by Julie Steinbacher ’10
Pride and Prejudice Jan e Man ia:
Celebrates 200 Years
F
rom Harlequin romances to Twitter accounts based on its characters, the capacity of Jane Austen’s Pride and
Prejudice to fascinate seems limitless. Enthusiasts these
days can find the story retold in comic books, illustrated children’s
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books, or countless other adaptations. They can join regional clubs or knitting groups and chat endlessly in online forums devoted to Austen or to Regency customs. They can ogle in perpetuity Colin Firth playing Mr. Darcy in a wet shirt on YouTube. And, as many do, they can embark on a pilgrimage to Steventon, Chawton, Bath, and Winchester Cathedral, to see the places where Jane lived, wrote, and is memorialized. Earlier this year, the bicentennial of Pride and Prejudice, Austen’s devotees—whether they call themselves “Janeites,” “fans,” or simply “readers”—came forth to pay homage to Austen’s most popular novel. On January 28, the novel’s original date of publication, the BBC held a recreation of the Netherfield Ball, the event at which the protagonist, Elizabeth “Lizzy” Bennet, first meets her future husband, Fitzwilliam Darcy. In March, the Jane Austen Society of Australia held a Pride and Prejudice birthday party complete with a champagne tea. Throughout the world, admirers donned bonnets and empire waistlines, participated in “read-a-thons,” or watched (and re-watched) movie adaptations.
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