Jane Austen, born in 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, England, is known for her six novels penned anonymously “By a Lady” until after her death.

The novels – Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey – included witty commentaries of middle and upper-class English life from a woman’s perspective. 

During her short 41 years, Austen published four books. Upon her death, her brother Henry published her last two books, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, with a note identifying her as the author. 

To this day, Jane Austen’s work has rarely been out of print and continues to be widely read. 

Jane Austen Society Australia president,Susannah Fullerton OAM, credits the author’s notability to her ability to make her readers laugh. 

“You only need to turn the news on at night to see how depressing the world is in which we live,” she says. 

“It’s wonderful if you can turn to a book that invariably makes you laugh when you read it.” 

Writing the world’s “greatest love stories”, Susannah reckons Austen’s work is a testament to beautifully written prose. 

“In this day and age of emojis and mangled text messages, it’s a real joy to read her beautifully constructed sentences and prose where you never feel that the editor should have gone through and crossed things out with a red pen,” says Susannah. 

“Every word is there for a reason.

“She’s concise, elegant and her prose is wonderful, but I think the main reason why I keep going back to her books again and again is because of her incredible understanding of human nature, and that hasn’t changed in more than 200 years since her books were first published.” 

Understanding what makes people “tick”, from their motivations to their behaviours, Susannah says it is easy to see some of Austen’s famous characters in the modern world. 

“As we read her books, we learn about ourselves, and I think we also learn about other people,” she says. 

Commonly thought of as a pivotal role model in the feminist movement, Susannah says Austen’s use of strong heroines and determined women are as important to the modern world as they were to 1813 England. 

“Yes, the idea of getting a wedding ring on your finger is no longer vital, but that’s really just a surface thing in Jane Austen,” says Susannah.

“The trick is finding a partner with whom you’re comfortable, compatible and appreciates your strengths and tolerates your weaknesses. 

“I think most of us want to find someone who’s going to give us love, understanding and companionship.

“She’s looking at the really important things in life, like how to understand yourself, how to be a member of your community and how to understand people better.” 

Susannah’s first foray into Austen’s world was at age 11 with her mother, who would read Pride and Prejudice aloud to her, masking the sound of rain atop their roof. 

“I was still a bit young to appreciate the irony, but I loved the story,” she says. 

“I heard my mother stopping to laugh frequently and I’ve been a total addict ever since.”

Although picking a favourite is akin to pulling teeth, Susannah says she has a special place in her heart for Austen’s Emma. 

“It’s her absolute masterpiece and to me, it is the perfect novel,” she says. 

“I don’t think there’s a single word that could be changed to make it any better.” 

An author and literary tour guide herself, Susannah says her life, in many ways, has been shaped by the author’s work.

“A life without Jane Austen is a very poor one indeed,” says Susannah. “She’s timeless.” 

Celebrating the author’s 250th birthday, worldwide celebrations are kicking off with many to hit Canberra later this year. 

Austen fans will be able to dance the night away at a Regency Ball in the author’s honour at Albert Hall from on November 1, or attend a conference held by the Jane Austen Society at the Rex Hotel from October 31 to November 2.

Ball tickets at trybooking.com/events or conference details at jasa.com.au