Jane Austen has firmly joined Shakespeare not just as a canonical figu

I went back and forth between A and E in this question

A) Jane Austen has firmly joined Shakespeare not just as a canonical figure but also as a symbol of literature itself—the hazel-eyed woman in the mobcap as iconic now as the balding man in the doublet.
I think this looks ok, but ı couldn't figure out what kind of a modifier is the part after dash. I believe that it is an abstract appositive, but ı am unsure.
Also ı am not sure whether we can use noun+as as + noun without a verb. So expert views are much appreciated

B) Jane Austen is as firm a canonical figure as a symbol of literature itself, like Shakespeare; the hazel-eyed woman in the mobcap and the balding man in the doublet are both iconic.
placement of like Shakespeare is shaky. Though this not a total catastrophe, placement of this comparison would be nicer had it been next to noun it modifies, Jane Austen.

C) Jane Austen, the hazel-eyed woman in the mobcap, and Shakespeare, the balding man in the doublet, have firmly joined together as a canonical figure and a symbol of literature.
Meaning issue "they joined together as" seems like they got together.Whereas the intended meaning is that Jane Austin joined Shakespeare as an iconic character in literature

D) Jane Austen is as iconic as Shakespeare; the hazel-eyed woman in the mobcap and the balding man in the doublet are not only firmly joined as canonical figures but as symbols of literature itself.
similar meaning issue as in C. Also ı "they are joined" implies that some third party made them join together

E) Jane Austen has firmly joined Shakespeare not only as a canonical figure but also as a symbol of literature—the hazel-eyed woman in the mobcap has been becoming as iconic now as the balding man in the doublet.
This doesn't look bad IMO. Though "has been becoming" is a little bit strange. "has become" could have been better.

Present perfect continuous is generally used to describe actions or states of being that are both ongoing and uninterrupted (i.e. continuous). It sometimes refers to an action that has just ended. It is also often paired with measurements of time.

"I have been waiting for you to respond to my post."
"He has been working in the garden all day."
"The boss is mad at him because he has been missing so much work."

Depending on the meaning one may derive using past perfect and past perfect continuous can make sense.Because one can say that Jane Austen is still taking/consolidating its place in literature. Shakespeare is older and far more renowned. I don't know maybe ı am creating a convoluted story, ı am not the literature expert