News for Austen Enthusiasts : July 2023 - The Festival is Coming!

Jane Austen Works Volume One - Jane Austen News Update July 2023

The summer continues apace here at the Jane Austen blog. Despite a cloudy and drizzly July, things are looking up for August, the sun finally peeking out from behind the clouds! This month, preparations are well underway for the highlight of our calendar. That's right - the Jane Austen festival is coming! The Jane Austen Festival will run from Friday 8th to Sunday 17th September 2023 in Bath, England, and will feature a jam-packed programme of events. All the information you need, including the programme, FAQ, restaurant and accommodation suggestions, can be found at this link.

Regency Costume Promenade to delight this September

The crowning jewel of the Jane Austen Festival is the Grand Regency Costumed Promenade - this year's event will take place on Saturday 9th September. The event opens the festival and will feature hundreds of participants sporting Regency Fashions. It's a delight for Bath residents, spectators and participants. If you would like to take part, it's important to know that Regency dress is mandatory! So don your bonnets, get some inspiration from our Regency Fashion blog, and grab your wristband.

Link to purchase Promenade tickets >>

Are rising rents creating a 'Jane Austen' marriage market?

If you, like this blogger, live in a major city, you've probably had the dreaded e-mail recently. Your rent is going up. If you've tried to move houses, you might have found that you're scraping the pennies together for a one-bed with a heinous commute. Such is the way of the world right now. In your despair, you might begin to fantasise about your own Mr Darcy, with his Derbyshire mansion locked down, mortgage payments a worry for some other time and place.

Turns out, things aren't miles off that in the real world. In her article for the Guardian, Barbara Speed speculates that the state of the housing market is to blame for a shift in the way young people are dating. Millennials boast home ownership in their Tinder profiles, raising the bar on the offer to buy a drink, or meet their dog. A flat in London Zone-3 might not be Netherfield, but young people of all genders seem to be on the look out for a more stable housing situation. Like Elizabeth Bennet, do you find yourself mooning over the idea of a stable living situation? Yikes!

Read the whole article at the Guardian >>

What would Austen make of Barbie?

Hi Barbie! The world's most famous doll has been the name on everyone's lips this past month, with the Barbie movie grossing over $1 billion at the global box office. But what would Jane Austen have thought of the whole thing? Perhaps not a question you've considered, but UCLA's Ana Box has. As part of UCLA's video series 'Silly Questions, Smart Bruins', Box considers what Austen and other great writers like Mary Shelley and Lord Byron might have made of the summer of pink.

Watch the video here >>

Summer of outdoor theatre is a Jane Austen bonanza!

It's outdoor theatre season - and what a season it is to be an Austen fan! Jane Austen themed theatre is booming at the moment, with too many excellent productions on the go to mention all of them, but let's have a few! In Victoria, Canada, YES AND YESTERYEAR: AN IMPROVISED JANE AUSTEN has been making a splash. In August, a production of Sense and Sensibility will make its way to Eastleigh, Hampshire. At Carnegie Hall last month, Broadway alums got together for one night only to celebrate Austen in a musical performance of Austen's Pride. Of course, a search of the Edinburgh Fringe website brings up 22 results for 'Jane Austen' - plenty to get stuck into.

Wedding dress restorer breathes new life into Jane Austen fashion!

Karen Tierney, a wedding dress restorer from Oakland, California, has been hard at work restoring vintage wedding gowns to their former glory. The process of restoring these gowns involves specialist skills, so this was a real labour of love for Tierney. Amongst the restored dresses are a number of 18th century Regency fashions, which would not be out of place in the work of Jane Austen.

Learn more about Tierney's work >>

Booker Long List Announced!

Lit fans, the Booker is back! One of the biggest book prizes of the year, the Booker (formerly the Man Booker) is one of the events of the literary year, celebrating the best of new release literary fiction. Former winners include the likes of Ian McEwan, Hilary Mantel and Margaret Atwood. This year's list is full of exciting new reads, including a handful by Irish writers. Which will you be picking up?

See the full longlist >>

Another Regency Romp from Croucher

We've previously reviewed Lex Croucher's Regency comedy Reputation on the blog, so we were excited to see that they've dropped yet another Regency read. Infamous follows two inseparable friend, a dashing poet, a crumbling estate and a whole host of artistic supporting characters. Sounds good to me!

Find out more >>

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

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News for Austen Enthusiasts : July 2023 - The Jane Austen Festival is Coming!