New York Times Literary Treat of the Week........

Harman, Claire. Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered The World. Henry Holt.

In this last decade the popularity of Jane Austen's works has been at an all-time high. Yet when the novelist died in July 1817 at age 41 she almost disappeared into literary oblivion. Harman tells how an inaccurate yet persuasive biography by Austen's nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh in 1867 revived interest in both the author and her works. The "Janeite" cult of the late nineteenth century rivaled any present fans of Austen in wanting to know every detail of her craft and England during her lifetime. A biographer of various literary giants including Robert Louis Stevenson, Harman also echoes the view that Austen's technique paved the way for the modern novel in English literature. Some have disagreed, including Mark Twain who cared neither for Austen's style nor her novels.