Northanger Abbey | DeborahYaffe.com

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

Rest in peace, Editrix

I can’t remember when I first read AustenBlog , Maggie Sullivan’s indispensable guide to early-twenty-first-century Jane Austen fandom. ...

Deborah Yaffe

Sep 18

On this day in 1796. . .

One hundred and third in an occasional series of excerpts from Jane Austen's letters. Every family has its private jokes:...

Deborah Yaffe

Sep 15

Picking favorites

When I’m asked which Jane Austen novel is my favorite—and if you write a book about Jane Austen fandom, you will be asked this question...

Deborah Yaffe

Apr 7

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

Words with Jane

My name is Deborah, and I am a puzzle addict. My morning begins with a brisk jaunt through a trio of New York Times offerings— Wordle ,...

Deborah Yaffe

Nov 25, 2024

Desk set

The celebration of the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth won’t officially kick off until next year, but that isn’t stopping the...

Deborah Yaffe

Oct 17, 2024

Taking liberties

In 2021, London theatergoers got a Pride and Prejudice with interpolated pop songs and an all-female cast. In 2022, they got a...

Deborah Yaffe

Feb 15, 2024

Noted

When my children were in grade school, their English teachers often required them to annotate their reading: For each chapter, students...

Deborah Yaffe

Jan 18, 2024

Bowled over

In the early days of our romance, my now-husband, a Brit with a deep fondness for the sports of his island home, tried valiantly to...

Deborah Yaffe

Oct 12, 2023

Sourcing and citation

Earlier this month, a man from the Maryland suburbs sent a letter to the Washington Post . “When I was reading Colbert I. King’s July 29...

Deborah Yaffe

Aug 24, 2023

Represent

Representation is a hot topic in literary circles these days, as publishers reckon (late, slowly, and imperfectly) with their long...

Deborah Yaffe

Jul 3, 2023

Speaking well enough to be unintelligible

A few weeks ago, the British press was suddenly awash in articles (for example, here, here and here) about the new! exciting! previously...

Deborah Yaffe

Feb 16, 2023