JANE AUSTEN AND THE PROBLEM OF PEDESTALS. ERIN BLAKEMORE'S GUEST POST.

Here is Erin Blakemore's lovely tribute to Jane Austen. Her first published book, " The Heroines's Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder" , is an exploration of classic heroines and their equally admirable authors,   it shows today’s women how to tap into their inner strengths and live life with intelligence and grace. 

Erin learned to drool over Darcy and cry over Little Women in suburban San Diego, California. These days, her inner heroine loves roller derby, running her own business, and hiking in her adopted hometown of Boulder, Colorado.

You’d think that I had a habit of idolizing Jane Austen.  After all, my recent debut book, The Heroine’s Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder, features her name prominently on its cover, and Jane opens the book.  But there you would be wrong. 

My feelings on the construct of Jane were still a bit cloudy in my mind until I heard a toast at a tea I attended this weekend in honor of Jane’s 235th birthday.  The speaker toasted to taking Jane off her pedestal, for frivolous reasons it turned out.  She wanted Jane to be closer to her instead of far away on that marble thing.  That moment was one of enviable clarity.  The book I’d written a year before made sense, not just as one that explores the unique qualities of my favorite literary and real-life heroines, but as one that brings the realities of biography to the bottom of the pedestal.  

Like her heroines, Jane Austen was nothing if not witty, fascinating, whip-smart, brash, and daring.  But, like her heroines, she was also flawed.  A touchy woman, she often seemed more like Darcy than Lizzie to her modern-day counterparts.  She occupied the sidelines of a world in which the spotlight was key.  Inside that pool of light?  Connections, wealth, pride, marriage, and admiration.  Outside?  Obscurity, poverty, bitterness, and endless gossip.  In response to both life circumstance and internal constraints, Jane chose to go without. 

It would be easy to see Jane Austen in black-and-white terms.  After all, she’s been dead so long we have no chance of ever meeting her in person, unless you count the neat row of restrained books that made her name.  Today, I challenge you to see her (and all of your favorite authors and characters) in shades of gray.  Have courage to look at the Jane whose tongue was often witheringly sharp, who succumbed to depression and frustration at a poor sister’s lot.  Dare to hack a bit at the pedestal.  Armed with a bit of biography and a huge grain of salt, you just might find the real woman (now at convenient eye level) to be an everyday heroine, and not a misty dead one. 

Erin Blakemore

Visit Erin Blakemore's site

Read Erin's guest post on Fly High -

 A CERTAIN LACK OF ROMANCE  (AND A VALUABLE WRITING LESSON)

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE" GREAT GIVEAWAY - WINNERS

 

What a resounding success the Happy Birthday, Jane blog tour has been ! We had so much fun celebrating Jane's birthdya last Thursday.Fist of all  I  must thank all the participants and the several  hundreds of commenters who entered the great giveaway contest on the several sites and blogs which joined the tour. 

Thank you,  heartily ,

 Adriana Zardini at Jane Austen Sociedad do Brasil , Laurel Ann at Austenprose, Vic Sanborn at Jane Austen World , Katherine Cox at November’s Autumn,  Karen Wasylowski at  her personal blog,  Laurie Viera Rigler at Jane Austen Addict Blog,  Lynn Shepherd at her blog,  Jane Greensmith at Reading, Writing, Working, Playing,  Jane Odiwe at Jane Austen Sequels, Alexa Adams at First Impressions ,Regina Jeffers at her blog,  Cindy Jones at First Draft  , Janet Mullany at Risky Regencies  ,Meredith at Austenesque Review  

We were 15 bloggers and the prizes were only 14 so incredibly generous Laurie Viera Rigler decided to add one more copy of her "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict". Now, 15 winners & 15 prizes!

And now the names of the winners: 

1.  Willoughby’s Return by Jane Odiwe  Sofia
2. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler  Priscilla and Else
3. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler      Patricia
4. Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd  Elegant Female
5. Intimations of Austen by Jane Greensmith Carla Gade
6. Darcy's Passions: Fitzwilliam Darcy's Story by Regina Jeffers  Cassie
7. First Impressions. A Tale of Less Pride  and Prejudice  by Alexa Adams   Hanna
8. Jane and the Damned by Janet Mullany  Jacinta
9. Bespelling Jane Austen by Janet Mullany Tarah

 

1.  Austen bag offered by Karen Wasylowski  mbreakfield
2. DVD Pride & Prejudice 2005 offered by Regina Jeffers   Linda B
3. package of Bingley's Tea  (flavor  "Marianne's Wild Abandon" ) offered by Cindy Jones Andrezza
4. DVD Jane Austen in Manhattan offered by Maria Grazia  Petali Rossi
5. 3 issues of Jane Austen's Regency World offered by Maria Grazia Karenlibrarian                                                                                                                                                                                         The winners will  receive an e-mail from me and should send me their full names and postal addresses as soon as possible. They'll receive their gifts directly form the blogger/writer who offered them. I'm sorry for all the others who didn't win. I'm sure there will  be other occasions! Stay tuned. New Austen-dedicated  events, reviews, guest posts, interviews and giveaways will be here for you in 2011 . A Very Happy Christmas Time to you all.  Maria Grazia

AUSTENESQUE NEWS

1. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES- THE MOVIE

Anne Hathaway might join James McAvoy in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES according to "MovieWeb". Anne would play Elizabeth Bennett and McAvoy would be Mister Darcy :) As you know, the film will be based on the book by Seth Grahame Smith who wrote a new version of Jane Austen's famous classic, pitting Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy against the living dead in the mix of romance, horror and comedy.

(from http://hollywood-spy.blogspot.com/2010/12/james-mcavoy-is-mr-darcy-in-pride-and.html)

2. WRITING, WRITING, WRITING & TWITTERING

a. THE JANE AUSTEN TWITTER PROJECT
 Lynn Shepherd and  Adam Spunberg have planned a brilliant joint writing event on twitter. They’re planning a completely new experiment in creative collaboration, and would love you to get involved. The idea is to work together to write a whole new Jane Austen-style story, with a plot chosen on Twitter, developed on Twitter, and published on Twitter.

They  plan to run a storytelling session one day every week for about three months next year. Each week’s chapter will be posted online and on http://www.austenauthors.com/ on Sunday. You don’t have to be a published writer to join in – you just have to love your Jane!   Read more about the project.


b. CHAWTON HOUSE - SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2011

JANE AUSTEN SHORT STORY AWARD -the competition that celebrates the life and work of Jane Austen by inspiring and encouraging new writers.

Their  intention is to publish the very best short fiction. The Chair of judges is Michèle Roberts, award-winning author and Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.

They are looking for short stories of 2,000-2,500 words in length. This year the theme is ‘the heroes and villains in Jane Austen’s novels’. You can draw inspiration from any character or characters, male or female, whom you perceive to be heroic or villainous. Stories can have a historical or a contemporary setting – anything goes as long as it is well written and you state on the entry form how your idea originated.

First prize: £1,000. Two runners up: £200 each. All three finalists will also win a week’s writers’ retreat at Chawton House. Seventeen other shortlisted authors will receive £40 plus publication in the winners’ anthology (the collection of last year’s winners, Dancing with Mr Darcy, has been sold in bookshops across the UK and has recently been published in the USA by Harper Collins).

Entrants can be based anywhere in the world- stories must be submitted in English.

The closing date is the 31st March 2011. For further information click here.

c. THE JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT SHORT STORY CONTEST

In conjunction with the publication of the new anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It, Ballantine Books, Austenprose.com, and The Republic of Pemberley are pleased to announce an online short story contest. Enter for a chance to win the Grand Prize: publication of your entry in the anthology – a collection of original short stories inspired by the life and works of popular English novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817). Hosted by the Jane Austen web site The Republic of Pemberley, the contest begins on January 1, 2011. Publication of Jane Austen Made Me Do It is tentatively scheduled for publication by Ballantine in Fall 2011. Read more

3. FREE EXCERPT AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT

Sharon Lathan's free excerpt from The Trouble with Mr Darcy (due to release April 2011)

You can read a free excerpt from Sharon Lathan's next release which is part of  her Darcy saga. A nice Christmas gift isn't it? Click read and enjoy!!

4.  THE JANE AUSTEN'S REGENCY WORLD


In the January / February  issue (now on sale):

- Sense & Sensibility at 200 Leading writers look at the history, relevance, importance and morality of Jane Austen’s first published novel

- What price Paradise? life as a Jewish person in Regency England

- Wives by Advertisement The risks and rewards of Georgian lonely hearts’ adverts

- Jane Austen and Robert Burns What she really thought about the Scottish poet

- Jane Austen edited by a man One writer’s angry response to recent news reports

- The new curator at Jane Austen’s House Museum reveals what Jane means to her

Plus: All the latest news from the world of Jane Austen, as well as letters, book reviews, quiz, competition and news from JAS and JASNA

Further information and subscriptions

 

5. THE " HAPPY BIRTHDAY,  JANE" BLOG TOUR

Thanks to all the participants and to the numerous enthusiastic commenters,  Jane Austen's birthday,  last Thursday December 16th , was incredible! I know Jane is one of the most appreciated writers of all time , but I really didn't expect to get about 800 visits to my blog that day and neither 84 comments to my humble tribute post. I was actually stunned at the response. I must  thank you all the Janeite friends and the writers who  accepted  my invitation and I must also  remind you to stay tuned: the names of the giveaway winners will be announced tomorrow night. 15 names for 15 lovely Austenesque gifts!

Here's my post with my tribute to Jane Austen, the list of blogs involved in the event and the gift list.



THE PLAY OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS - PRIDE & PREJUDICE 1995 AND 12 MEN OF CHRISTMAS

I still wonder what is so special in this simple plot which makes me intrigued and moved ever and ever, each time I re-watch or re-read  Pride and Prejudice: its lovely heroine and amazing hero, its witty dialogues and comic characters, its love stories and its light touch on difficult matters. So many of us seem  to have never enough, and I'm one of them. I'm not a Colin Firth fan of long-standing , nor one who has seen P&P 95  many times till memorizing its remarkable lines, yet I adore re-reading pages from Austen novel from time to time and I've seen the most recent version (2005) many times. I'm always completely taken into this story as  if it was the first time. Does it happen to you, too? 

Last weekend it  happened to me again. I saw  the 6 parts of 1995 Andrew Davies's adaptation and I noticed new little details, I  appreciated the amazing talent of the entire cast, the beauty of the locations, the exciting game of looks between Lizzie and Darcy, the difficult play of  the wrong first impressions, the troubled path of love and the final delayed gratification. First impressions and the suffering they provoke until they are revealed as completely wrong, a simple pattern which always has its effect on readers who hope and wish for the final happy ending.

Lizzie's pride and Darcy's prejudice make their first meeting a fight, their acquaintance a repulsion, their approaching each other a clash. But little by little their feelings change, so much as to become longing for one another, esteem, sympathy, reciprocal love. It is always the same, same old story: two twin souls who don't immediately recognize each other and fight at first but definitely surrender to the evidence of love in the end.

 

There is much of this Austensian  plot in a TV movie I saw at the weekend as well. It is  set in a modern , glamorous American environment, between metropolitan, frantic New York and picturesque, lyrical Montana but it also has its own Lizzie -  E. J. Baxter, - and its own Darcy -Will Albrecht. And it is similarly based  on the play of first impressions.

When E.J. and Will meet it's ... rivalry at first sight!

In "12 Men of Christmas" die-hard New Yorker and publicist E.J. Baxter  loses both her high-powered Manhattan job and her lawyer-fiance on the same night at her office Christmas party. E.J. winds up taking a job and moving to the opposite end of the earth - Kalispell, Montana. To help the local search-and-rescue station raise desperately needed funds, a la "Calendar Girls," she tries to convince the male rescue workers to pose for a naked calendar and along the way discovers what really matters to her and wins the heart of her most reluctant pin-up! 

The highest point in similarity is in the infamous first proposal scene, when an embarassed, nervous, almost breathless Will makes E.J. a business proposition (he wants to sponsor her calendar) but can't resist revealing his feelings for her in full: she's arrogant, bossy and he can't stand her -  he admits - however,  he's stirred by her and can't stop thinking of her. How could Lizzie /E.J. react if not rejecting such an offensive and improper proposal?

Based on the book "Decent Exposure", recenlty released in the US market as "Dating Mr December"  by Phillipa Ashley. Starring Kristin Chenoweth.

(Read Phillipa Ashley's guest post on My Jane Austen Book Club: Jane Austen, Was it Love at First Sight?)

A WEEKEND WITH MR DARCY BY VICTORIA CONNELLY - A REVIEW

 First impressions can last  a lifetime ...

Do you want to spend a perfect weekend with the most charming, dashing heroes and the liveliest , loveliest heroines? Here's a story which is actually sunshine on a rainy day as someone has written in a review.  Victoria Connelly created a balanced blend of modern romance and Austensian features, matter-of-fact nowadays language with Hampshire dreamy landscape,  heroines troubled by modern concerns but romanticly wooed  by handsome gentlemanlike heroes who seem just landed on earth from Jane Austen planet.And then a Jane Austen Conference, regency romances by a contemporary author, horse-riding and a ball, intrigue and misunderstandings, very romantic love plots.  Well ... where Jane Austen is concerned, romance is never very far away...

It's such a lovely, lovely,  lovely novel. You can actually read it in a weekend and even less because it is so difficult to put it down once you've started it. You want to see how the intriguing plots and  the relationships in it develop. You must know how it ends. And it ends well, of course. Very well, as any good Austenesque read has to. 

The plot 

Katherine Roberts is fed up with men. As a lecturer specialising in the works of Jane Austen, she knows that the ideal man only exists within the pages of Pride & Prejudice and that in real life there is no such thing. Determined to go it alone, she finds all the comfort she needs reading her guilty pleasure-regency romances from the pen of Lorna Warwick- with whom she has now struck up an intimate correspondence.

Austen fanatic, Robyn Love, is blessed with a name full of romance, but her love life is far from perfect. Stuck in a rut with her bonehead boyfriend Jace, and a job she can do with her eyes shut - her life has hit a dead end. Robyn would love to escape from it all but wouldn't know where to start. 

Robyn and Katherine decide to attend the annual Jane Austen conference, overseen by the actress and national tresasure, Dame Pamela Harcourt, at sumptuous Purley Hall. Robyn is hoping to escape from Jace for the weekend and indulge in her passion for all things Austen. Katherine is hoping that Lorna Warwick will be in attendance and is desperate to meet her new best friend in the flesh.

But nothing goes according to plan and Robyn is aghast when Jace insists on accompanying her, while Katherine is disappointed to learn that Lorna won't be coming after all. However, an Austen weekend wouldn't be the same without a little intrigue, and Robyn and Katherine are about to get much more than they bargained for. 

The author

Victoria Connelly was brought up in Norfolk and studied English Literature at Worcester University before becoming a teacher in North Yorkshire. After getting married in a medieval castle in the Yorkshire Dales, she moved to London where she lives with her artist husband and a mad springer spaniel. She has three novels published in Germany - the first of which was made into a film. She is the author of "Molly's Millions" -

Visit Victoria Connelly's Site

Read my interview with  Victoria Connelly  
here on MyJane Austen Book

Buy A Weekend with Mr Darcy on 

amazon.UK.com  or bookdepository

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE! BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAYS

My Happy Birthday Tribute

Here I am to give with my humble tribute to Jane Austen on her birthday. It’s  just a simple Happy B-day post to join the happiness which has spread all over the web to celebrate her.

Happy Birthday,  Jane! 

My very  best wishes and  love to the Hampshire girl who stubbornly wanted to live on her pen and be free and independent.

Happy birthday to clever and strong-willed, Jane, the one her family so much loved and whose company they appreciated so much, the one who preferred writing to a married life , who dreamt of beautiful  love stories but never achieved  one of her own.

Of course, Happy Birthday to  the  widely loved  and celebrated writer, to the successful author  who defeated  Death with fame  and Time with her  wit. Her name is an extremely best selling brand nowadays. Who would imagine that while she was alive and in desperate search of a publisher?

I want to celebrate Jane’s birthday because I’m indebted to her for so many delightful unforgettable moments! The best  dashing heroes for my teenage daydreams and the most intelligent sensitive heroines to side with. I’m grateful for Lizzie, Catherine, Elinor and Marianne, Emma, Anne and even Fanny Price. Yes, even.  Huge thanks for Darcy, Henry Tilney, Mr Knightley, Frank Churchill, Willoughby, Edward ,Brandon and , especially for Captain Wentworth.Yes, especially for him!

I also owe  Jane Austen my being part of a huge,  active , sparlking international  web community which has become an enriching part of my life. I feel blessed and honoured because Janeites are such extraordinarily talented  people!

This blog is not yet one year old but has already  got many  friends . It started as a journal of my real life Jane Austen Book Club in January 2010 and has become my virtual Book Club where I meet Janeites and talk Jane Austen with them, where I host interesting contributes from Janeite bloggers and writers, or post my reviews of Austenesque readings and films, collect news and curiosities about Jane.

I owe all this to you. Thank you, Jane. A very happy birthday!

Now,  this  Happy Birthday Party has got lots of great Janeite friends waiting for you on their own blogs and sites. Just leave a comment here before going on with your  tour. Visit all the sites in the list below: every comment you’ll leave on any of the blogs will give you a chance to  win  one of the many gifts we have for this extraordinary multiple giveaway. 

LIST OF GIFTS  

Books -  1 signed copy, directly from the author, of ...

1. Willoughby’s Return by Jane Odiwe
2. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
3. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
4. Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd
5. Intimations of Austen by Jane Greensmith
6. Darcy's Passions: Fitzwilliam Darcy's Story by Regina Jeffers
7. First Impressions. A Tale of Less Pride  and Prejudice  by Alexa Adams
8. Jane and the Damned by Janet Mullany
9. Bespelling Jane Austen by Janet Mullany 

Other gifts:

1.  Austen bag offered by Karen Wasylowski
2. DVD Pride & Prejudice 2005 offered by Regina Jeffers
3. package of Bingley's Tea  (flavor  "Marianne's Wild Abandon" ) offered by Cindy Jones
4. DVD Jane Austen in Manhattan offered by Maria Grazia
5. 3 issues of Jane Austen's Regency World offered by Maria Grazia

Do you like the gifts in the list above? Incredible occasion, isn't it? Hurry up, then! Go and  visit all the other bloggers involved, comment their posts in order to collect many chances to get a prize. I’ll wait for you back next December 23^rd, just before Christmas,  when I’ll announce the names of the winners. Enjoy the Happy Birthday, Jane blog tour , follow the links below  and ...  Good Luck! 

JANEITES TAKING PART IN THE EVENT

1. Adriana Zardini at Jane Austen Sociedad do Brasil
2. Laurel Ann at Austenprose
3. Vic Sanborn at Jane Austen World 
4. Katherine Cox at November’s Autumn
5. Karen Wasylowski at  her personal blog
6. Laurie Viera Rigler at Jane Austen Addict Blog
7.  Lynn Shepherd at her blog
8.  Jane Greensmith at Reading, Writing, Working, Playing
9.  Jane Odiwe at Jane Austen Sequels
10. Alexa Adams at First Impressions
11. Regina Jeffers at her blog
12. Cindy Jones at First Draft 
13. Janet Mullany at Risky Regencies
14. Meredith at Austenesque Reviews

(The giveaways are open worldwide and end on December 22^nd. Don’t forget to leave your e-mail address!)

THE JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT SHORT STORY CONTEST BEGINS JANUARY 1, 2011

In conjunction with the publication of the new anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It, Ballantine Books, Austenprose.com, and The Republic of Pemberley are pleased to announce an online short story contest.  Enter for a chance to win the Grand Prize: publication of your entry in the anthology – a collection of original short stories inspired by the life and works of popular English novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817).  Hosted by the Jane Austen web site The Republic of Pemberley, the contest begins on January 1, 2011. Publication of Jane Austen Made Me Do It is tentatively scheduled for publication by Ballantine in Fall 2011.

Contest Highlights

 ·        Eligibility: Previously unpublished U.S. residents over the age of 18

·         Entries must be approximately 5,000 words in length

·         Manuscript submission January 1 – February 13, 2011

·         Voting for the Top Ten finalists February 14 - 28, 2011

·         Top Ten finalists announced on March 1, 2011

·         One Grand Prize winner receives $500.00 and a contract for publication in the anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It

·         Grand Prize winner announced Fall 2011 in conjunction with the official release by Ballantine Books (Random House, Inc.) of Jane Austen Made Me Do It

Jane Austen Made Me Do It contains more than twenty best-selling and popular authors who have contributed short stories inspired by Jane Austen, her novels and her philosophies of life and love. From historical continuations of her plots and characters to contemporary spinoffs and comedies, the stories encapsulate what we love about our favorite author: romance, social satire and witty humor. Contributing to the line-up are best-selling authors Karen Joy Fowler (The Jane Austen Book Club), Adriana Trigiani (Brava, Valentine), Lauren Willig (The Pink Carnation series), Laurie Viera Rigler (The Jane Austen Addict series), Syrie James (The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen), Stephanie Barron (Being A Jane Austen Mystery series), and the husband and wife writing team of Frank Delaney (Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show) and Diane Meier (The Season of Second Chances). Many Austenesque authors and others from related genres have also contributed stories to the project. One spot in the anthology remains open for the lucky Grand Prize winner.

The anthology’s editor, Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose.com, is very excited at the prospect of discovering the next star in the burgeoning sub-genre of Jane Austen sequels and inspired books. “Jane Austen has been inspiring writers for close to two hundred years. It seems quite fitting that she should be the witty muse of our anthology and short story contest. Encouraging writing and discovering new talent is in spirit with her true legacy. I am ‘all anticipation’ of what will develop, and am honored to be part of the selection team.”

Visit the official Jane Austen Made Me Do It Short Story Contest web page for official contest rules and eligibility requirements.  Best of luck to all entrants.

“[S]uppose as much as you chuse; give a loose to your fancy, indulge your imagination in every possible flight which the subject will afford.” Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 60

NEXT WEEK GREAT EVENT: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE!

: 

It wouldn't be fair to neglect someone as important and dear to  us  as  Jane Austen  on her birthday.  She was born on 16th December 1775, it’ll be 235 years next week . We owe so many immensely pleasant moments to her that we decided she deserved a great B-day celebration.  My Jane Austen Book Club,  other bloggers and Austen-inspired  writers are going to have a blog party in her honour. You are all invited to join us on our “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE!” event next Thursday December 16^th. Who will be there? Where is the party going on?

1. Adriana Zardini at Jane Austen Sociedad do Brasil
2. Laurel Ann at Austenprose
3. Vic Sanborn at Jane Austen World 
4. Katherine Cox at November’s Autumn
5. Karen Wasylowski at  her personal blog
6. Laurie Viera Rigler at Jane Austen Addict Blog
7.  Lynn Shepherd at her blog
8.  Jane Greensmith at Reading, Writing, Working, Playing
9.  Jane Odiwe at Jane Austen Sequels
10. Alexa Adams at First Impressions
11. Regina Jeffers at her blog
12. Cindy Jones at First Draft 
13. Janet Mullany at Risky Regencies
14. Meredith at Austenesque Reviews 
15. Me, Maria Grazia,  here  at My Jane Austen Book Club

 GIFTS & GIVEAWAYS!!!

You’ll find Happy Birthday posts and tributes to Jane Austen on all these blogs on December 16^th with the HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANE  logo created by Adriana Zardini (JASBRA)  just for the occasion. Lovely, isn’t it? Visit all the blogs on December 16^th and leave your comments + e-mail address to have lots of  chances to win one of the wonderful gifts we are giving away:

Books -  1 signed copy, directly from the author, of ...

1. Willoughby’s Return by Jane Odiwe
2. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
3. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
4. Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd
5. Intimations of Austen by Jane Greensmith
6. Darcy's Passions: Fitzwilliam Darcy's Story by Regina Jeffers
7. First Impressions. A Tale of Less Pride  and Prejudice  by Alexa Adams
8. Jane and the Damned by Janet Mullany
9. Bespelling Jane Austen by Janet Mullany

Other gifts:

1.  Austen bag offered by Karen Wasylowski
2. DVD Pride & Prejudice 2005 offered by Regina Jeffers
3. package of Bingley's Tea  (flavor  "Marianne's Wild Abandon" ) offered by Cindy Jones
4. DVD Jane Austen in Manhattan offered by Maria Grazia
5. 3 issues of Jane Austen's Regency World offered by Maria Grazia

Giveaways will end on the 23^rd  December.  Winners will be announced here on My Jane Austen Book Club. 

See you next week , then, on December 16th. It'll be a great party and you are all invited. Join us!

MISS AUSTEN? YOU'VE GOT MAIL!

How many times have you watched this movie? Lots,  I bet. I just love it . First of all because, I must confess, the older I grow the more foolishly romantic I become! But dementia praecox symptoms apart, I truly love "You've got mail" because it is a film about books, or better , bookshops...and my dream job is to run a lovely little bookshop (or a big one) . Just because I'm fondly in  love with books.

Then I  like this film also because it is set in New York. New York before the world changed, before the Twin Towers tragedy.

Are these  the only reasons to like "You've Got Mail"? I'm sure there are many others, among which the two brilliant protagonists, Meg Ryan  (Kathleen) and Tom Hanks (Joe).

But there's another - last but not least,  since we are on My Jane Austen Book Club - very special reason I have to love it:  it's its being Austenesque in many ways. This film is actually a transposition of Austen's Pride and Prejudice into romantic modern comedy. One of the many, but one of the loveliest.

Actually, at first I thought You’ve Got Mail seemed too artificial  and  cliched, and  the parallels seemed too thin, but as I 've re-watched it more than once,  I've come to like it more more and I was even moved at the closing scene (that kiss in the park so similar to the close of Emma 1996) .  I am  convinced  it has much in it that alludes to Austen in several different ways literally, thematically and through movie code.
The main points in the plot of P&P are there: the two protagonists' first encounters are spoilt by the woman's first impressions and prejudices against the man. He is wrongly seen as arrogant, domineering, selfish  and immediately refused as well as hated. What is different here is that the two protagonists  fall in love with each other in their parallel virtual life. They are twin souls on line, they send each other  kind sympathizing mails,but have a long series of rows in real life since they are rivals in business.  In their virtual lives they are free of their public roles, they are free to express their most hidden feelings in their  messages. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is Kathleen's favourite book and a sort  of leitmotiv in the plot.

1. Kathleen runs a lovely small bookshop which is devoured  by the opening of a book megastore on the other side of the street.  Joe, the sensitive man she is fond of on line, is the manager of the company responsible of her financial troubles. Kathleen loves reading Pride and Prejudice, she has read it tens of times .  Well, she confesses she has read it 200 times! Joe accepts to go through Austen's pages for Kathleen's sake. What is so special in that book she likes so much? Watch the clip below.

2. Kate has a date with her mysterious lovely new friend  met on line.  Joe is there by chance ( not at all , actually!) and they discuss Pride and Prejudice… Watch the clip

3. Kathleen and Joe discuss about their relationship. Joe is convinced Kathleen has come to hate him since he has put her out of business, just like Elizabeth hated Darcy ... Watch the clip

Very Austenesque indeed! Lots of Austen in this movie. One of my unforgettables!