Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: The reception history of Jane Austen follows a path from modest fame to wild popularity ; her novels are both the subject of intense scholarly study and the center of a diverse fan culture .
Simplified: The reception history of Jane Austen shows how Austen 's works , at first having modest fame , became wildly popular . Her books are both the subject of great study and the center of various fan culture .