Hi readers! Today I am very happy to share with you a guest post from author Pamela Lynne. Her visit today isn’t in conjunction with any of her books or about a new release, but rather to celebrate the launch a new project she is assigning herself this year! I think her idea is brilliant! Keep reading to learn more!
Hello everyone! Thank you, Meredith, for hosting me once again. I love coming to Austenesque Reviews to celebrate new projects. This has been a big week for us ladies at Vanity and Pride Press. Cat launched her 1940s Experience, we have a new website and I have a new blog to share with you. I hope you enjoy this first post from A Janeite Looks at Forty and will join me throughout the year as we celebrate my (gulp) 40th!
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It is a truth universally acknowledged that as one approaches a milestone age, she becomes prone to reflection. This typically occurs with birthdays ending in five and zero and, dear readers, I am barreling toward a big zero. Forty. Forty. While I am not particularly afraid of that number, I am perplexed by its occurrence. Are we not twenty forever?
The answer to that, thankfully, is no. With age comes wisdom and while I would love to have the elasticity and energy of my younger self, I have never been happier to be me. I am sure even Fanny Price learned new things about herself and the world surrounding her as she passed through the decades. This leads me to the material point of this exercise.
I first read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as a high school senior in my AP English class. It was 1994. We were somewhere post grunge, just coming out of our Aqua Net fog before embracing the Rachel Green shag and losing ourselves on the world wide web. I do not know how the historians view the early 1990s, but in my own reflections, I see that time as the beginning of me. How wonderful that when I was starting my journey, I discovered Jane Austen.
I did not delve too deeply into Pride and Prejudice then. We did not have lectures on Austen or the times in which she lived, she was merely a choice on a long list of appropriate titles for research papers. I cannot remember what theme I focused on, but I do remember feeling a deep connection to Elizabeth Bennet. I was one of five children with a disinterested father, embarrassing mother and a determination to control my own life.
Over the next few years I read all of Austen’s completed novels and enjoyed the Austen Renaissance that seemed to take over the world after the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries aired. I saw her heroines through the lenses of a teenager and young adult, my age no doubt playing a large part in my interpretations. How have my views on Austen and her characters changed as I have grown in years and experience? That is what we are going to find out.
This year, as I count down the months before my birthday, I am going to re-read all of Austen’s masterpieces and examine my feelings about them now, as a grown woman, versus the girl I was when I first read them. I am an Austen fan, not a scholar, and will approach this as such. It will be fun, poignant and honest and I hope you will share your thoughts as we go along. Beginning in February, we will have monthly giveaways for US subscribers and in August I will offer a birthday celebration prize for which all followers will be eligible.
I am not sure if it is brilliance or madness that has inspired this project, but whichever it is, I hope you will join me. I will post at least monthly, with some months seeing multiple posts. We will begin with the novel that will likely be the hardest—Mansfield Park. My musings might surprise you. They certainly surprised me! See you soon.
This sounds fantastic, Pamela! I cannot wait to see your posts! What a fun project to undertake! Adding the new blog and website to my feeds now! Best of luck!!
Pamela’s new blog – A Janeite Looks at Forty
I hit the big FIVE-0 this year, and my husband and I joke about how it seems like we went from 35 to 50 in a snap. Those years are a fog of diapers, sleepovers, and homeschooling, but precious memories as well. Now that the kids are older, we’ve emerged from the fog and are looking around seeing new opportunities for ourselves (like writing!). I like it!
I plan on reading Mansfield Park for the first time next month! I look forward to reading your thoughts on that book and the rest of Austen’s works as well. I had a similar first experience with Austen- right down to an adaptation coming out within a year of my first reading P&P, and have loved Austen ever since. I would agree that my opinions on things have evolved as I’ve aged.
What a good idea. Look forward to it. I uit the big 50 last year and i am enjoying it.
And here’s another one hitting a “zero” this year…but you “children” have a way to go. LOL I will be 70 in June.
I didn’t have an assignment to read Jane Austen. We were assigned Jane Eyre as summer reading when I was in seventh grade and I read it at least 8 times before I quit counting. I, as did many others, viewed the 1995 Pride and Prejudice movie on PBS and fell in love with the story so then had to read the book. I have read all of Jane Austen’s novels and just signed up for your post so will be along for the ride, the discussion and maybe some new insights. Thanks for the opportunity.
I chose P&P as a Sunday School prize many years ago. (I am still in my twenties unfortunately this year I will be 20-44!)
I read it many times over the years and though I have read all the others this remains my favourite. I have many variations based on Darcy and Elizabeth and really enjoy them. I loved Dearest Friends and have Sketching Character on my wish list.
I hope you enjoy re-reading Jane’s books
Wonderful to hear about your new project and the big happenings at Vanity and Pride Press!
Best of luck in everything you do, please keep those great books coming and have lots of fun with the big 4-0!
I would have loved to have had a Jane Austen book assignment back in school, but I didn’t get so lucky. I read them on my own and loved them to death.
Love the idea of the new project. I hit that milestone birthday and I know I am wiser than earlier milestones, but didn’t feel particularly significant increases in wisdom. LOL. Look forward to checking out the new blog launch and posts.
Meredith, my dear, the big 4-0 is really not much different from 39 & 364 days! Wait until the big 7-0, then you’ll probably notice a difference. Have a Happy Birthday when it gets here.
The blog/website looks awesome. Best Wishes. I know it will do well. Jen
Hi Pamela!
We are of the same year!. I understand you so well…so I think your project is a very good plan to get through this age. I agree with you: although I would like to have the energy of twenties I feel better today because I´m wiser, or at least a little more wise LOL. Besides, as many people say: the important thing is not the real age but the age you feel in spirit. If you enjoy life, have hobbies, friends and you´re willing to learn new things, it doesn´t matter the age. There are teenagers with no energy and no illusions and there are people in their 40´s, 50´s, 60´s , 70´s with such a hunger for doing and learning things that they are an example for the rest of us. My friend´s grandmother decided to take history and art lessons when she was at her 70´s, WOW!, it´s amazing!. Congrats on your new blog and I´ll stop by it 🙂
Thanks Meredith for sharing this project of Pamela with all of us !
Hi Pamela!
Many years ago, after reading the book, “Passages,” I learned that it is true that the “zero” birthdays do indeed lead one to contemplate one’s life (so far and setting new goals). I had my 70th birthday last October and have indeed started 2016 with new goals, as I have each “zero” birthday.
I look forward to joining your project.
Thanks, Meredith and Pamela for this great idea!
When I hit 40 I was told that ‘life would begin’! I’m 53 now and still waiting for it to begin LOL!! I left school at 15 so never got to study any of these books. I was in my late 20’s when I first discovered Jane Austen and I haven’t stop reading them since. I’m looking forward to your postings on the novels. Mansfield Park is one I’ve promised myself I’ll reread this year. Good luck to you.
What a wonderful way to celebrate–with Jane Austen! I’m also planning on re-reading all of her books this year, so I look forward to reading your thoughts. Best wishes!
I’m just a couple years older than you. I discovered Jane much earlier but found reading her again later in life an even more rewarding experience. Northanger Abbey is the hardest for me. I just want to roll my eyes at Catherine. Does that make me 13 again? LOL One last note…I’m really glad we emerged from the Aqua Net fog, I’m surprised it didn’t kill us or half our brain cells. 😉