Your online source for Jane Austen and her legacy
Did you know that a phaeton was one of the most dangerous carriages used in the Georgian and Regency period? Its tall design and overall lightness made it vulnerable to tipping, and may be one of the reasons why Jane Austen chose to use it in the carriage accident scene in her early novel Love... Continue Reading →
Gentle Readers, please do not be fooled! Neatly tucked into this slim volume are nine short stories entitled "Intimations of Austen", and not "Imitations of Austen", which on first glance at the thin and fluid type face on the cover stopped me cold! To imitate Jane Austen would be only a forgery! I am happy to... Continue Reading →
"Jane's got more adoring female fans than Brad Pitt, and my guess is they're more intelligent too!" Terrence Hill Given the choice of reading Pride and Prejudice or watching a football game, which do you think the average all American male would choose? If this is a no brainer, you have recognized the male/female divide... Continue Reading →
But now that I am free, I have no wish to experience any of those things. All that I want is to be of use, to have a purpose. To have something to do that would make a difference. But will I be let? No. My elder sisters and their grand husbands will descend upon... Continue Reading →
When I read the advance publicity on Pemberley Remembered, author Mary Lydon Simonsen's debut novel about love, war and Pride and Prejudice, I was intrigued by the concept of three different romantic storylines interconnected through one hundred and fifty years of English history. Add to that a mystery involving the inspiration of Austen's famous characters... Continue Reading →
"We are happy to see Edward, it was an unexpected pleasure, & he makes himself as agreeable as ever, sitting in such a quiet comfortable way making his delightful little sketches." Jane Austen to Caroline Austen, 23 January 1817Â What 'CAN' a loyal Janeite begin to say about a book whose creation involved so much... Continue Reading →
Cassy felt tears sting her eyes; she had always felt responsible for her young brother, especially because he had been born when everyone was still grieving for their beloved William. They had all treasured Julian, yet he did not appear to have grown into the role he was expected to play. There was a great... Continue Reading →
Have you ever read a totally unfavorable book review so full of acrimony that it left you wondering if you would have the same reaction? I have and am often hooked into trying out a book to see if I agree. So when I read a collection of reviews gathered at the Austenfans website against... Continue Reading →
"To sit in the shade on a fine day, and look upon verdure, is the most perfect refreshment." Fanny Price, Mansfield Park It seems quite fitting that a quote from Jane Austen's character Fanny Price, who is an astute observer of natural beauty, should open this book with such a succinct statement expressing her delight... Continue Reading →
From the desk of Ellen Moody: Catherine, at any rate, heard enough to feel that in suspecting General Tilney of either murdering or shutting up his wife, she had scarcely sinned against his character, or magnified his cruelty" The Narrator, Chapter 30Â Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey is the novel that almost wasn't. We know from... Continue Reading →
It is believed that Jane Austen wrote many of her first works for the entertainment of her family and would read them aloud for their opinions and enjoyment. It is not hard to imagine that Northanger Abbey was presented to her family in this manner. The language and phrasing lends itself so freely to the... Continue Reading →
The true misfortune, which besets any young lady who believes herself destined for fortune and favour, is to find that she has been born into an unsuitable family. Lydia Bennet of Longbourn, Hertfordshire, not only believed that her mama and papa had most likely stolen her from noble parents, but also considered it a small... Continue Reading →
