Janeite
Janeitism did not begin until after the publication of J. E. Austen-Leigh's "A Memoir of Jane Austen" in 1870, when the literary elite felt that they had to separate their appreciation of Austen from that of the masses. The term "Janeite" was originally coined by the literary scholar George Saintsbury in his 1894 introduction to a new edition of "Pride and Prejudice". As Austen scholar Deidre Lynch explains, "he meant to equip himself with a badge of honor he could jubilantly pin to his own lapel". In the early twentieth century, Janeitism was "principally a male enthusiasm shared among publishers, professors, and literati". Rudyard Kipling even published a short story entitled "The Janeites" about a group of World War I soldiers who were secretly fans of Austen's novels.
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman
While "Pride and Prejudice" does not mention actual dates for its events, the first three novels are set in a period starting in late 1811, based on dates shown in various letters between the characters. They reference historical events including the War of 1812 with the United States of America, the assassination of the British Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, the Luddite raids, and the Ratcliff Highway murders, referred to as having taken place in Wapping. Historical characters also appear, such as Beau Brummel and Lady Caroline Lamb. Austen's own first novel Sense and Sensibility, published in 1811, is obliquely referred to in the second novel, "Duty and Desire".