Jane Austen Character Throwdown: Christmas Eve Guests

It did not surprise me that Fanny Dashwood won the most votes to receive a lump of coal, but I do wonder why Mrs. Norris, a nasty piece of work, did not receive more attention. Wickham and Willoughby raced neck and neck all week, and Mr. Collins stands last in line,though not by a wide margin. Our next throwdown takes a more positive turn:

These characters would add conversational interest to my party

Suppose you have space for one more guest for your intimate holiday party? You hope the conversation will be sparkling and lively. Who will you invite?

Jane Austen Character Throwdown
	Elizabeth Bennet
	Henry Tilney
	Mary Crawford
	Mr. Bennet
pollcode.com free polls

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Winner

The winner of Lori Smith's 2009 calendar is Kimberly Ann. Please email janeaustensworld (at) gmail (dot) com. Thank you and congratulations!!

The Twelve Gifts of Christmas

Inquiring readers, During this month of holiday celebrations, Laurel Ann and I will be offering the Twelve Gifts of Christmas. Some of the gifts will be giveaways, others will be free offerings online, and still others will be great gift ideas for you to give to others. None are expensive, but every gift will have a special relationship to this blog, us, or Jane Austen. Today we offer directions for making your own quill pen and berry ink.

Gift Number Six:

Berry ink ingredients:

½ C. Ripe berries (blueberries, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, elderberries, raspberries, etc.)
½ Tsp. Vinegar
½ Tsp. Salt

Fill a strainer with the berries and hold it over a bowl. Using the rounded back of a wooden spoon, crush the berries against the strainer so that the berry juice strains into the bowl. Keep adding berries until most of their juice has been strained out and only pulp remains. Add the salt and vinegar to the berry juice. The vinegar helps the ink retain its color and the salt keeps it from getting too moldy. If the berry ink is too thick, add a tablespoon of water. Store in a baby food jar. Only make a small amount of berry ink at a time and, when not in use, keep it tightly covered. (Recipe: Vinegar Institute)

Quill pen ingredients:

A large feather, as from a goose or swan (find your own or purchase one from a craft store)
Craft knife
Paper
Paper towels

Use a craft knife to cut the tip of the feather at an angle. Carefully, cut a slit in the tip. Dip the feather into the berry ink. Dab the end on a paper towel. Repeat as needed. Now, write just as Jane Austen did.

• Make a quill pen, with illustrations.

• Make your own paper (The steps are time consuming, but the practice is economical and green!)

View our other gifts in these links:

• Gift Number One

• Gift Number Two

• Gift Number Three

• Gift Number Four

• Gift Number Five
  

Posted by Vic (Jane Austen's World) and Laurel Ann (Austenprose)

How many Pride and Prejudice Sequels Have You Read? Join the Challenge!

Pride and Prejudice Sequel Meme

Christina at Jackets & Covers blog is a Jane Austen fan on a mission. Her goal is to read every Pride and Prejudice sequel, retelling or variation ever written. That is one serious Pride and Prejudice fan. To date, she has read 11 novels on her list of 45 titles. That is quite an accomplishment Christina, but your list is not quite complete, so it may take you a bit longer than you expected!

I boast having read 15 on her list, and four that are missing totalling 19. You can check out her complete list here to see which ones you have read and what titles need to be added to her list.

Pride and Prejudice Sequel Challenge

So the challenge to readers today is to not only to root Christina on, but to call out the titles that are missing to update the list and in turn list all of the Pride and Prejudice sequels that you have read and give them a six word review. Here are a few examples from sequels that I have read.

Pemberley Shades (DA Bonivia-Hunt) - First sequel written still reigns today (add)
Letters from Pemberley (Jane Dawkins) - Class act still an accomplished story
Mr. Darcy's Diary (Maya Slater) - More Darcy than you ever guessed (add)
Mr. Darcy's Daughter (Rebecca Ann Collins) - Victorian Darcy's do historical fiction
Impulse & Initiative (Abigail Reynolds) - Darcy seduces Elizabeth before wedding (add)
Mrs. Darcy's Dilemma (Diana Birchall) - Closest witty resemblance to Austen's style
The Darcys & the Bingleys (Marsha Altman) - Funny fantasy with Karma Sutra

Join in to root Christina on and check back here as we track her progress!

posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Twelve Gifts of Christmas: Gift Number Five

Inquiring readers, During this month of holiday celebrations, Laurel Ann and I will be offering the Twelve Gifts of Christmas. Some of the gifts will be giveaways, others will be free offerings online, and still others will be great gift ideas for you to give to others. None are expensive, but every gift will have a special relationship to this blog, us, or Jane Austen. Today we offer you a chance to win a copy of Two Guys Read Jane Austen as

GIFT NUMBER FIVE

Best friends and lifelong buddies Steve Chandler and Terrence Hill enter no man’s land and chat about the guys perspective on life, culture, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Jane Austen, in their new book Two Guys Read Jane Austen. Read our review of part one of the book here and enter our two chances to win a copy of their new book that will keep you laughing with their witty and insightful take on a guys view of Jane Austen’s characters and life.

Enter a chance to win a free copy of Two Guys Read Jane Austen by leaving a comment and answering this question by December 23rd.

What is your favorite scene in Pride and Prejudice and why?

Winner to be announced on December 24th.

• Gift Number One

• Gift Number Two

• Gift Number Three

• Gift Number Four

Posted by Vic (Jane Austen's World) and Laurel Ann (Austenprose)

Twelve Gifts of Christmas

Inquiring readers, During this month of holiday celebrations, Laurel Ann and I will be offering the Twelve Gifts of Christmas. Some of the gifts will be giveaways, others will be free offerings online, and still others will be great gift ideas for you to give to others. None are expensive, but every gift will have a special relationship to this blog, us, or Jane Austen. We offer you a link to the soundtrack of Pride and Prejudice 2005 as

Gift Number Four:

The soundtrack by Jean-Yves Thibaude to the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film adaptation was unforgettable. Rhapsody allows you to listen to 24 tracks each month for free and then you must pay ... or wait for the next month. If you decide to purchase an MP3, the cost is quite reasonable. Click here to listen to a free selection of tracks from this film. They're simply lovely. If you prefer the Becoming Jane soundtrack, click here.

1. Dawn
2. Stars and Butterflies
3. The Living Sculptures of Pemberley
4. Meryton Townhall
5. The Militia Marches In
6. Georgiana
7. Arrival To Netherfield
8. A Postcard to Henry Purcell
9. Liz on Top of the World
10. Leaving Netherfield
11. Another Dance
12. The Secret Life of Daydreams
13. Darcy's Letter
14. Can't Slow Down
15. Your Hands Are Cold
16. Mrs Darcy
17. End Credits (Pride & Prejudice)

• Gift Number One

• Gift Number Two

• Gift Number Three
  

Posted by Vic (Jane Austen's World) and Laurel Ann (Austenprose)

Two Jane Austen Fans Review Two Guys Read Jane Austen: Part One

“Jane’s got more adoring female fans than Brad Pitt, and my guess is they’re more intelligent too!” - Terrence Hill

Gentle Readers: Vic (Jane Austen’s World) and I are reading Two Guys Read Jane Austen together and having quite a jolly time of it. This new book by writers and lifelong best friends Steve Chandler and Terrence Hill is in an epistolary format written over a course of five months and touches on their male perspective of reading Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park together. As they go Austen Trekking, (bravely going where few men have gone before), sharing their thoughts on Austen’s writing, life and social impact, I found myself reacting to their comments, insights and observations in many different ways and sharing them with my co-blogger Vic. What evolved was our own personal epistolary – two Jane Austen fans review Two Guys Read Jane Austen.

Part One Pride and Prejudice: Terry and Steve touch sacred ground and curl my hair! - LA

24 September 2007 (Terry to Steve)
LOL, Terry thinks Anne Hathaway was miscast as Jane Austen in the movie Becoming Jane because her surgically inflated lips bear little resemblance to those of the original in the portrait of the author. No kidding. He does acknowledge that most of the story is fictional but thought her a terrific Jane Austen. His wife disagrees, and this opens the male/female divide of how men and women think and feel differently, and the reason why the “Two Guys” were “lured by their wives into this venture in the first place.”

Terry also responds financially (a guy thing) to Becoming Jane as a welcome sign that they have chosen a hot topic to write about and envisions John Grisham-like royalties for their new book. Hmm? Jane Austen is the darling of movieland, but a few sequel writers could give you an earful on royalty woes. - LA

You know Laurel Ann, I love how playful these two friends are in their remarks about each other, their wives, and Jane Austen. Their light-hearted repartees, with their many literary and popular culture associations, and their tendency to stray off course, remind me of the jocular banter among my close male college friends. Smart, well-read, hard-playing, hard-studying, and hard-drinking young men (one of them was my boyfriend), this group of six would sit in the livingroom of their apartment on a Sunday afternoon watching football and quoting lines from classic 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s B&W movies. During commercials, they’d make lively observations about Nietcshe, Tolkien, or Robert Heinlein or argue about which weapon was better: the rapier or the sword, and then discuss a class assignment with remarkable erudition even after polishing off a half dozen beers. My college friends are older now. All are successful, and when we get together at reunions, the years fall away. Reading this book by Terry and Steve is like reliving those conversations all over again. As a result I couldn’t put Two Guys down. - Vic

28 September 2007 (Terry to Steve)
Terry visits a friend and his wife learns that he and Steve are writing their next book about Jane Austen, so she openly threatens him to be kind to Mr. Darcy! LOL. That’s right "Two Guys", don’t mess with Darcy! You don’t even want to go there. Steve does, and calls him a self-important prig. – LA

While that term is used to describe our hero, Terry and Steve largely kept their promises to their wives, treating Darcy with the weight he deserves. That remark came very early in the book, but then the friends begin a dialogue that threads throughout the first half of the book about Lizzy’s and Darcy’s misunderstandings and how their eyes and hearts are opened. I agreed with Terry’s observation of Darcy, “Pride constricts him and ties him in knots so he can look like the strong and silent type. I wish he were more open in his communications. Not a totally feminized metrosexual, but at least enough to explain himself and stand up for himself more openly.” But that is the point, isn’t it? Darcy is too repressed to be at ease among strangers. His character reminds me so much of my father, a kind and generous, man who comes across as gruff and haughty because of his immense uneasiness with people he does not know. As with Darcy, Dad’s friends and family see an entirely different and more relaxed side to him. - Vic

20 October 2007 (Terry to Steve)
Terry considers Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey three of the greatest novels of all time – all written by Austen by age 25. S&S and P&P receive accolades frequently, but that’s the nicest complement that I have ever read for NA who often gets short shrift, even by Janeites. Is he pandering to the true Austen enthusiasts? The jury is still out. - LA

I must admit, the inclusion of NA seemed strange, but then Steve and Terry are making a mature observation: Jane’s parody of the Gothic novel is masterful and who among us does not like Henry Tilney? It is evident that Steve and Terry not only respect Jane’s immense talent, but they keep referring to her courageous decision to remain single with awe. At this point, Terry’s conversation segued into some funny but cogent observations about trophy wives. I just love how these men’s minds work. - Vic

1 November 2007 (Steve to Terry)
Steve thinks that Mr. Bennet is the voice of bemused reason. “Perhaps he is Jane Austen herself at a higher level than even the narrator.” Since this is his first read of P&P and he is only a third of the way through, I am quite amazed that he came to this conclusion so quickly. Some people never ‘get’ this reasoning. I do. Even though Mr. Bennet shirks his responsibilities as a parent and hides in his library, he is the only character in the novel wise enough to see through all the social hoopla. - LA

And he compares Jane to Truman Capote, who comes off as trite. Capote squandered his talent in a long and rudderless, downwardly spiraling life, whereas Jane, who died so very young, never lost her passion for writing. Steve’s humor on page 33 is unparalleled when he shares a scathing review of one of his self-help books. I LOLed and decided right then and there to purchase the book for the sole male Janeite in our book group. As for Mr. Bennet, although I think his dry remarks are witty, I am starting to regard him as a one-dimensional character who remains out of sight in his study until, like a Greek chorus, he is trotted out to voice his opinion. (I know many people will disagree with me, but I have entered the Mr. Bennet-bashing stage of my life.) - Vic

2 November 2007 (Terry to Steve)
Terry thinks that P&P is the greatest gossip novel of all time! I had never thought about it in those terms, but I think he is right and it may even rival the Gossip Girls teen series for chattiness. Jane and Lizzy talk about Darcy and Bingley. Caroline and Louisa talk about Jane and Lizzy. George Wickham talks about Darcy. Lizzy talks about George Wickham, everyone talks about Mr. Darcy and on and on. The only person who does not gossip is Mr. Bennet, and Steve has already correctly pointed out that he is the voice of reason. - LA

2 November 2007 (Terry to Steve)
Terry defends Austen against those who claim her choice of writing about “two or three families in a country village” was too narrow stating “she wrote the novel that she wanted to write.” He goes on to explain that we do not need to know the political atmosphere to understand the story. The only reason we know about Napoleon is because the Regiment is posted in Meryton to defend England against a possible invasion by the French. “If it weren’t for Napoleon’s ambition, there would be no Wickham.” I like this notion and have to admit he has a good point. Coupled together, Wickham and Napoleon make great antagonists. Who is the evilest villian I will leave for readers to decide. ;) – LA

15 November 2007 (Terry to Steve)
Terry has just called Darcy a pompous prig again and made me laugh. I disagree and see Darcy as proud and haughty. A pompous prig is the Prince Regent. Based on the fact that guys know guys better than girls, should we take his word for it? Wait, he just called Mr. Collins an ass-kissing buffoon, and earned my respect. Maybe I should rethink my criticism on the harshness of the pompous prig statements. - LA

He also has great respect for Charlotte Lucas, and rightly pointed out the double standard in Lizzy’s attitude towards Charlotte’s practical reasons for marrying Mr. Collins (which made Lizzy think they could never be close friends again), and Lizzy’s casual acceptance of Wickham’s reasons for going after Mary King. - Vic

19 November 2007 (Steve to Terry)
Steve compares Darcy’s response to Elizabeth’s rejection of his first marriage proposal to that of a poorly educated liberal being berated on William F. Buckley’s political television show Firing Line. LOL!!! Young readers might not catch that rub, but could relate to Britney Spears being asked her opinion of Jane Austen’s third person narrative style on Meet the Press and understand his implication. Even with his Cambridge education, Darcy has been bested by home schooled Elizabeth and stunned into silence. Bravo Lizzy! – LA

The two guys compare reading a novel with watching a movie adaptation, concluding that there is no comparison. A novel goes deeper into the psyche of a character, as Terry says, and then he makes this wonderful observation: “And to those macho guys who are too tough to read anything softer than a violent crime thriller I say you are missing a lot if you don’t read Jane Austen.” No kidding and amen to that, brother. - Vic

22 November 2007 (Terry to Steve)
Terry loves Elizabeth Bennet because “she ain’t no goody two-shoes!” I guess the author of the new book Why Men Love Bitches will be pleased to know that Austen fans will be buying her booked based on the Elizabeth factor.

Terry thinks that Mr. Wickham is the lesser of two evils as a husband in comparison to Mr. Collins. Can we assume that from a male perspective being an unprincipled seducer is more desirable than being a toady minister? Ha! Why is this not a surprise? – LA

Wickham, while a rapscallion and a rake, is a man’s man. Mr. Collins is a pipsqueak AND an ass-kissing buffoon. Very few men, I think, would even entertain finding anything to admire in Mr. Collins. For my part, Lizzy’s attitude of not liking either man is the right and proper one. - Vic

16 December 2007 (Terry to Steve)
Later Terry reflects on the conclusion of the P&P as he comes to his favorite line in the novel by Mr. Bennet, “I admire all of my son-in-laws highly. Wickham, perhaps, is my favorite.” Now, since the "Two Guys" have surmised that Mr. Bennet is actually the voice of Jane Austen herself, I must conclude that this is the clever, witty and intelligent female side of Jane Austen speaking as the voice of reason and irony and not the literal male Jane Austen, which happily rarely surfaces! - LA

Both Terry and Steve hated for P&P to end. In their comments they debunk the myth that men are wholly attracted towards a woman’s looks, for they keep commenting on Lizzy’s lively mind and intelligence. Their admiration for Jane Austen’s excellent writing, her intellectual courage, independence and fearlessness, and her sarcastic wit is also very evident, which prompts me to say that these two men GET IT. I could not wait to delve into the second half of this book after I read Steve’s reaction to Heathcote William Garrod’s opinion that a man who liked to read Jane Austen must be a womanish man. Terry concludes that in a celebrity death match against Jane Austen, she would beat Sir Garrod to a pulp with her superior mind (not to mention her parasol.) - Hah! – Vic

I am truly enjoying their humor and insights. It has far surpassed my expectation of Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus meet Darcy and Lizzy and explains it all for us. The additional antecedents really add color and depth to their reactions and observations. They are so friendly and interesting that I wish I could have a personal correspondence with either of them about Jane Austen! Maybe we should ask them if they would like to play along with us and readers? "Two Guys" answer your questions about Jane Austen? Wouldn’t that be a hoot? - LA

Next week, please join Vic and Laurel Ann for the second part of Two Jane Austen Fans Review Two Guys Read Jane Austen. We'll chat about the second half of the book when the "Two Guys" discuss Mansfield Park, one of Jane Austen’s most controversial novels. I am all anticipation if they'll favor or bash Miss Fanny Price. My bet is that they are hot for Mary Crawford, since she “ain’t no goody two-shoes” either! - LA

GIVEAWAY

For a chance to win a copy of Two Guys Read Jane Austen, please comment by December 23rd (winner to be announced on December 24th) on this statement:

Real men are not afraid to read Jane Austen because?

Two Guys Read Jane Austen
by Steven Chandler & Terrence N. Hill
Trade paperback (126) pages
Robert D. Reed Publishers, Bandon, OR
ISBN: 978-1934759172

Cheers, Laurel Ann (Austenprose) & Vic(Jane Austen's World)

Images: Steve Chandler, middle right, Terrence Hill, bottom left

Jane Austen Inspired Gifts and Toys for the Holiday

Holiday gift giving

Looking for the perfect gift for a Jane Austen fan? Here is my countdown to my top ten choices for the 2008 holiday season.

NUMBER TEN – Portraits of Mr. Darcy & Elizabeth Bennet by Ellho
NUMBER NINE – Jane Austen Bookplates from the Jane Austen Centre Gift Shop
NUMBER EIGHT – I Heart Mr. Darcy Tote Bag from the Pemberley Shoppe
NUMBER SEVEN – Pride & Prejudice 2005 (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition) from Amazon
NUMBER SIX – Jane Austen: An Illustrated History from Barnes & Noble Booksellers
NUMBER FIVE – Jane Austen Quotation Notecards by Austentations
NUMBER FOUR – Jane Austen Gift Set: Handbook & Action Figure from WGBH Shop
NUMBER THREE – Membership to JASNA from the Jane Austen Society of North America
NUMBER TWO – Subscription to Jane Austen’s Regency World Magazine from the JAC

And the NUMBER ONE top ten Jane Austen holiday gift or toy for 2008 is …

Jane Austen’s England 2009 Calendar from AustenPress

Happy Holidays to one and all, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Jane Austen Character Throwdown

The results of last week's throwdown were rather surprising in my view. According to your votes, Mariah Rushworth, who received such a harsh sentence for her infidelity with Henry Crawford, received her just reward. Lydia Bennet, who got off relatively scot free, was spared your rod.

This week's throwdown is entirely different from any other that we've offered so far. Saturday was December 5th, when Sinterklaas's arrival from Spain is celebrated in The Netherlands, the land of my childhood. His companion, Swarte Piet helps Sinterklaas distribute toys for the good children and lumps of coal for the bad children. In your opinion, which of Jane's characters deserve to receive a lump of coal? You may choose as many characters as you like, and you may choose daily. We will announce the winner of this dubious present next week.

Lump of Coal Recipient

Jane Austen Character Throwdown
	Mr. Elton, Emma
	Mrs. Norris, Mansfield Park
	Frank Churchill, Emma
	John Thorpe, Northanger Abbey
	Mr. Collins, Pride and Prejudice
	Mr. Wickham, Pride and Prejudice
	John Willoughby, Sense and Sensibility
	Lucy Steele, Sense and Sensibility
	Isabella Thorpe, Northanger Abbey
	Sir Walter Elliot, Persuasion
	General Tilney, Northanger Abbey
	Fanny Dashwood,Sense and Sensibility
	Henry Crawford, Mansfield Park
	William Elliot, Persuasion
pollcode.com free polls

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

The Twelve Gifts of Christmas

Inquiring readers, During this month of holiday celebrations, Laurel Ann and I will be offering the Twelve Gifts of Christmas. Some of the gifts will be giveaways, others will be free offerings online, and still others will be great gift ideas for you to give to others. None are expensive, but every gift will have a special relationship to this blog, us, or Jane Austen. We offer one lucky reader a free calendar as

Gift Number Three:

Last year author Lori Smith's first book, A Walk With Jane Austen, made a smash appearance. The book, first for sale in the U.S. is now available in a U.K. edition. Photographs of Lori's trip to Jane Austen's England sit on each page of this calendar. Included are a description of the places in which Jane Austen lived and traveled.

For a chance to win your own free copy of this truly unique gift, leave a comment stating where you would like to take a walk in Austen's England and why. Next Saturday (the 13th) we will draw the winner's name out of a hat. (Please contact us to provide your mailing address if you win!) Those who do not win can order the calendar at this fabulous site for their own copies. We HAVE a WINNER! Kimberly Ann please email us your contact information.

Our four reviews of Lori's book sit in this link. We are so excited to be giving away this very special gift.

• Gift Number One

• Gift Number Two

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World and Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Twelve Gifts of Christmas: Gift Number Two

Miss Bennet? Mr. Santa Darcy says all truly accomplished young ladies of his acquaintance choose Austenflix for the holidays!

Did you know that Netflix offers 32 Jane Austen inspired movies available to subscribers? Some of the great titles include all seven of this years The Complete Jane Austen series on Masterpiece Classic: Persuasion 2007, Northanger Abbey 2007, Mansfield Park 2007, Miss Austen Regrets 2008, Pride and Prejudice 1995, Emma 1996 and Sense and Sensibility 2008. You can also see the classic 1970’s-1980’s adaptations of Jane Austen including one of my favorites, Pride and Prejudice staring David Rintoul and Elizabeth Garvie. They also offer the three part documentary Jane Austen: Life, Society and Works if you want to brush up on all things Jane.

Netflix is offering a great deal on gift subscriptions at reduced rates. You can create your own unique plan by selecting the number of DVD’s you prefer each month and how many months you want to give. Subscriptions start as low as $4.99 for two DVD’s per month up to $16.99 a month for unlimited selections.

I am totally hooked on my Netflix subscription. Their selection is incredible and I have seen so many Austen inspired movies, great Masterpiece Theater productions and BBC movies that I had been longing to seen for eons that I can think of no better gift to give the movie fan in your family or of your acquaintance.



Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Reasons to Adore a College Class About Jane Austen

This student adores her Jane Austen Class with such exuberance that I find her enthusiasm infectious. I won't quote all of AfricaBleu's reasons for loving her class, so please click on this link to read them:

Why I Adore My Jane Austen

1. My professor is English, so even the most mundane details are thrilling when spoken with that accent.

2. Sitting down to read my assignments is like being given permission to watch a chick-flick every night... and getting credit for it.

4. We get to watch excerpts of the movies that were made from the books in class -- specifically, the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy -- oh, YEAH -- Mama LIKEY.

7. I actually ENJOY writing my research project for this class. Enjoy. Writing. A. Research. Paper. If I wasn't so happy, I'd think I was ill.

8. I feel like I am actually going to a club meeting of like minds, rather than to class twice a week -- it's that good.

9. We get to have a FIELD TRIP to go to a local theatre and watch :"Sense and Sensibility" on the big-screen. A FIELD TRIP -- how many other classes have you had in college where you get to take a FIELD TRIP?? I ask you...

10. We will be finishing the class with my all-time favorite Jane Austen book of all, Persuasion. I found out that it is also the fave of my professor (which proves her brilliant taste!) and is one of the sexiest, subtlest books ever written. "All the privilege I claim for my sex (it is not a very enviable one, you need not covet it) is that of loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone."

(...Excuse me while I remove the arrow from my heart and find a tissue... sniff.)

Tuesdays and Thursdays are my best days. Thanks, Ms. Austen.

Austen Shopaholic: One Week Super Sale at Sourcebooks!

The holiday shopping extravaganza has begun and the good folks at Sourcebooks who have brought us a solid parade of Austen-esque sequels are having a one week super sale on their entire inventory which includes several great Austen inspired sequels, retellings, or variations. From December 1st to the 5th, take 30% off your purchase on these great titles by these authors at their online store:

Linda Berdoll: Elizabeth & Darcy, and Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife

Elizabeth Newark: The Darcy’s Give a Ball, and Jane Eyre’s Daughter

Abigail Reynolds: Without Reserve, Last Man in the World, Pemberley by the Sea, Impulse & Initiative, By Force of Instinct, and From Lambton to Longbourn

Joan Aiken: Watsons and Emma Watson, Mansfield Park Revisited, and Eliza’s Daughter

Rachel Billington: Emma & Knightley

Lesley Bolton: Jane Austen Miscellany

Sharon Lathan: Darcy’s at Year’s End, Journeys Beyond Pemberley, and Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One

Rebecca Ann Collins: Pemberley Chronicles, Women of Pemberley, Netherfield Park Revisited, Ladies of Longbourn, and Mr. Darcy’s Daughter

Jane Dawkins: Letters from Pemberley, and More Letters from Pemberley

Jane Odiwe: Lydia Bennet’s Story

Amanda Grange: Mr. Darcy’s Diary

Diana Birchall: Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma, and Mrs. Elton in America

Sybil Brinton: Old Friends and New Fancies

D. A. Bonavia-Hunt: Pemberley Shades

Marsha Altman: The Darcys and the Bingleys

And if you have been wanting to jump into Georgette Heyer, here is the chance of a lifetime to basically buy two books and get the third free!

Georgette Heyer: Black Sheep, Lady of Quality, Royal Escape, Friday’s Child, False Colours, Spanish Bride, Cotillion, Infamous Army, Regency Buck, Charity Girl, Reluctant Widow, Faro’s Daughter, Simon the Coldheart, Conqueror, and Frederica

To receive 30% off your purchase, enter coupon code CMSB3008 at Check Out at the Sourcebooks site. Offer ends December 5, 2008. Enjoy!

Posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Tolkien Meets Jane Austen

Oh, how droll: Ents and Sensibility.

Posted by Vic

A Humbug Site?

Curmudgeon or wise fan? You decide after visiting this site pointed out to us by a reader. Entitled Idolising Jane, the author claims that the blog is "for readers whose critical faculties and capacity for judgement are still intact, and for whom Jane Austen's novels are not sacred texts, but works to be loved, argued with and, above all, enjoyed - warts and all."

After reading passages like these, what do you think?

Explaining Mr. Darcy:

If Mr Darcy is to transform from a lump of wood into a being of real and comprehensible emotions we need some insight into his inner life.

Austen never really gives us that – and certainly nothing of the subtlety and depth of her account of Elizabeth’s.... click here to read the rest.

Jane the Insufferable:

Reading Northanger Abbey again I came up against that feeling I get from time to time when reading her novels – of wanting to smack Jane Austen's head. Take this extract – the last words in the book.

“I leave it to be settled by whomsoever it may concern, whether the tendency of this work be altogether to recommend parental tyranny or reward filial disobedience.”

In these arch remarks Austen demeans her book... click here to read the rest.

Surprisingly, I cannot wholly disagree with the author (a man who goes by the name of Old Fogey) about his observations. The tone is provocative for a reason - to make us think and argue, and understand that Jane, the author, is perhaps not as firmly glued on a pedestal of perfection as we would like to think. One senses that this fan of Jane is a true admirer, warts and all! -

Vic, Jane Austen's World

Comic images from Hark, A Vagrant

Twelve Gifts of Christmas

Inquiring readers, During this month of holiday celebrations, Laurel Ann and I will be offering the Twelve Gifts of Christmas. Some of the gifts will be giveaways, others will be free offerings online, and still others will be great gift ideas for you to give to others. None are expensive, but every gift will have a special relationship to this blog, us, or Jane Austen. Continuing with the Georgette Heyer theme which we started several weeks ago, here is

Gift Number One:

The Black Moth, A Romance of the 18th Century, by Georgette Heyer

The Black Moth, Georgette Heyer's first book, was published in 1921. Although it is not one of her best efforts, an allowance must be made, for she created the story when she was just seventeen years of age. According to Jay Dixon, web author of An Appreciation of Georgette Heyer, Georgette first told the story to her brother Boris when she accompanied him on a convalescent holiday at Hastings. She "started telling him an historical adventure tale [set in the Georgian era] to relieve his (and presumably her) boredom. Her father encouraged her to write it down and, when completed, sent it to the literary agent Leonard P. Moore, an acquaintance of his. Moore promptly sold it to Constable in England and Houghton Mifflin in the USA." Just recently the copyright expired in the U.S., and thus The Black Moth is available for free as an e-text and as a podcast recording. If you have already read the book, you might want to join the online discussion forum: These Old Boards.

• The Black Moth E-Text from A Celebration of Women Writers
  

• Forgotten Classics: Podcasts of The Black Moth, including historical information and Black Moth show notes

• Librivox recordings of The Black Moth to download to your Ipod.
  

• Fabulous U.K. book covers of her very early works

• These Old Boards: A Georgette Heyer Discussion Forum

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World and Laurel Ann, Austenprose