Thanks, Courtenay! I will have to give it a go if I can find it. *goes to the library* It appears that our university's online library has a copy. I can't wait to try it.

Does anyone have any recommendations for spinoffs or continuations of Jane Austen's books? Two of my favorites are Mr. Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer (basically Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's perspective) and Old Friends by Sybil G. Brinton (the first "fanfic," if you will ).

After listening to all that, I was at a bit of a loss as to what to go on to next. I decided on The Mysteries of Udolpho to help me understand Northanger Abbey better.

I've been meaning read all of the books mentioned in Northanger Abbey as well. *facepalm* Another thing to add to my reading list!

~Wunder

I finished The Mysteries of Udolpho it did pick up and I got to parts where I didn't want to stop listening. Although there were times I want to yell at the characters to actually talk to each other. I could definitely see some similarities between the books.

Here are some of the books mentioned in Northanger Abbey.

“Dear creature! How much I am obliged to you; and when you have finished Udolpho, we will read the Italian together; and I have made out a list of ten or twelve more of the same kind for you.”

“Have you, indeed! How glad I am! What are they all?”

“I will read you their names directly; here they are, in my pocketbook. Castle of Wolfenbach, Clermont, Mysterious Warnings, Necromancer of the Black Forest, Midnight Bell, Orphan of the Rhine, and Horrid Mysteries. Those will last us some time.”

Catherine, humbled and ashamed, was going to apologize for her question, but he prevented her by saying, “Novels are all so full of nonsense and stuff; there has not been a tolerably decent one come out since Tom Jones, except The Monk; I read that t'other day; but as for all the others, they are the stupidest things in creation.”

“I think you must like Udolpho, if you were to read it; it is so very interesting.”

“Not I, faith! No, if I read any, it shall be Mrs. Radcliffe's; her novels are amusing enough; they are worth reading; some fun and nature in them.”

“Udolpho was written by Mrs. Radcliffe,” said Catherine, with some hesitation, from the fear of mortifying him.

“No sure; was it? Aye, I remember, so it was; I was thinking of that other stupid book, written by that woman they make such a fuss about, she who married the French emigrant.”

“I suppose you mean Camilla?”

Aha, so we DO have a dedicated Jane Austen thread here! (I'd been wondering.)

I'm currently re-reading The Spirituality of Jane Austen by Paula Hollingsworth, which I stumbled across a couple of years ago. It's not a long book, but it's very interesting, as it delves into an aspect of Jane's character that a lot of reviewers and commentators overlook: she was a very devoted Christian (specifically Anglican), from a tradition that held that it's far more important to let one's Christian values show in one's life than talk about them openly. So while she does lampoon insincere and shallow religious people like Mr Collins, there's a lot in her writings that reflects a much deeper sense of spirituality (though that's not a word she would have used) — especially the ways in which most of her heroines and some of her heroes need to grow and develop in character and become better people before they reach their happy ending. It's really worth reading and it's certainly deepened my appreciation for Jane Austen and her writings even further — I'd highly recommend it to anyone here who's also a fan.

Darn! Our library doesn't have it. It sounds interesting.

Another author who wrote about the Regency period is Georgette Heyer. I have really enjoyed most of her books. My favorites would be:
The Talisman Ring
The Grand Sophy
Cotillion
False Colors
Sprig Muslin

A more contemporary author who writes about the Regency era is Julie Klassen, who also happens to be from Minnesota.

My sister gave me "Jane Austen's Finest Balm" for my birthday. I haven't opened the package yet because I love all the silliness on the packaging. Here is a sample: "Chapped lips? We cannot think of it without abhorrence." However, I may need to open it soon to find out what "Pemberley Mint Flavour" tastes like. She also got me Jane Austen socks. Which I may have to wear today.

Here are some of the books mentioned in Northanger Abbey.

... “Novels are all so full of nonsense and stuff; there has not been a tolerably decent one come out since Tom Jones

I read this and went, "But? I'm reading Tom.. and it's from the 1840s?? How can this be?" and then had the realization that I was reading Tom Brown not Tom Jones. It is tolerably decent, however, so perhaps Mr. Thorpe would approve it too.

*eyes Grandmama's list of favorite Heyers* I have Talisman Ring on my shelf, waiting to be read, and I really enjoyed the next three on the list so that's a good recommendation!

My sister gave me "Jane Austen's Finest Balm" for my birthday. I haven't opened the package yet because I love all the silliness on the packaging. Here is a sample: "Chapped lips? We cannot think of it without abhorrence." However, I may need to open it soon to find out what "Pemberley Mint Flavour" tastes like. She also got me Jane Austen socks. Which I may have to wear today.

I love how there's so much Jane-Austen themed stuff out there. For Christmas, I got some Jane Austen-themed tea: Pride & Peppermint and Sense and Senchability. They were actually both quite good. I only got the sample-sized packages, but I believe if you can order a larger package of tea, you can get a tin along with it (I have the Pride & Peppermint tin).

Does anyone have a particular favorite of all of Jane Austen's books? I'm torn between Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Northanger Abbey as my favorites, although, of course, I do love the others as well.

~Wunder

Those teas sound lovely, Wunder! I know you can also buy Austen-themed teas (different from the ones you mention) at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, but I haven't tried any of them — they were a bit expensive!!

Does anyone have a particular favorite of all of Jane Austen's books? I'm torn between Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Northanger Abbey as my favorites, although, of course, I do love the others as well.

~Wunder

I've just re-read Persuasion in the last few days and I would have to say it's my favourite, with P&P a close second. Persuasion is one of the fastest-paced stories Jane ever wrote and I would say it's easily her most romantic as well. I can never get over the way she creates characters that you actually feel you know, as if they were real people — I can't think of any other author who does that with quite as much flair as Jane Austen.

I also enjoy the way that, in this particular book, she makes good use of two real-life locations in England — Lyme Regis and Bath — that I've visited and I really love. Some time later this year, if I can fit it in, I'm hoping to do a bit of a self-designed Jane Austen tour — first over to Bath, then down to Lyme, and then back up through Hampshire for a visit to Jane's own house in Chawton. (That's another thing I can never get over — how easy it is in the UK to visit all the real places associated with my favourite authors and their books. Including C.S. Lewis, of course!!)

I remember when I was taking a college course on Jane Austen, more than one of the other students said they couldn't warm up to the character of Emma Woodhouse. I think that's interesting because nobody expressed any dislike of Mr. Darcy and he's pretty much the same character except male and without the slightly mischievous sense of humor. Good looking. Filthy stinking rich. Takes good care of family members. A good friend but controlling especially in regards to best friend's choice of spouse. Cares about those whose welfare depends on him/her. Looks down on anyone outside friend group. Full of himself/herself but ends up falling for the only person to criticize him/her.

I don't know why Mr. Darcy doesn't get as much flack as Emma. Maybe it's because he has less "screen time" so there's less time to get annoyed with him. Maybe it has do with expectations about gender. Or maybe my fellow students would have criticized Darcy too but there weren't any discussion questions about him. ? Anyway, I happen to really like what Jane Austen did with the character of Emma. It'd be easy to show the temptations to which rich people are susceptible by writing a wealthy character who was totally greedy and lazy. But Emma's not like that. She clearly wants to use her money and position to help people but she does so in a self absorbed and self serving way.

That's why I'd say Emma is my favorite book by Austen. (Though truth be told, I'm more a fan of the 1996 movie directed by Douglas McGrath. It's a tad funnier and shorter ?

I think it's partly because Emma is the character whose viewpoint we see the story through, and Mr Darcy is not.
None of the books are written from the view of a male.