top of page
Journalist and author
The Line of Thought
. . . to dream over books and loiter at street corners and let the line of thought dip deep into the stream.
--Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
Search
Jane Austen's fingerprints
In these days of standardized computer fonts and software-assisted editing, one writer’s manuscript probably looks much like another’s....
Deborah Yaffe
Dec 9, 2024
The sound of silence
Ah, Thanksgiving traditions: Turkey , mashed potatoes , pumpkin pie —and brutal political arguments among loved ones! With this year’s...
Deborah Yaffe
Nov 28, 2024
Crossover artist
Jane Austen is the ultimate crossover artist, with an unchallenged position in both literary studies and popular culture. (Hey, didn’t...
Deborah Yaffe
Nov 21, 2024
On this day in 1813. . .
Ninety-seventh in an occasional series of excerpts from Jane Austen's letters. What tribute does a friend owe to a published author?...
Deborah Yaffe
Nov 7, 2024
Center of celebration
If next year’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth has an epicenter, it would surely be Jane Austen’s House , the...
Deborah Yaffe
Oct 24, 2024
Creepy Lizzy
The newest Lizzy Bennet is a peculiar creature. True, her Regency-appropriate curls are lovely, and her dark eyes might pass for fine,...
Deborah Yaffe
Sep 23, 2024
Love among the stacks
Is Jane Austen a romance novelist? Discuss. Or, if you’re not interested in revisiting your test-taking days, you could just travel to...
Deborah Yaffe
Sep 19, 2024
The luxury of time
Summer is winding down, but there’s still time to squeeze in some vacation reading. And if you prefer that your books come in beautifully...
Deborah Yaffe
Aug 26, 2024
Yankee Doodle Darcy?
In the past two centuries, Jane Austen has been called many things. Her fans have called her brilliant, witty, and insightful. Her...
Deborah Yaffe
Jul 29, 2024
Freedom
The arrival of Independence Day has reminded me of the worst writing advice I ever got. Bear with me as I explain the connection. Long,...
Deborah Yaffe
Jul 4, 2024
Celebrating S&S
Over the past decade-plus, as Jane Austen’s novels reached their publication bicentennials, writer and scholar Sarah Emsley invited...
Deborah Yaffe
Jun 27, 2024
Acquired taste
Mansfield Park’s status as the most polarizing of Jane Austen’s novels is by now well-established. It’s the black-olives-and-anchovy...
Deborah Yaffe
Jun 6, 2024
bottom of page