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The New Jane Austen 'Tenner' Has An Error On It

The New Jane Austen 'Tenner' Has An Error On It

Nothing like a big build up leading to disappointment.

Michael Minay

Michael Minay

Just like the fiver, the £10 note in the UK has had an alteration. Gone is the old paper-style, and in comes the new, shiny polymer.

Charles Darwin has also been dumped, and Jane Austen has come in, with the move being met with a bit of pride and, erm, prejudice.

Jane Austen is one of the world's most celebrated authors, breaking boundaries and writing several famous books - you probably had to read one for educational purposes in school.

On the new tenner is the phrase: "I declare after all there is no enjoyment but reading." Yes, it's a line penned by Austen, but it's not actually her own quote.

Credit: PA

Instead, it's spoken by one of her characters, Caroline Bingley. Bingley, a character in arguably Austen's most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, is famed among fans of the author's work for being the complete opposite to everything she stood for as an academic and a woman.

Many have blasted the Bank of England for the move, with many saying that it failed to properly do its research.

One person wrote on Twitter: "You know what's a great idea, using a Caroline Bingley quote to celebrate Jane Austen - said no one ever."

Others were equally outraged.



On the flip side, some have said that the quote was a tribute to Austen's dry wit and cutting observations of the human character.

Chairman of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, responded: "It's two things - it captures much of her spirit, that is the quote, you can read it straight, there is no enjoyment like reading, and we agree with that.

"If you know her work, you can enjoy the irony of that, it draws out some of the aspects of her social satire. It works on many levels."

One line that has been bounced in retaliation by Austen fans is from her novel, Northanger Abbey, which said: "The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid."

Credit: PA

Austen was selected by the Bank of England as a figure who "merits a place in the select group of historical figures to appear on our bank notes," Carney said last year.

Austen, who died in 1817 at the age of 41, penned six major novels, often exploring the dependence of women and marriage in favour of social standing and economic security.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Money, UK