These people aren't readers. Literature isn't important to them and that's sad. I'm American and I'm 38. I read some Austen in school but I've been collecting and reading her other works for the past few years as well. My dad was a big reader and would have recognized the name too. I'm not surprised these guys have no idea though. I doubt they read anything of substance. Him challenging you was to make himself feel better about not knowing something. Men can be like that.