Dear readers, For some people, it was a school assignment. For others, it was a book club pick. Maybe for you it was Colin Firth’s pond-dampened shirt, or the flex of Matthew Macfadyen’s hand. For me, it was “Furst Impressions,” an episode of the 1990s children’s television series “Wishbone” in which the titular canine stars as Fitzwilliam Darcy, the arrogant lord of Pemberley, who falls for the audaciously brilliant (if a bit quick to judge) Elizabeth Bennett in “Pride and Prejudice.” If you’re a reader, chances are you too have a story of how you first encountered Jane Austen, who was born 250 years ago today. In her 41 years on this earth, the English author wrote six novels (plus a smattering of incomplete works and juvenilia) that have had an outsize impact not just on the world of books, but on culture writ large. Her mordant societal critique, revolutionary narrative style, propulsive plotting and deliciously satisfying romances have earned her countless fans over the centuries — and that’s before we even get to the many lives her characters have had beyond her books, from battling the undead to rolling with the homies. As fans prepared to celebrate Austen’s semiquincentennial this year, Jane Mania reached new heights — and we at the Book Review have not been immune. Over the past few months we’ve unpacked the nuances of her essential works and explored how they are transformed for the screen. We’ve donned Regency bonnets and puzzled our way through a “Northanger Abbey” escape room. We’ve tested our Jane knowledge, assembled masses of merch and attempted to settle, once and for all, the question: Who is the ultimate Mr. Darcy? It’s been a celebration fit for a singular writer, who surely would be bemused by the many parades, parties, puzzles, plushies and perfumes that have proliferated in her wake (but also tickled — this is a woman, after all, who wrote that “such squeamish youths as cannot bear to be connected with a little absurdity are not worth a regret”). To borrow a phrase from the author herself, to be fond of Jane is a certain step toward falling in love with books. So whether you read one of her novels, watch an Austen-inspired movie or drink a Gin Austen in her honor, we hope you will celebrate today. After all, you only turn 250 once. We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Love this email? Forward to a friend. Want this email? Sign-up here. Have a suggestion for this email? Then send us a note at books@nytimes.com.
|
