A CONVERSATION WITH JULIETTE WELLS, EDITOR OF EMMA: 200th ANNIVERSARY ANNOTATED EDITION - READ AND WIN A COPY!

A gorgeous new Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of one of my favorite books of all time, Jane Austen’s EMMA, with a new introduction and notes by Goucher professor Juliette Wells is out today! This edition is being published to celebrate the 200^th anniversary of EMMA, first published in 1815.

In the two centuries since its publication, readers have come to prize EMMA for both its good-humored good sense and its sharp wit—and for its lovably human leading lady. And with its smart and subtle exploration of relationships, EMMA is often seen as Jane Austen’s most flawless work. Beautiful, clever, rich—and single—Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protégée Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected.

Here is a conversation with Juliette Wells, editor of the new annotated edition and,  below it, you'll find the rafflecopter form to enter the giveaway contest for a paperback copy of the book (US only)

When we celebrate the 200^th anniversary of EMMA, what in particular are we celebrating? What’s new about this edition?

We’re celebrating the 200^th anniversary of Emma’s original publication, in London in December, 1815.  The date of publication is a little confusing because “1816” was printed on the title page of the first edition of the novel, but it was actually released in December, 1815.  I think this gives us the right to celebrate for a whole year!

And what better way to celebrate than to re-read Emma, or read it for the first time?  Our 200^th-anniversary annotated edition has everything you need, all in one place, to help you appreciate this wonderful novel.   You can immerse yourself in Austen’s world and also have, right at your fingertips, explanations of some of the elements of the novel that tend to trip up or puzzle today’s readers.

A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM LAUGHING WITH LIZZIE

Sophie Andrews

Thank you very much Maria Grazia for allowing me to visit your blog today, My Jane Austen Book Club, to make my very special announcement! 

In fact, rather than making my own announcement, I am going to let the wonderful Caroline Jane Knight, Jane Austen's 5th great niece, tell you all!

  

"It is inspiring to see the positive influence Jane has on people’s lives today.     They say life is about what you leave behind and I couldn’t be more proud of Great Aunt Jane’s legacy, my inspiration for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation.     As Jane’s popularity continues to grow, I wanted to extend her legacy by harnessing the global passion for Austen to improve literacy rates.    Literacy is the key to self-improvement and unlocking potential.    Reading and writing are essential skills for anyone who wants to understand, enjoy and influence the world around them.

Caroline Jane Knight

The foundation raises money to help create CONFIDENT READERS and PROUD WRITERS by providing FREE books and writing materials to communities in need around the world, in honour of Jane.     We are a volunteer organisation with all monies raised spent on literacy resources and fundraising activity.   We are currently raising funds to provide literacy resources for the displaced children of Syria, delivered on the ground by UNICEF.

I only joined Facebook a year ago and was amazed to discover a world of Austen, involving Janeites from around the world, enthusiastically and vibrantly celebrating and discussing all aspects of Jane’s life and works.      With over 7000 websites and social media profiles associated with Jane, there is a never ending stream of content to keep even the most ardent Janeite engaged.    

YOURS FOREVERMORE, MR DARCY - KARALYNNE MACKRORY'S BLOG TOUR STARTS TODAY!

Hello Readers-Of-Impeccable-Taste!

Welcome to the first stop on the blog tour of Yours Forevermore, Darcy and to your first JAA meeting.  We at Jane Austen Anonymous, would like to invite you to stay and share in your own Jane Austen addiction. 

                I’ll start. My name is KaraLynne Mackrory and I am a Jane Austen addict.  I have been for well over 15 years.  There was a guy in my freshman class that I thought was pretty handsome.  So when I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time as part of an assignment, it was easy to let my girlish crush combine with Jane Austen’s wit, transcendent romance and comedy to create a permanent addiction. I was lucky I found Jane Austen – I might have turned out quite normal otherwise.  ::shudder::

A MATCH MADE IN AUSTEN - LET THE GAME BEGIN! INTERVIEW WITH MARJOLAINE LAFRENIERE

Hello Marjolaine and welcome to My Jane Austen Book Club.  A Match Made in Austen is the new card game you created for Renaissance Press, which will be released on 10^th September. Can you briefly tell us what kind of game it is?

A Match Made in Austen is a storytelling card game. People draw six cards, three representing male characters and three representing female characters, they improvise some event at which the characters interact and then try to make wedding proposals to the characters they think are best suited to the ones in their hand.

Great! I think our Janeite friends will love it. It may be a perfect game to animate tea parties or friendly gathering of any type. How many players can be involved in the game?

The game can involve as few as two players (with some rule variations included in the rulebook) and as many as six.

Which Austen characters are involved in your card game?

The game includes 54 characters from the six main novels of Jane Austen. They are, by books and in alphabetical order: