Juvenilia

Juvenilia simply means childhood writings, works produced by an author in their youth. We are lucky to have access to many of Jane Austen's early works. Three of her notebooks survive today containing a variety of stories, dramatic sketches, and verses. Enscribed on the covers is Volume the First, Volume the Second, Volume the Third. 

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It is believed that Jane's earliest pieces date from around 1786 or 1787 when she was aged 11-12 years old. This was around the time Jane left the Abbey House School in Reading. The latest entry is dated 3rd June 1793 when she was 17. 

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Her earliest writings are parodies of popular novels of the era, such as Sir Charles Grandison by Samuel Richardson and The History of England by Oliver Goldsmith. 

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First drafts of Jane's novels Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey were all written soon after the last of her juvenilia. 

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You can read Jane Austen's Juvenilia for free online at Project Gutenberg.