Journey to the Center of Jane
January 16, 2008
Take a closer look at that photo and you will easily see that Jane Austen is the center of the world. Now, this is not news to the over 100 Janeites in the audience last night.
It wasn’t news to keynote speaker, Dr. Dorice Elliott either, who happily went through the films and books of Jane Austen to show us all her perennial appeal and discuss Jane’s relevance in the 21st century.
Dr. Elliott laughingly showed the attendees Jane’s write up in People magazine as one of the most Intriguing People of the year; Jane’s Newsweek cover; and pointed out that Jane wouldn’t have to worry about the current writer’s strike as she makes more than all those other screenwriters. When she works.
Dr. Elliott dispensed plenty of entertaining tidbits about Jane Austen and her works, but the one item participants were still talking about the next night was Jane Austen’s deft mix of third person omniscent and first person narration. Audience members buzzed and whispered as Dr. Elliott magnified a passage from Emma for all to read and pointed the subtle shifts in narration that advance and explicate the story at the same time.
Heady stuff for a room full of Jane-ophiles and we couldn’t get enough.
