CNN on Jane's B-day and Janeites! Did They Get It Right?

This "American Morning" segment on Jane's birthday was fun...I think they got most of it right, though Jane Austen herself wouldn't ever have considered herself a "modern woman" -- or so I gather from critical sources.  It's women today who see this "modernity" in her...another testament to her works being "classic"; they have value/truth beyond the period of their creation.  That's why Jane and her works have persisted for more than 200 years! 

Sad to think that, according to CNN, women interviewed could NOT come up with any woman today that they esteem as much as Jane.  Perhaps women today could take some cues from Jane.   She had to fight to be heard at first (her brother had to get her books published for her initially), but once she was read, people LOVED her and her works.  She was not so much "image" as "substance," which to me, at least, is what lasts and ultimately wins people over. 

Pretty crazy for a PR person to say, I know, but I think it's true (though marketing doesn't hurt either, today as then--I guess Jane's brother knew that).  Tweets & lightening-fast, abbreviated communication have changed life for good, and in many respects this IS good.  But why then do people still go back to Jane??  "It's a mystery!"-- as Rose Theatre proprietor Philip Henslow (Geoffrey Rush) says in "Shakespeare in Love".   Or is it?  May be it’s just that people still seek the deeper meaning in things!?  What do you think?

Podcast: An Interview with the author of "Jane Austen for Dummies"

Those new to Jane Austen via one of several recent films or series (or even you who are established Janeites) will find this podcast: The life and Times of Jane Austen, enlightening (podcast property of Wiley Publishing, Inc. and run with permission).

In this interview with Elizabeth Klingel Ray, PhD, author of book, "Jane Austen for Dummies," listeners will learn much about the life and times of Austen -- particularly how accurately (or inaccurately, as it may be) recent movies and mini-series (including Becoming Jane) portray Austen characters and the period.  Dr. Ray, an English professor at the University of Colorado, has written numerous magazine articles on Austen and has appeared in the A and E biography of Jane Austen.

In the podcast featuring Dr. Ray, you'll learn whether she thinks Darcy's love for Lizzy is portrayed accurately in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley (I personally think not).  And, for those anticipating the upcoming release of Emma in the United States in 2010, Ray discusses this character (a favorite of hers) at length.

While I do not agree with all that Ray says, I believe that her lively discussion offers a solid representation of themes in Austen's novels involving relationships, romance, and especially marriage, class and the societal roles of women and men in the 19th Century.  It is a good introduction for Austen novices and will be interesting to Janeites also.

I especially liked Dr. Ray's blasting as ludicrous the "pigs running through the house" depiction of the Bennet household in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice. She seems well versed in the class structure of the time and explains well how the Bennets, though certainly not wealthy, were part of the gentry and did not live in the squalor shown in the film. The same can be said of the horrible costumes in the movie.  I hope that the BBC's 2010 Emma gets this right...it looks like they do!

I loved the recent posting on Jane Austen Today on Persuasion: Fashion in the Age of Jane Austen, which discusses what seems to be a fascinating exhibit on period Jane Austen fashion at the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia. The exhibit runs through November 8th, I believe. The photos (see below for a sampling) are great (courtesy of the Jane Austen Today site). The photos certainly show that dress was far from shabby for the gentry, at least, in Austen's era.

Jane Austen for Dummies is available through the Dummies.com site or through Amazon at a considerably lower price.

For "Techy" Austen readers

If you're like me, you prefer having a bound book in your hands. It seems, however, that several news sources are heralding the continued growth of Kindle books (electronic books read on special electronic readers, generically called "kindles"). Right now Kindle is available through Amazon, but newssources say that Google plans to give Amazon some real competition, with additional companies perhaps joining the e-books war.


To make a long story short (yeah, right!), many key online booksellers (such as Barnes and Noble) now offer e-books, which are able to be downloaded to your computer or many mobile devices, like iPhones/iPod Touch and Blackberries. A kindle however is larger--and though I haven't tried it--rather easier to read, I suspect, than a smaller mobile device.

Now, a big war seems to loom on the horizon, according to Reuters.com (link provided with permission of Thomson Reuters) between Google and other companies, like Sony and perhaps Microsoft for the e-book reader pie.


For those of you not technology-adverse, it seems pretty great--with all kinds of bells and whistles. The Kindle e-reader weighs just over 10 ounces, is lighter and thinner than a typical paperback and holds up 200 titles. There's a new, lighter version (holds 1,500 books! and is about 8 inches x 5 inches) and even the latest version, Kindle DX, that holds an unbelievable 3,500 books (though this one is bigger in size - about 10.5 x 7 inches and is listed on Amazon for a whopping $489.00).


Austen fans can find her books on any of these, I imagine, or download them from booksellers--though I suspect Jane Austen's original works and many adaptations and current Austen-inspired titles would be pre-loaded. And, I see, that Kindle versions of Austen books (book pictured at right available through Amazon.com) have been read by many apparently.


However, being that I am rather a "techno-clod", that the Kindle is rather expensive (around $250.00 for the original version) and that I simply like the feel and smell of an old-fashioned book in my hand -- well, I suppose for now that I'll forego all this. My friend, Bill, a real computer type, however, swears by them. It's all rather too techny for me, but I think that for many it's already here. (See June 9 New York Times piece by Jeff Bezos.)


Let me know what you think! Maybe we'll all be surprised?



Susanwrites

Review of the Perfect Sequel to Persuasion?

Being new to this incredible world of blogging about Jane, I've started to visit some rather amazing sites and blogs in the past few days. I found one excellent Austen review site that any booklover and Janeite would certainly want to follow. It contains many wonderful reviews that are both informed and detailed, it appears to me at least.

As one of my favorite Austen novels is Persuasion, I found my way on the site to blogger Meredith's review of Susan Kaye's None But You (Frederick Wentworth Captain; Book 1). The review (and a few others online) convinced me that this is the next book I'm going to read. Book 2 of the series does not seem to have faired as well as reviews elsewhere seem to indicate. Opinions on Book 1? Book 2? Other review sites (especially on books) to recommend?

Susanwrites