Jane Austen Volume II Jane Austen (16 December 1775 - 18 July 1817) was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature. Her realism, biting irony and social commentary have gained her historical importance among scholars and critics. In this book: Emma, 1815, Northanger Abbey, 1818, Persuasion, 1818, Lady Susan 1805