Austen image may appear on UK notes
Source: Agencies |
June 26, 2013, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
AUTHOR Jane Austen is "waiting in the wings" to become the next famous Briton to be honored on the country's bank notes, outgoing Bank of England governor Mervyn King said.
The writer of 19th century classics such as "Pride & Prejudice," "Sense & Sensibility" and "Emma" is already a "reserve" figure whose image could be a clear candidate to replace that of naturalist Charles Darwin on the 10-pound note when his time is up, King said yesterday.
The announcement potentially defuses criticism of a future lack of female figures on the currency, which have been leveled at the central bank since it said in April that wartime leader Winston Churchill would feature on the 5-pound note from 2016, replacing prison reformer Elizabeth Fry.
Churchill and Darwin will complement economist Adam Smith and steam engine inventors Matthew Boulton and James Watt to complete the all-male line-up - other than the image of Queen Elizabeth on the overleaf.
The monarch is on one side of each of Britain's four denominations of bank notes, while celebrated Britons take their turn for 10 to 20-year stints on the other side.
Austen would be a well-known and likely popular choice. Her novels of romance among the Regency gentry, spiced with sharp social comment, still regularly feature on bestseller and literature course reading lists, and have spawned numerous period-drama TV shows and film adaptations.
Historical women figures should be chosen as individuals rather than for their gender, King said.
"One thing which we are quite determined to avoid is any suggestion that the 5-pound note in some sense be reserved for women," he said.
The writer of 19th century classics such as "Pride & Prejudice," "Sense & Sensibility" and "Emma" is already a "reserve" figure whose image could be a clear candidate to replace that of naturalist Charles Darwin on the 10-pound note when his time is up, King said yesterday.
The announcement potentially defuses criticism of a future lack of female figures on the currency, which have been leveled at the central bank since it said in April that wartime leader Winston Churchill would feature on the 5-pound note from 2016, replacing prison reformer Elizabeth Fry.
Churchill and Darwin will complement economist Adam Smith and steam engine inventors Matthew Boulton and James Watt to complete the all-male line-up - other than the image of Queen Elizabeth on the overleaf.
The monarch is on one side of each of Britain's four denominations of bank notes, while celebrated Britons take their turn for 10 to 20-year stints on the other side.
Austen would be a well-known and likely popular choice. Her novels of romance among the Regency gentry, spiced with sharp social comment, still regularly feature on bestseller and literature course reading lists, and have spawned numerous period-drama TV shows and film adaptations.
Historical women figures should be chosen as individuals rather than for their gender, King said.
"One thing which we are quite determined to avoid is any suggestion that the 5-pound note in some sense be reserved for women," he said.
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