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Caroline Knight

I don't want to pry into the lives of the Austen descendants. Caroline Knight however is worthy of note in the Austen community and has made her connection with Austen public. Caroline, a successful business woman, is Jane Austen's great niece (5 generations removed) and grew up in the ancestral home of Jane's brother Edward at Chawton House.  

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In 2014, Caroline founded the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation along with Mercia Chapman, president of the Jane Austen Society of Melbourne. The Foundation is run entirely by volunteers and donations made to the charity are directed to partner charities supporting literacy programs in the country of donation and the developing world, including UNICEF and Australian Numeracy & Literacy Foundation. 

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Caroline states herself that "Jane herself was an advocate for education and I am sure she would approve of her legacy being used to help teach children to read and write."

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You can find out more about the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation here: http://janeaustenlf.org/ [accessed 14th October 2016]

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In June 2014, Caroline released a book entitled Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage, talking about how difficult it was to leave her home at Chawton House and how she fled the pain of the memories. She also discusses the attention received for being a relation to Jane Austen and the embracing of her Austen heritage. 

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