Paper Jane: 250 Years of Austen

Paper Jane reflects Austen’s heady reputation as a revered canonical author, even while her books are simultaneously enjoyed as "chick lit." Jane Austen's growing fame is measured at fifty—year intervals: in 1825, 1875, 1925, 1975, and 2025.

In the semiquincentennial year of Jane Austen (1775-1817), she is arguably the best—known author in the English language after Shakespeare. However, this reputation was hard—won and was many years in the making.

This book traces Jane Austen’s ascenden...