The Jane Austen Book Club

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” --- Pride and Prejudice (1813)

Design by Stephen Fraser

If you have taken an English class in the last century it is likely you will recognise the above as the famous opening line of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Jane Austen's novels set amongst the landed gentry has earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature. "Her realism, biting irony and social commentary have gained her historical importance among scholars and critics." [1]

Today her work has garnered her a legion of fans, more commonly known as 'Janeites', and is a staple of required reading lists. It is hard to believe that although she achieved success as a writer during her lifetime, she received very few positive reviews. Lady Catherine would not approve!

So where does Jane Austen figure in my story? I, like so many of us, read Pride and Prejudice in high school. From the first sentence I was hooked and I joined legions of fans hoping that Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet would end up together. Not to mention I was obsessed with BBC's 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Come on, how sexy is Colin Firth in that?!

This past December while in Vegas, I purchased a special leather-bound edition of Jane Austen's novels (including her seventh uncompleted novel). It was then that I decided to start Quintessentially English's Jane Austen Book Club. What could be more quintessentially English than Jane Austen?

Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Edition

Starting in June I will be reading a Jane Austen novel every month and I encourage you to join me! At the end of each novel I will write a blog post about it with my thoughts. We'll be starting with Sense and Sensibility (1811), Jane Austen's first published novel and following on chronologically from there so the schedule is as follows;

• June - Sense and Sensibility (1811)
• July - Pride and Prejudice (1813)
• August - Mansfield Park (1814)
• September - Emma (1815)
• October - Northanger Abbey (1818)
• November - Persuasion (1818)

 

Being part of The Quintessentially English Jane Austen Book Club is really easy, just follow these simple steps;

1. Let me know you're interested by leaving a comment below and/or on Quintessentially English's Twitter and Facebook accounts.
2. Pick up your copy of Sense and Sensibility on June 1st and start reading! (Don't fret if you don't have one of the novels, all of them can be purchased from Quintessentially English's Amazon Associates Store!)
3. Join the conversation on Twitter by following me (@essentialerin) and using #JaneAustenBookClub. Or 'like' Quintessentially English on Facebook.
4. Grab you Quintessentially English Jane Austen Book Club button from below and add it to your blog or website!
5. Link up your Jane Austen Book Club blog post to mine at the end of the month.
6. Get lost in Austen!

 Erin x

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