Jane Austen

Question: Which of Jane Austen’s siblings helped publish two of her novels posthumously?

Answer: After his sister’s death, Henry Austen helped ensure the publication of two of Austen’s novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

Question: Which novel famously opens with the line, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife”?

Answer: The opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice gained notoriety for concisely introducing the major themes of the novel and is considered one of the greatest opening lines in literature.

Question: Which county in England was Austen born in?

Answer: Austen was born in Steventon, England, which is part of Hampshire county, to Reverend George and Cassandra Austen.

Question: What is the given title for Austen’s final, and unfinished, novel?

Answer: Although the working title for the novel was The Brothers, Austen’s final novel was published under the name Sanditon.

Question: Which of Austen’s novels inspired the popular 1995 movie Clueless?

Answer: The romantic comedy Clueless updates Austen’s novel by having Beverly Hills serve as the backdrop.

Question: Fact or Fiction: Austen wrote under the pen name “A Lady.”

Answer: Only Austen’s immediate family knew she was the author of her first published novel, Sense and Sensibility, which on the title page says it was written “By a Lady.”

Question: Fact or Fiction: Jane Austen agreed to marry someone but broke this agreement a day later.

Answer: In 1802 Austen received a proposal of marriage from Harris Bigg-Wither, a wealthy man from her town. Although she initially accepted, she changed her mind the next day and did not marry him.

Question: Austen dedicated Emma to which royal family member?

Answer: Although in one letter Austen described not liking the Prince Regent (later King George IV), she still dedicated one of her novels to him after he requested she do so.