Brits 'having a ball' in Jane Austen's words

Bath - Ballgowns are being stitched, bonnets brushed and tea rooms prepped as the United Kingdom prepares to celebrate the 250th birthday of beloved literary icon Jane Austen.

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Quite how the author, born in the small Hampshire village of Steventon on 16 December, 1775, has managed to entice and enchant readers for more than two centuries in an ever-changing world remains a mystery.

Who would have thought that quotes from her six novels and pages of writings would adorn T-shirts and badges in the 21st century? And not just in the UK, for the author who wrote of love and manners in the early 19th century has inspired fans around the world and her writings remain just as fresh and relevant today.

"Her novels are really concerned with wider moral issues," said Kathryn Sutherland, an Austen researcher and professor at the University of Oxford.