We were delighted to hear from Anne Timmons, the artist for the upcoming Gothic Classics graphic novelization of several Gothic novels and Northanger Abbey, which will be out in May 2007. The page for the book itself has a little illustration at the very bottom of the left side–John Thorpe driving Catherine away from the Tilneys! “Stop, stop, Mr. Thorpe!” And Anne’s blog features a little panel of Catherine on the streets of Bath–what or whom is she so happy to see, hmm?

*squee*

P.S. A little poking around revealed the back cover of this number of Gothic Classics, from Northanger Abbey–looks like somebody’s doing some investigating!

Amanda Grange, the author of (Mr.) Darcy’s Diary, wrote to tell us that the Holy Grail of P&P sequels for many Darcy fans, The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy by Mary Street, will be reissued by Robert Hale at the end of January. It’s available at Amazon UK right now, but Amanda suggests e-mailing Hale right now at enquire AT halebooks DOT com to order your copy.

Alert Janeites Cheryl K. and another who did not leave a name forwarded information from Publisher’s Lunch Deal News about an upcoming book called Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler.

Laurie Viera Rigler’s CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT, a literary homage, comedy, and exploration of identity, destiny, and the nature of time, that tells the story of a contemporary thirty-something LA woman and Jane Austen fan who wakes up inside the body of an Englishwoman in Austen’s time.

This means the book has been sold pretty recently to the publisher, so do not expect to see it for a year to eighteen months. We’ll keep an eye out for more info.

Alert Janeite Amo let us know that Buena Vista is giving away a boxed set of Jane Austen’s novels as a promotion for the upcoming release of BECOMING JANE.

Please note that the contest is open only to residents of the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland.

Alert Janeite Karen wrote to tell us that the HUBbub Players will present Jane Kendall’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice at the Theater Zerbrochene Fenster in Berlin from February 8 through 12. The play will be presented in English.

Tickets are from 5 to 8 Euros.

Karen also asks if anyone knows anything about this particular adaptation? Please post in comments!

We are kicking ourself because we forgot to post information about this earlier, and it sounds like fun. Cheer From Chawton: A Jane Austen Family Theatrical is currently on tour in various venues. It’s a one-woman play, with audience members being pulled in to play other characters.

In the tradition of amateur theatricals held during her childhood at Steventon rectory, Jane Austen has prepared an entertainment for her family, in which her siblings are to take part as fellow performers. She expects to begin by playing Mrs. Bennet (from Pride and Prejudice), to her brother James’s Mr. Bennet. But her family has played a trick on her, leaving Jane Austen to tackle the audacious task of an unrehearsed solo performance. This production is interactive - the audience plays Jane’s family and the hilarity begins.

A few recent performances are past, but there are upcoming performances in Delaware, New Jersey and St. Louis.

Putting most of this behind a jump because it’s not safe for work, kids, or possibly the safety of one’s eyes in relation to sporks. (more…)

This article gave us a severe throbbing pain directly above our right eye. The author says right up front that she is not a big Jane Austen reader, but still! But still!

It begins with a lot of oh-look-at-the-obsessed-Janeites-aren’t-they-cute-with-their-board-games-and-naming-their-cat nonsense. Then we rapidly proceed to complete nonsense.

Jane Austen was one of eight children of an aristocratic mother and a handsome father whose family had lost its money.

WHAT?

The unmarried Jane lived first with one sibling then another.

NO! It’s called “paying visits for long stretches of time” and WAS PERFECTLY NORMAL! Jane wasn’t Fanny Price for crying out loud!

“She lived well without having anything in her own right,” Davis said. “All of her novels are about getting married.”

Yes, they’re not about anything else. Sigh.

The language is difficult to read with an archaic vocabulary, Davis said. “Our vocabulary today is elementary.” The 19th century conversations “used long, convoluted sentences.”

Long, yes. Convoluted, no. They make perfect sense and are elegant in their construction. If you are not accustomed to it, slow down a little, but it is perfectly comprehensible. Jane did not write in middle English.

“They’re like people we know,” she said. “Some seem gracious but are scheming for position. There can be a lack of civility, and all are from dysfunctional families.”

Well. Some, certainly, but not all.

It’s nice to know that the upcoming biographical film about Jane Austen will clear up all these misapprehensions, isn’t it? *headdesk*