Do Men Read Jane Austen?

Like millions of other readers around the world, I enjoy reading Jane Austen. The only problem? I’m a guy. Now I cannot be the only male fan of Austen’s work, but it certainly feels that way.  I’m 19 year old, college sophomore, who enjoys playing sports, watching movies, and hanging out with friends. I’m not supposed to read Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion. As a student in college, I know that men don’t read chick lit, or if you’re like me, you do and don’t tell anyone. The stereotypical Pride and Prejudice enthusiast is a woman. And like most stereotypes, I think this is a little off-base. Sure, the majority of Austen addicts are female, but there has to be quite a few male readers as well. I feel that sometimes perceptions take the place of reality. But then I received a message from a facebook stalker (whom I had never met), who saw that some of my favorite books were Jane Austen novels. She could not believe her eyes, and she wanted to verify that Pride and Prejudice really was one of my favorites. This message really started to make me wonder. How many men do read Jane Austen? I’m I really such an anomaly? So now I ask, how many men (if any) do you know who enjoy reading Jane Austen?

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