Austen could only improve it.

Speaking of Shakespeare, I've been spending some time in Washington D.C., and the Metro is plastered with ads for the Folger Library's "The Wonder of Will: 400 Years of Shakespeare" celebration. The centerpiece of the event is, of course, the First Folio, but I'm far more interested in this: "Will & Jane: Shakespeare, Austen, and the Cult of Celebrity". The actual connection seems a little tenuous (they're both famous English writers, but so are a lot of other people), but whatever: I'm still sorry I won't be in D.C. to see it.