Juvenilia – Volume I (Annotated)

Perhaps as early as 1787, Austen began to write poems, stories and plays for her own and her family's amusement. Austen later compiled "fair copies" of these early works into three bound notebooks, now referred to as the "Juvenilia," containing pieces originally written between 1787 and 1793. (from Wikipedia) Jane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works critique the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism. Her use of biting irony, along with her realism and social commentary, have earned her acclaim among critics and scholars.