My Love for Jane Austen

It is a delight and pleasure to have Bronwen Chisholm visiting My Love for Jane Austen today to celebrate the launch of Mrs. Collins' Lover . Although this seasoned author has previously released five earlier Pride and Prejudice stories before, this is the first time that she is participating in a blog tour. Let us warmly welcome Bronwen on this last leg of her virtual tour. There is also a generous giveaway after her guest post so stick around for the details. Guest Post I am so pleased to be visiting with you today! By this time, many of you are aware I released my sixth Pride and Prejudice variation, Mrs. Collins' Lover , on 10th August. On previous stops on my blog tour, I have shared excerpts, interviewed a character and discussed the premise for the book. Today I would like to talk about inspiration. In truth, my inspirations can come from anywhere. I have been known to start stories after hearing a line in a song, seeing a particularly beautiful sunset, reading...

Today is a special day for Jane Austen lovers because exactly 200 years ago Pride and Prejudice appeared for the first time in print. Jane Austen's second novel was published on 28 January 1813 and is the best-loved and favourite novels of all time in polls conducted in English-speaking countries. Thus is the unique power of Pride and Prejudice where it continues to capture the readers attention two centuries later. In honour of this celebration, I am going to share my experience of this novel. I have to thank my mother for borrowing the abridged edition from her school library when I was about twelve years old. It was very different from books I usually read namely Sweet Valley High series, Enid Blyton's boarding school stories of Malory Towers and St Claire and amateur detective series featuring Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. My impression of the book at that young age is of a fairytale romance with its happily ever ending. I happily return to the story a few years later...

Have you heard of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries which debuted on the web a couple of months ago? I think you should check it out as it is a relatively new concept that has not been fully explored on any Jane Austen's novels. I append part of the press release from the official website for your perusal. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is an innovative, original episodic video and social media series produced for the web. Adapting Pride and Prejudice to the modern era, Lizzie Bennet tells the classic Jane Austen tale from the point-of-view of an Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Bennet who grew up in a world of cell phones, video cameras and social media. The series was created by popular YouTube personality Hank Green and Streamy Award-winning web video writer Bernie Su. Combining web video and social media in a way never before seen for a literary adaptation, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries takes the characters of Pride and Prejudice and tells their stories across a network of different plat...

Delve into the world of Jane Austen's novels by playing a new Facebook game specially designed for Janeites and Austen lovers around the world. BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment in collaboration with Legacy Games and Cerebral Fix brings Jane Austen and her famously social world to Facebook for the first time with Jane Austen's Rogues and Romance . What is this game about? A hidden-object and find-the-difference games where Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy have escaped from the pages of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice . Players must find the newly married couple and convince them back into Austen's most popular book. Set in the world of Jane Austen's six literary creations, discover your place in Regency society and also create an Austen-inspired manor. How do you proceed once you venture into the world of Jane Austen game? Master new levels and unlock new scenes from the novels. Share your favourite quotes from Austen at the successful conclusio...

This film was released in US theatres earlier this year in January and is now available in DVD format. The story is inspired by Jane Austen's novel, Sense and Sensibility with a Latino twist and sets in the metropolitan city of Los Angeles. As this year marks the 200th year since the release of Austen's first published novel, it is a fitting tribute to watch and review any movies and mini-series based on her works. This is a feel-good romantic comedy movie that I enjoyed watching. It managed to capture the important elements of love, romance, family and financial aspects that are prevalent in the novel. This film first came to my notice when AustenBlog first spread the news several years ago about a modern adaptation of Austen's work with a working title Sense and Sensibilidad . You can read all past news on the long journey from script, casting to the release of the film at this link . The Plot Mary (left) and Nora (right) with their father (centre) Directed ...

Rating: ★★★★★/★★★★★ I must acknowledge that I was sorely tempted to own this annotated copy of Jane Austen's most well-known oeuvre although I already have several copies in my collection including the Penguin Classics edition. This is a luxury that I can well afford because there are several reasons to choose this coffee table book. Firstly, it contains plenty of useful notes that are needed in order to truly understand her masterpiece of witty dialogues and finely drawn characters. An added advantage is its cover is one of the most beautiful which depicts presumably a Regency lady holding her bonnet. What this book differs from other editions is half of the page are devoted to the unabridged first edition text while the other half contains finely printed notes penned by Austen scholar and noted authority of Austen works, Professor Spacks in addition to excellent illustrations taken from various credited sources. This approach makes it much easier to read rather than flip to ...

After viewing Emma (2009) and Persuasion (2007), I was on a roll and decided to re-watch Sense and Sensibility mini-series as one of my tasks to complete for the Everything Austen II challenge. Adapted by Andrew Davies ( Pride & Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, Little Dorrit, Bleak House, Wives & Daughters, Bridget Jones's Diary ), this BBC production of the three part mini-series was broadcast in January 2008 to British audiences before it was shown 2 months later in the US as part of Masterpiece Classic's The Complete Jane Austen . The lead actresses are Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield who play the two Dashwood sisters (Elinor and Marianne) with a host of heavyweights and newcomers alike such as Janet McTeer (Mrs. Dashwood), Mark Williams (Sir John Middleton), Linda Bassett (Mrs. Jennings), Jean Marsh (Mrs. Ferrars), David Morrissey (Colonel Brandon), Dan Steven (Edward Ferrars), Dominic Cooper (Willoughby), Claire Skinner (Fanny Dashwood), Anna Madeley (Lucy...

Watching this 90 minutes ITV movie adaptation of Jane Austen's last novel, Persuasion is a time well spent and I am glad that I chose it as one of my task to complete for the Everything Austen II challenge hosted by Stephanie's Written Word . Initially broadcast in the UK in March 2007 as part of ITV's The Jane Austen Season line-up, it was aired a year later on PBS channel for US viewers as part of the line-up in Masterpiece Classic's The Complete Jane Austen . Actually I re-watch this made-for-television movie right after re-watching Emma mini-series and like Emma, I did not immediately write a review because there was too much things going on in my life. Now that I have the opportunity to write it, I hope I will be able to do it justice. Helmed by Adrian Shergold with the screenplay by Simon Burke, it stars Sally Hawkins as Anne Elliot and Rupert Penry-Jones (of Spooks fame) as Captain Frederick Wentworth in the leading roles. I love how the actors have bel...