Jane's Fame - How Jane Austen Conquered the World

Jane's Fame is a story of personal struggle, family intrigue, accident, advocacy and sometimes surprising neglect - as well as a history of changing public tastes and critical practices. In a wide-ranging study aimed at the general reader, Claire Harman traces the growth of Jane Austen's fame, the changing status of her work and what it has stood for. Starting with Austen's early experience as an author (and addressing her difficulties getting published and her determination to succeed), Harman unfolds the story of how her estate was handled by her family. She goes on to explore the swell of public interest in Austen in the last two decades of the nineteenth century, her emergence as a classic English author in the twentieth century, the critical wars that erupted as a result and, lastly, her powerful influence on contemporary phenomena such as chick-lit, romantic comedy, the heritage industry and film. Part biography and part cultural history, Jane's Fame is more than a fascinating story - it is essential reading for anyone interested in Austen's life, works and remarkably potent fame....