Your Humble Blogger was honestly a bit concerned about the whole Austenland idea. I mean, a Jane Austen theme park? Not for YHB, thanks. Also, although I do think that Colin Firth is a fine, fine figger of a man, I have never seen him as Mr. Darcy, largely because I’m Not an Austen Person, and have managed so far to avoid watching any filmed version of Pride and Prejudice other than Bride and Prejudice, which I’m not sure counts. I’ve seen one Emma and one Sense and Sensibility, and that’s it. I’ve read the Austen books, of course, but one of the things that comes up in Shannon Hale’s book is the way that certain women are not just in love with Mr. Darcy, but with Colin Firth playing Mr. Darcy. I understand that. I just don’t get it.
Which is not to say that I don’t get losing one’s self in Austenland. Falling in love with her characters’ falling in love. Seeing one’s self in those drawing rooms, in those formal gardens, at those dreadful balls. Wonderful.
In fact, the thing that annoyed me about Austenland (because there is always something that annoys YHB about even good books, and this was a good book) is the complete absence of the possibility of male Austenmania. If there were an Austenland, where people pay absurd sums of money to engage in a sort of AustenLARP, there would be nearly as many Austenmen as Austenladies. But in Ms. Hale’s book, there’s never even the possibility that a man might pay to spend the week in company with corseted Austenlasses, and might pay rather a lot to have a sweet unconsummated romance with one of those Austenlasses, a romance that would remain in memory but not run any risk of interfering with a real life, real responsibilities or even a real marriage.
Not that I would, even if I had the money. I mean, given the option, I’d rather spend a fortnight in Austenland than Dickensville, even leaving aside that it would rather drastically reduce my chances of being beaten, starved or disfigured. I’d rather read Little Dorritt than Emma, but I’d rather flirt with Emma than Little Dorritt.
Tolerabimus quod tolerare debemus,
-Vardibidian.