2017-07-19 Wed

On Jane Austen’s 200th death anniversary, a new £10 note has been made public. But as strange as it may sound, there is a quote from a conniving character from her novel that may bring a frown to Austen’s fans.

Famous writers like William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens too have been depicted on notes but among female writers, Austen becomes the first writer to be featured on a note. The Bank of England launched the note at Austen’s resting place; it also includes an image of the writer and one of her most beloved characters, Elizabeth Bennet. There are also illustrations of her writing table and her brother Edward Austen Knight’s home, Godmersham Park in Kent, thought to be a source of inspiration.

Austen’s fan might not approve of the quote taken from Pride and Prejudice – “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading”. Her fans won’t like the quote because it comes from Austen’s most deceitful characters Caroline Bingley, who has no interest in books. She is sidling up to Mr Darcy, whom she would like as a husband. He is reading a book, so she sits next to him and pretends to read alongside him.

The Bank of England’s governor, Mark Carney, explained why Austen was chosen – and the technical aspects of the notes. He said: Austen’s novels have a universal appeal as they were liked by people then and are adored now too. Speaking about the note, he said, the new £10 will be printed on polymer, making it safer, stronger and cleaner. The note will also include a new tactile feature on the £10 to help the visually impaired, ensuring the nation’s money is as inclusive as possible. It joins the Churchill £5 in the first family of polymer UK bank notes; a £20 note featuring JMW Turner will follow in 2020.

The bank states that the £10 is very difficult to counterfeit as it has strong security features. It is expected to last at least two-and-a-half times longer than paper £10 notes.

The new tactile feature is a series of raised dots in the top left-hand corner, developed in conjunction with the RNIB, the charity that lends supports to blind people. This is in addition to the elements already incorporated in UK banknotes for visually impaired people: the tiered sizing, bold numerals, raised print and differing colour palettes.

Austen fans will have to live by the idiom “patience is a virtue” as the note will be issued on 14th September, but will be made public in the following week.

The Bank hopes featuring Austen will help it counter accusations of sexism for not featuring more women on notes. Austen, who wrote keenly about money, might have been interested in research from Aviva claiming that the £10 pound note has a relative purchasing power of only 13p compared with what it could buy in 1817.