Deborah YaffeFeb 16Speaking well enough to be unintelligibleA few weeks ago, the British press was suddenly awash in articles (for example, here, here and here) about the new! exciting! previously...
Deborah YaffeMay 2, 2022Killing Mr. DarcyYou’ve heard it before: Modern men can’t measure up to Jane Austen’s heroes. Straight, female Janeites are hooked on impossible...
Deborah YaffeJan 20, 2022A wet shirt and a centennialThe venerable British Broadcasting Corporation turns 100 this year, a century after the launch of its first daily radio service. To mark...
Deborah YaffeOct 28, 2021Boo!It’s the scary season – ghosts, witches, creaking doors in haunted houses. For Janeites, however, the Internet’s frightening capacity to...
Deborah YaffeOct 11, 2021BrassJane Austen, it seems, is the go-to novelist for anyone who wants to write about money. In 1937, the poet W.H. Auden famously remarked...
Deborah YaffeAug 16, 2021Silt and sensibilityAs we Pride and Prejudice readers know, Mr. Darcy’s responsible stewardship of his beautiful grounds at Pemberley is an important factor...
Deborah YaffeAug 12, 2021Deck the hallsIt was Christmas in July for those of us who spend our days looking for pop-culture recognition of Jane Austen’s genius: * July 14:...
Deborah YaffeDec 17, 2020Eternal veritiesDespite the strangeness of this year, some eternal verities remain. Snowflakes. Evergreens. Misquoting Jane Austen. A few highlights of...
Deborah YaffeNov 2, 2020Cat personA cheerful story with a political angle—and a Jane Austen twist! On the eve of Election Day here in the stressed-out, locked-down,...
Deborah YaffeSep 23, 2020YumTwenty-five years ago today, the BBC’s beloved adaptation of Pride and Prejudice began airing on UK TV. By the time the show made its way...
Deborah YaffeSep 16, 2020Cock-a-doodle-dooIn vain have I struggled. It will not do. Even though it bears no relation to anything else going on in Jane Austen World, you must allow...
Deborah YaffeAug 5, 2020Mr. Darcy, harasser?Jane Austen has been used and abused in so many different ways by now, pressed into service to sell everything from perfume to romance...