This, ladies and gentlemen, is a Red Letter Year. Two hundred years ago this January 28, the greatest novel in the English language first appeared in print. It was, of course -
Pride and Prejudice.
Originally called
First Impressions, and told in the form of letters between the characters, the novel was written when Jane Austen was just 21. She then extensively revised it before getting it published more than a decade later. And it's been entertaining readers ever since, except the Brontes, whom I never could stand.
Everyone knows the first line, which I shall not repeat here. My favourite has always been "Mary wished to say something very sensible, but knew not how". Anyone else have a favourite
P&P quote?
Anyway, here for your edification is a gallimaufry of new Austen-related readings. Enjoy with a cup of chocolate.
How to Create the Perfect Wife - Wendy Moore
A true story! Thomas Day knew exactly the sort of woman he wanted to marry. Pure and virginal yet tough and hardy, she would live with him in an isolated cottage, completely subservient to his whims. As Day soon discovered, the woman of his dreams didn't exist in Georgian society, so he set out to create her. He adopted two young orphans and, guided by the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the principles of the Enlightenment, attempted to teach them to be model wives. Day hoped to eventually marry one of his wards, but the experiment inevitably backfired, though not before he had taken his theories about marriage, education, and femininity to their most shocking extremes.
Happily Ever After - Susannah Fullerton
In 2013 Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice turns 200. Again and again in polls conducted around the world, it is regularly chosen as the favourite novel of all time. Here is the tale of how it came to be written, its first reception in a world that didn't take much notice and then its growing popularity leading up to Colin Firth mania and a best-selling zombie mash-up.
Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood - Abby McDonald
Awful title, but this is a teen retelling of
Sense and Sensibility. Hallie and Grace Weston have never exactly seen life eye to eye. So when their father dies and leaves everything to his new wife, forcing the girls to pack up and leave San Francisco for shiny Beverly Hills, the sisters take to their changing lot in typically different styles. Shy, responsible Grace manages to make friends with an upbeat, enterprising girl named Palmer but still yearns for her old life and the maybe-almost-crush she left behind. Meanwhile, drama queen Hallie is throwing herself headlong into life and love in L.A., spending every second with gorgeous musician Dakota and warding off the attention of brooding vet Brandon. But is Hallie blinded by the stars in her eyes? And is Grace doomed to forever hug the sidelines?
Midnight in Austenland - Shannon Hale
Divorced American Charlotte Kinder takes a trip to Regency staged Pembrook Park in Kent where she plays parlour games, learns country dances, and even lets herself be courted by her assigned suitor, the brooding, magnetic Mr. Mallery. But her vacation becomes more Northanger Abbey when she catches a fleeting glimpse of a dead body in a secret room. If you like this one, try the first
Austenland as well - each is loosely inspired by a book in Jane Austen's oeuvre.
The Real Jane Austen - Paula Byrne
Paula Byrne looks through the letters and the life of our author to work out who she really was. She certainly wasn't the cosy, moralising aunt figure the Victorians tried to portray, but a more spiky, modern person whose life has never been looked at this way before.
Austensibly Ordinary - Alyssa Goodnight
Cate Kendall is no stranger to daydreams of brooding men and fancy parties - after all, she teaches one of her beloved Jane Austen novels in her English classes every year. But as for romance or adventure in her own life, the highlight of most weeks is Scrabble with her cute coworker, Ethan, and he draws the line at witty banter. But when she finds a mysterious journal that seems to have a link to the soul of the great Jane Austen herself, she knows it's her chance. And she grabs on with both hands...Before she knows it, Cate has invented an alter ego with an attitude, attended some seriously chic soirees, and gotten tangled up with a delicious mystery man. And she's uncovered enough unexpected secrets about Ethan that her Scrabble partner has taken to brooding looks and unfathomable silences. Cate could land in hot water and heartbreak - but maybe not with Jane herself to guide her...
The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen - Syrie James
By the author of
The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. Samantha McDonough cannot believe her eyes - or her luck. Tucked in an uncut page of a two-hundred-year old poetry book is a letter she believes was written by Jane Austen, mentioning a manuscript that "went missing at Greenbriar in Devonshire." Could there really be an undiscovered Jane Austen novel waiting to be found? Making her way to the beautiful Greenbriar estate, Samantha finds it no easy task to sell its owner, the handsome yet uncompromising Anthony Whitaker, on her wild idea of searching for a lost Austen work - until she mentions its possible million dollar value. After discovering an unattributed manuscript, Samantha and Anthony are immediately absorbed in the story of Rebecca Stanhope, daughter of a small town rector, who is about to encounter some bittersweet truths about life and love. As they read the tale from the past, a new one unfolds in the present - a story that just might change both of their lives forever.
