Early in the twentieth century , scholars made a collection of her works ( the first for any British novelist ) . But it was not until the 1940s that Austen was widely accepted as a `` great English novelist '' . Early in the 20th century , scholars produced a carefully edited collection of her worksâ '' the first for any British novelistâ '' but it was not until the 1940s that Austen was widely accepted in academia as a `` great English novelist '' .