Jane Austen is famous for her six novels, including Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Her work is known for its social commentary, realism, wit, and irony.

In many ways Dickens was the forerunner of the modern celebrity author, and in his time he was universally known, loved and celebrated. He traveled extensively on the Continent and visited America twice. The last several years of his life were spent delivering wildly popular dramatic readings of his written works.