Jane Austen News - Issue 36

What's the Jane Austen News this week? 

Jane Austen's Daily Quote App Good news! The android version of the Jane Austen quote app has been updated! As with the older version of the app it is still free and provides a new Jane Austen quote straight to your phone at a time to suit you every day. However, it now loads much faster, with quicker quote loading and a smoother user experience all round. Plus the app is still loaded with lots of other Austen goodies; free articles from the Jane Austen Centre online magazine and easy access to the Online Giftshop and Centre news. To get the update users with the old version will have to uninstall their version and install the new one. On the other hand if you don't have the app yet but would like to download it, you can get the Jane Austen Daily Quote app for Apple and Android devices from iTunes or Google Play.

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Jane Austen - Master Beer Brewer    This week the Jane Austen News has come across a lovely little blog post which talks about Jane's penchant for brewing beer - perhaps not the first thing to come to mind when you think of Jane. Here are a few great facts from Nick Hines' post on VinePair:

• Beer was safer than water and was considered a daily necessity just like food.
• It was the woman’s role to provide the beer.
• Jane's beer of choice was spruce beer; a beer brewed using the buds of a spruce tree, which give off citrus and pine flavours.

A timeless author and a master brewster?! (As the female brewers of the age were called.) Jane really was one talented lady.

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Six Ways Jane Austen Has Shaped My Relationships     Jane Austen has sometimes been accused of giving people unrealistic expectations when it comes to relationships. After all, not everyone can be so devoted as Colonel Brandon, or as (eventually) eloquent in their devotion as Mr Darcy, but one post on Bustle caught the eye of the Jane Austen News because it was extolling Jane's novels as being a help, not a hinderance, when it comes to forming good relationships. And how?

1. They make you more forgiving of your family's quirks (e.g. "thank goodness my mother is not Mrs Bennet").
2. They prove that character is more important than charm.
3. They make you more understanding of your friend's choices (Lizzy on Charlotte's marriage anyone?).
4. Look after your siblings.
5. Appreciate second chances.
6. Patience is a virtue.

We're know there are more reasons why reading Austen is helpful for relationships, but this is certainly a good starter list!

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Bridget Jones Needs A Man Like...    ...Always? That's the conclusion of some disheartened Bridget Jones fans this week having seen the new film. In the most recent Bridget Jones film, Bridget is pregnant and unsure who the father is. Bridget is a strong, modern woman, and yet she spends the film trying to choose which of the two potentials she needs to have as the father of her baby. The implication being that she is unable to cope alone. When Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice (which was the inspiration for Bridget Jones) the sad fact was that unless Lizzy wanted to become a poor spinster then she did need a man so Austen can't be criticised for her fixation on marriage. Things have changed a lot in 200 years though, and so it's a shame that despite major advances in gender equality (female suffrage anyone?) it would seem that the mainstream message for women is still the same: you need a man. At least this is the conclusion of quite a few disappointed Jones fans. Thoughts?

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Poldark Vs. Darcy      Poldark took a leaf out of Mr Darcy's book this weekend as in episode 4 of series 2 he went rushing into the water at Nampara Cove to aid Demelza; while wearing a white shirt that very much echoed the one Colin Firth was wearing when leapt into that lake in Pride and Prejudice. Now the Radio Times are asking who wore it best? Colin or Aidan? (Though there are surely a few people asking whether we have to choose between them. Let's have both!)

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Jane Austen News is our weekly compilation of stories about or related to Jane Austen. Here we will feature a variety of items, including craft tutorials, reviews, news stories, articles and photos from around the world. If you’d like to include your story, please contact us with a press release or summary, along with a link. You can also submit unique articles for publication in our Jane Austen Online Magazine. Don’t miss our latest news – become a Jane Austen Member and receive a digest of stories, articles and news every week. You will also be able to access our online Magazine with over 1000 articles, test your knowledge with our weekly quiz and get offers on our Online Giftshop. Plus new members get an exclusive 10% off voucher to use in the Online Giftshop.