I thought I’d share three “Jane” moments from the past month:
1. I wrote a vignette from the perspective of Jane Bennet for Austen Variations’s “P&P: The Untold Stories” series. That was fun! (But I learned it’s not easy being Jane!)
2. I’ve been (slowly) reading Jane Austen’s juvenilia. While I’ve enjoyed seeing a 13-year-old Jane Austen at work (she was clearly interested in satire and humor from a young age), some of the stories are quite silly. I wonder what she’d think, knowing millions of people spend hours poring over the work of her adolescent self? Favorite quote so far from the juvenilia: “Run mad as often as you chuse; but do not faint” (Love and Friendship).
3. Now that we’re in the thick of winter, I often wear scarves, including one decorated with text from Jane Eyre; a friend gave me the scarf years ago, knowing I loved “Jane” — but not realizing the Jane I often mentioned was the author Jane Austen, rather than the fictional character, Jane Eyre. I do, in fact, love Jane Eyre — but I wonder what author Charlotte Bronte (who reportedly did not like Jane Austen’s work) would think of that mix up? 🙂
Happy February and happy reading to you all!
christina morland 