The Guardian says that the 25th anniversary edition of the London Review of Books contains an article by the critic James Wood on Jane Austen.

Bless us for our sins. A review of an autobiography of novelist Anthony Powell in the New York Times opines that having too much fun with a novelist’s work diminishes the importance of that work.

As hobbies go, literary cultism is innocent enough, but it does have a way of diminishing the perceived importance of its objects. It’s one thing to play games with Sherlock Holmes, another to do it with Jane Austen. Besides, the mere fact that a novelist’s works lend themselves to trivial pursuits is bound to make his ultimate seriousness suspect.

We are firmly of the opinion that Jane Austen would have approved of our innocent fun, and that we still take her work quite seriously indeed.

A quotation from Sense and Sensibility was included in an article on retirement planning (including annuities) in the Scotsman.

JANE Austen cannot have foreseen how many of us would be living well into our nineties when she wrote in Sense and Sensibility that “an annuity is a very serious business; it comes over and over each year and there is no getting rid of it”.

Considering that several members of Jane Austen’s family lived into their nineties, we dare say she did indeed foresee it.

One can perhaps forgive Gurinder Chadha, director of BRIDE AND PREJUDICE, for feeling a bit smug about the success of the film after it was panned by critics.

“There have been impromptu standing ovations in London cinemas. The Jane Austen fan clubs had great screenings. Jane-ites dressed in regency gear apparently came out of the film singing ‘No life without wife’,” she said triumphantly from London.

“The success of ‘Bride & Prejudice’ has sent ripples all round the world to other distributors who are all set to release the film in a much bigger way in their respective territories… Hope some of your colleagues are squirming… I refuse to talk to journalists in India who wrote off the film before it was properly released.”

The article also talks about Mira Nair and other Indian woman directors who are making it big in film.

ETA: Looks like B&P will hit Canada on Christmas, too. Joyeux Noel!

The Tecumseh (Michigan) Youth Theatre will be staging a production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE at the Tecumseh Civic Auditorium on Saturday, Nov. 19 and 20, at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. More information can be found in the linked article. As always, we will be delighted to publish reader reviews of any stage production related to Jane Austen.

Cinthia also tells us that the Norton Critical Edition of Northanger Abbey will be released on November 31. The release will complete the set for Jane Austen’s major works.

Thanks for all the Jane news, Cinthia!

Alert AustenBlog Reader Cinthia writes to tell us that Deborah Moggach, one of the screenwriters for the upcoming film version of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, has updated the news page on her site, including some of her thoughts on the filming of the “Meryton” scenes. She calls Chatsworth “a staggeringly grand Pemberley.”

The San Francisco Chronicle has a review of the series REGENCY HOUSE PARTY, which will be broadcast by PBS in November (check your local listings).

They act as characters of the time, some in roles closer to their real lives than others: A dot-com entrepreneur becomes a naval captain, a hairdresser plays an army officer, a countess is a countess. The houseguests are to seek the best match possible — which is to say the most financially and socially advantageous one.

[. . .]

The role-playing, though unscripted, tends to take the emotional starch out of the “Regency House Party.” Given that “The Bachelor” pairings usually disintegrate, however, it’s worth noting that a “Regency House” couple remained an item as airtime neared.

Did someone say “Naval Captain?”

*reaches for vinaigrette once more*

ETA: Pretty much the same review at MSNBC (it’s an AP wire item) but this one has a pic of the cast.

Clevescene.com reviews the stage production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE currently being presented at Lakeland Community College, which we previously reported. The reviewer seemed to enjoy the play but is sadly misinformed as to Georgian social history.

Austen’s entire plot depends on the fact that women of that age could not inherit family property from the patriarch

Untrue, of course. Anne deBourgh will inherit Rosings. The Bennet girls cannot inherit due to a family entailment.

Even with her mother fluttering about, trying to match up her necessarily co-dependent girls with anything in slacks who pulls down a respectable yearly wage

Wage? A Darcy earning a WAGE?!?

Dorothy! Bring our vinaigrette instantly!

The play runs through October 31. As always, we love to publish reader reviews.

Information about the next book in the Jane Austen Mysteries series, Jane and His Lordship’s Legacy, is available at Francine Mathews’ Web site (Stephanie Barron is Ms. Mathews’ pen name for the series). The first chapter of the novel is also available. The novel will be released in March 2005. We hope it is good enough to stave off a full rebellion and coup by the Lord Harold fangirls, who are still Exceedingly Put Out by the ending of the last novel.

Alert AustenBlog reader Kirsty writes to tell us that Heat magazine is giving away a trip to London (from within the U.K., but if you’re willing to pay for a plane ticket, I suppose those outside the U.K. can enter) and tickets for four to the U.K. premiere of BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON and the after-show party.

To celebrate the release, ‘heat’ is getting together with UIP / Working Title / Universal to offer one lucky reader the chance to attend the UK premiere of Bridget Jones: The Edge oF Reason on 9th November with three mates. You and your friends will travel to London - by first-class train, naturally - where we’ll put you up in the Metropolitan Hotel. You’ll attend the premiere at Leicester Square where you’ll see all the movie’s A-list stars and a host of other celebs. We’ll even get you into the swanky after-show party.’

‘To be in with a chance of winning answer the following question:
What was the title of the first film directed by writer Richard Curtis?
a) Lve Nearly
b) Love Actually
c) Love Literally

E-mail your answer to heatcomp@emap.com, putting Bridget in the subject line. Include your name, daytime phone number and address. Competition closes at midnight on 2nd November.

Terms and Conditions:
Employees of UIP and EMAP are not eligible to enter
No purchase is necessary
Prizes are non-transferable and no cash alternative is available
The prize does not include travel insurance, expenses and other costs (EG mini bar) incurred at the hotel.
You must be over 18 to enter.

Go to it, you crazy Firth fans! Crash those mail servers! And if you win, we expect a full report with photos!

Thanks for sending the info, Kirsty!

Alert AustenBlog Reader Robyn writes to tell us that there are some new clips from BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON available at Yahoo. Thanks, Robyn!

See how you do on Isaac Asimov’s SuperQuiz (Janeites should do quite well with No. 3).

A review of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell in the Hindustan Times claims that Jane Austen has come back to life as Susanna Clarke. The reviewer isn’t especially fond of the book, though. We presume the first few paragraphs are meant to be ironic. We hope they are.

Alert AustenBlog reader Jennifer writes to tell us of an article in the Orlando Sentinel about the popularity of Jane Austen in modern popular culture–which is, of course, what AustenBlog is all about. Thanks for the heads-up, Jennifer!

This article was originally published in the Washington Post back in August, and we posted about it then, but we have many new readers here at AustenBlog who may have missed it, so we are posting the new link as a reminder. (The original article at the WaPo is slightly longer.)

Alert Janeite Mari Carmen writes to tell us that an excerpt of Martin Amis’ script for NORTHANGER ABBEY has been published in the most recent number of Granta, a British literary magazine. The excerpt is not available online, but we managed to get our sweaty little paws languid white ladylike hands on a copy. Copyright considerations forbid us from reproducing it in its entirety, but we think fair use will allow a detailed critique. In short: it isn’t bad, but as the Editrix is the Self-Appointed World’s Leading Expert on Northanger Abbey in general and Henry Tilney in particular, we have some concerns. (more…)

The New Zealand Herald reviewed Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, a fantasy novel said to be heavily influenced by Jane Austen, in both tone and style.

The quite enthusiastic review called the novel “a reminder of what fantasy can be when it stops trying to recycle Tolkien and draws on the same deep wells of fairy tale and mythology Tolkien used himself.”

From the book:

Some years ago there was in the city of York a society of magicians. They were gentleman magicians, which is to say they had never harmed anyone by magic — nor ever done anyone the slightest good. In fact, to own the truth, not one of these magicians had ever cast the smallest spell, nor by magic caused one leaf to tremble upon a tree, made one mote of dust to alter its course or changed a single hair upon anyone’s head. But, with this one minor reservation, they enjoyed a reputation as some of the wisest and most magical gentlemen in Yorkshire.

We had thought this to be the only Tolkien/Austen merger in existence.

ETA: The Hindustan Times was not quite as kind to the novel.

Here’s the story behind the headlines. JS & Mr N is a boring, dreary and unimaginative novel of manners, not magic. Unimaginative? Yes. Believe it or not, there’s less imagination and originality displayed in these almost-800 large pages than in ten pages of a Harry Potter novel — and I’m not even a Harry Potter fan!

An article in the Telegraph discussing the history of buzzwords credits Jane Austen with creating one for Regency England:

Jane Austen and her novel Pride and Prejudice provided the great buzz idea of 1813. The “Elizabeth Bennet type” was referred to in much the same way as people today talk of Bridget Jones. Articles appeared in ladies’ journals about, “The growing Elizabeth Bennet problem in our towns and cities”.

The AustenBlog Central Research Team was able to find several of the abovementioned articles, mostly written by a Lady C. de Bourgh, or a Miss C. Bingley. The names sound strikingly familiar . . .

The Scotsman reports that the wedding dress worn by Jennifer Ehle while portraying Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is on display at the Museum of Costume in Bath. The dress is part of the Jane Austen: Film and Fashion exhibition, which the museum will exhibit until the end of 2005.

Just when you didn’t think you would be seeing anymore, our staff has found some new photos via The Republic of Pemberley. This set includes a new face - Wickham!