Culture | Fame and favourability

Jane Austen, 200 years on

How an unremarkable Englishwoman became a literary juggernaut

Jul 13th 2017

SHE has small, unexceptional features and stares blankly into space. A lace bonnet keeps her dark curls in place, save for a few neat strands that frame her face. Behind her is a large country house and an illustration of Elizabeth Bennet, her most famous creation. This is the airbrushed image of Jane Austen on the new British £10 note which will be released on July 18th, the bicentenary of her death: just one example of how she has been reshaped and reimagined on her path to becoming a global literary sensation.

This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Fame and favourability”