Original: Author and critic Leslie Stephen described a mania that started to develop for Austen in the 1880s as "Austenolatry" â "it was only after the publication of the Memoir that readers developed a personal connection with Austen.
Simplified: Writer and critic Leslie Stephen described a mania for Austen that grew in the 1880s as "Austenolatry". It was only after the the Memoir was printed that readers grew to like Austen as a person.