is now scheduled to be broadcast on the 23rd December from 9 p.m.- 10 p.m. on BBC2
The Press Release for the programme gives us some hints of its content:
To mark the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen’s first novel, Sense and Sensibility, Professor Amanda Vickery, one of the leading chroniclers of Georgian England, explores the ebb and flow of Austen’s popularity and the hold her fiction has on us now.
In this 60-minute programme, Vickery considers what it is about her plots and characters that continue to delight, amuse, console and provoke. Her fans insist her current popularity is due to the timelessness of the fictional world Austen created, but for Vickery the question is: Why have her novels gone in, and out, of fashion?
What interests Amanda is how different periods and generations have looked for their own reflection in the characters and plots of the novels. She wants to work out what that says about them, as well as about Austen.
As you are aware, Amanda has spent much of the summer filming for this project all over the world, including at the Jane Austen House Museum, filming the sale of The Watsons manuscript at Sotheby’s, visiting JASNA’s AGM at Fort Worth in Dallas. She has also recorded her impressions of the Jane Austen Festival in Bath and has interviewed many experts, literary and non-literary, including Jocasta Millar, the Bronte scholar and author of one of my favourite books, The Bronte Myth.
I’m looking forward to it very much, and hope to be able to share my impressions of it with you, Christmas Preparations permitting!
11 comments
December 1, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Jennifer
Dagnabit! Another Amanda Vickery documentary I can’t see. And I saw her at the AGM too! I may just have to sign up for that UK IP service.
December 1, 2011 at 5:50 pm
jfwakefield
I’m certain that there is going to be a lot more programmes/documentaries in 2013 for the P+P celebrations, and then for Mansfield PArk,Emma, NA and Persuasion and then the 200th anniversary of JA’s death in 2017, so it might be worth your while. IIRC the BBC is thinking of extending its IPlayer to fee payers in the USA. Might be something to consider….in the meantime Il’l try and keep you up to date ;)
December 1, 2011 at 10:53 pm
Caitlin
Oh, I hope they do make it available to us, and that they have a great archive! Thaks for the heads up!
December 4, 2011 at 8:58 am
jfwakefield
The BBC did announce details of this new service in the early summer.It was going to be trialed in Europe, then if that was successful, launched on the US market.Keep your eyes peeled ;)
December 1, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Joan Reynolds
This is such good news. I too was lucky enough to be in Fort Worth for the JASNA AGM and Professor Vickery and the BBC film crew were among us for the whole event – cameras weaving in and out of us during the dancing no less. Apparently these five days will translate into about three minutes in the documentary. As luck would have it, I will be at my parents’ home in the UK over Christmas so cant wait to see this much anticipated documentary and what new insights Professor Vickery offers. (No good waiting for BBC to extend IPlayer for a fee unless they are planning to add Canada along with the US). Thanks again for keeping us over here in the loop.
December 4, 2011 at 8:56 am
jfwakefield
My pleasure.
December 1, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Cathy Allen
It sounds wonderful, as all of Amanda Vickery’s work seems to be, and I wish I could…Oh well, you know how it is for us non-UK people. :-(
Anyway, please DO keep us informed, as you usually do, and thanks! (and good luck with Christmas Preparations!)
December 4, 2011 at 8:57 am
jfwakefield
Thank you- if I can I’ll post about it but I can’t make promises at that time of year, for obvious reasons!
December 4, 2011 at 12:21 am
23 de Diciembre en BBC2: “The Many Lovers of Miss Austen” (Los numerosos amantes de la Srta. Austen) « Hablando de Jane
[...] http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2011/51/the-many-lovers-of-miss-jane-austen.html http://austenonly.com/2011/12/01/transmission-details-of-the-many-lovers-of-miss-jane-austen-with-am… GA_googleAddAttr("AdOpt", "1"); GA_googleAddAttr("Origin", "other"); [...]
December 4, 2011 at 1:40 am
Nicola
I’ll certainly be watching. I do like Amanda Vickery. Not too keen on the title though. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
December 4, 2011 at 9:01 am
jfwakefield
I’m not keen on the title at all: I hope it does not reflect the stance that the programme will take via-a-via the Jane Austen world. I’ll keep an open mind about it till I’ve seen it.