Romantics

I don't know what it is about Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that is so deeply satisfying, but it's become a bit of an obsession recently. Okay, I confess, I've been checking out fanfiction. Let me start by saying there's some really bad stuff out there. But then there is plenty to keep the heart atwitter (or some other cheesy, sigh-ful sort of response to boldfaced romanticism). For example, this 6-chapter long piece, a Darcy perspective from mid-novel to end called No Less a Gentleman, seems tolerably well written, it feels authentic. Or here's a fantastic blog which is largely "JA" related (with a healthy dose of other obsessions thrown in).

Jane Austen fans have created a glut of writing about, inspired by, and in critical support of the various novels, but Pride and Prejudice is the most hotly debated. [My choice of word there is quite appropriate given the, um, heat some fans have post facto ascribed to the novel's hero and heroine. You should see what some people have written about their feelings toward the Mr. Darcy pond diving scene in the BBC edition, and ensuing delight with Colin Firth. Oh my.] Anyway, I'm not looking into this fanfiction stuff for passionate alternatives to the confined manners portrayed in the original. I'm just enjoying the endless variations on a relatively simple story that bring hundreds, nay thousands or millions, of people together. It's a nice connection, wouldn't you agree?

[I can picture David rolling his eyes at all this, but then, I know how he reacted to the ending of the miniseries....]