News for Austen Enthusiasts: March 2024

The clocks have changed, Easter has passed and hopefully all of us have had a chance to take a couple of days to rest and recuperate after the winter. Now is the time to open the curtains, crack a window or two, and have a good Spring clean. For this blog editor, that usually means having a look through my big stacks of books and being cutthroat about what is going to stay and which volumes are getting lugged down to my local charity shop. My sincere hope is that you have lots more space for books than I do and that you don’t have to have the same big clearouts that I do. Regardless, my Jane Austens are untouchable in this regard and would never face the chopping block, even if they are quite tatty…

Here’s all the Jane Austen news and updates from March 2024.

Winchester Jane Austen statue debate continues

Honestly, who would have thought there could be so much disagreement over a statue. If you’ve been following along with the Jane Austen news these past few months, you’ll know that proposals to erect a statue of Austen in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral have received both support and opposition from different camps. Attendees of a recent public meeting raised concerns that the erection of this statue may lead to the ‘Disneyfication’ of the Cathedral, with tourists disrupting the peace to take selfies with the statue. What do you think - is it likely to be disruptive, or are concerns being overblown?

Jeremy Clarkson has opinions about Jane Austen

We’ll be honest here, we have no idea what is behind the paywall that the Times have put up to stop us from getting to the content of Jeremy Clarkson’s ‘Jane Austen is boring’ article, but we reckon we wouldn’t like it. However, I know I like to have something to direct my frustration at from time to time, so if you do have a Times subscription, let us know your thoughts.

Read it at the Times, if you want to >>

Jane Austen’s travel writing desk to travel again

One of my favourite Jane Austen knick-knacks is her portable writing desk, a fun piece of equipment that would have allowed her to write on the go. It is currently in the custody of the British Library, but it’s set to go on tour to Southampton as part of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday celebrations.

Colin Firth’s Pride and Prejudice shirt fetches big bucks

Don’t play coy with me - you know the shirt I’m talking about. The shirt, which Firth wore as he emerged from the Pemberley lake, dripping wet, in 1995’s BBC Pride and Prejudice, was recently sold at auction, fetching £20,000. This is more than double the predicted price. Worth it, we say, to get your hands on a piece of Mr Darcy history.

One Day courts Austen comparison

We’re glad we’re not the only ones to spot it. We loved watching Netflix’s weepy and romantic new adaptation of David Nicholls’ One Day, starring Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall. In an article for Paste magazine, writer Anna McKibbin considers both One Day and Jane Austen, asking what it is exactly that makes a love story epic.

Read the article at Paste >>

Jena Malone parts with Pride and Prejudice makeup secrets

Though the makeup artist on Joe Wright’s 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Fae Hammond, denies it, it seems that the ‘no make-up’ looks sported by the Bennet sisters did indeed involve makeup. Actress Jena Malone, who played Lydia Bennet in the movie, has revealed that claims that absolutely no makeup were used on set may have been overblown. In a TikTok she revealed that the sisters used brow products, sunscreen, lash curlers and even a little beetroot. So, it’s not exactly full glam, but it’s useful to know!