1、ReadingExerciseJaneAustenJaneAusten(December16,1775July18,1817)wasaprominentEnglishnovelistwhoseworkisconsideredpartoftheWesterncanon.Shestandsasamodelofthewriterwhoseapparentlyshelteredlifedidnothingtoreducethestatureanddramaofherfiction.ShewasbornattherectoryinSteventon,Hampshire,herfatherbeingacl

2、ergyman,andlivedformostofherlifeinthearea.Shehadsixbrothers,andaneldersister,Cassandra,towhomshewasveryclose.TheonlyundisputedportraitofJaneAustenisacolouredsketchdonebyCassandrawhichresidesintheNationalPortraitGalleryinLondon.However,afull-lengthpaintingownedbyafamilymember,traditionallyheldtobeofJ

3、aneasateenager,isnowincreasinglyconsideredauthenticbyauthorities.HerbrothersFrankandCharleswenttosea,eventuallybecomingadmirals.In1801thefamilymovedtoBath;afterthedeathofherfatherin1805,Jane,hersisterandhermotherlivedwithFrankandhisfamilyforseveralyearsuntiltheymovedin1809toChawton.Hereherwealthybro

4、therEdwardhadanestatewithacottage,whichheturnedovertohismotherandsisters.(Theirhousetodayisopentothepublic.)Janenevermarried;shewasonceengagedtoayoungerman,HarrisBigg-Wither,butchangedhermind.Havingestablishedherselfasanovelist,shecontinuedtoliveinrelativeseclusion,andbegantosufferill-health.Itisnow

5、thoughtshemayhavesufferedfromAddison'sDisease,thecauseofwhichwasthenunknown.ShetravelledtoWinchestertoseekacure,butdiedthereandwasburiedinthecathedral.Whileherfirstnovel,theposthumouslypublishedNorthangerAbbey,pokesfunattheGothicnovelsofAnnRadcliffe,Austenismostfamousforherlaterworks,whichtookth

6、eformofsociallyconsciouscomediesoferrors.These,especiallyEmma,areoftencitedfortheirperfectionofform,whilemoderncriticscontinuetounearthnewperspectivesonAusten'skeencommentaryregardingthepredicamentofyoung,unmarried,upper-classEnglishwomenintheearly1800s.Theorderinwhichshebeganandcompletedhernove

7、lsisdifferentfromthatoftheirpublication.Hernovelswerefairlywellreceivedwhentheywerepublished,withSirWalterScottinparticularpraisingherwork.Herreputationhasonlyincreasedsince,andsheisnowconsideredoneofthegreatestEnglishnovelists.Austen'schiefgiftwastobeacloseobserverofhumansocietyandsocialinterac

8、tion.Itshouldbenoted,however,thatalmosteverysceneinhernovelsfeatureswomen,purportedlybecauseshedidnotknowhowmenspokewhennotinthepresenceofwomen.Somecontemporaryreadersmayfindtheworldshedescribes,inwhichpeople'schiefconcernisobtainingsociallyprominentmarriages,tobeunliberatedanddisquieting;howeve

9、roneshouldbearinmindthata"goodmarriage"wasthentheonlyavailableformofsocialsecurityotherthandegradingworkasgoverness,orlivingashanger-oninarelative'shousehold.Hermostfamousnovelsare:SenseandSensibility(1811),PrideandPrejudice(1813),MansfieldPark(1814)andEmma(1815).Questions(紅色表示答案)Now,answerthequestionsaboutthetext.1. JaneAusten'sfatherwasaclergyman.A.True.B.False.2. CassandrawasolderthanJane.A.True.B.False.3. Jane'shouseinChawtonmaybevisitedbythe