why are some authors such as Jane Austen or Edgar Allen Poe appreciated years after their time and not during?

Answer 1

Most authors of note are appreciated in their own time - that's how their writings get published, and then distributed widely enough for them to persist through time. But, as in most things, subsequent generations forget or miss them in the tornado of contemporary productions and events. And then they are rediscovered by another generation (especially after their works are beyond royalties!) and that generation, like all others, believes it has discovered them, and love, and everything else, for the first time. As an old feller now I've grown beyond irritation over ignorance, and settle for a chuckle - and the comforting thought that we all live again, for good or ill, in those subsequent generations who joyfully re-invent the wheel, and find the sun rises in the morning. I spent much of my lifetime finding great old neglected books in Library stacks and used book shops. Sadly now, most libraries, being short of funds and space, discard anything not regularly borrowed, and I'm running out of space to scavenge them. It's a tragedy. It's like destroying the great library of Alexandria, over and over again. Ho hum. The Vandal hordes are always on the wing. Range wide, and see if you can beat 'em.

Answer 2

During the times the works are written, the author may face many prejudices and critics. Austen was a woman, and during her time it was considered wrong for a woman to write. As far as Poe goes, I'm not sure, but his problem was probably that his works are very dark and that was not socially acceptable during that time period.
It's just like artists who live in poverty and don't sell a single painting their entire life, but become famous after death and their paintings sell for millions each.

Answer 3

Actually, Edgar Allan Poe was not that successful an author during his lifetime. His talents were overlooked until he won a short-story contest in Baltimore with "MS Found in a Bottle." After that, he wrote for magazines in earnest, but he still spent most of his life poor, drinking too much, arguing with his editors, and therefore going from job to job.

I think a lot of people are equally fascinated by his life as they are with his work. I don't blame them!

Answer 4

Well, I can't answer for Poe, but Austen's problem was that she was a woman. Publishers flat out refused to publish her work for a good ten years. When she tried again under J.A. (I believe) publishers were more willing to take her work seriously. Her books were a hit while she was alive, but it was only after her death that her brother told the public who the authors of the books really were.

Answer 5

As for Jane Austen, she wrote her books as an anonymous writer. You can't appreciate a person when you have no idea what they did.

Answer 6

Emily Dickinson--poet

Answer 7

It's all about the concept of conformity. Both of those writers, especially demonstrated moving against the current. "Insurgents" like those are suppressed. Then there's always tradition which is difficult to change. That's as simple as it gets, the answer is conformity.