Article explores on-going Austen fascination
August 22, 2004
The Washington Post has realized we live in a Jane Austen universe.
Austen, it appears, is our new Shakespeare. In pop culture terms, that is. Two hundred years after her novels were written, she’s ascended to that level where her work is widely imitated, flippantly quoted, frequently ripped off and, yes, very much revered — by those who have actually read her, that is. Cite Jane these days and it’s like playing a smart card. Remember how puffed up you felt the first time you quoted from “Hamlet” by heart?
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For me, it’s a relief to be amongst Janeites, because they get the references. Most folks don’t and just consider them tiresome.
One tends to run into the I-quote-Austen-because-I’m-smarter-than-you type occasionally, even in JASNA. There are also those (and she hit on this in the article) who think they are Jane Austen fans but are really Colin Firth fans.
I think it’s great when the films and the pop culture stuff bring people to Jane, but the manifestation of some of that kind of fandom sometimes pains me. I mostly keep it to myself, however.
Not a bad article in general. Thanks for the link, Julie. Obviously this is a subject that fascinates me, considering that’s why I made this weblog!
I must admit to being appalled that the authoress of the article refers to Our Jane as “Ms. Austen.” Jane wore a cap before she had to to show the world she was not planning to marry, and to use a new-fangled prefix that hides her marital status is just wrong. As another woman who is proudly unmarried and who refers to herself as “Miss,” I am downright offended that this 21st century authoress imposes her own prejudices on Jane after using up all that ink to talk about how Jane’s characters overcome their prejudices.
I would imagine this is a matter of house style being to use “Ms.” as an honorific for all women as a matter of simplicity and the fact that while it might not necessarily always be right, it is never really wrong, either.