Monday, July 20, 2015

Jane Austen Fun

by Linore Rose Burkard

Ahem (clears throat) --I happen to know that we have a few NON-Jane fans on this blog, (horrors) so these authors (who shall remain anonymous) will please forgive my post this month and bear with us hopeless Janeites.(You know I love you anyway!)

Thanks to Hollywood and its lavish portrayals of Jane Austen novels, most people by now are aware of Jane's six completed books:


Emma  (1815)

(In addition, three books remained unfinished at her death: Lady Susan, the Watsons, and Sanditon: )

How amazing that she wrote them all in such a short space of time! She had no word processor, not even a typewriter, but used a tiny writing desk with an inkstand and pen. It makes her achievements more remarkable. 

Jane's writing desk
As a writer, I can hardly imagine getting a novel written correctly without my electronic aids.  
Even more compelling is that during Jane's life, writing paper (sometimes called 'foolscap' for the water mark it once bore) did not come cheaply. As someone who used the "criss-cross" method of writing letters in order to save paper, it only makes sense to assume that she thought out each sentence carefully before dipping her pen into that ink.  (I've said this elsewhere and I'll say it again: I look forward to cornering Jane in heaven and having a wonderful discussion!)

Anyway-- there are other published writings of Jane's, many of which are familiar to only her more devoted fans. These are letters and early works (called the Juvenilia). Specifically,


Love and Freindship (sic)
Catharine, or the Bower
The Beautifull Cassandra 
The History of England 

What's truly mind-boggling about Jane's works is not only that she wrote them in mostly a very short span of her short life, but the sheer number of Austen spin-offs, movies, CDs, and related products that have since arisen. They are impossible to number. Jane would be, I think, both delighted and, in some instances, horrified. (One thinks of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, for instance. Perhaps she would  simply have a great laugh about it. Jane--as did all her family--had a wonderful sense of humor, particularly for the absurd.)   

 

In any case, I called this post "Jane Austen FUN" because I have a treat for Jane fans, or anyone who likes a little literary puzzle fun. (Teachers might use it in class during a study of Jane or one of her books, for instance.) It's a PDF, and it contains not one, not two, but three word search puzzles, all related to Jane's books. Better yet, its free, and all you have to do is click the link HERE to get it. 

It was originally for my newsletter subscribers only, but now I'm making it available for everyone. (I do still occasionally offer free pdfs and other things to my subscribers. If you would like first access to my freebies, please join my list. Just enter your email in the drop down box on my website.  While you're there, take a look at the other free PDFs that you can download instantly on my Resources page or click THIS LINK. There are other subscriber specials not yet made available, but I expect to get them up eventually.)   

Tip: When you print out the puzzles, skip the first page, which is only the cover. Take them to the beach or your favorite summer chillin'out spot--and enjoy! You might just want to grab your favorite JA read while you're at it.  Speaking of which, tell us what Jane Austen book or movie is your absolute favorite--if you can decide! Leave a comment and let's compare notes.
 


Linore Rose Burkard  is best known for her Inspirational Regency Romance Series, which whisks readers back in time to early 19th century England. Authenticity and heart-warming adventure are par for the course in her books. Fans of romance in the tradition of Austen and Heyer (such as Pride & Prejudice, Cotillion, and even My Fair Lady), enjoy meeting Linore's feisty heroines and dashing heros.





18 comments:

  1. Linore, one would never know you are a HUGE JA fan. LOL.

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    1. Debbie Lynne, one would never guess that you're not! (Anyone who likes history and costume dramas MUST like JA! It's a law, you know. Ok, maybe not, but it should be.) LOVE YOU ANYWAY!

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  2. I still have a hard time believing her books are still so impactful even after 200 years.

    I would have to say Pride & Prejudice and Mansfield Park are my favorites. I also enjoyed Emma as well.

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    1. P&P is probably my favorite, but my opinion has been hopelessly influenced by Hollywood (or maybe it was Colin Firth? lol). Thx for sharing. I love them all, so of course I think you have excellent taste. :)

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  3. Linore, thank you for this fun post! It is puzzling that not everyone is a Janeite.

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  4. This is such a fun idea. Thanks! My favorite novel is Pride and Prejudice, and my favorite adaptation is the A&E version. I also love the 1995 film adaptation of Persuasion. Great characterization and dialogue.

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  5. Yes, I agree with you on both counts. I have a great fondness for Kate Beckinsale's EMMA, as well. The Gwyneth Paltrow EMMA is satisfying and fun, but the one with Kate is somehow more evenly cast--meaning, there isn't one character whose actor I would change.
    Thx!

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  6. Fellow Janeite, You can't honestly expect me to pick a favorite, can you?! They all are wonderful stories. I do love the movie adaptation of Emma with Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller, though. They have great chemistry. :)

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  7. Ha, I know exactly what you mean, Anne! I was waiting for someone to say that. I enjoyed the Romola Garai EMMA as well with one caveat: She was too smiley. I love her as an actress, don't get me wrong. But Emma just isn't THAT happy. (Now I've ruined it for you. If you watch it again you'll see what I mean and never be able to ignore it again. Sorry!) Otherwise, it was a lovely production. I'd have to see it again to say more, as I've forgotten my other impressions of it. (And I WILL see it again sometime--God willing. I just don't think it will quite knock the Kate Beckinsale version off the top of my "Best EMMA" list.) :)
    Thx! PS: I'm getting a newsletter ready to announce the pre-release of my next book. It is, however, NOT a sweet historical like my regencies. Mentioning it to you because I know you want to know!

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  8. Don't hit me...*ducks her head*....but I've never read JA. I really wasn't into reading much of anything when I was younger, except for short, fun stories. When I finally got into reading novels, I was attracted to the works of Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Dee Henderson......I'm thinking I should give Jane a try. Any advice on where to begin?

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  9. Deb, you're forgiven. :) (How I could hold anything against you? One of my most faithful readers!) Seriously, assuming you've seen the movies, I would choose your favorite movie and read that book, first. Having said that, Mansfield Park is not my favorite read of Jane's, though I'm not sure why. I'm not saying I don't enjoy it; it's just not my favorite. I often recommend starting with Northanger Abbey because it's shorter than the others and has a little bit of suspense to boot!

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    1. Thanks. :-) I don't know if I've seen any of the movies. I probably have, I just need to jog my memory.

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  10. My favorite novel to read is Persuasion and my favorite series is Pride & Prejudice with Colin Firth. I run to both of these when I need to escape from reality for a few days!

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  11. I loved Jane Austen books and taught them in my high school English classes. Hard to pick a favorite because it's been a while since I read them. I'm going to go back and re-read Emma and either Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility or maybe all three. :)

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  12. BTW: Thanks for the word puzzles. I enjoy doing them in the evenings.

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  13. I can't decide on one favourite, but the three that I enjoy re-reading the most are Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion. Thanks for the word puzzles - looking forward to doing those!

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  14. Almost a year later....and I just saw the last three replies. Thanks, Gilmergirl, and Martha! I've been meaning to make more word search puzzles. It's quite relaxing, actually. :)

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