JANE KNIGHT-AUSTEN

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CALIFORNIA, USA

Jane Eleanor Bates (née Knight-Austen) is a descent from Jane Austen's Family. She is a direct descendant of Edward Austen Knight, Jane Austen's brother who was adopted by the wealthy Knight family.

Edward had numerous children, ensuring a broad and enduring family line. While many of Edward's descendants remained in England, a lesser-known branch of the family, focused on scholarly pursuits rather than landed gentry life, found their fortunes shifting over generations.

THE PUBLISHING LINK AND MIGRATION

Jane's great-great-grandfather, a less prominent son of one of Edward Austen Knight's many children, developed a keen interest in literature and publishing, somewhat against the family's traditional pursuits. He wasn't a publisher himself, but he became a meticulous scholar and editor of early English literature, particularly fascinated by his ancestor, Jane Austen. This branch of the family, while respectable, wasn't independently wealthy like the main Knight-Austen line.

In the late 19th or early 20th century, seeking opportunities beyond a stagnating academic environment in England and driven by a growing interest in the burgeoning literary scene across the Atlantic, Jane's ancestors made the move to the United States. They didn't come for gold, but for the intellectual "gold" of American universities and emerging publishing houses. They settled, initially, on the East Coast, where they found work in academic publishing and rare book collecting.

Over the generations, this family line maintained a strong, almost reverential, connection to Jane Austen. They were custodians of family letters, early editions, and a growing body of scholarly work on the author. This culminated in Jane's own father, a respected academic editor and a passionate Austen scholar, being invited to take up a position at a prestigious West Coast university, drawn by its expanding library and special collections departments. The family, including a young Jane, relocated to California.

THE ROUTE TO UCLA & MEETING WILL BATES

Jane grew up immersed in the world of books, manuscripts, and literary history. Naturally, she gravitated towards UCLA, where her father taught and where she pursued her own studies. She specialized in English Literature with a focus on 18th and 19th-century British authors, particularly Jane Austen.

At UCLA, Jane entered the Editing and Publishing Certificate Program (a realistic offering from UCLA Extension), aiming to combine her academic passion with practical skills. She was not just a scholar but wanted to be involved in the tangible creation and dissemination of literature. Her work often involved the university's Special Collections, which house rare books and manuscripts, and she spent countless hours poring over historical documents.

It was through this academic and professional environment that Jane Bates met Will Bates. Perhaps Will was a student in a related field (history, archaeology, etc.), or he was working on a research project that required access to the same specialized collections or library resources that Jane was utilizing. Their shared intellectual curiosity and presence within the academic hub of UCLA that brought them together.

It made Jane laugh the Will was called by the nickname, Billy the Kid, where he looked so young for his age, but is a dead shot when it comes to developing technology. Not only that, but she found him all but unbeatable when gaming.

Jane, his common law wife of many years, partnered with Will of the NanoComm venture. Both of them dedicated to CyberCore Genetica, the project having taken over their lives, and absorbed their life savings.

They were desperate to cash in. Then one day it all fell into place. They organized an auction, and sold their baby for a cool $20 billion dollars. It was Jane who worked out an exit strategy, knowing DARPA and the NSA would be after their technology, maybe even torture them to get it.

ABOUT THE NOVELIST JANE AUSTEN

Jane Austen (1775-1817) is one of England's most celebrated novelists, known for her keen observations of English country gentry life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Her novels are beloved for their wit, irony, social commentary, and timeless explorations of love, marriage, class, and personal growth.

MORE ABOUT JANE AUSTEN

Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, where her father was a clergyman. She was the seventh of eight children. While she did attend some boarding schools, much of her education came from her father's extensive library at home. This literate and creative family environment fostered her early interest in writing, and she began crafting stories, sketches, and fragments from a young age, often for the entertainment of her family.

Austen led a relatively quiet life as an unmarried clergyman's daughter. She never publicly acknowledged her authorship during her lifetime, and her works were published anonymously, often credited as "by a Lady." Despite her outwardly circumscribed existence, her novels demonstrate an incredibly sharp eye for human nature, social dynamics, and the intricacies of relationships.

LITERARY THEMES 

Austen's novels typically revolve around young women seeking advantageous marriages, a crucial path to financial security and social standing for women of her era. However, she transcends simple romantic narratives by exploring themes such as:

- Social Class and Mobility: She often satirizes the rigid class divisions and prejudices of her time, while also realistically portraying the limited social mobility available.

- Gender Roles and Independence: Austen subtly critiques the constraints placed upon women, advocating for intelligence, independent thought, and the importance of marrying for love and genuine connection rather than solely for wealth or status.

- Morality and Integrity: Her characters frequently grapple with ethical dilemmas, the value of true goodness versus superficial charm, and the importance of personal conviction.

- Wit and Irony: Her distinctive narrative voice is characterized by a dry wit, keen irony, and sharp social satire.


MAJOR WORKS: JANE AUSTEN'S MOST FAMOUS NOVELS INCLUDE:

- Sense and Sensibility (1811): Explores the contrasting personalities of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (sense) and Marianne (sensibility), as they navigate love and heartbreak.

- Pride and Prejudice (1813): Her most popular novel, a timeless romance centered on the strong-willed Elizabeth Bennet and the proud Mr. Darcy, exploring themes of first impressions, personal growth, and overcoming prejudice.

- Mansfield Park (1814): Follows the quiet and morally steadfast Fanny Price as she grows up among her wealthy cousins.

- Emma (1815): A comedic masterpiece about a confident but meddlesome young woman who delights in matchmaking, often with disastrous and humorous results.

- Northanger Abbey (published posthumously, 1817): A witty satire of gothic novels, following a young woman whose imagination is overactive due to her love of such stories.

- Persuasion (published posthumously, 1817): Her last completed novel, a more reflective and mature story of a second chance at love.

Jane Austen died on July 18, 1817, at the age of 41, likely from Addison's disease. Despite her short life and the anonymous publication of her works during her lifetime, her novels have never been out of print and continue to be widely read, adapted, and adored around the world, solidifying her place as one of the most influential figures in English literature.

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  CAST OF CHARACTERS: CLEOPATRA THE MUMMY REBORN OF THE AFTERLIFE - WILLIAM BATES IS BILLY THE KID, THE INVENTOR OF CYBERCORE GENETICA SUPER NANOCOMM COMPUTER

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The rights of Jameson Hunter and Cleaner Ocean Foundation to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. This website and the associated Cleopatra artwork is Copyright © 2024 Cleaner Ocean Foundation and Jameson Hunter. This is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the authors' imaginations, and any resemblance to any person, living or deceased, is entirely coincidental.