After Shakespeare, Jane Austen is the __(0)__ recognized literary igure today. In the past thirty years, there __(1)__ a seemingly endless stream of TV adaptations, ilms, books, and events __(2)__ to the English novelist. While not __(3)__ known in her own time, Austen’s novels became popular after 1869, and her reputation skyrocketed in the 20th century. Her novels, __(4)__ ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility’, are considered literary classics, bridging the gap between romance and realism. The 200th anniversary of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ __(5)__ in 2013 by the publication of dozens of books and there were Jane Austen gatherings and __(6)__ events across England and America. It’s hard to believe her six short novels are still bought in their millions. She has __(7)__ millions of people all over the world, not simply through the number of languages she has been translated into, but __(8)__ there is something in her work that readers connect with at once. What explains the continued popularity of Jane Austen and the handful of novels she wrote? Experts __(9)__ that it’s her creation of characters, the clever dialogue and the irony with which she writes that makes her stand __(10)__ from a number of writers. Making her novels work on different levels means people can take __(11)__ they need from them. We read her because we feel she understands us __(12)__ being born over two centuries ago