Welcome to our epistolary retelling of Pride & Prejudice! Jane Austen’s original version of the story, First Impressions, was told entirely in letters, so it seemed like a great group project! We’ll be posting a new letter every Wednesday. December 3, 1811 My dear Georgiana, I hope you and your brother are well, and …
Category: Diana Birchall
Peering into Jane Austen’s Spectacles
I spent most of December in England, celebrating a dowager’s milestone birthday (er, that is, mine!). It was not primarily a Jane Austen-centered trip; throughout my long lifetime I have most satisfyingly visited nearly every Austen-related site that I desired to see. (To confess the truth, I have not climbed Box Hill, but I may …
Austen Variations 2025 Advent Calendar
Welcome to the 2025 Austen Variations Advent Calendar, where our amazing authors will bring you a new gift every day from now until today, December 24th. Lady Catherine’s Christmas Carol Part One. The Ghost of Christmas Past. It was Christmas Eve, and Lady Catherine was in a hurry. A lady, of course, never hurries,” she …
Prelude to Pemberley: Lady Catherine Interferes by Diana Birchall
Welcome to our Pride & Prejudice prequel! P&P: Prelude to Pemberley tells the story of the time leading up to the events of Pride & Prejudice, including what Darcy and Elizabeth were doing and thinking, Georgiana Darcy’s story, the events of Ramsgate, how Mr. Bingley came to lease Netherfield, and much more! Join us on …
Mr. Darcy’s Guidebook (excerpt from The Darcys in Venice by Diana Birchall)
As my novel The Darcys in Venice glides slowly as a gondola toward hopeful publication, I share a new scene with you, in which Mr. and Mrs. Darcy prepare for their journey. Mr. Darcy’s Guidebook Now the dark winter evenings at Pemberley became busy ones. The storms moderated, the guests departed, repairs were carried on, …
Did Jane Austen Ever See an Elephant? by Diana Birchall
You don’t have to be a pachydermophiliac to delight in a very delectable question, whose origin may be traced to a discussion on one of the Jane Austen online lists from as far back as 2011 – this post is what one might hopefully and tactfully call An Old Classic. Research has not revealed whether …
Planned in the Cradle: Darcy and Anne
“What a fine pair they are,” said Lady Catherine de Bourgh, tilting her dark, lace-capped head sentimentally to the side, for effect. “Surely no finer children were ever seen in England.” “You are right, I believe,” her sister Lady Anne Darcy answered placidly. “My little Darcy is remarkably strong and intelligent, and twice little Anne’s …
P&P Prelude to Pemberley: Lady Catherine Deals with Georgiana
Welcome to our Pride & Prejudice prequel! P&P: Prelude to Pemberley tells the story of the time leading up to the events of Pride & Prejudice, including what Darcy and Elizabeth were doing and thinking, Georgiana Darcy’s story, the events of Ramsgate, how Mr. Bingley came to lease Netherfield, and much more! Join us on …
P&P Prelude to Pemberley: Lady Catherine’s Scheme
Welcome to our Pride & Prejudice prequel! P&P: Prelude to Pemberley tells the story of the time leading up to the events of Pride & Prejudice, including what Darcy and Elizabeth were doing and thinking, Georgiana Darcy’s story, the events of Ramsgate, how Mr. Bingley came to lease Netherfield, and much more! Join us on …
A Wild Ride: The Darcys in Venice, Chapter 30, by Diana Birchall
It was a grey day for the horseback ride on the sandy dunes of the Lido, but the Venetian churches and palazzi were etched against the pearly sky and the wind blew hard through the horses’ manes and tails, also ruffling the hair of the two men in a wild and free way. “Did I …
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