The reception history of Jane Austen follows a path from modest fame to wild popularity; her novels are both the subject of intense scholarly study and the centre of a diverse fan culture. Austen, the author of such works as Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Emma (1815), is one of the best-known and widely read novelists in the English language. During her lifetime, Austen's novels brought her little personal fame; like many women writers, she published anonymously. At the time they were published, her works were considered fashionable by members of high society but received few positive reviews. By the mid-19th century, her novels were admired by members of the literary elite, but it was not until the 1940s that Austen was widely accepted in academia as a "great English novelist". The second half of the 20th century saw a proliferation of scholarship exploring artistic, ideological and historical aspects of her works. As of the early 21st century, Austen fandom supports an industry of printed sequels and prequels as well as television and film adaptations, which started with the 1940 Pride and Prejudice and includes the 2004 Bollywood-style production Bride and Prejudice.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reception_history_of_Jane_Austen

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1547:

Nine-year-old Edward VI became the first Protestant ruler of England, during whose reign Protestantism was established for the first time in the country with reforms that included the abolition of clerical celibacy and the mass. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VI_of_England

1821:

Alexander Island, the largest island of Antarctica, was discovered by Russian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Island

1922:

Snowfall from the biggest recorded snowstorm in Washington, D.C. history caused the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre to collapse, killing 98 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickerbocker_Theatre_(Washington,_D.C.)

1933:

Choudhry Rahmat Ali published a pamphlet entitled "Now or Never" in which he called for the creation of a Muslim state in northwest India that he termed "Pakstan". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_Declaration

1982:

After having been kidnapped by the Italian Red Brigade 42 days earlier, General James L. Dozier of the United States Army was freed by the anti-terrorist force NOCS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_L._Dozier

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

penumbra: A partially shaded area around the edges of a shadow, especially an eclipse. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/penumbra

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

To a poet, silence is an acceptable response, even a flattering one. --Colette https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Colette