Simplify the following text for a Grade 7 native English-speaking person.
Original: American novelist Henry James , one member of this literary elite , referred to Austen several times with approval and on one occasion ranked her with Shakespeare , Cervantes , and Henry Fielding as among `` the fine painters of life '' .
Simplified: American novelist Henry James liked Austen . Once he said she was as great as Shakespeare , Cervantes , and Henry Fielding -- `` the fine painters of life '' .