REVIEW: The Jane Austen Miscellany
Every bookstore has one – a rack or shelf full of little “giftie” books that fit neatly into the bag you’ve put the “real” present in. From “A to Zs of Beekeeping” to “Inspirational Quotes for Your Dog,” giftie books have covered almost every topic known to man. Now, thanks to Lesley Bolton, Jane Austen’s life, world and work have joined the ranks of these books. In The Jane Austen Miscellany Bolton covers everything from the clothes Jane wore to nth adaptation-slash-sequel of “Pride and Prejudice.”
With a layout full of faux Regency designs (and a few C.E. Brock illustrations thrown in for good measure), fancy fonts (one that looks like a knock-off of Pia Frauss’ excellent design) and categories like “Austenian Insults,” this book is not for the die-hard Janeite, but perhaps a good idea for those wishing to bring more members to our ranks. The Jane Austen Miscellany is full of trivia-bytes just obscure enough that the average non-Janeite wouldn’t be aware of them, but familiar enough to those Austen fans that have actually read all her work and a biography or two.
While some of the trivia Bolton includes in this book are novel (for example, “A lady would have never worn diamonds or pearls during the morning hours”), she also focuses a bit too strongly on the various adaptations of the novels. Linda Berdoll’s infamous Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife and “P&PUtah” are some of the few that Bolton promotes, alongside biographies by Deidre LeFaye and the recent BBC adaptations. Bolton almost takes for granted that her audience is familiar with Austen, a move that might have worked if her target audience weren’t non-Janeites.
So if you’re an Austen fan just starting out (I hear we had a new wave of them post-P&P3), or a Middle-Aged Austen Whore expanding your circle of influence, go to your nearest bookstore, find the giftie book rack (it’s usually near the registers) and pick up your copy of The Jane Austen Miscellany and your gaudy gift bag of choice (I recommend the sparkly gold ones!) today.
