The Jane Austen Shelf
Creating a Jane Austen Online Shrine
Jane Austen: the WOMAN, the Myth, the Legend
For a while now, Jane Austen has been, not only my favourite author, but also a small obsession of mine. (Okay it might be bigger than I make it out to be.) And since joining the Vocal writers community I've been trying to find my niche, my thing, something to write about week after week, to build a little community of my own in, and I think I've finally found it... any guesses?
Jane Austen, of course!
Don't know who Jane Austen is? Well you probably have heard of her very popular novel Pride and Prejudice but here is some basic info on her life.
Austen was born in 1775 in Steventon, England. She died at the age of 41 in 1817. Her father was a vicar and she was one of eight children. I feel like many people think of Austen as a wealthy aristocrat but she grew up on a farm and had to make her money writing (although still relied on help from family). In her life she wrote six novels; Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Emma, which she saw published in her lifetime. The other two, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, were published after her death in 1817. She did write countless other stories, plays, a popular novella called Lady Susan, etc. Austen never married and lived with her sister (and best friend) Cassandra, who also never married (although was engaged at one point), and their mother most of her life.
I've reached a tipping point in my knowledge of Jane Austen that I've already created a LONG list of articles that I could write including reviews for her novels (and other works), reviews for biographies on Austen, reviews for movies based on her books, and more speculative articles and essays.
And I think it's needless to say that I have created a shelf dedicated to her in my office! You see I had a shelf of just classics like the Lord of the Rings series, work by L.M. Montgomery (author of Anne of Green Gables), Austen, etc. But my Austen stuff is getting a bit out of hand, so I moved it to its very own shelf where I hope it will be very happy sitting above my personal favourite books (specifically stand alones) of all time.
I’m actually just starting Mansfield Park, probably one of Austen’s not so well known books, and the longest. It’s the only book I have yet to read… and I’m a bit nervous, I won’t lie. It’s not my favourite storyline (I know because I watched the movie before reading, oops) and I’m not sure that I’ll like it as much as her other novels. But of course it’ll be better than anything the Bronte sisters wrote.
That reminds me, this is a Bronte sister slander page… just kidding… kind of.
Every now and then I will pop in with other bookish articles, some that do have a bit to do with Austen (like a comparison of Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, fans of Charlotte Bronte should not read, like I said Bronte sister slander) and some might not have anything to do with Austen but will still be fun!
My goal is to get more people into Austen, and find people who love her as much as myself! I hope you’ll join me as we explore this 17th century author with a wild imagination and a crazy ironic sense of humor, as I build The (online) Jane Austen Shelf.
Wanna talk Jane Austen? Find me @adoresbylaures on instagram!
Also I am (mostly) joking about the Bronte sister slander, fans please don't come for me! Please!
About the Creator
Lauren Writes Austen
A dedcated creator to all things Jane Austen!
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THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT JANE WANTED
I am confident in saying that Pride & Prejudice (sort of) is the best thing I will have seen all year (and I'm holding myself to that). If you are already confused and wondering "what Pride & Prejudice (sort of) is", well let me tell you! It is a hilariously smart and beautifully chaotic theatrical retelling of Pride & Prejudice (duh) by Jane Austen (double duh). Isobel McArthur, the writer and co-director, must be some sort of genius because before the show was even over my friend excitedly whispered to me that "this is exactly what Jane would've wanted!" (a play on something I've previously written... This is Not What Jane Wanted).
By Lauren Writes Austen3 months ago in Humans
"Directing Light: The Effect of a Sort Stranger"
In the clamoring city of New York, where the roads murmur with the mood of life and the high rises go after the sky, I had the joy of experiencing a genuinely striking individual — an unrecognized yet truly great individual whose benevolence and liberality made a permanent imprint on my heart. It was a boiling summer day, and I ended up lost in the twisted labyrinth of tram burrows, my mind whirling with disarray and disappointment. As I remained on the stage, gripping my guide and attempting to get a handle on the tangled trap of train lines, a voice got through the turmoil. "Is it safe to say that you are lost, old buddy?" I went to see a man remaining close to me, his face endured with age yet his eyes sparkling with warmth and empathy. He presented himself as Sam, and at that time, I realize that I had experienced somebody extraordinary. With a delicate grin, Sam proposed to assist me with exploring the tram framework, directing me through the labyrinth of passages and stages easily. He shared accounts of his own undertakings in the city, offering useful tidbits and support en route. However, it wasn't simply Sam's information on the tram framework that intrigued me — it was his steadfast consideration and liberality of soul. In spite of the intense intensity and the hurrying around of the city, he got some margin to help an outsider out of luck, without anticipating anything consequently. As we rose up out of the tram burrows and ventured out into the brilliant daylight, I couldn't resist the opportunity to feel a feeling of appreciation wash over me. Sam had not just assisted me with tracking down my direction through the city — he had reestablished my confidence in humankind, helping me to remember the force of sympathy and the significance of loaning some assistance to those out of luck. In the long stretches of time that understood, I frequently ended up considering Sam and the effect he had made on my life. His straightforward thoughtful gesture had propelled me to show preemptive kindness, to search for chances to help other people in my own local area, and to move toward every day with an open heart and a readiness to have an effect. Also, however I might in all likelihood at no point ever see Sam in the future, his soul lives on in the recollections we shared and the examples he educated me. He was something beyond a supportive individual I met in passing — he was a brilliant illustration of the decency that exists on the planet, and an update that even amidst bedlam and vulnerability, graciousness has the ability to illuminate the most obscure of days. Soon after our experience, I made it a highlight copy Sam's consideration in my own life. I chipped in at neighborhood covers, offering dinners and friendship to those out of luck. I assisted older neighbors with their food and paid attention to their accounts with authentic premium and sympathy. What's more, each time I assisted somebody out of luck, I considered Sam and the effect he had made on my life. However, it wasn't simply my activities that changed — it was my point of view too. I started to see the world through Sam's eyes, perceiving the magnificence and humankind in each individual I experienced. I got some margin to grin at outsiders in the city, to offer uplifting statements to the people who required them, and to move toward every communication with an open heart and a readiness to interface. Also, as I kept on exploring the clamoring roads of New York City, I conveyed Sam's soul with me any place I went. His consideration had contacted my life in manners I would never have envisioned, and I realize that I would perpetually be appreciative for the brief yet significant experience we had shared. Eventually, Sam was something other than a supportive individual I had met — he was a directing light in a world that occasionally felt dull and questionable. He showed me that even amidst mayhem and disarray, there is dependably space for consideration, empathy, and liberality of soul. Also, for that, I will constantly be appreciative.
By Nameless writer3 days ago in Humans
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