Charles Darwin's frown, complete with the flowing beard of a Biblical patriarch, is being replaced on UK £10 notes. Mervyn King, outgoing governor of the Bank of England, nominated Jane Austen, celebrated author of "Pride and Prejudice" and "Mansfield Park", on Tuesday. Austen's name did not come out of the governor's hat by chance: the proposal is meant to be an attempt to throw water on the ever-burning fire of complaints about the scarce presence of female historical figures – except of course the Queen – on British banknotes. To understand how hot the topic is, just think that when the Bank of England recently announced that by 2016 the portrait of the social reformer Florence Nightingale, printed on the back of the 5 pound notes, will be replaced by that of Winston Churchill, a chorus of protests arose: 30.000 people signed an online petition for the banknote to remain unchanged and a task force of 46 lawyers drafted a document asking the Bank to reconsider the decision, insinuating a violation of equal rules opportunity. Mervyn King defended himself by saying that "it is extremely unlikely that we are in the situation of not having female historical figures on our banknotes". And he also revealed that Austen's image has already been used for two years on "reserve banknotes", a sort of shadow system of banknotes in regular circulation, which constitutes a test bed for innovations and changes. “Jane Austen is quietly waiting in the wings,” King said. And we imagine you observe the dispute with the aplomb and subtle irony that distinguish her novels.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/world/view/jane-austen-may-become-new-face-on-britains-10-pound-bill
