I began this post intending to convey some news eagerly awaited by Janeites who, like me, will see just about any movie that claims an Austen connection: The new French romcom Jane Austen Wrecked My Life finally has an American release date, May 16.
There’s a trailer that makes the film—young Janeite lives out Austenian love triangle during writers’ retreat--look both kinda cute and utterly predictable. There’s a Sony Pictures press release promising a slow-burn theatrical rollout (“selected markets” first, then nationwide).
And it will all kick off not quite two weeks after the May 4 PBS premiere of Miss Austen, yet another bit of catnip for those of us who proudly wear the title of Target Audience. Talk about the merry month of May!
That was the post I set out to write. Until I happened upon this story about the release date announcement and felt, once again, that I could not pass up the chance to snark at the silly things people write about Jane Austen.
“Whether it be Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, or any of the other numerous titles from her extensive catalogue, author Jane Austen has time and time again given us impossible standards to look to for love,” says the story on the entertainment website Collider. “Even though her books came out more than 200 years ago, Austen’s writings continue to captivate us in a way that other genre authors have been unable to do.”
So few words, and yet so much misleading information!
“Numerous titles”? “Extensive catalogue”? She wrote six books! The titles listed here represent literally half of her completed work! (And if you’re discussing the far more numerous movies of her work, you’re no longer talking about “author Jane Austen.”)
“Impossible standards . . . for love”? It’s impossible to expect decent moral behavior from romantic prospects? Ugh! Pessimistic much?
“Genre author”? No. Just no.*
Look, I get it. This poor journalist probably had about ten minutes to turn Sony’s press release into Collider clickbait. It’s hard out here for a writer. But the internet already hosts a veritable mountain of Jane Austen misinformation. Must we keep adding extra shovelfuls to the heap?
* At least if “genre author” implies a definition like this serviceable one, from the website of thriller writer Stacey Carroll: “Genre authors cater to specific reader expectations within their chosen genres. Their works are designed to entertain and provide a predictable yet enjoyable experience.” You can inspire a genre—as Austen arguably did with romance—without being a genre author yourself.
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