TALKING JANE AUSTEN WITH ... PATRICE SARATH & GIVEAWAY

Patrice Sarath is the Austin-Texas based author of The Unexpected Miss Bennet, a sequel to Pride & Prejudice, and two fantasy novels, Gordath Wood and Red Gold Bridge. Patrice’s fascination with Jane Austen began in her early twenties, and she became a voracious reader of all of Austen’s books. She wrote The Unexpected Miss Bennet to answer the question, why didn’t Mary Bennet wed Mr. Collins? They would have been perfect together. The more she delved into Mary’s backstory, the more she realized that Mary Bennet deserved a much better hero, and thus Mr. Aikens galloped into the story.

 Read our Austen chat, leave your comment and e-mail address to enter a giveaway of a copy of The Unexpected Miss Bennet. Open worldwide, the contest ends on September 15th when the winner is announced. 

The huge spreading  of spin-offs, sequels, mash-ups is due to a desire to preserve and Jane’s messages, atmospheres, techniques and prolong the pleasure or more to the ambition to correct and adapt  what in her work is considered too distant or different?

Oh, surely the first. I think all these sequels are striving to capture her style and wit and extend her world so readers can enjoy it more. I don’t think anyone is trying to correct what she has done, although some adaptations and sequels take things to an extreme.

Do  you think that all these adaptations, both written and for the  screen, could alter, mislead  or even distort the interpretation of Austen’s work?

Oh yes. Especially some of the most recent adaptations. I know film is a different storytelling medium but some of the televised adaptations that recently aired seemed to miss the point. Several years ago, a New Yorker film critic quipped that the reason there were so many adaptations of Jane Austen was because her work lent itself so well to conversion to screen. As the article put it, all you had to do was type Fade In, run Austen’s dialog, and type Fade out at the end. If that was the case, then some screenwriters didn’t get the message and messed with perfection.

Isn’t the romantic  aspect of  her novels over- emphasized in the film versions or TV series we’ve seen so far? (not that I mind romance, but those romantic scenes in the movies are so often  not at all Austen-style!)

I agree. I really think the romance is only part of the package and the emphasis on the happily ever after is missing the point.

What would Jane Austen's wit’s  favourite targets have been if she had written nowadays?

Sort of like a reverse Lost in Austen? I think once she got over the disorientation, she would have kept to her subject – families, society, and how our neighbors provide so much amusement for us.

What would she have appreciated the most in our world, instead?

I think that Jane, who never married and who was keenly aware of the precarious position women had in society in the 1800s, would have appreciated the fact that women nowadays can be financially secure and had rights to their own property and the right to an education and to make a living, with or without being married. Behind the pretty dresses of the Regency era were some harsh truths for women and girls.

Why should we still read her novels according to you? What can we learn from them? (a question my students often ask me, why do we have to read the classics?)

Silly students! Part of Austen’s allure is that she is writing about a society that seems so different from ours but it is really so familiar. I bet if students set out identifying all the ways that they know people in their lives and could map them on to characters in Pride & Prejudice or Emma they would get a real appreciation for how Austen resonates today. For example, in Sense & Sensibility, when the older brother talks himself out of taking care of his stepmother and stepsisters and rationalizes the yearly allowance down to a pittance, it’s a really pointed example of that very common thought process.

Many critics agree Emma is Jane Austen’s most successful literary achievement. Do you agree with them? Which is your favourite among the major six?

I can see Emma being the most successful literary achievement. I just re-read it and found a new appreciation for Austen’s accomplishment. My personal favorite is Persuasion. I think that Austen has really come into her full powers as a novelist. And Persuasion itself occupies a place on the cusp of the new English novel  and poetry that was going to sweep the literary world in a decade or so – Romanticism. Austen’s description of the force of nature and the profound lure of the English countryside foreshadows this new movement (note Anne’s dislike of Bath and the accident at Lyme on the seawall). Persuasion makes me wish that Austen had lived longer. I think she would have done amazing work.

How would you advertise your book in less than 50 words?

Why didn’t Mary Bennet marry Mr. Collins? They would have been perfect for each other. But Mary soon learns that she has more to offer the world than marriage to a foolish man. Mary grows up, becomes acquainted with her own strengths, and makes her own surprising match.

Let’s play a bit. If you had the possibility to get lost in one of Jane Austen’s novels (like Amanda , the protagonist of LOST IN AUSTEN) , which one would you choose? Why?

It might be a bit cliché, but I think Pride & Prejudice, so I could meet Mary. I like her a lot – she actually says things that are quite smart, but no one ever listens to her. I’d like to be her friend and talk about books. I did read Fordyce’s Sermons when preparing for writing The Unexpected Miss Bennet, so we would have that in common.

Let’s go on playing. Thinking of the perfect match among Austen characters. Which is the happiest couple among the ones Jane formed? The least happy couple?

Jane Bennet and Charles Bingley were the happiest. Mr. Bennet said so, and I believe him. Setting aside Lydia and Wyckham, because I don’t think that one counts (too easy), I would say the least happy would be Catherine and Henry. Catherine is far too young, and I think Henry’s got a bit of his father in him. But I know there are plenty of readers who are Team Henry out there, so I’m sure I will hear about that!

Visit Patrice Sarath's Site

GIVEAWAY WINNER - MERITS AND MERCENARIES BY LADY A.

Thanking Lady A. for the interesting answers she granted my humble questions for last week's "Talking Jane Austen with ..." session,  I open this brief posting of mine. The winner's name has been picked up for Lady A.'s "Merits and Mercenaries" and I'm here to announce it.

Gayle Mills

Congratulations!!! 

JENNIFER ZIEGLER & SASS AND SERENDIPITY ON FLY HIGH (MY OTHER BLOG)

If you liked my "Talking Jane Austen with ..." Jennifer Ziegler and tried to win her latest novel, Sass and Serendipity, here's another chanche for you. Jennifer is my guest on FLY HIGH!  with a brilliant post about romancing love, teenage memories and her new book. I just love it. CLICK HERE, read it and get a new chance to win the  giveaway contest open worldwide.

TO ENTER THE NEW GIVEAWAY , 

LEAVE YOUR COMMENT ON FLY HIGH!

TALKING JANE AUSTEN WITH … Lady A~, Authoress of Merits and Mercenaries, the First Novel of The Bath Novels of Lady A~ (TBNLA) 7-Book Collection. Interview and giveaway.

'A lady' is, in fact, 'Lady A~'. Both are nom de plumes that were conversely and cleverly employed by Jane Austen to disguise her identity. This modern-day 'Lady A~/A Lady' not only pays homage to her literary muse in the wry anonymity of her pen name, but does so also in the purist 'Austenesque' style and genre of her work. Over a period of fifteen years she has convincingly created a unique companion collection, to JA's perfect six, of seven original novels entitled (collectively) The Bath Novels of Lady A~.  'A Lady/Lady A~' has been a scholar of Jane Austen's works for over three decades and, since publishing Merits and Mercenaries, the first of the Bath Novel 'Classic Companions', has established a dedicated, and steadily growing, 'Janeite' fan base across the globe, spanning America to The Netherlands.

        Many critics agree Emma is Jane Austen’s most successful literary achievement. Do you agree with them? Which is your favourite among the major six? No. Mansfield Park is without question Jane’s finest novel. Though it is considered as the most prolix of the six, and its heroine, Fanny Price, has been described as a ‘prig Pharisee’, it is by far the most definitive opus of Austen’s oeuvre. The counter play of true villainy (the Norris hex, the Crawford duo, the Bertram hypocrisy, the Establishment ‘tyranny’, &c.) versus lowly, creep-mouse Fanny Price is the most intriguing and complex human story spun out through Austen’s subtle but all-felling pen. Fanny is a supremely intricate heroine and, although (like her creator) she is not easy to ‘catch in the act of greatness’, it is the very lack of the ‘light, bright & sparkling’ that establishes her most significant presence on Austen’s Stage. Through her, the masterful plot exposes all that is meritorious and mercenary in its host of world-worthy characters and superlative set pieces. Fanny makes everything ‘black’ or ‘white’, cutting through ‘appearance’ straight to ‘reality’ and without any of the ‘fan’-fare. She is the heroine that I think Austen really identified with—a character mediating between a world of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, while relying solely on the ‘better guide’ within herself against every opposing challenge. The brilliance of such satire is unparalleled. M.P. was the novel that first brought me to Austen (at age 15—I had an epiphany!) and remains my all-time JA favourite. It was also the chief inspiration for my first novel (and its title), ‘Merits and Mercenaries’.

         Do  you think that all these adaptations, both written and for the  screen, could alter, mislead  or even distort the interpretation of Austen’s work? At the risk of sounding ‘priggish’, and much like Fanny perhaps, I do think the quintessence of what is really ‘Austen’ has been lost from every adaptation of her work—although the ’95 BBC P&P adaptation may be the one ‘delicious’ exception. What we are reading and watching is ‘Austenesque’, not Austen. The subtlety of what Austen created is too ‘fine’ an art to be reproduced. That said, the overlying ‘icing’ on all of her six luscious cakes has been very ably exploited and we have all fallen very neatly into her clever, underlying  trap. The ‘ vehicles’ of ‘romance’ that drive the serious sub-text throughout her work are the very things that take us to the fundamental  moral meaning in the end, and no matter how well (or badly) her books are adapted.

       Jane Austen and modernity. What would her wit’s  favourite targets have been if she had written nowadays? I am convinced Austen had strong, independent political and philosophical sentiments that directly challenged those of her peers, family, &c.; after all she read the polemical likes of Bage and seemed (in her work) supportive of Wollstonecraft’s feminist views. Perhaps this is the reason why her relatives tried to paint a posthumous ‘portrait’ of her (albeit a mere silhouette) to the world of the exact opposite. If she lived today she probably would have been a celebrated, though anonymous, activist/satirist-extraordinaire who would have relished slicing into bankers, bigots and politicians alike.

        What would she have appreciated the most in our world, instead? The advancements of civil liberty and science. I hazard a guess she would have been quite thrilled over the notion of ‘emancipation’ and particularly fascinated, I think, with our cosmological discoveries. Her mention of ‘star-gazing’ in M.P. was not done on a whim. I conjecture that she often looked ‘up’ and questioned the origins of the boundless Universe, while contemplating her own existence in a very stifling, patriarchal realm.

      The Austen community online is crowded and widespread. What do you think of this odd match a Regency writer and the worldwide Net? ‘Odd’ aptly describes it. Austen was such a private person, even choosing anonymity in her authorship as ‘A Lady’, which the beau monde (suavely) changed to ‘Lady A—’. I am sure she would have been ‘grossly’ alarmed by the nature of what she unwittingly nurtured and would have clung obdurately to pen and paper, while keeping to her ‘Cottage’, if she could witness it. Although I am as much a part of the ‘alarm’, I often bewail  the interactive ‘bustle’ we have all created ‘around’ her, as we all clamour to climb on Jane’s ‘phaeton and four’.

          

      What is the peculiarity which makes Jane Austen’s genius unique? The wielding of simple words that swiftly transform into ‘swords’. She can strip the hide off a sycophantic parson or a pompous aristocrat without flinching—as they ‘bleed out’ before her—and in the most genteel fashion. Austen did not suffer fools gladly and I think she was something of a misanthropist. Her subtle delivery of this ‘disdain’ is, arguably, the very ‘brilliance’ of her genius.

       Why should we still read her novels according to you? What can we learn from them? (a question my students often ask me, why do we have to read the classics?) A complete no-brainer. Austen exposes the universal and fundamental failings and triumphs of the human condition, and without the lecture. She delivers the didactic message—but without ever ‘preaching’ it—and with consummate comedy. Her characters are exactly like people we all know, as are their trials and tribulations—that is what makes them interminably interesting. Her books are and will always be ‘companions’; friends that span time, class, creed and culture to take anyone and everyone to the same destination—humanity. This is why we must continue to read the classics, but most especially Austen.

       Was Jane Austen more a romantic girl or a matter-of- fact woman? A measure of both, I think. Undoubtedly there were dreams of love, consummation and emotional fulfilment, but I dare say, she looked at the rigours of marriage and what ‘a match’ meant, less ideally, for a woman. I can assure you she sized up the countless sufferings and casualties of childbirth against the rewards of love and congratulated herself, rather heartily, that she had avoided the (then) inevitable pitfalls of Regency ‘romance’.

       

      How would you advertise your book in less than 50 words?

      Witty modern classic with pure Austen sensibility—and (to quote a reviewer) ‘with a dash of [Wilkie] Collins’!

      Let’s play a bit. If you had the possibility to get lost in one of Jane Austen’s novels (like Amanda , the protagonist of LOST IN AUSTEN) , which one would you choose? Why?

      Fanny Price, because like Jane, she goes her own wilful little way. I am extremely wilful!

        Let’s go on playing. Thinking of the perfect match among Austen characters. Which is the happiest couple among the ones Jane formed? The least happy couple?

      Happiest/ Anne & Wentworth. Least Happy/ ‘Hap-less!’ Mrs Norris and Maria Bertram!

       

      As a teacher of English literature to teenagers I always like asking about teaching Jane Austen or introducing her to a young contemporary audience. Any tips?

     6 provocative novels comprising ‘Sex, Lies, Intrigue and Money’?

      

     Which Austen Novel would you like to write a sequel for ? Why? None. Simply because the essence of what I love about Austen would be lost in my translation. Just suppose Austen had gone the way of prequels and sequels in her admiration of Edgeworth and Burney, writers whom she admired and read with gusto? We would now, for instance, be reading hybrids of Evelina, rather than lapping up the singularly brilliant Emma. Austen was clever enough to take that which made both Burney and Edgeworth celebrated and turn it into her own, independent celebrity. With such fine example and with enough of Jane’s literary DNA to set the scene, in my case, there was more reason to write seven Austenesque originals, rather than attempt six Austen sequels. After all, for my part, I think there is a much greater challenge in creating new literary families ‘relative’ to their Austen ‘cousins’ rather than recycling the latter; in a manner of speaking, it more candidly takes up the torch that Jane passed on in good faith.

GIVEAWAY TIME !!! 

Lady A. has graciously granted one lucky commenter a signed copy of "Merits and Mercenaries".
You should please leave  your comment here, and add your e-mail address as well , in order to enter the giveaway. The contest is open worldwide and ends on September 7th when the name of the winner is announced.
Good luck every one!


Any good question for Lady A.?

Check Lady A. 's site

Follow her on Twitter

FITWILLIAM DARCY ROCK STAR BY HEATHER LYNN RIGAUD - MY REVIEW

Straight to the point. This is not Austen. Forget her and only after that you may enjoy yourself.

What I appreciate is that this book is totally honest, starting  from its cool cover.  Just look at it ! You can’t expect a Regency Ball,  nor characters  dancing to the rhythm of  stiff conventions or stuck to propriety and good manners. Look at that mini-skirt, those close bodies and their sexy looks. Do they remind you of anything Austen-like?

OK. Once we’ve cleared that up, we can start focusing on this fast paced, sexy,  contemporary romance set in the transgressive world of  … Sex, Drugs, Rock’n’Roll!

Darcy is as hot as he is talented. Fast music, powerful beats and wild reputation  have made him, a virtuoso guitarist,  and his band, Slurry, into rock’s newest bad boys. They have just been through a dark, complicated , troubled period. But they are ready to go back on stage, if only they could find a new good opening act!  Darcy, Richard Fitzwilliam and Charles Bingley are desperately looking for a good band.

Elizabeth Bennet and the Long Borne Suffering – her sister Jane and her friend Charlotte Lucas – can’t believe their eyes and luck when Slurry come to listen to them on one of their gigs and they are stunend when their manager Alex Lucas tell them they’ve been offered a contract for a long tour and hired  as Slurry’s opening act.

Though experienced rock stars and idols of thousands , the three Slurry men don’t suspect those three girls are going to rock their world!

Elizabeth is fiercely independent and does not trust easily, she’s sure she’s seen the worst the music industry has to offer. Charlotte Lucas and her sister Jane have also talent to spare and they soon become a successful band themselves.

Travelling and playing together for months, as the days and nights heat-up, it becomes clear that everyone is in for a summer to remember. Can you imagine what a ride it  can be, packed with sexy and musical adventures?

Re-writing Pride and Prejudice has become a favourite sport of many, you must have noticed that. How many new versions are there out there? Anyway,  I’m sure that lovers of spicy modernizations will be fond of this one. It is new, witty, uninhibited , beautifully written and with rock’n’roll rhythm!

Final warning: Adult content – Explicit sex scenes.

Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star is out September 1. Stay tuned. Heather Lynn Rigaud will be my guest soon. Any question for her?

GIVEAWAY WINNER - THE SCANDAL OF LADY ELEANOR BY REGINA JEFFERS

This months discussion of themes and characters related to Sense and Sensibility featured Regina Jeffers as my special guest. Special thanks to her for contributing such an interesting piece (HERE) and for moderating the discussion at My Jane Austen Book Club. She generously granted one lucky commenter a signed copy of her latest published novel, The Scandal of Lady Eleanor.

CONGRATULATIONS TO  AMANDA FOR WINNING THIS GREAT BOOK!

I'll wait for you back on September 20th 

to celebrate Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary with Lynn Shepherd and a new giveaway!  

Read all the posts in The Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary Celebration

JANE AUSTEN FOR YOUNG AND VERY YOUNG READERS

If you want to introduce to Jane Austen and her world let's say to ... your friend's/your colleague's/your own teenage daughter, a young niece or grandaughter, your neighbour's lovely child,  here's some good children's/YA books written just for them. Actually, I was quite young when I first read my first Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Orgoglio e Pregiudizio, in Italian . I was 14.  But some of these books below are targeted at even younger kids.

 Cora Harrison fell in love with Jane Austen when she first read Pride and Prejudice at the age of twelve. She has published many novels for children and adults. She and her husband live on a small farm in the west of Ireland. After working in education for many years, she dedicates her writing also to spreading the love for Jane Austen. She says:  “As a teacher I am realistic enough to know that girls won’t automatically read Jane Austen unless their interest is awakened and I hoped to do that…”

I was Jane Austen Best Friend- A Secret Diary is her first austenesque for children. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single girl in possession of a journal must write all her secrets in it. Jenny Cooper, the protagonist, is Jane Austen's shy, pretty, cousin. Jane is clever and sparky and has lots of handsome brothers and a vivid imagination. These are Jenny's secrets: she has never gone to a ball, she hates school, she longs to wear a new gown and flirt with a handsome naval officer, she wishes real life could be more like a novel. A delicious dance between truth and fiction, this is the thrilling story of a moonlight flit, a dashing young man and two girls in search of a hero.

Published in the UK by MacMillan, in the US by Random House Children's Books    in Australia by Pan MacMillan Australia

In 2011 MacMillan UK has published a sequel,  Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend. In this second book in the series Jenny Cooper has found her hero, thanks to her cousin Jane, who considers herself an expert in affairs of the heart. Now it's Jane's turn to fall in love and there are plenty of dances, rumours, scandals and eligible gentlemen to entertain two teenage girls in search of adventure. But a good reputation once lost is gone forever and Jane is in danger of becoming the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons...

Read an excerpt from it:

‘I hate Jane Austen! I really hate her!’

I stop. I know that voice.‘Oh, Lavinia, Mama says that Jane Austen is just a vulgar, husband-hunting, affected little minx. She says you are to take no notice of her.’I know that voice too.It’s Lavinia and Caroline Thorpe. I remember them well from the time when Jane and I were at boarding school at Southampton. They had made my life a misery there. I can still hear them chanting ‘Look at Jenny Cooper’s muslin – it looks like a rag.’ ‘Jenny Cooper has the snub nose of a servant girl, she’s such a little dwarf, isn’t she?’; or else, to the owner of the school, ‘Mrs Crawley, Jenny Cooper has broken a school rule!’And now here they are at the Assembly Rooms at Basingstoke.I hesitate at the door of the ladies’ cloakroom. One curl has come loose from its knot at the back of my head during the hectic pace of the Boulanger dance, but it will have to stay like that. I can’t go in there and face the two Thorpe girls. I turn to go, but then something stops me and I turn back. Before my courage ebbs away I burst through the door, say to them icily, ‘Jane Austen is my best friend’; I’ll thank you not to gossip about her.’I push past them, examine myself in the looking glass, trying to look calm. I pretend to look at myself, but I can see them sneering, shrugging their shoulders as if I were not worth a reply. I carefully pin up the stray curl, and then decide to leave it lying there on my neck – it looks nice, I think. I half-turn and with my head over my shoulder survey my gown, pure white and sprigged with tiny silver flowers. The train is beautiful. A hundred tiny deep blue beads have been sewn to it and they twinkle in the candle light. I smooth my long white gloves, making sure that they fit snugly over the elbow and then I sweep past the two Thorpe girls without another glance. As I close the door behind them I hear Caroline say,‘Anyway, we’re going to Bath for the season; he’s bound to be there.’ She raises her voice a little and says ‘And the Austens and their beggarly cousin won’t be there to interfere.’When I get back to the Assembly Rooms, the new dance has not yet been called, but Jane is already hand in hand with Newton. No wonder Lavinia is so upset. The Honourable Newton Wallop is the second son of the Earl of Portsmouth and it’s rumoured that he will be the heir to the Portsmouth estates as the eldest son, John, is strange and, according to Jane, it is feared that he is a lunatic. Newton has been a pupil at Mr Austen’s house at Steventon and he and Jane seem great friends, joking and laughing. They’ve been dancing together for most of the evening.‘Your very humble servant, ma’am,’ says Newton, and Jane replies in very affected tones, ‘la, sir, pray do not be such a tease,’ And then she laughs as Newton reminds her of the time that she and he made an apple-pie bed for Jane’s prim sister, Cassandra. Lavinia would be furious if she could hear how friendly they sounded.I don’t waste any more thoughts on Lavinia. I can see Thomas coming towards me. I don’t push my way through the crowd to join him. I just stand and look at him.Captain Thomas Williams, the youngest captain in the Navy – brave, handsome and noble – and in love with me! Tall – taller than most people at the ball; broad shoulders; black hair gleaming like a blackbird’s wing under the candlelight from the chandeliers above; dark brown eyes, so piercing and yet . . . I think back to the little damp woodland and the bluebells and tiny forget-me-nots at our feet and how those eyes were so soft and pleading then. And still I can’t believe that he has asked me to marry him.He has reached me now.‘You look so beautiful,’ he murmurs in my ear and I smile and know whether my curls are pinned up tidily, or escaping down on the nape of my neck, it makes no difference to him. He loves me as I am and no matter what I do or say. We go and stand beside Newton and Jane.‘Oh, la, sir, you make me blush,’ she is saying to him and Newton instantly responds with a deep bow and says loudly, ‘Madam, your beauty overwhelms me. No poor words of mine are enough to describe you.’‘Dearest Newton,’ Jane begins in a very lofty way, her voice so loud that several people turn to listen to her and then she spoils it by hissing ‘You’re on the wrong side, Newton. You are such a ninny. Go and stand beside Jenny. Quick, the music is starting.’I smile at Newton as he joins me. He’s quite handsome – not handsome in the same manly way as my Thomas, but he is large-eyed,, curly-haired and fresh-faced. He stretches out his hand to Jane and Thomas takes my hand and we whirl around as the last dance of the evening begins.I can see Lavinia and Caroline Thorpe now. Neither is dancing. They are standing in front of their mama and Lavinia is half twisted towards her, saying something. I can guess what she’s saying. When she turns back her face is full of rage, eyes narrowed as she looks at Jane.

‘Jane,’ I whisper. ‘Look at Lavinia Thorpe, over there by the fireplace. She’s furious with you.’Jane looks over her shoulder, a lightning look, but that is enough for someone with Jane’s quick wits. Newton dances back and Jane puts up her hand to hold his. She smiles sweetly into his face and drops a demure curtsy and then they are off dancing rather closer than is usual, both of them laughing as the two rows of dancers clap them energetically.‘Jane ,’ I say when we are back in our bedroom at Steventon, ‘I think that you have made an enemy.’‘Don’t care,’ she says, carefully hanging up her ball gown.‘She’ll gossip about you,’ I say, hanging my gown beside hers.‘Who cares about Lavinia Thorpe?’ Jane’s voice is scornful as she sits on the stool in front of our little looking-glass and begins to take the pins from her curls.‘Not me,’ I say, taking up the hairbrush. I will brush her hair a hundred times and then she will do the same for me. I don’t care about Lavinia Thorpe, either. All I can think of now is that my uncle, Mr Austen, will be coming back from Oxford tomorrow and that Thomas will ask for my hand in marriage.And then we will live happily forever after.

Read my interview with Cora Harrison 

 Jenny Ziegler writes YA fiction and on occasion of our "Talking Jane Austen with ..." session , this is what she answered to my questions :  "do you find she can still teach/be a model for nowadays youth"?

"Most definitely!  Teens may not realize it, but they can truly relate to her characters and their predicaments.  Austen’s protagonists deal with problems of love, identity, friendship, family, economic hardships, and reputation – all issues that modern youth have to contend with.  Plus, she’s funny!  I think there is a misconception among those who haven’t read Austen that her stories are all polite tales about manners and society.  Although she does address class struggles, her storytelling is playful and gently mocking, and she always populates her stories with hilarious individuals"

Sass and Serendipity (2011) is her latest publication inspired to Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Here's a sinopsis from the author's site:

 For fifteen-year-old Daphne, the glass is always half full, a dab of lip-gloss can ward off a bad day, and the boy of her dreams—the one she's read about in all of her beloved romance novels—is waiting for her just around the corner.
But Daphne's older sister Gabby wishes Daphne would get real. In Gabby's world, everyone's out for themselves, wearing makeup is a waste of time, and boys only distract you from studying before they break your heart. The only boy Gabby trusts is her best friend, Mule, who has always been there for her.
Both Gabby and Daphne are still reeling from their parents' divorce, though in very different ways. While Gabby will never forgive her unreliable father for failing her mother, Daphne idolizes her daddy and is sure that everything would work out fine if her cranky mom would just let him back into their lives.
When a crisis leaves the girls and their mom homeless, help comes from an unexpected source, and both girls are courted by surprise suitors who shake up their views of the world. Suddenly the glass isn't so clearly half empty or half full… and love seems a lot more complicated than they ever could have imagined.

Then,  what about the original six  re-told in a simplified manner?

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Emma and Persuasion retold for young readers by Gill Tavner. With charming colour illustrations throughout, character introductions and large font it is an enjoyable and fun way to introduce children to classic literature. Paperback, 64 pages, published by Real Reads. You find all of them at here.

Cassandra's Sister (2008) by Veronica Bennet is instead a fictional Jane Austen's biography for teens.

Bennett's Jane (known as Jenny to her family) is 17 when we meet her. Fiercely devoted to her entire family, but especially to her only sister, 19-year-old Cassandra, Jenny continually wavers between two poles: Should she marry and find love (and financial security) in the arms of a husband? Or should she pursue her writing, composing fiction that mirrors the real-life concerns of herself, her family and her acquaintances? When love --- through betrayals, deaths and misunderstandings --- continually evades the people she cares for, Jenny's choice seems clear, only to be thrown into question again by an unexpected proposal. 

 Bennett does a creditable job of introducing young readers to Austen's world. Creating characters whose wit and wisdom often seem straight out of Austen's novels, Bennett uses Jenny, her friends and her family members as mouthpieces to discuss literature, women's rights and other concerns of the day. Considering the sophistication of the dialogue, however, many of Bennett's descriptions often seem childlike in comparison: "Jenny loved dancing…. She loved the tramp, tramp of shoes on the wooden floor and the swish, swish of gowns as the ladies turned at the end of the set." Such simplistic descriptions stick out when Bennett clearly expects her audience to understand authentic 19th-century dialogue and to keep track of a couple-dozen major and minor characters (from Teenreads.com)

That's all for today. Do you know any other good Austen read for teens or children?

GIVEAWAY WINNER - SASS AND SERENDIPITY BY JENNY ZIEGLER

Thanks for all your comments and for your enthusiasm for this new  novel inspired to Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility". Of course, many thanks to Jenny Ziegler for being our guest last week and to her publisher for granting My Jane Austen Book Club readers a free copy.

The lucky winner of Sass and Serendipity is ...

Felicia - Elegant Female

Congratulations!!!

SHANNON WINSLOW , THE DARCYS OF PEMBERLEY - GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

I'm glad to announce that random.org has just decided that the lucky winner of this new Austenesque novel is

jedisakora @ The Little Corner of the World

Congratulations to the winner and  many thanks to author Shannon Winslow for guestblogging on My Jane Austen Book Club and actively interacting with readers. Great success to her and her "The Darcy of Pemberley".

MY EMMA MOMENT - A BOOK AND A MOVIE

No, don't worry, I have not suddenly become interested in making all my single friends engaged and matched. Never been good at matchmaking  ( well, neither Emma Woodhouse is,  actually!) Honestly, I envy my single friends most of the time, why should I ruin their freedom? Jokes apart,  my "Emma moment" is simply the fact that in the latest couple of days, I happened to read and watch stuff someway related to Jane Austen's Emma. Ready to discover what? 

1. A BOOK 


Perfect Happiness , The sequel to Jane Austen's Emma by Rachel Billington , Hodder and Stoughton,  , London 1996

"Emma Knightley, handsome, clever and rich, with a husband whose affection for her was only equalled by her affection for him, had passed upward of a year of marriage in what may be described as perfect happiness: certainly this is how she described it to herself as she sat at her writing desk from which she had an excellent view of her father, Mr Woodhouse, taking a turn rould the shrubbery on the arm of her beloved Mr Knightley".

With this promising opening I was ready to dive into a joyful family picture and thrilling romantic tale, but none of that could I experience while reading this novel. Page after page, my expectations were disappointed. The characters were all there for a new great story, even some good points for a good sequel were there, instead I felt as if something was missing  all the time. Well-written, in due respect of Austen's style and atmospheres,  but  the protagonists at times sounded untrue to their own nature or,  from time to time,  some of the turns in the plot were not completely  plausible. It is not the worst sequel I've read, mind you,  but it didn't totally convince me. I really wanted to like it but just felt like I couldn't from , let's say ... the second chapter to the end. 

The story is easily summed - up, if you don't expect too many details. 

A tragedy strucks the quiet routine at Highbury:  poor Jane Fairfax, now Churchill,  has died in childbed and Frank Churchill, nearly mad and desperate has disappeared, refusing to see his newly born son and menacing to commit suicide. Nobody knows where he is. Nobody except for ... Emma.  Another tragedy follows, as John Knightley is imprisoned for debts and his family, Isabella and their children, need Emma's and her husband's help.  This time, and for the first time in her life, Emma has to move to London, leaving Mr Woodhouse to the care and company of Miss Bates - who is now alone after Mrs Bates's sudden death. Emma's London adventures brought her a new charming, independent friend,  Mrs Philomena Tidmarsh,  and lots of doubts on the nature of her marriage. Why is her husband, Mr Knightley, always so detached, controlled, and why doesn't he trust her with his complete confidence? And , above all, why isn't he as passionate as Mr Frank Churchill? 

Other events will disturb the quiet life of the inhabitants at Highbury but,         of course, there must be a happy ending in an Austen sequel, or even more than one.  Just a clue. At the end of the book, after more than a year of marriage Emma succeeds in calling Mr Knightley with his first name, George! A sign of the reached intimacy which had lacked  between them before? A sign of the finally reached "perfect happiness"?   Oh! And just another small one: Mr Woodhouse doesn't mind Miss Bates's company at all!

Perfect Happiness is published by US publishers, Source Books, under the title Emma & Knightley.

2. A MOVIE 


Beautiful Lies (De vrais mensonges) - 2010

I had read somewhere online  that in this new light French comedy directed by Pierre Salvadori  the protagonist played matchmaking just like Miss Woodhouse in Jane Austen's EMMA. And could I resist the temptation to see it? No, of course. I found a DVD with the audio in the French language and English subtitles and truly enjoyed myself watching it. French "Emma" in this story is Émilie  (Audrey Tautou),  the beautiful but brusque owner of a seaside beauty salon who receives a very romantic anonymous love letter from Jean , her handyman (Sami Bouajila). 
Émilie  is not at all impressed by Jean's words and decides to forward the romantic letter to her depressed mother,  Maddy (Nathalie Baye) . What's better than a love letter to improve self-esteem and self-confidence in her fragile mother abandoned by her father for a new partner, younger than Émilie herself? Émilie wants to play deus ex machina but her tricks will make all of them suffer, while setting in motion a train of misunderstandings and complications. Happy ending? YES! 
If you like French comedy and romance, you'll like this film.   It is light, tender and funny. 

TALKING JANE AUSTEN WITH ... JENNIFER ZIEGLER, AUTHOR OF SASS & SERENDIPITY + GIVEAWAY

Jennifer Ziegler is the acclaimed author of Alpha Dog and How Not to Be Popular. She lives in Austin, Texas with her family. Her latest release is Sass and Serendipity, the story of two teenage sisters, Daphne and Gabby, which is meant to be a homage to one of her favourite novels, Sense and Sensibility.  Jennifer is my guest today to talk Jane Austen with me.  Join us and welcome Jennifer on My Jane Austen Book Club.

Hello, and thanks a lot, Jennifer, for accepting my invitation. My first question is, of course, when and how did you discover Jane Austen?

Hi!  Thank you so much for inviting me!

Jane Austen first came into my life when I was in high school.  I wish I could remember who persuaded me to read her because I owe them at least a box of chocolates.  I’m ashamed to say that at the time I was of the mindset that older, classic novels were all boring and didn’t relate to my life.  Jane Austen sure changed my mind!  Sense and Sensibility quickly became a favorite of mine – a book that I would read and reread throughout my life.  And each time I read it, I’d find something new about it to love.

As a writer of YA literature do you find she can still teach/be a model for nowadays youth?

Most definitely!  Teens may not realize it, but they can truly relate to her characters and their predicaments.  Austen’s protagonists deal with problems of love, identity, friendship, family, economic hardships, and reputation – all issues that modern youth have to contend with.  Plus, she’s funny!  I think there is a misconception among those who haven’t read Austen that her stories are all polite tales about manners and society.  Although she does address class struggles, her storytelling is playful and gently mocking, and she always populates her stories with hilarious individuals.

What do you especially like in the world she created?

Her characters.  They are so finely drawn that they seem familiar.  You can’t help but root for her protagonists, but even the rogues and curmudgeons are likeable in their own way.  Plus, they add sauce and spice to the stories. 

What do you especially admire in her style?

Most of all, I love her playful, slightly ironic tone.  Her narrators are like off-screen, all-knowing characters.  Consider the first line of Pride and Prejudice – the best, most finely crafted opening sentence ever.  It simultaneously introduces the main topic, sets the tone, and makes an amusing point.

I read that you “played Austen” writing your latest novel, Sass and Serendipity. What do you mean?

Ha!  That was a frame of mind I tried to get into while drafting the book.  Although I knew I couldn’t channel Austen or emulate her style, I wanted to feel as if I could climb into her mind.  When I decided to seriously pursue this project, I purposely stayed away from all things Austen (not easy for me) so that I wouldn’t feel intimidated by her greatness, nor pressured to translate every brilliant detail of the original.  Instead, I worked from the themes and plotlines that had been filed away in my memory.  This also made it easier to feel a sense of complete ownership, to pretend that it was my idea and not something I was borrowing from the classics.  Thus, in a way, I was pretending to be Austen stumbling upon the story.

It’s rather serendipitous that it came out in 2011. It is the Sense and Sensibility Bicentenary this year. Did you plan that?

No!  It was serendipity!  When I was finishing up my final draft, a friend asked me when Sense and Sensibility came out.  I wasn’t sure exactly, so I looked it up. I was stunned when I realized the coincidence. 

It is clearly a homage to Austen and a retelling of her Sense and Sensibility, with Daphne and Gabby as modern Dashwood sisters.  Which of them resembles you?  Are you more Elinor or Marianne?

In a way, I’m both.  I’m Marianne (Daphne) with an Elinor (Gabby) exoskeleton. I am the oldest of three siblings, and I strive to be responsible and take care of others, just like Gabby and Elinor.  However, deep down I’m romantic and silly and prone to getting lost in my daydreams, just like Daphne and Marianne.  It’s an eternal struggle – one that my subconscious probably tried to work out as I drafted the book. 

Have you got a sister? Did you take inspiration more from your personal experience while writing Daphne and Gabby or from Austen siblings?

At the concept stage, I was inspired by Austen’s characters, but the reason her story resonated so much with me was because I have a sister and could relate to the dynamic between Elinor and Marianne.  It’s tough to trace inspiration sometimes, but I suspect that my characters’ arguments, careless assumptions, suppressed jealousies, and fierce sense of loyalty and protectiveness stemmed more from my own experiences than from Austen’s work. 

What about the  heroes in Sense and Sensibility? Willoughby, Brandon or Edward Ferrars?

My favorite of the male suitors in Sense and Sensibility is Colonel Brandon.  But I have to confess that I would have completely humiliated myself over someone like Willoughby as a young girl.  When I was a teen, I thought I wanted romance and drama.  Now that I’ve lived longer and understand myself better, I have a very different view on relationships.  Both of these mindsets – my present one and that of my younger self – influenced the love relationship plots in the novel.  I didn’t directly draw from personal experience (disclaimer: no former boyfriends are exemplified in the novel), but I did work from the emotions of past relationships.

In what ways are today’s young heroines and heroes like Jane Austen’s? In what ways do they differ?

I think they are very much alike.  Of course, they express themselves with different vocabulary and play video games instead of taking “turns about the room,” but overall they are the same.  They still crave real friendships and true love and a feeling of belonging in the world.  They still need to understand who they are, realize their inner strengths, and overcome their weaknesses.  In short, both Austen’s young protagonists and today’s youth need to come of age. 

Family relationships, love, and friendship are fundamental in Jane Austen’s work.  What about in your novels? 

They are pervasive in my books, as well.  Not only do such themes interest me as a reader, I enjoy exploring them as a writer, too.  Often there’s no need to add life-threatening circumstances, supernatural elements, or other dire situations to teen lit because being a young adult is inherently full of drama and life-changing events – particularly regarding relationships.  We are all works in progress, so our connections with others must be constantly redefined.  Moreover, it is through these bonds that we best learn about ourselves.  The challenges of communicating effectively … the emotional risks of admitting your feelings for someone … seeing ourselves reflected back in the eyes of our loved ones … these things force us to grow as individuals.  As a novelist, I find family, friendships, and love interests to be the most telling aspects of my characters – and the most fascinating. 

Which adaptation of Sense and Sensibility do you prefer? The 1995 movie directed  by Ang Lee or the recent Andrew Davies’s BBC series (2008)? 

I haven’t yet seen the recent miniseries.  I absolutely adore the movie, and it would be tough for another screen version to take its place in my heart.  However, miniseries are longer and can stay closer to the novel.  And I do love Davies.  Tell you what – I’ll watch it and let you know my verdict!

And this is my final question.  Present your book, Sass and Serendipity, to our readers in max 50 words.

Sass and Serendipity is the story of two sisters, Gabby and Daphne Rivera, who have very different views on life and love. As the girls deal with emotional and economic set-backs, they end up growing closer to people they never thought they would – including each other.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions, Jennifer. It’s been a pleasure to have you as my guest on My Jane Austen Book Club.

The pleasure is all mine!  Thank you for hosting me on your lovely blog.  

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Leave your comment + e-mail address to enter the giveaway of a copy of Sass and Serendipity. Open worldwide, the giveaway ends August 30 when the name of the winner is announced.

VISIT JENNIFER ZIEGLER'S SITE