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.
Emma (1996 TV film)
Andrew Davies adapted Jane Austen's 1815 novel "Emma" for television. Previously, he was the screenwriter for the successful 1995 BBC TV serial "Pride and Prejudice" starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. Davies offered to adapt "Emma" for the BBC, but it had already commissioned Sandy Welch as screenwriter. Michael Wearing, BBC head of drama serials, stated "It was a very, very difficult situation. I had already commissioned Sandy Welch, one of our BBC writers, to do "Emma". We really were in a fix." In response, Davies and his team successfully made an offer to BBC's rival, ITV. "Pride and Prejudice"s entire production team reportedly joined Davies when he began adapting "Emma". It was his second adaptation of an Austen novel.