High School Students Toast Works of Jane Austen

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Byline: Sammi King

The invitation was for high tea with one of the most famous writers of all time.

Forget the cucumber sandwiches and delicious pastries. To have a chance to join others in conversation about Jane Austen is an invitation that is hard to turn down.

Austen was a writer's writer. The daughter of the rector of the local parish, she lived from 1775 to 1817 in Steventon, Hampshire, England. Her novels mirrored the life that surrounded her, with carefully crafted words that gave her fictional characters charm and wit.

In honor of Austen's birthday, members of the Humanities and American Literature classes at Batavia High School held a …