Finding our people
The Calgary Herald had a big feature last Sunday on Jane Austen and Janeites, referring to the recent and upcoming spate of films, books, and other fun for Janeites, including the upcoming JASNA AGM in Vancouver, BC. (Have you registered yet?) We loved this quotation from the AGM Co-coordinator, Keiko Parker:
“We are all sort of like a big family of friends,” says Keiko Parker, co-ordinator of the event. “We usually talk Jane Austen non-stop.”
A friend of AustenBlog (waves hello to Lorna) tells the story of her first JASNA meeting, and knowing that she “had found her people.” That’s it exactly! The fellowship is amazing: a whole roomful of people who laugh at your Jane jokes and will even make some of their own.
And what were we saying about the books being funny?
Besides, the books are just plain funny.
“That’s one of the things that makes Jane Austen so much fun to read. She always has an ironic gloss on what’s being presented,” (JASNA President Marsha) Huff says. “Her books are not romantic novels or romances, they’re romantic comedies.”
They’re funny, dagnabit!
And so the Jane-mania continues. As Huff says delightedly, “It’s almost like she’s alive today.”
We need another t-shirt: Jane Lives!
The Herald also had an article on Hollywood’s love of Jane and reviews of Austenland and another book. *cough*
Sullivan is the editrix of the fascinating Austenblog.com and has a huge knowledge of Austen and her time. She brings all that to the book, along with a cool wit that Jane herself would have admired.
Thank you, thank you very much.
June 13th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Wow, great compliments for our Editrix!
Although there’s no JASNA where I live, I agree that it’s always fun to meet other Janeites to ‘talk Jane Austen non-stop’!
Unfortunately such meetings are rare, so thank God there’s such a thing called the internet.
By the way: a ‘Jane Lives!’ T-shirt sounds like a good idea, I’d certainly buy it.
June 14th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Speaking of the “other book” — Mags, I finally received it from Amazon, and it is BEAUTIFUL! I’ve only read a little of it so far, and that is delightful, which I expected from your work here, but it is a physically beautiful book, too — congratulations!
June 15th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Thanks, Cathy! It is really beautiful, isn’t it? The first time I met with the editor, she told me she wanted the book to be pretty. I think she succeeded!
Another interesting tidbit: they asked me to send them pictures of older editions of Jane’s novels, and I sent some from the Dent editions of the early 20th century (the ones with the C.E. Brock watercolors). I own a couple of them and they are really beautiful books. I was thrilled when I received the cover concepts and one of them was inspired by the Dent editions–and that was the one chosen.
June 15th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Oh my goodness; well, no wonder! I have seen, online of course, some of the Brock illustrations, and they are wonderful! They say that “A thing of beauty is a joy forever,” well it is certainly true of Miss Austen’s sublime works, and your new book does them honor. I think Jane would be pleased! Again, congratulations!