson's novel Pamela entitled Shamela. You can read Shamela at Project Gutenberg for free. 

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Henry Fielding also wrote the novel Tom Jones, which we know that Austen's love interest in her youth, Tom Lefroy, enjoyed. The novel has been compared to Pride and Prejudice as both plots include the disputed inheritance of estates. Tom Jones is also available on Project Gutenberg

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Fanny Burney

As with Maria Edgeworth, Fanny Burney was an extremely popular contemporary of the time. She used her novels to talk about politics of society and tackled themes such as poverty.  Jane Austen's name can be seen as a subscriber to Burney's third novel Camilla along with Maria Edgeworth and Ann Radcliffe. 

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We can see her influence on Austen by the choice of title of Pride and Prejudice, which appears in Burney's novel Cecilia several times in capital letters. Similarities have also been drawn between characters in Cecilia and Emma, with the heroine and friend being in love with the same man. I have personally read Cecilia and, although a slog at times, I enjoyed it, however, I've yet to read Evelina and Camilla. Two of these novels are referred to in Northanger Abbey: "It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda”; or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language."

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She is praised for writing female protagonists with flaws and not just moulded in a perfect image. We can see this also in Jane Austen's works. Burney is also known for her satire and wit, which must have influence Austen. She focused on female heroines and also wrote about love, marriage, and money. 

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Burney's works can be read for free at Project Gutenberg

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Ann Radcliffe

Ann Radcliffe is credited with being the pioneer of the gothic novel, as she often wrote novels with innocent heroines who found themselves in mysterious dark castles. They were very popular among the upper and middle class, particularly amongst young women, Jane Austen included. 

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Radcliffe's novel The Mysteries of Udolpho is used by Austen for her parody Northanger Abbey, which can be read for free on Project Gutenberg. Although the parody is not meant to be insulting and Austen greatly admired Radcliffe's work.  One of Austen's brothers described her as "enamoured of the picturesque", of which Radcliffe focused on. 

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In the film, Becoming Jane, there is a scene where Jane Austen meets Ann Radcliffe, but there is no historical evidence that this encounter ever took place. Radcliffe is known for being somewhat of a social recluse and would avoid social situations so it seems unlikely that she would consent to meet with a stranger. 

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