4 November 2013
A biographer of Jane Austen has accused the Bank of England of making the author look "dim-witted" in its choice of portrait for the new £10 note.
"Jane Austen is the funniest writer to walk this planet, and she's been made to look dim-witted," said Paula Byrne author of The Real Jane Austen.
"I can't believe they have gone for such a saccharine picture. Jane Austen was a supreme social satirist, and some of her writing was quite dark, but they've chosen a picture that makes her look a really cosy, middle-class writer."