In case you're interested, I recently threw down the gauntlet in front of the Jane Austen Festival. You can read my rant at Behind the Books. Before you panic, however, understand that my rant is directed not at the author of Pride and Prejudice but at her idolatrous admirers.
"Don't hate the player; hate the game." I'm pretty sure Mr. Darcy said that . . .
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3 comments:
I read the other post, but felt I should comment here.
I would just like to note here that I am a Jane Austen fan. And a Lord of the Rings fan. I was a fan of both of these before it was trendy, and I have yet to read past the first Harry Potter book. So there. I hope that makes my comments seem all the more legitimate.
I loved the imagery of Jane Austen with the bluetooth thing and the blackberry. You are, I think, right about this. I take the point you are trying to make "to" the Jane-Austen-Festival-People.
Here's something about Jane Austen's literature about which you may or may not be aware, though, Dave. It's kind of tongue in cheek. As in, that first sentence of Pride and Prejudice is meant to be satirical. Obviously there were some things going on in her day and age which would make it funny, which are less graspable now, but the point is, she wasn't just writing sweet little stories, even if they seem to be.
Also (and this is addressed to the person who said, and I quote, "I don't understand chick lit, but I'm fascinated by it"), one might make so bold as to say that Jane Austen was a pioneer in the chick lit genre. (One could bolster one's case by citing chick lit stories that have attempted to retell her classics, albeit unfortunately, like the Bridget Jones books.) The exact cultural mores might not correspond, but it seems to me the genre is the same, only morphing with the times, but not actually ending to make way for another one.
Touche, Jennnnnn. I did get the sense of a little cheeky grin in the brief passages I've actually read from Jane Austen, but I must admit I missed the satire in the film versions. Thanks for schooling me.
Hey. Anytime. Thanks for taking it so well. ;)
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