Forget the post . . . it’s all about texting!
It is a truth universally acknowledged that an editorial of good quality must be in want of a Jane Austen reference; or so freelance writer Neely Steinberg believes. In today’s “My View” column in the Boston Metro, Steinberg brings the romance of Lizzy and Darcy into the twenty-first century:
Close your eyes and try to imagine the following: Mr. Darcy, the memorable character from Jane Austen’s famous novel Pride and Prejudice [sic], sitting atop his finest steed with a cell phone in hand. Instead of asking the lovely Elizabeth Bennett[sic] in person if she’d like to attend dinner at his glorious Pemberley estate, he grabs his Blackberry and texts her a short message: “I want 2 c u 2nite, stop by ltr if u can.” Minutes later, he receives a response from Miss Bennett[sic]: “will be there w/Jane @ 9, c u soon.”
This is not the first Jane Austen plug Steinberg has made. In late July, we were delighted to read an editorial about Marianne (or “Maryanne”, as Steinberg chooses to spell it) Dashwood being a frontrunner for the modern-day woman leading to the destruction of her own romance. Unfortunately, we cannot reproduce the text here for our readers, due to a certain Underling/Reporter having already taken out the recycling bins this week.
To read the article, you must have Adobe Acrobat reader, which is available for free online. The editorial is on page 8.
