Jane Austen Today — A Short Commentary
This is exactly what the internet needs, another Jane Austen commentary. However, if it’s anything like cat videos the internet is well capable of producing more and more without ceasing and no one would mind. If fact, it be appreciated. The algorithm needs to be fed and so does the online consumer. It’s a win-win.
A quick google search indicated that there are well over 30 podcasts dedicated to Jane Austen commentaries, 31 movie/show adaptations, and about 46,600,000 search results on Google for Jane Austen.
I’m not poking fun at the Jane Austen fans. It’s just a phenomena I’ve noticed. Just recently, I was walking around my used bookstore and there was an entire section dedicated to Jane Austen books and merch. It reminded me of that scene from the movie Spaceballs, “Merchandising! Merchandising!” There were Jane Austen bookmarks, calendars, sticky notes with her witty quotes, journals, book bags, and too many things to list here.
As I looked overwhelmed at all the merchandising, a feeling of guilt began to overwhelm me. I had been an English major in college and had never read a single Jane Austen novel. It may come as a shock that neither my British literature courses or even my Film and Literature course had never assigned a single Jane Austen novel. And I, claiming to love literature, had never picked up one of her books.
So I did what any sane person would do, and binged Pride and Prejudice in a day at 2X speed. Then I proceeded to not shut up about the book for about a week or two. Meanwhile, listening to podcasts and watching YouTube video essays. You know, like a rational person. And if you’d think that would be the end of it, of course not. Now of course, naturally, I’m going to walk back to that display of merchandising and bring home one item at a time — naturally.
