Dictionary

Janeite en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈd͡ʒeɪnaɪt/

Etymology

From Jane + -ite, coined by British critic and literary historian George Saintsbury in his introduction to Pride and Prejudice published in 1894 (see quotations at Janite).

Meanings

1. (derogatory, usually) A fan of the author Jane Austen, especially one without a background in literary criticism.
   • Unlike virtually all academic readers of Austen since the 1950s, Janeites in foxholes do not think Austen's novels are about courtship and marriage. 2010, Edward Copeland, Juliet McMaster, The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen, page 236:
   • All the Austen aficionados on my tour—or Janeites, as they call themselves—seem to be true fans of her writing who know the novels inside out. 2025 May 10, Jemima Kelly, “My week with Jane Austen”, in FT Weekend (Travel section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 7:
   • The 'regulated hatred' angle will work a treat. After all, Janeites don't want to hear about that sort of thing, because it's the opposite of what they adore in their heroine's writing. 2012, Henry Hitchings, “How to flummox a Janeite”, in Who's Afraid of Jane Austen: How to Talk About Books You Haven't Really Read:
   • “Every dam' thing about Jane [Austen] is remarkable to a pukka Janeite!” 1924, Rudyard Kipling, The Janeites:

Forms

Deriveds

Janeiteism

Synonyms

Austenite (fan of Jane Austen) · Austenian (fan of Jane Austen)