It is a truth almost universally acknowledged that a woman in possession of time and inclination must be in want of a book to read.
And now 200 years after the first publication of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, a literary expert has uncovered some of the secrets behind the female passion for reading.
Professor Helen Taylor, of the University of Exeter, conducted an in-depth study on the reading habits and experiences of women – from those who read classics to cereal packets.
The arts and culture fellow interviewed more than 900 people to find out how and why women read books, and how they read differently to men.
Prof Taylor said: "You press a button and women will talk about their reading. Men will read the book, but they don't have that kind of emotional connection with it.
"We (women) do often identify with certain kinds of female characters in fiction."
The literature market is dominated by women, who buy 80% of all fiction sold and more books than men in every category other than history and biography.
"For women reading is a communal activity," Prof Taylor said.
"We share books, join reading groups, flock to literal festivals and write to writers. We really are the main market and are passionate about it."
She added: "For women, reading is about going on a journey of feeling, whether or not the book ends happily.
"Women move towards other women and share their experiences with one-another."
Last weekend Professor Taylor was among a number of the UK's leading literature and history academics talking at Bristol Women's Literature Festival about the role of women writers and their place in the literary canon.
Despite some of their market domination, research in 2010 found that only 38% of the writers nominated for the Booker prize were women and 70% of the winners of the Costa Novel of the Year were male.
"But interestingly celebrity book clubs such as Oprah's and Richard and Judy's are now choosing women writers more and more," Prof Taylor said. "Women writers are writing for women."
As sales of Pride and Prejudice have soared in excess of 20 million, the Jane Austen Centre in Bath continues to attract around 60,000 visitors per year – an estimated 80% of whom are women.
A spokesman said: "The audience is predominantly female. We do find that boyfriends or husbands are brought along kicking and screaming – often in military uniform – but in the end they seem to enjoy it."
Anybody interested in sharing their reading experiences with Prof Taylor should email helen.taylor@exeter.ac.uk
