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Revisiting Jane Austen With Brian McCuskey & Mattie Burkert On Thursday's Access Utah

CNN.com

Some 200 years after her death, Jane Austen's books are still widely read and loved. Many film adaptations and spin-offs such as 'Pride, Prejudice and Zombies' are also adored by many. The BBC said this about Austen.

"Jane Austen died in 1817, when she was just 41. But in her short life, she exerted more of a lasting influence on British literature and culture than many of her peers who lived twice as long.

Her six major novels take a critical and often humorous look at life in the late 1700s. The tales of life, and love, are filled with irony, and a sense of realism about the era and the characters she wrote about.

Two centuries after her untimely demise, her life and work is being remembered by those who love her novels and want to mark her influence."

We're joined this morning by USU Associate Professor of English, Brian McCuskey, and USU Assistant Professor of English, Mattie Burkert, to discuss what made Austen's writing so great, and why some people such as Mark Twain strongly disliked her books, as part of our favorite book series.  

Tom Williams worked as a part-time UPR announcer for a few years and joined Utah Public Radio full-time in 1996. He is a proud graduate of Uintah High School in Vernal and Utah State University (B. A. in Liberal Arts and Master of Business Administration.) He grew up in a family that regularly discussed everything from opera to religion to politics. He is interested in just about everything and loves to engage people in conversation, so you could say he has found the perfect job as host “Access Utah.” He and his wife Becky, live in Logan.