Jane Austen ‘quote’ on the new £10 note isn’t what it seems – and people aren’t happy
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death, the Bank of England has put her portrait on its new plastic £10 note.
#OTD d. Jane Austen (1775-1817), writer. In honour of the 200th anniversary of her death, her image on the new £10 note will be unveiled. pic.twitter.com/ViEBurTkgz
— The Long Victorian (@longvictorian2) July 18, 2017
Except the quote they have used …
“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!”
… wasn’t actually spoken by Austen, and the character who said it (in Pride and Prejudice) was one of her most obnoxious creations who didn’t actually mean it anyway.
Is it too late for a refund?
Dear news:that J Austen"quote"about joy of reading on the new tenner is uttered by 1 of her most obnoxious characters-Ironically it's ironic
— Samira Ahmed (@SamiraAhmedUK) July 18, 2017
I can't believe they used a Caroline Bingley quote on the Jane Austen tenner I'm #triggered
— Ellis Keating (@ellismkeating) July 18, 2017
That always makes me uneasy, quoting a fictional character as if they *must* represent the author’s view.
— David Llewellyn (@TheDaiLlew) July 18, 2017
Everything about way B of Eng chose image"e on Jane Austen note is a joke. Like a bunch of bankers who don’t read did a google cut&paste
— Samira Ahmed (@SamiraAhmedUK) July 18, 2017
I find the #janeausten200 saga extremely telling. In their haste to get a woman on the banknote they chose a quote that's utterly tone-deaf pic.twitter.com/SxySfyk4z7
— Madeline Grant (@Madz_Grant) July 18, 2017
nothing more annoying today than the Jane Austen quote on the bank note ffs can no one do anything right even a good intended thing
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) July 18, 2017
Caroline Bingley declares there's 'no enjoyment like reading' – and then immediately puts her book down. Austen is always misunderstood.
— Imogen Blake (@ImogenGBlake) July 18, 2017
After this #janeausten note debacle, no Brit can ever again have a poke at Alanis Morissette https://t.co/E5dXJAjkKV
— Caroline Frost (@FrostReporter) July 18, 2017
You can read all about it in this Guardian piece here.
The Jane Austen quote on the new £10 note about loving reading comes from one of her characters, who didn't mean it. https://t.co/zAIIRjoek2 pic.twitter.com/BBCnmZxURs
— Alan White (@aljwhite) July 18, 2017
“The trouble is that these words are spoken by one of Austen’s most deceitful characters, a woman who has no interest in books at all: Caroline Bingley.
“She is sidling up to Mr Darcy, whom she would like to hook as a husband, and pretending that she shares his interests. He is reading a book, so she sits next to him and pretends to read one too.”
Maybe it’s because there are just so few memorable Jane Austen quotes to choose from.
Oh, hang on.
Jane Austen's Persuasion… one of her greatest and most romantic novels.#janeausten200 #quote pic.twitter.com/YHrYt8AEsJ
— Morgan Wright (@byMorganWright) July 18, 2017
Celebrate #janeausten200 by stitching this Jane Austen quote from Crazy issue 219! #crossstitch #crossstitching #prideandprejudice xx pic.twitter.com/o6lERgxwYb
— Cross Stitch Crazy (@Crazy_magazine) July 18, 2017
My favourite Jane Austen quote, pinned on the corkboard over my desk. #janeausten200 pic.twitter.com/1Qx2iTPEfx
— Eliza Shearer (@Eliza_Shearer_) July 18, 2017
"There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart." — Jane Austen #MondayMotivation #Quote pic.twitter.com/VfMQ13PPBK
— BiceOp (@BiceOp) July 18, 2017
The only thing more annoying about that Jane Austen £10 note quote is the number of people pretending they knew why it was inaccurate before
— Jonathan (@Jonnythan93) July 18, 2017
I see the new Jane Austen is a woman too. More PC madness! I for one will be boycotting British tenners in protest. pic.twitter.com/oyWPX6YS9t
— Damien Owens (@OwensDamien) July 18, 2017