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I'm Jace Lay Cobb, and you're listening to Masterpiece Studio.

December 16, 2025 marks a special day in the world of arts and culture, and particularly

in the literary domain,

a red-letter day. It marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen. Austin holds a special

place in the pantheon of literary gods, one of the most celebrated writers of our age who only

achieved modest success in her lifetime. However, her popularity and influence have skyrocketed

since then. A small joke, and possibly an apocryphal one, when asked if he read novels,

British philosopher Gilbert Ryle is alleged to have replied, oh yes, all six every year.

Those devoted to Jane Austen, including those superfans who might call

themselves Janeites, know immediately that Ryle is referring to the six published novels that

Austin wrote during her life, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Emma, Northanger

Abbey, and Mansfield Park. Author Jill Hornby explains the alchemy of Austin's novels.

If you put four or six or eight people together in a house, bring them up together and then

turn them into adults, you will get everything. Love, drama, warfare, real warfare,

you know, romance and the inevitable humor.

...