Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction earned her a place as one of the most widely read and greatest writers in English literature. Her works are characterized by biting irony, realism, and scathing social commentary, especially on the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favorable social standing and economic security. Austen lived her entire life as part of a close-knit family located on the lower fringes of the English landed gentry and was educated primarily by her father and older brothers. Her works mainly featured female protagonists and many of her novels including Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813) are some of the most loved books among literary scholars and the reading public. Although her work brought her little personal fame and only a few positive reviews during her lifetime, her posthumous fame is legendary, and for more than a century now, her works have been a seminal influence on books, film, and stage and have been adapted for countless movies, unofficial sequels, and theatrical renditions.