News For Austen Enthusiasts : August 2023

It’s unseasonably warm here in Austen country, with a September heatwave searing across the south of England just in time for the Jane Austen Festival. Not such good news for those taking part in our Grand Regency Costumed Promenade this weekend - staying cool with lots of water and a good fan was key! Here’s all the Jane Austen news and updates from August.

Final season of Sanditon features gay romance

The trials and tribulations of the Sanditon TV show are something we’ve been following closely on the Austen blog. The TV show, based on an unfinished Jane Austen manuscript of the same name faced cancellation after its first season, but has triumphed over adversity to win itself a third and final season. Due to the fragmentary nature of the existing manuscript, the writers have expanded the story and world well outside of Jane Austen’s original text, including the decision to include an LGBTQ+ romance in the third season. This has prompted some debate over whether Austen would have written a gay romance were she alive today. This writer isn’t sure it really matters all that much. 

Read the thoughts from the cast at Metro >>

New book looks at Jane Austen’s fashion sense

Whilst we might not think of Jane Austen as a great fashionista, it seems that she had her finger on the pulse of new trends throughout her lifetime. In her new book Jane Austen’s Wardrobe, fashion historian Hilary Davidson pores over Jane Austen’s writings and correspondence to create a detailed image of the author’s fashion sense, revealing more about the author’s dress sense and sensibilities than we might expect.

Read more at the FT >>

New editions of Jane Austen’s novel feature Chawton wallpaper

Can you have too many copies of your favourite Jane Austen novels? This writer has three editions of Emma on her bookshelf, so I reckon my answer to that question is a resounding no. Austen’s novels are constantly being reimagined with new cover designs that take something new from their contents. The newest Macmillan Collectors Library editions of Emma, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility feature designs that replicate the wallpaper in Jane Austen’s home in Hampshire, Chawton. 

See the designs at Town and Country >>

Red, White and Royal Blue movie in Austen-related blunder

If you are up-to-date on the latest big streaming releases, you will have heard about Red, White and Royal Blue, the new Amazon Prime romcom about an English Prince and the son of the President of the United States. Well, it turns out the movie contains a bit of a stinker - a quote misattributed to our dear Miss Austen! Viewers have speculated that the quote, which the movie claims is taken from Sense and Sensibility, was scooped up from the Jane Austen Goodreads page, but doesn’t come from the novel at all. Yikes! 

Find out more on Yahoo!>> 

Pride and Prejudice wins BookTok award 

You don’t know about BookTok? Where have you been? BookTok is TikTok’s thriving literature community, a vibrant place where people meet up to read and recommend books. Recently, TikTok hosted its inaugural Book Awards, with favourites like Holly Jackson, Bolu Babalola and Alice Oseman scooping awards. Jane Austen even got a look in, with Pride and Prejudice winning the Best BookTok Revival. The kids have taste! 

Find out more at Mashable >>

Pride and Prejudice composer dies, aged 86

A good Jane Austen adaptation is nothing without a solid score, and that’s what we got in Carl Davis’ compositions for the BBC’s beloved 1995 Pride and Prejudice mini-series. Sadly, Mr Davis has recently passed away, aged 86, from a brain haemmorage. We’re sure many fans will commemorate his life by rewatching Pride and Prejudice. 

Read more at Metro >>

  

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