Quantcast
Channel: Magical Musings » Jane Austen
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 10

A Visit with the Austen Authors

0
0

Jane-Austen-black and whiteA few years ago, a group of writers with a strong admiration for the work of Jane Austen (one might go so far as to say “obsession,” at least in some of our cases, LOL) formed a blog devoted to sharing information about her writing, her life during the Regency and our own novels/short stories, since each of us had written at least one book that touched upon Jane or her characters in some way. The group — of which I have the pleasure of being a member — is called Austen Authors, and several of the writers are my special guests for today!

As many of you may already aware, this year marks the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice. On the AuAu site, we’ve done a number of things to celebrate, and one of them is to take part in a round-robin “Choose Your Own Adventure”-style writing activity using a variation of the novel’s famous plot, inventing a “Bennet Brother” character and getting input from readers after every scene, which changes the direction of the story each week. It’s called P&P: Reader’s Choice. (For those of you who read my MM post a few weeks back on how I was going to be writing a story segment set in the Regency for the first time, that P&P: RC scene just went live yesterday!)

In any case, all of this Jane love and P&P reimagining has left me wondering about how we all got SO hooked on her work. So, I asked my AuAu friends this question, “How did you first fall in love with Austen?” and here are their thoughtful responses:

“I was minding my own business – raising two sons and pursuing a very sensible career –a-darcys of pem when an ordinary trip to Costco ten years ago changed my life. That’s when a copy of the ’95 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice fairly leapt off the shelf and into my oversized shopping cart. After watching the mini-series, I was hopelessly hooked on the story, Colin Firth’s Darcy, and all things Jane Austen. Compulsive reading and late-night movie dates with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley followed. Finally, my obsession inspired me to begin writing my own stories a la Austen.” ~ Shannon Winslow, The Darcys of Pemberley

a-man who loved“My mother was a voracious reader so was disappointed that I preferred tom boy activities. Mom hoped to interest me in reading by giving me an historical novel because I love history and the die was cast. Then an English teacher assigned Oliver Twist. Afraid that Dickens’ dark vision would diminish the interest I’d developed in reading she gave me Pride and Prejudice and so my love of Austen’s bright, lively and playful prose began which then turned to a fascination with the author herself, resulting in Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen; my tribute to Jane and Pride and Prejudice.” ~Sally Smith O’Rourke, The Man Who Loved Jane Austen

a-pulse“The oldest, meanest nun who ever lived introduced me to Austen. Unlike the other sisters at the school post-Vatican II, she still wore the traditional habit with a veil and wimple framing her shriveled face – like an old potato forgotten in the pantry. Of course I had heard of Pride and Prejudice; but being from the South, I stupidly thought it was about desegregation! Then the “holy terror” we despised assigned Emma. I fell madly in love with Mr. Knightley, a man who saw a deeply flawed woman yet loved her anyway. An enduring gift from the unlikeliest of sources.” ~Colette Saucier, Pulse and Prejudice

a-missing ms“I’d studied and admired Jane Austen’s novels in college, but I attribute my mad, passionate obsession with Jane to the movies. I saw Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth and Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson, and I fell in love. I immediately read or re-read all of Austen’s novels (and wished there were more). I devoured her letters and biographies. I couldn’t help myself; I had to write my own books about her. I gave her a romance of her own…and I wrote her missing manuscript. I am hooked for life!” ~Syrie James, The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen

1-becoming e“When did I first fall in love with Jane Austen? I was 17 in 1968, and we had to read Pride and Prejudice for English class. I loved it so much that I kept telling my fellow classmates it was the best book I had ever read. The response was underwhelming, but after all these years, it is still in my top five.” ~Mary Lydon Simonsen, Becoming Elizabeth Darcy

1-two shall become“To be honest, I fell in love with the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice by Joe Wright first! My passionate adoration for Jane Austen arose in the aftermath of love for Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s romance as played on the screen. Needless to say, that was only the beginning.” ~Sharon Lathan, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One

1-austensibly“I first fell in love with Jane in high school British Lit. I’d taken American Literature the previous year and endured a series of novels that read like required reading. I knew they were books I should read (and I did!), but I wasn’t at all excited about any of them. And then, suddenly, Jane swept into my life. Pride and Prejudice read like a good gossip session–or a romance novel–it was witty and sharp, tender and oh-so-wonderful. Suddenly Jane was a new friend that felt like an old one. A true classic.” ~Alyssa Goodnight, Austensibly Ordinary

1-mysterious“My mother introduced me to Austen and Pride and Prejudice when I was 12. Among the pages, I discovered elegant balls and magnificent estates, but also the passion of pride. As a Catholic, I knew the evils of pride, but with Austen’s eloquent touch, the passion of pride brought about the transformation of both a good man, turning him into a better one, as well as an opinionated girl, who became a wise, forgiving woman. I was hooked!” ~Regina Jeffers, The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery

a-maria grace“Somehow, I missed Jane Austen in my high school reading list. I discovered her when my husband and I took a much needed weekend away from our two (at the time) little boys. We saw Emma Thompson’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and I was utterly hooked. I could not believe I had missed an author like Austen for so long and quickly got to work making up for lost time. I acquired every one of her works and devoured them whole.” ~Maria Grace, All the Appearance of Goodness

1-mr d's prop“My love affair with Jane Austen almost didn’t happen! I’m embarrassed to admit that when I read Pride and Prejudice in the eighth grade, I didn’t even like it. That all changed when I watched the BBC version of P&P with Colin Firth in 1995. After that, I gave Austen another chance, read all her books, and fell in deeply in love. In order to spend more time with my favorite characters, I wrote my own P&P “what if” story called Mr. Darcy’s Proposal.” ~Susan Mason-Milks, Mr. Darcy’s Proposal

1-mr d's sis“I really fell in love with Jane Austen (actually, let’s face it, Mr. Darcy) when I had an English au pair living with me—my children were grade school age and I had read Austen before, but somehow it just didn’t click. This au pair introduced me to Jane and, best of all, to the 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice and I suddenly “got it.” Instead of thinking “Boy this Darcy guy is a jerk…why does she fall in love with him?” I understood the redemptive quality of their relationship for both of them and the subtle beauty of Austen’s prose. I was hooked!” ~C. Allyn Pierson, Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister

1-searching“I remember watching the old black and white movie of Pride and Prejudice (starring Sir Lawrence Olivier and Greer Garson) with my parents and I loved it so much that my Mum bought me a copy of the book home from the library. Later, I enjoyed all the television adaptations of Jane’s novels, but it was the 1995 series that made me want to re-read the books and find out more about the author herself. The scarcity of portraits of Austen inspired my first book, Effusions of Fancy, and led me to fulfill a lifelong dream of writing novels myself.” ~Jane Odiwe, Searching for Captain Wentworth

1-3 colonels“After graduation from graduate school in 1981 (back in the Stone Age), I realized I had not read much of classic literature. At the same time, PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre was broadcasting’s the BBC’s “Pride & Prejudice” mini-series. I enjoyed the heck out of it, and as my wont, I decided to read Austen. So I bought The Collected Works of Jane Austen and read it cover to cover. The rest is history.” ~Jack Caldwell, The Three Colonels

1-compulsively“To quote Mr. Darcy, ‘I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot…I was in the middle of it before I knew I had begun.’ I honestly can’t recall when I first fell in love with Austen’s works. I do know that after I read anything depressing, be it fiction or non-fiction, I would reach for one of her novels to cleanse and sooth me. The tabloids, Archie Comics, and Jane Austen novels—in that order—are my comfort readings.”  ~Nina Benneton, Compulsively Mr. Darcy

a-perfect m“Like my heroine in my debut novel, According to Jane, I was assigned Pride and Prejudice in high-school English class. It was not a selection that was met with much enthusiasm at first…until I started reading it. Within a few chapters, I was completely hooked by Austen’s wit and insightfulness. I finished the story way ahead of the reading schedule and went on to devour everything else by the author that I could find! I’ve been under the spell of Jane Austen ever since, and I doubt there could be a better literary idol for me.” ~Marilyn Brant, Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match

So…that’s the story of how many of us fell in love with the novels of our favorite author. What about you? Who is one of your literary favorites? How did you first fall under the spell of that special writer? We’d love to know!


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 10

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images