As Jan Brady might say. Can’t we get a little love for Mr. Tilney? Huh? *Team Tilney perks up its ears and wags its collective tail*

Alert Janeites Heather L. and Lisa sent us a link to an article in the Lexington Herald-Leader about modern women’s continuing fascination with that broody Darcy fellow. We are especially amused by the accompanying drawing.

We’re literate women, and we’re kind of iffy on “happily ever after.”

With one exception.

He’s tall, brooding and loaded.

If he had ever really existed, he’d be long dead.

The shadow of his seldom-seen smile still lingers in the recesses of our little reader-girl brains. It has, as well, stoked the romantic fantasies of generations of women worldwide.

To this day he is his own industry: in books, on TV, in movies.

To this day, dead or not, he looks darn good.

Mr. Darcy, how we love you.

Now, this is fun, despite the complete lack of any Tilney-related content whatsoever. But of course our wizened, tarlike spinster heart was softened by the following passage:

And, so you know this is not about to end anytime soon, there’s The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World by Margaret C. Sullivan, which is already selling scads on Amazon.com and it doesn’t come out until May.

(Really? Scads? Ooooh!)

(Obligatory Shameless Self-Promotion: Available for preorder! And take a peek inside! :-D)

There’s an accompanying article that includes a listing of books for the Darcy-obsessed, including, curiously, this volume, which we think has nothing to do with OUR Mr. Darcy, but looks rather fascinating nonetheless. They also included an excerpt from P&P. Huzzah for Kentucky!

If you have ever dreamed of a month of (almost) free time in the UK to pursue research related to Jane Austen, JASNA is offering a fantastic opportunity to one of its members. The JASNA International Visitor Program will pay for airfare, lodging, and a stipend for one of its members to spend four weeks at Chawton, England this summer to work with Austen institutions and conduct research.

The International Visitor must be working on an Austen-related research project, must work fourteen hours at either the Jane Austen House Museum or Chawton House Library, and must assist the Honorary Secretary of the Jane Austen Society at the Annual General Meeting at Chawton House Library on July 14.

Details are available at the JASNA Web site. You must be a JASNA member in the U.S. or Canada to apply. Deadline for applications is March 31, and Dorothy is already hard at work on hers, so make haste!

Alert Janeite Helen B. wrote to tell us that she stumbled across a listing on Amazon UK for the Region 2 Persuasion 2007 DVD! Release date is March 26, 2007, which Helen verified at two other DVD sites. There is no listing for NA07 or MP07 as of yet.

We can now engage in some interesting educated speculation: the UK air date for P07 will be on or around March 26. The DVD will likely become available immediately afterwards. We have heard that MP07 will air in March as well.

It also looks like the DVDs will be sold separately, rather than as a set. That makes sense, since many people will already have the Kate Beckinsale Emma, which also is being broadcast as part of the “Jane Austen Season.”

Don’t melt down the servers preordering, now! Discuss away!

Anne Timmons teases us (so delightfully) by revealing another bit of artwork from the upcoming graphic novelization of Northanger Abbey: Miss Morland investigating a Mysterious Chest at the Abbey!

We really are getting excited about this.

Alert Janeite Amanda came across a clip on YouTube of Wentworth Miller, the star of the television show Prison Break, on Ellen. During the interview, he tells Ellen that he was born in England and named after–you guessed it–Captain Wentworth! No clue if Mr. Miller himself is an F.O.J., but clearly his parents are!

Ms. Place of the Jane Austen’s World blog found something pretty cool–Talking to Jane Austen. Several years ago, schoolchildren were given the opportunity to ask questions of various historical and literary figures, including Jane Austen. The questions were answered by various experts in the voice of Jane Austen. Unfortunately we can’t pester Auntie Jane anymore, but poke around and read the questions and answers archive.

We heard from Eric W. Bell, who photographed actors from a stage production of Sense and Sensibility that will be staged by BottleTree Productions on July 3-14, 2007 at the Wellington Street Theatre in Kingston, Ontario. The play was adapted by Charles Robertson. Tickets are $20. Remember, we love reviews!

JASNA’s Metropolitan New York Region will be hosting a weekend conference, “A Regency Event in a Victorian Setting,” at the Congress Hall Hotel in Cape May, New Jersey, on May 18-20, 2007. Conference speakers include Jan Fergus, Kathryn Shanks Libin, and Juliette Wells, who will be exploring Jane Austen’s influence on Victorian writers and artists. The program also will include a tour of the Emlen Physick Estate, a Victorian house museum, followed by luncheon on the grounds and living history lecturers; a playlet inspired by Persuasion; and other events.

The conference fee is $200 and includes all program events, all meals on Saturday, and Sunday breakfast. Registration is first-come, first-serve and open to members of JASNA only. Contact mayincapemay@yahoo.com for details.