Sunday, December 16, 2012

Sunday Spotlight--Jane Austen

Happy Birthday, Jane!
Photo Source: imdb.com
"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously..." Jane Austen, 1775-1817, in Pride and Prejudice

Today is the birthday of Jane Austen, British author of classic novels published in the 1800s, including Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Emma, and Persuasion, all of which can be read online at the Read book online website.

Information about the author's life and work is available at the website janeausten.org. The Jane Austen Centre and Jane Austen's House Museum also provide information about the author.  For dedicated Austen fans, there is a Jane Austen Society of North America with many interesting links.

Austen remains a popular literary figure, with modern-day adaptations of her works into films (such as Clueless) and fiction (such as Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding).  And who can forget the first monster mashup book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith?  Because of an enduring fascination, it is not uncommon to find Austen's name in the title of contemporary novels.  Here is a sampling:

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict (first in a series) by Laurie Viera Rigler
Jane Austen Ruined My Life (first in a series) by Beth Pattillo
What Would Jane Austen Do? (first in a series) by Laurie Brown
Austenland (first in a series) by Shannon Hale

There's no better time than the present to reread an Austen classic or sample an Austen-inspired book.

Catherine

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

Sunday Spotlight--Jane Austen was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.blogspot.com.  This post cannot be republished without express written consent.






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