Long ago, as readers of Among the Janeites may recall, I had a curious encounter with a Jane Austen tarot card. It appeared to advise me to write the book. This was good advice. (Nevertheless, it did not turn me into a tarot true believer.)
That Jane Austen tarot deck--the set I own is pictured above--seems to be out of print, but a different Austen tarot deck was published in 2020 and remains available for purchase. And earlier this year, just in time for stuffing Janeite stockings, a third mashup of Regency fiction and woo-woo divination hit the market.
This time, it’s a set of oracle cards, which are similar to tarot cards except different. The new Jane Austen Oracle, written by Lulumineuse and illustrated by Sandrine Fourrier, consists of forty cards accompanied by an interpretive guidebook that ties each card’s message to something in Jane Austen. The set “is a unique way to experience Austen’s timeless stories and iconic characters,” the promotional material explains. “Explore your inner Elizabeth Bennet or discover your crazy Marianne Dashwood side.”
Judging from the samples available online, the cards themselves don’t include Austen quotes or references, instead focusing on generically Austenesque topics, like letters or marriage proposals. And the single page I could find from the interpretative guidebook—the explanation for card #40, Refusal (click on the image of the book cover, then go to the ninth slide)--was . . . puzzling, arguing as it did that “Anne Elliot’s refusal to marry Frederick Wentworth ultimately allowed her to be true to her heart rather than to the strategic recommendations of her family.” Umm—what? Did we read the same book?
So I won’t be forking over my $24.99 to buy Jane Austen Oracle. But don’t take my word for it: After all, I remain a confirmed skeptic about all things tarot, or tarot-adjacent. If the cards bring you clarity, I would by no means suspend any pleasure of yours.
Still, maybe the next version of Jane Austen Oracle should try glossing the Refusal card using Elizabeth’s rejection of Mr. Collins instead.
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