In the minds of fans and scholars alike, Jane Austen has never grown old. Now more than ever, Jane Austen is a presence in pop culture - a major accomplishment for someone who published her books anonymously all her life. Who was Jane Austen? We have only a couple of sketches and letters to tell us about her,but from this slim thread hangs a library's worth of speculation, including countless Hollywood interpretations of her life and her books.