Jane Austen

The Jane Austen phenomenon is remarkably enduring. It is found within secondary schools, tertiary institutions, literary societies and popular culture. Most Austen societies are in the non-English speaking world, making her a truly global icon. A new book about her seems to appear each week, along with more essays, theses, and blogs. From the beginning of her publishing career, Austen was unique. Some of her early readers were prescient enough to consider her alongside Shakespeare. She has been read, over the generations, as an exemplary explorer of character and motivation, the power of dialogue and indirect speech, the nature of love, the embodiment of social mores, the protagonist's capacity for self-awareness or her ability to change and grow, and what was once called the human condition.