News for Austen Enthusiasts : February 2023

Spring never comes as quickly as we hope here in Great Britain. The crocuses bloom, daffodils are a pound a bunch, and packets of hot cross buns are on multibuy. Imagine the horror that I experienced this morning upon discovering about an inch of snow blanketing every surface. Hopes of switching the heating off scuppered, I put on the kettle to fill up my depressingly Christmassy hot water bottle, and get to work delivering all of the Jane Austen news and updates you might have missed in February. 

This podcast says that Austen can be for blokes too!

In a recent episode of the Art of Manliness podcast, John Mullan and Brett McKay discussed what Jane Austen can offer the male reader in 2023. Whilst Austen’s work has been stereotyped for being girly, we at the Austen blog are more than aware that guys can dig Austen too. All they have to do is be a little open-minded, and they too can discover the wit of Austen.

Follow this link to listen to the episode > 

PhD Candidate presents her Austen playlist

First-year PhD student in musicology, Laura Klein, has drawn inspiration from a visit to Jane Austen’s house at Chawton. After catching a glimpse of Austen’s own personal musical collection, Klein decided to delve deeper, putting together a playlist of music that integrates period music with words from Austen’s novels. Klein has been commissioned by the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) to create a premiere performance for the 2023 JASNA Annual General Meeting in Denver, Nov. 3-5.

Read more at the University of Colorado, Boulder website >>

A world of Jane Austen inside the walls of a phonebox 

Doctor Who-loving Brits will be well aware of the protagonist’s beloved T.A.R.D.I.S., a time travelling phone box that is bigger on the inside. Well, this Jane Austen Museum contained within a phone box might not physically be bigger on the inside, but it sure does fit a lot of knowledge inside it. The phonebox, located in Austen’s birth town of Steventon, can tell you lots about Austen, and is also home to a little free library. Definitely a cute stop to hit on your Austen tour. 

Learn more at Atlas Obscura >> 

What makes Mr Darcy so meme-able? 

No matter how much we say that we’re Not Like Other Austen Fans, it’s hard to argue against a bit of Mr Darcy. As a new generation of Austen fans are born, so are fresh avenues of interpretation, and it seems Mr Darcy is a particular favourite when it comes to internet memes. In an enlightening article for Scroll.in, Tom Kirk discusses the meme-ification of our favourite surly hero, and what it can tell us about how younger readers are developing their relationship with literature. 

Read the full article at Scroll.in >>

Stormzy Launches Literary Festival

For the last few years, grime artist Stormzy and his imprint #Merky have been bringing new and exciting voices to the book world. Now Stormzy is bringing a two day literary festival to London’s Roundhouse, this April 22-23. The festival will feature a whole host of free events, with national treasures Malorie Blackman and John Agard headlining. 

To learn more about the festival and how to attend, read this article at the Guardian >>

As always, we would love to know if we have missed anything, as well as all your thoughts on the news!