Alert Janeite Heather L. wrote to tell us that Graphic Classics will be putting out a Gothic Classics issue in April 2007, including Catherine Morland’s favorite novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, and…

*drumroll*

…Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen!

We should probably be appalled but actually we find it way cool; we’re not sure if any of Jane Austen’s novels besides NA would work for this format, but the concept of NA as a graphic novel is really quite brilliant. We are further encouraged by the publisher’s understanding that NA is a parody of gothic novels. The artists who will be working on NA are Trina Robbins and Anne Timmons (the links on the main page don’t seem to work).

We hope that the publication of Udolpho in this format will encourage those who blanch at the size of the regular prose version of Udolpho to read that story, as we think it helps one to truly understand and appreciate Northanger Abbey.

Oh, and if the artists would like some input on Henry Tilney’s many-caped greatcoat, please feel free to contact the Editrix, who is after all the Self-Appointed World’s Leading Expert on Northanger Abbey, not to mention Da Man! Or at least check these out!

Yo New Yorkers! We heard from a producer trying to gauge interest in an off-off-Broadway production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Post and let us know if you would go to see such a play!

*flees from stampeding commenters*

Alert Janeite Paola wrote to tell us about an article (in French) about Samuel Beckett’s various homes; the article mentions that Beckett traveled to Jane Austen-related sites in England.

Le voici en Angleterre. Il a 29 ans et vient de villégiaturer avec sa mère, sur les traces de Jane Austen et de Shakespeare.

Here he is in England. He’s 29 years old and he’s just taken a vacation with his mother, on the traces of Jane Austen and Shakespeare.

Some of our readers have mentioned in comments something that we’ve been wondering about ourself…if ITV is putting on its “Jane Austen Season” this autumn, shouldn’t they be filming the bally movies, like, NOW? Billie Piper has been cast in MP, but there hasn’t been any other news that we’ve caught. Of course, they might be hiding from us so we don’t have a chance to pre-snark.

Oh, boy.

CS: Is the Jane Austen movie you’re doing, “Becoming Jane,” more towards the drama side or is it also a comedy?
Hathaway: It’s a little bit of both. I think that the first half of it is like a surprisingly fun romantic comedy and then it veers into tragedy.

*buries head in hands*

I can’t give too much away. It’s not really a conscious decision to stick to one genre or move to another. I’m just learning how to act basically

*cries like a little girl*

And, pssst…this movie takes place about 15 years before the Regency. But thanks for playing!