Since her novels were all published anonymously, they brought her little recognition. However, people were still talking about her writing. She received very few published reviews, but those that she did were short but positive. Her novel, Emma, was noted in "The New Monthly Magazine" in 1816, however the publishers decided not to include a review (Austen). 

Sir Walter Scott

Princess Charlotte Augusta was a huge fan of Jane Austen. She first read Sense and Sensibility when she was sixteen years old ("The Life of Princess Charlotte"). She talked a lot about Austen's novels in her social circle.   
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Sir Walter Scott, anonymously reviewed one of her novels, and then used the review to praise Austen's realism (Austen).

Princess Charlotte Augusta

Since Austen's works did not conform to either Romantic or Victorian expectations her books did not thrive during the nineteenth century. The works of Charles Dickens and George Eliot were more popular during this period. Though they were not considered bestsellers during this period, their sales did remain steady (Austen).

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In 1821, Richard Whately compared Austen's writing to that of Shakespeare and Homer, praising the dramtic qualities that her writing possessed (Austen).  However, Whately was not the first nor the last to compare her to Shakespeare.
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Richard Whately

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George Henrey Lewes, a philosopher and literary critic of the nineteenth century, also compared Austen's writing to that of Shakespeare. He saw the"appreciation of Austen's works as a mark of their cultural taste" (Austen). 
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The first books of criticism on Jane Austen and her novels were published at the end of the nineteenth century. An essay written by A. C. Bradley in 1911 is "generally regarded as the starting-point for the serious academic approach to Jane Austen" (Austen). One common comment about her writing is that it is filled with redeeming happiness (Markovitz). 

James Edward Austen-Leigh

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When her nephew, James Edward Austen-Leigh, published his book A Memoir of Jane Austen in 1869 she was presented to the world as "dear Aunt Jane." This sparked the reissue of her books in 1883, Illustrated editions of the novels followed soon after (Austen).
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First Edition published 1869