Jane Conquers All!
Alert Janeite Laurel Ann gave us a laugh this morning with an article in NewsBiscuit: Jane Austen Now Britain’s Largest Industry.
Books, films and TV shows related to the writing of Jane Austen have now surpassed manufacturing, shipping and computers as the largest single earner for Britain’s struggling economy.
In the week that ITV launched ‘Lost in Austen’ and another American travel writer published ‘In Austen’s Footsteps’, a government trade and industry spokesman confirmed that Britain’s GDP is now more dependent than ever on stories about modern single women who feel a real affinity with Elizabeth Bennett or Elinor Dashwood. ‘Although to be honest, it’s usually just Elizabeth Bennett, because most of them only read a bit of Pride and Prejudice, then watch the TV adaptation and then go on and on about really loving Austen.’
They say that like it’s a bad thing!
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It’s an outrageous little article, but as you say it carries the ring of truth. I rather thought the end of the piece was outlandish, though it gave me a good laugh. The entire site tickles my funny bone.
LOL. After reading the entire article I now understand the reason for the existence of a “Janeites run Amok” category.
Nice find!
Here’s a nano-particle of Austen from the depths of commercial geekdom. An image showing off one of the features of the latest iTunes software. And what do we see in the lower right corner?
http://www.apple.com/itunes/whatsnew/images/gridview_gallery_3_20080909.jpg
She truly is everywhere.
And while we’re at it an important off topic for Mags: If you haven’t already done so, I strongly suggest upgrading to the latest version (2.6.2) of WordPress for security reasons.
This explains a lot:
“The irony is that original manuscript of Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ was discovered in a Hampshire attic earlier this year, revealing the first draft of the classic comedy of manners to be packed with foul mouthed men and women, hell-bent on getting drunk, scoring drugs and having sex.”
So that’s where Andrew Davies has been getting his inspiration!
Here is a comment (and there are hundreds of such) on a “Becoming Jane” video on YouTube:
“… god i love this film, but i always feel so sad at the end when they can’t be together- how stupid is she- if james McAvoy asks you to marry you you don’t say no! … ”
What is this about Jane Austen supposed to be? Popularity or a toy for everybody’s amusement? Do such people know who Jane Austen is if only have any idea what her works are about?
Emma is so turned on she gives him a bj
What is a “bj”? Is this entire text a joke? Am I missing something?
Pleeeease! English is not my native language…
Raquel, ‘bj’ is the abbreviation for the name of a sexual technique. This should satisfy your curiosity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowjob
And yes, the text is intended to make fun of JA fandom.
Raquel, after Mags gives you the definition, please provide a Portuguese translation.
Raquel, it’s slang for oral sex. And yes, the text is satirical – though it sounds awfully similar to what I hear about the latest adaptations. We should never have let Davies survive that wet shirt scene. (Wanders away, grumbling in her tea.)
Um, good luck explaining this one Mags….8-)
Valerie did such an excellently clinical, er, job of explaining it, I don’t have to.
I guess I should have mentioned that the article was a little crude but I really really wanted to just finish up and go to bed at that point!
oh… my… god… sorry for asking!
thanks Valerie, thank you very much…
PS: Sue, I prefer not put here the similar slang word in Portuguese, it is so disgusting…
“Basically all of Austen’s heroines just wanted instant sexual gratification with whoever they met. Except of course, Austen wrote ‘whomever’. That’s what we love about her.”
LOL Love the ending!
What is the authenticity of this article? There are no author’s name nor his/her position, organization responsible, address, link? Who are those “NewsBiscuit” and “one archivist”? Why is this anonymity? Is there anybody who knows where the British Library is situated and to go to read this manuscript?
There is nothing on the subject to be found in the Web.
Won’t it turn out to be a sort of “Pride and Promiscuity: The Lost Sex Scenes of Jane Austen” porno affair?
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/09/1073437467805.html?from=storyrhs
Boris, NewsBiscuit is a British humor website; the article is not meant seriously, just for fun.
Well, there is nothing left to me but to say “LOL”, the only possible comment on their “publications”.
I never thought I would see a site deticated to Jane Austen describing….