Your online source for Jane Austen and her legacy
"Be satisfied," said he, "I will not raise any outcry. I will keep my ill-humour to myself. I have a very sincere interest in Emma. Isabella does not seem more my sister; has never excited a greater interest; perhaps hardly so great. There is an anxiety, a curiosity in what one feels for Emma. I... Continue Reading →
"A comparison (of Elizabeth Gaskell) to Jane Austen for its combination of humor and moral judgment in the observation of character and conduct is often made, not unjustly, though Mrs. Gaskell's canvas is larger than Austen's bit of ivory." Edgar Wright Victorian author Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) has been said to have a "wit to challenge... Continue Reading →
Congratulations and hello Amy P.! You are the lucky winner of Rebecca Anne Collins' book Pemberley Chronicles in our give-away, so please e-mail us for your prize! Cheers Laurel Ann
WIN A FREE COPY OF CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT Today is the official release date for the paperback edition of one of my favorite Austen-esque novels, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler. Hurrah! You can read a synopsis of the book here. This novel received a most ‘favourable'... Continue Reading →
"I lay it down as a general rule, Harriet, that if a woman doubts as to whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him. If she can hesitate as to "'Yes,'" she ought to say "'No'" directly. It is not a state to be safely entered into with doubtful... Continue Reading →
"Upon my word," said her ladyship, "you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person. Pray, what is your age?" "With three younger sisters grown up," replied Elizabeth smiling, "your ladyship can hardly expect me to own it." Lady Catherine seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer; and Elizabeth suspected... Continue Reading →
"And-oh yes-there was a Miss Bates; just an old maid runnin' about like a hen with 'er 'ead cut off, an' her tongue loose at both ends. I've got an aunt like 'er. Good as gold-but, you know." Humberstall, Janeites, Rudyard Kipling, (1924) Did any gentle readers catch My Boy Jack on Masterpiece Classic... Continue Reading →
"There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not my nature. Isabella Thorpe, Northanger Abbey, Chapter 6 Jane Austen's character Isabella Thorpe is a strange creature by way of a friend; an odd mixture of affability and cunning,... Continue Reading →
"Four years you have been engaged?" said she with a firm voice. "Yes; and Heaven knows how much longer we may have to wait. Poor Edward! It puts him quite out of heart." Then taking a small miniature from her pocket, she added, "To prevent the possibility of mistake, be so good as to look... Continue Reading →
"I shall divide every moment between music and reading. I have formed my plan, and am determined to enter on a course of serious study. Our own library is too well known to me, to be resorted to for anything beyond mere amusement. But there are many works well worth reading, at the Park; and... Continue Reading →
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: 18th and 19th century primogeniture and marriage laws in England were very complicated, even for those who lived in the era. Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility is fueled by legal issues that are puzzling to our 21st-century sensibilities. It was a serious business however, impacting many lives. When... Continue Reading →
"You are mistaken, Elinor," said she warmly, "in supposing I know very little of Willoughby. I have not known him long indeed, but I am much better acquainted with him, than I am with any other creature in the world, except yourself and mama. It is not time or opportunity that is to determine intimacy:... Continue Reading →
