Jane Austen’s fiction is enduring and accessible, says British Deputy High Commissioner

Through wit and subtle social critique, Jane Austen interrogated societal roles and expectations, creating characters that are rich, diverse and psychologically nuanced. She was far ahead of her time, not only as a novelist but also as a woman writer, c said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the inaugural session of a one-day national seminar on ‘Jane Austen @ 250’ at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) here, he noted that her works appeal equally to young readers and mature audiences, which make her literature both accessible and enduring.

MANUU Vice-Chancellor Syed Ainul Hasan said Austen, through the values and memorable characters she created, have left an enduring legacy. He described her novel Pride & Prejudice as a zenith of romantic fiction and added that she initiated literary criticism much earlier than many formal English critics and noted that Indian literary, academic and theatrical traditions, particularly during the 1990s, drew significantly from British literary heritage.