Jane Austen's Real Life Romances
The Inspiration for Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Other Novels
Sep 13, 2009
Many of Jane Austen’s works, such as Pride and Prejudice and Emma, are about woman trying to find suitable husbands for themselves or for others. Jane Austen was born at a time when women didn’t have careers and a favorable marriage match was all-important. It determined the way of life and social circle a woman would be accepted into. Marriages were entered with great thought and care. A good marriage to a member of the landed gentry could secure the future of the entire family, while a poor choice might lead to poverty and ruin.
What is known about Jane Austen’s love life survives through what was told by her nieces and through what remains of her correspondences, mainly with her sister Cassandra. Unfortunately, many of her personal letters were destroyed after her death.
First Romance – Thomas Langlois Lefroy
When Jane was twenty, a nephew of a neighbor and good friend came to visit Steventon. He was a law student from Ireland, just out of the university and ready to begin his career. The two were introduced at a local ball or social gathering during the Christmas and New Year season between 1795 and 1796. According to letters to Cassandra, the two spent much time together and were quite taken with one another. “I am almost afraid to tell you how my Irish friend and I behaved. Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together.”
Unfortunately, Lefroy’s family put a stop to the budding romance. At the end of January they sent Tom away, determining that marriage between the two young people would not be practical, as neither had sufficient money. Lefroy was dependent on a relative to finance his education, and to support his career. He left, and Jane Austen never saw him again.
Lefroy went on to marry someone of his social status, and became the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. As an old man, he told about his romance with Jane Austen to a nephew. Many believe Lefroy was the inspiration for Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.
The Mysterious Suitor at Devonshire
When Jane’s father was 70, he suddenly decided to retire from the clergy and moved the family to Bath. While living there, they went to the seaside every summer, and it was told by Jane’s nieces after her death that she had a holiday romance with a man she met on the coast of south Devonshire. In 1802, she met and fell in love with a clergyman who was staying there. Her sister Cassandra spoke highly of the young man. It was implied that he and Jane planned to meet again and carry on their courtship. “They parted—but he made it plain he should seek them out again.” Unfortunately they received news of his death a short time later. Jane was 27 at the time, and it is believed that this romance and her mysterious suitor’s untimely death might have influenced her to write the novel Persuasion.
A Proposal of Marriage
During her lifetime, Jane received only one known proposal of marriage. Harris Biggs-Wither was a large, plain man who Jane had known since childhood. Theirs would not have been a love match, but more a marriage of convenience. Biggs-Wither was heir to much property near the area where Jane grew up, and a marriage to him could provide security for her aging parents and her sister Cassandra, as well as and help her brothers further their careers. Jane accepted the proposal, but in the morning changed her mind.
Austen spent the rest of her life in the quiet community of Chawton, where she moved in 1809 with her mother and sister. She devoted her time to her family and writing. Her four best-known novels were published while she lived there: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1815).
Sources:
Jane Austen’s Biography: Life (1775-1817) and Family
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