The divine Miss A

I never tire of reading Jane Austen or of reading about Jane Austen. I've just bought a new book by John Mullan that I've been waiting for with great anticipation. What Matters in Jane Austen? explores 20 critical puzzles about Jane Austen's life & work. I've dipped in already & I know I'm going to love it. The author looks at such questions as why it's risky to go to the seaside, what the characters call each other, what do the characters say about the heroine when she's not present & which important characters never speak.

The first chapter is about why age matters in the novels. It opens with the observation that Mrs Bennet is probably only about 40 & Mr Collins 25. The casting of the various movie & television adaptations sometimes colours our impressions of the age of the various characters. I've always thought it interesting that Colonel Brandon at 35 never thinks of Mrs Dashwood as a potential partner & she can't be more than 40. Was her widowhood off-putting? Were men just expected to look for younger brides who could have children? I'm looking forward to John Mullan's opinion on these vital questions. I've read many biographies of Jane Austen & this is just the kind of book I enjoy. Looking at the life & work from a different angle.

I'm a member of the Jane Austen Society of Australia &, although I can't attend meetings (they're based in Sydney), I enjoy reading their publications which usually contain the texts of the talks & presentations from the study days & conferences they organize. Sensibilities is published twice a year & the December issue contains all the papers from the 2011 conference on Sense & Sensibility. There are articles on marriage in Sense & Sensibility (by Hazel Jones, whose book Jane Austen & Marriage, is on the tbr shelves), Emma Thompson's film version of the novel, an assessment of the 1981 mini series version & an exploration of the notorious Dashwood family, one of whom was the founder of the Hell-fire Club for rakes & renegades & what Jane could have known about this scandalous episode.

I've also succumbed to a Jane Austen-related impulse buy. Reader's Niche is a Melbourne-based online business that sells all kinds of objects with literary associations. When I saw this lovely scarf, I couldn't resist. It's a gorgeous dusty pink colour & as you can see, has a prettified picture of Jane & a quotation from Pride & Prejudice. The website isn't terribly easy to find your way around (the scarves are under Home Decor) but there are lots of posters, tea towels, coffee mugs & even T shirts & charm bracelets. Now if I can only work out how to tie the scarf so that the picture & quotation are both visible... I'm not clever with scarves but I just had to have it. Could any true Janeite resist?

Oversubscribed

So many magazines, not enough time. This is my version of the old saying about books. It’s still reading matter so I feel justified in adapting it to a stressful situation in my reading life. Do you ever feel you have too many magazine subscriptions? Do you feel you belong to too many societies producing too many journals? The photo above shows all the magazines & journals I have sitting on the coffee table, unread. Sometimes the arrival of the next issue prompts me to read the issue before that has been sitting on the table for a month - or, even more shamefully, two months. It’s not that I don’t want to read them but they have to find a moment in my reading time to attract my attention.

They’re all on subjects I love, mostly literature or history, & I couldn’t do without them but they have to compete with the current book I’m reading at home as well as the lunchtime book which might become the home book if I’m at an especially interesting spot & the book I might be reading for one of my book groups. The book group choice tends to take precedence at the beginning of the week when I try to read the week’s instalment so I don’t fall behind. Then, when I’m nearing the end of the book group book, I usually can’t wait & rush onwards to the end, forsaking all other books so everything is shoved aside at that point. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book entirely in instalments. I’ve always finished early. I’ve just finished The Bride of Lammermoor two weeks early because I was enjoying it so much I just kept reading. I couldn't have survived in the 19th century when so many books were published in weekly or monthly instalments. What torture!

So, the magazines themselves.

Good Reading - this is an excellent Australian magazine on new books. I've been a subscriber since the beginning. Lots of reviews & interviews.

Literary Review - more serious UK equivalent. Reviews mostly non-fiction, some literary & crime fiction.

BBC History - Focuses on British history, my great love. Often has feature articles on just published books.

Current Archaeology & British Archaeology - Blame the seductive charms of Phil Harding & Mick Aston for my subs to these two. I love Time Team & Phil, Mick & the rest have expanded my love of history into a fascination with archaeology. Although I still have trouble seeing those grave cuts in the soil they keep pointing out, I've read a lot more about archaeology in recent years.

Everyday Health - an Australian magazine focusing on dietary intolerances. I have a wheat-free diet & I like reading about new wheat-free products & recipes.

Bronte Studies - The pamphlet above this is from the Australian Bronte Association that I belong to. I've always loved the Brontes & I've been a member of the Bronte Society for over 10 years.

JASA Chronicle & Sensibilities - Publications of the Jane Austen Society of Australia. Jane is another one of my passions & I joined JASA 12 years ago.

The Lady - I took up an offer for a 3 month sub to The Lady recently. Why, you may ask? It sounded like a good idea at the time. Why did I ever think I could cope with a weekly magazine as well as all these others? Well, of course, I couldn't. I enjoyed the articles & the book reviews but found it a bit posh for the likes of me. Just as well really. I could never have kept up.

Folio magazine - This came as a freebie when I renewed my Folio Society membership.

Jane Austen's Regency World - Combines my love of history & the divine Jane. Also often has articles on other writers of the period & book reviews.

I am up to date with the Ricardian (journal of the Richard III Society), the Dickensian (ditto of the Dickens Fellowship although I'm not a member of the Fellowship, I just subscribe to the journal), the Persephone Biannually & Slightly Foxed. As these are only published 2, 3 or 4 times a year, it would be scandalous if I couldn't keep up with these.

I think I need a plan. Maybe one magazine or journal between books, like a sorbet course? It might be the only way I keep on top of the tottering pile on the coffee table.