View all New York Times newsletters. Is that because Kafka, the alienated Czech Jew, is perceived to be apocalyptic, yet the provincial spinster “Jane” cannot possibly be that? By personalizing Jane Austen, and trying to make the world of her novels continuous with our own, we denigrate her seriousness. For which reason, Jane Austen will bend all likelihood to ensure a happy outcome. She is Jane Austen, a novelist of unfamiliar and uncomfortable genius.

Source: New York Times July 19, 2017 14:35 UTC