The Jane Austen’s House Museum’s Celebratory Cake
Most newspapers and news channels here carried an item about the celebrations for Pride and Prejudice 200, and I thought you might appreciate a look at some of them.
The BBC had some great pieces produced by their main news programmes. Will Gompertz did this lovely piece, with interviews with P.D. James and Helen Fielding: go here to see it and there was also this interview with Joanna Trollope on line ( which was filmed at Chawton yesterday for you can see “Jane Austen” (ahem) sitting at her desk in the background) A noted Janeite, I love Joanna Trollope’s passion for Jane Austen and the novels so eloquently expressed here.
Channel 4 News had a couple of entertaining pieces: go here and scroll to the bottom of the page to see them. There is also a discussion…Jane Austen as Chick lit (shudder)
Newspapers local to Chawton had a ball: The Basingstoke Gazette had this very interesting account of the day at the Jane Austen’s House Museum And the Southern Daily Echo carried this piece
My dear friend Jane Odiwe took part in the BBC Breakfast News’ celebrations: Go here to see an article which concentrates on sequels, and the Darcy ”wet shirt” phenomenon.
There are lots more articles out there,as evidenced from the contents of my Twitter feed, but I liked these the best ;)
10 comments
January 29, 2013 at 12:35 pm
Cynthia Woodward, J.A. Guide at Stoneleigh Abbey, Warwickshire
Thank you so much for your fab article. I really felt I was at Chawton with you all, and to hear the celebrities comments and view points. What a day,
if Jane herself was watching she would have been overjoyed,
January 29, 2013 at 1:56 pm
jfwakefield
Hello Cynthia! I was not at Chawton-I’m going on Friday as I couldn’t fit yesterday into my schedule, sadly-but the pieces were mainly very joyous and happy, which I think would have pleased JA.I think she’d have been rather less pleased with the “Chick Lit” angle myself ;)
January 29, 2013 at 1:00 pm
Tina
This will not do!! Here I am at work, with earphones, thoroughly concentrated in these very entertaining interviews and discussions (thank heavens my boss is away….).
Thank you Julie, such a good selection! Loved Joanna Tollopes comments. Yes, P&P is absolutely “meatier” than what’s been put on screen (my beloved 1995 version included), and no, I don’t agree with Charlotte Bronte and Mark Twains opinion (love them, but maybe too passionate to feel confortable in Jane’s traquil elegance, no matter how crude, cruel and immoral some of her characters can turn out to be).
And as for Jane falling in and out of fashion, I find it hard to see it in that light. Maybe she is more or less popular depending on the times, but a timeless classic all through. Most of us have the book in our shelves since we were children (and in my case at least that was way before Colin and his wet shirt). This incredible author has always been there. I can’t imagine a time she won’t.
Very interesting and thought provoking. Thank you!!!
January 29, 2013 at 1:57 pm
jfwakefield
I’m glad you enjoyed the articles, and relived to hear you were able to access them!
January 29, 2013 at 4:11 pm
cathyallen
LOL, Tina! I’m at work too — it’s a college, and end-of-semester deluge — so I can’t take time to look at them all now! But I will later, on my lunch break. Thank you, Julie, for the links.
I’m happy to tell you that at least two of the three major American TV networks, CBS, and ABC, (which have been on the air since the 1940′s or 50′s!) had a story on the evening news last night about the 200th anniversary! I didn’t get home from work in time to see if NBC had a story, too, and I could not find (on their website) that they did, but two out of three is not bad. And they were good stories, NOT just focused on the “wet shirt” type of thing. I wad delighted.
January 30, 2013 at 10:32 am
jfwakefield
That sgreat to hear. I’d love to have seen them .
January 29, 2013 at 7:02 pm
Jane Odiwe
Thank you, Julie, for the lovely mention! Of course, editing took out my views on P&P and Jane Austen but I had a feeling the ‘wet shirt’ might make the final cut! Still, it was a lovely experience despite also being terrifying.
I love that cake! Do you think it’s all gone?
January 31, 2013 at 1:55 pm
jfwakefield
My pleasure;) I know what you mean about the wet shirt. I think I managed to dodge some bullets and was luckily not quoted by the TV and Press who contacted me( I obviously didn’t play up to the angle they wanted to push!)
Re the cake,I hope they’ve saved me a piece,as Im off there tomorrow ;)
January 29, 2013 at 10:48 pm
Caitlin
This was great fun – thank you for sharing!
January 30, 2013 at 11:24 pm
Jane Austen and… « canadian writers abroad
[...] was the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. There was a readathon in Bath on the day, and by Jane Austen societies elsewhere in the world, with live streaming. [...]