Profiles in Classic Literature Jane Austen ( 1775–1817), who remains immensely popular today, was an English novelist whose keen observations of society, wit, and mastery of free indirect discourse helped shape modern literary realism. She died at age 41. Literary Works Born in Steventon, Hampshire, she grew up in a close-knit family that encouraged her writing from an early age. Austen’s novels— Sense and Sensibility , Pride and Prejudice , Mansfield Park , Emma , Northanger

Profiles in Classic Literature Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was an English novelist, journalist, and social critic, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of the Victorian era. Born in Portsmouth, England, Dickens experienced childhood poverty when his father was imprisoned for debt. These early hardships profoundly shaped his views on social justice and inspired much of his writing. Literary Works Dickens began his literary career as a reporter before gaining fame wit