Bath Daily Photo has a series of posts about St. Swithin’s Church in Bath, where Jane Austen’s parents were married and where Mr. Austen is buried in the crypt. The posts include a history of the church and a discussion of architectural details, illustrated with plenty of photos. Now we want to go back to Bath!

(During the Editrix’s senior year at her Select Young Ladies’ Seminary, being a cheeky article, she often went around singing that song. The link is the Bowdlerized version of the song, though not the greatest video. Back when the Editrix was young and dinosaurs roamed the earth, we didn’t have any of that newfangled MTV.)

Time attempts to point out that not all the young ladies in Hollywood are being hauled off to jail screaming for their mommies and photographed sans their smallclothes, and holds up Anne Hathaway as a shining example.

New projects: She plays Jane Austen in the August biopic of the novelist Becoming Jane. “Anne came back from her day off and she announced that she had just reread Mansfield Park,” says Jarrolds.

In one day? Oh, give her the Fanny Price Memorial Gold Star Award, then.

Alert Janeite Lisa found an article in The Telegraph about David Morrissey, who is playing Colonel Brandon in the upcoming BBC production of Sense and Sensibility.

Morrissey, who plays the other male lead, Colonel Brandon, laughs. “Oh, there’s lots of talk about butching and sexing us up, but it’s only because the characters are given more screen time than in Ang Lee’s 1995 version. I don’t know how butch or sexy it will be to see me riding, but that’s what I seemed to spend a lot of time doing. I certainly bonded very well with my horse.”

Hmm…we thought the male characters WERE given more screen time in Ang Lee’s version. It remains to be seen how much more they will have in the miniseries. They do remember that Elinor and Marianne are the protagonists, correct? And are often NOT with the gentlemen?

We are shamefully ignorant of Australian politics, but we get the gist of this article sent in by Alert Janeite Amy, in which the Bennets comment upon a political soiree:

Such an event there never had been, nor ever could be again. It would be a grand winter ball, to which all the quality of the county and the officers of the regiment were invited. Oh, the clatter of hooves and the rumble of carriages in the long cobbled drive, the swirl of silken gowns and the bobbing of footmen’s wigs beneath the portico and, within the great house, what gaiety of the orchestra, what a profusion of elegant decoration and plenitude of refreshments. Rainbows of light from a Baccarat chandelier twinkled upon the diamonds of the ladies, on ribbons and stars and orders, on the crimson pelisse of a dashing colonel of Hussars. The ballroom was a-whirl to the sprightly step of the quadrille, the gavotte, the schottische.

“And there is the Prime Minister!” cried Mrs Bennet, raising her lorgnettes to peer across the milling throng. “The Master of Kirribilli himself! Daughters, I shall beg Lord Downer or Mr Abbott to make us an introduction.”

With some warmth, Elizabeth replied to her mother that she did not seek an audience with the Prime Minister, whether effected by Lord Downer or Mr Abbott or both gentlemen together.

“Lizzy, I should box your ears,” hissed Mrs Bennet. “We have joined the Liberal Party to find you a husband, and a husband we shall find. It is indeed a privilege to mix with such company, an honour not lightly bestowed. The Howards have graciously bidden us to attend this soiree and I entreat you - no, I direct you - to behave with a decorum appropriate to the occasion.”

“Screw decorum,” said Elizabeth. “It’s a bare-faced political fund-raiser, and if the poor bloody taxpayers ever find out they’re being rorted and ripped off like this there’ll be hell to pay.”

Miss Elizabeth Bennet does give her opinion very decidedly for so young a person!

(AustenBlog takes no position in this matter–just presenting the article, which we thought was an amusing use of Jane Austen’s characters. No flaming from Down Under, please.)

Alert Janeite Lisa spotted something hilarious in a review of Matthew Macfadyen’s latest movie:

“Death at a Funeral” is the story of one family trying to send off their father with a bit of dignity only to do just the opposite. It stars Mathew McFayden (Mark Darcy in the latest reincarnation of “Pride and Prejudice”) and a host of other British actors you have undoubtedly seen before (though you may not know them by name).

MARK Darcy? Wrong movie, but thanks for playing!

P.S. What is the hangup with the poor guy’s name? Fitzwilliam. Fitzwilliam. It’s a perfectly good bloody name. Do not rename him in period pieces unless you wish to incur the wrath of the Editrix. FITZWILLIAM!