Deborah YaffeSep 23Creepy LizzyThe newest Lizzy Bennet is a peculiar creature. True, her Regency-appropriate curls are lovely, and her dark eyes might pass for fine,...
Deborah YaffeDec 26, 2022UnintimidatedJust in case all the usual reasons to admire Ukrainians -- courage, grit, unshakeable commitment to democracy – aren’t enough for you,...
Deborah YaffeApr 14, 2022One of UsFor a long time, we have known that at least one* Janeite lives barely a heartbeat away from the British throne: Seven years ago,...
Deborah YaffeJun 7, 2020Being Bennet(t)When I read fanfiction that updates Jane Austen’s stories to contemporary settings, I often find myself exasperated by the names....
Deborah YaffeMay 27, 2018Proust questionnaire for a JaneiteLast month, as blog readers will recall, a non-profit executive and Janeite with the extraordinarily appropriate name of Janet Austin was...
Deborah YaffeMay 23, 2018On this day in 1813. . .Thirty-third in an occasional series of excerpts from Jane Austen's letters. Although Jane Austen was, famously, not a big fan of Bath,...
Deborah YaffeJan 29, 2018On this day in 1813. . .Thirtieth in an occasional series of excerpts from Jane Austen's letters. Two centuries ago, Jane Austen was brimming over with the joy...
Deborah YaffeAug 30, 2015The women we love (or love to hate)Another day, another artificially constructed list of literary favorites on which Jane Austen ranks high. Today’s entry is the “Top 15 of...
Deborah YaffeJul 19, 2015May Jane be with youFandom need not be monogamous. “It's apparent that there is a fannish personality,” the dance historian Allison Thompson told me when I...
Deborah YaffeMar 2, 2015Winnie, Lizzy, and CamillaElizabeth Bennet – vivacious, witty, charming and good-hearted – has many fans. Add to the list Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wife of...
Deborah YaffeJun 2, 2013Beautiful LizzyWhy is everyone so convinced that Elizabeth Bennet isn’t beautiful? This past weekend, Deborah Moggach, the screenwriter for the 2005...
Deborah YaffeMay 22, 2013Jane Austen, by the bookLast Sunday, the British novelist Hilary Mantel was featured in the New York Times Book Review’s weekly "By the Book" feature, in which...