Friday, July 26, 2013

Overcoming obduracy...







Jane Austen on £10 notes. Photo: Bank of England.

Sense and Sensibility overcomes Pride and Prejudice, said Emma, presumably from Mansfield Park. One Page In A Library of Millions comments that it is good to see 'Google celebrating the birthday of Rosalind Elsie Franklin' and mentions the 'women on banknote' saga; today we learn that the campaign won in the end: "Jane Austen is to appear on the new £10 note. Most people would agree that she is in the top division of English authors, so it’s a shame that, rather than being celebrated as a novelist, she has now been chosen as a woman, rather less of an accomplishment." [The Spectator], my emphasis.

2 comments:

Paul said...

Welcome back! I have to say that the wording of the e-petition had its heart in the right place but it is, as you emphasise, a sad sign of the times.

If we had to choose a woman novelist I would have gone for Mary Anne Evans - better known as George Eliot but I think that in these open, metrosexual, new Prince just born, times a woman called George might have caused some confusion.

Span Ows said...

Thanks Paul.

LOL, very good.