Jane Austen’s Relative Reveals Why the Beloved Author Still Resonates Today (Exclusive)
- - Jane Austen’s Relative Reveals Why the Beloved Author Still Resonates Today (Exclusive)
Carly Tagen-DyeDecember 28, 2025 at 12:00 AM
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Courtesy of Caroline Jane Knight; Stock Montage/Stock Montage/Getty
Caroline Jane Knight; Jane Austen -
Jane Austen was born 250 years ago on Dec. 16, 1775
Her fifth great-niece, Caroline Jane Knight, speaks with PEOPLE about why the beloved author still resonates with fans today
Knight honored her relative's legacy by founding the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation nonprofit in 2014
Jane Austen has always been a part of Caroline Jane Knight's life. As the beloved writer’s fifth great-niece, Knight grew up at Chawton House, the famed estate in Chawton, England owned by Austen’s brother Edward. Knight was constantly surrounded by reminders of Austen, browsing the same library and sitting at the same furniture as the writer. After the estate was sold and opened to the public, Knight saw people come from all over the world to celebrate the author too.“I actually had a constant exposure to Jane Austen lovers, and I knew very early on not only how special Jane was as a family member,” Knight tells PEOPLE.Preserving her relative’s legacy was why Knight founded the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation in 2014. The nonprofit organization works to spread literacy education to communities in need worldwide, and launched their North America branch in 2025.
“Within the Jane Austen community, and within anyone who's interested in women's literature, Jane Austen is much loved,” Knight says. “I think that we have an enormous opportunity to really expand our literacy impact.”
Courtesy of Caroline Jane Knight
Caroline Jane Knight speaking in 2025
But why does Austen still resonate with readers, scholars and fans, 250 years after her birth on Dec. 16, 1775? Knight credits the lasting impact of the author's stories, both on the page and beyond.
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“Jane has actually now grown into something that's bigger than her writing,” she says, noting the popularization of film and TV adaptations, like the 1995 version Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth. And in addition to the “talent” of Austen’s writing, her characters also remain relatable to through the centuries.“She draws characters that we all know, and therefore, that makes it timeless,” Knight says. “That is actually what she focuses on. She doesn't spend lots of words describing things. It's so focused on those interactions and the dynamics between the people and the power differences … That's a humanity thing, that's not a time-stamped thing.”
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Knight, also author of the memoir Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage, says that her favorite Austen novel has also changed over the years, though she’s "completely normal in my Jane Austen consumption.”
Courtesy of Caroline Jane Knight
Caroline Jane Knight with a Jane Austen statue in 2025
“When I was younger, it would've been Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice,” she says. “But as I get older, Persuasion, by far … I speak to thousands of Jane Austen lovers. That's quite normal, that Persuasion is one that you appreciate much more as you mature.”
Beyond the page, Knight also hopes to continue to celebrate Austen’s impact through her nonprofit’s work.
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. “What we really wanted to celebrate was that impact that Jane has today, and that extraordinarily diverse way in which she impacts people's lives,” she says.To learn more about the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, visit their website.
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