A new feature at Austen Variations is our Throwback Thursday, which began a few weeks ago. As I thought about which of my older books to write about for my first Throwback Thursday, I had considered my first book, “Assumed Engagement,” which I actually wrote in 2001, but since I wrote a little about …
Tag: Pride and Prejudice
The Darcys and Lord Byron in Venice Part 9, Diana Birchall
It was a refreshment, after the last troubled weeks, for Mr. and Mrs. Darcy to sit in the garden of the Palazzo Mocenigo and peacefully enjoy noticing the signs of an early spring. The ornamental garden, with its statues and flower beds, stretched from the back of the palace to the Grand Canal, where a …
Deplorable Dates – Whatever possessed him?
I love this month’s theme! I think it’s a great way to celebrate an author whose best-loved novel hinges on a deplorable first date. Would Elizabeth have been quite so up in arms against Mr Darcy if he hadn’t insulted her on day one? I’m probably biased here, but I can’t help thinking that …
The Cajun Cheesehead Critic gives P&P 2005 a second chance
Second Impressions and 2005’s Pride & Prejudice, by Jack Caldwell Greetings, everyone. Jack Caldwell here. Back in 2005—a year that will live in infamy (Hurricane Katrina, anyone?)—I took my wife to a screening of Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice (also known as P&P‘05 and P&P3). My reaction to the film? Let’s just say my first …
Jane in January – Setting as Inspiration
We’re all talking about inspiration this month at Austen Variations. Or anti-inspiration, as the case may be. The inspiration for my books is usually a vivid idea for an emotionally intense scene. My next book is the exception. It started with a setting, or rather an anti-setting. You’ve heard of invasive species. Well, I’ve been …
The Cajun Cheesehead Strikes Again!
The Cajun Cheesehead Critic loves 1980’s Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Here’s why. By Jack Caldwell Greetings, everyone. Jack Caldwell here. I’m just gonna lay it on the line: 1980’s “Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice” is the best adaptation of Pride and Prejudice ever filmed to date. Period. Oh, wait? You want proof? I …
Reading Side-by-Side
No, this is not really a post recommending reading side-by-side with another person, enjoyable as that is. This is about the concept of reading two books side-by-side. Not just any two books, though, but a pair especially made to go together: “companion” novels. Allow me to explain. I wrote my fifth novel, Miss Georgiana Darcy …


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