A Note on Austen's History

Reading the biography of Jane Austen on the website janeausten.org, I can see how she might have reflected herself upon the character of Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice. The family was not rich, as I had previously thought, and the children entertained themselves by writing, acting, creating plays, etc. I can see Jane's love for reading in Elizabeth, and also Mr. Bennet seems similar to Austen's father, who helped her publish her novels and seems to have been a very loving and supportive father.
As to the question asked in class of why she never married, it appears to me that perhaps she never recovered from losing her first love, Tom Lefroy. As some of the female characters in her novel tend to do, perhaps she was determined to wait for him, just in case there was a chance of their ever being together. Their social and financial situations would not allow for them to be married, and, like Anne Elliot in Persuasion, maybe she hoped that one day those problems could be put aside. Of course, all we can ever do to answer the question is guesswork. However, I found this a rather romantic, Austen-esque explanation. I'd be interested to watch the semi-new film, Becoming Jane. I think it attempts to explore this very question.