July 4, 2013 by Vic
If Jane Austen’s characters were transported to our age, how would they take to twitter and email? Mark Brownlow explores how several characters’ inboxes might look. The concept is pure genius and reading these creations is such fun! Enjoy Mr. Darcy’s inbox. (Here’s Elizabeth Bennet’s)
Mr. Darcy’s inbox by Mark Brownlow, Click on image for larger version.
Please note: the ads at the bottom of this post are by WordPress. I do not receive money for this blog.
Hillsdale College offers six 29- minute course lectures about Jane Austen and her first novel: Northanger Abbey.
“Her first novel—published shortly after her death—was Northanger Abbey, which parodies the romanticized fiction popular in Austen’s day. A close study of Jane Austen’s ebullient writings reveals timeless truths about human nature and illuminates the beauty of everyday life.”
The neglected tombstone found in an overgrown burial ground said:
“Sacred to the memory of His Excellency C.J. Austen, Esq.,
Champion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath,
Rear Admiral of the Red and Commander-in-Chief of Her Majesty’s Naval Forces on the East India and China Station,
Rear Admiral Charles Austen CB
Died off Prome, the 7th October 1852, while in command of the Naval Expedition on the river Irrawady against the Burmese Forces, aged 73 years.”
The grave after restoration
Read the full article in The Sunday Times. June 27, 2021.
Click on image to read the story.
Gentle readers: Please feel free to post your comments and continue the conversation!
Regretfully, due to SPAMMERS, we will no longer accept comments on posts that were published over 30 days ago. In some instances, links will be removed from comments as well.
If you would like to share a new site, or point out an error, please email us. (Yes, we are fallible. We'll own up to our mistakes and will make the corrections with a polite smile on our faces.) Write us at
Thank you for visiting this blog. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.
My favorite parts are the subject line of the LinkedIn email, and that Mr. Collins’ email remains unread.
Really funny and clever. I enjoy it immensely.
hahaha … really cute!
How clever! Hilarious!
Gorgeous! That was lots of fun!
How fun and entertaining! “Wet Shirt Centrespread” was the best!!!
I Lol’d:)
This was timely as I’ve been drafting a review of Lady Susan as a series of tweets and blog posts. Better complete it before anybody else claims it’s their idea!
Reblogged this on calmgrove and commented:
This tickled my funny bone. I hope it does the same for you!
I am afraid this all goes over my head.. I haven’t a clue what TWITTER or any abbreviated internet language means. I have a TWITTER account ( because i thought it was the thing to do) and I get these requests to join some TWITTER thread now and then and i think, WHY?
Marilyn and I were in Whitehall listening to Kate and Williams wedding going on in Westminster Abbey, on the sound systems set up in the streets around the Abbey.. We were there when they all drove past in carriages waving to the crowds. Somebody from some radio station asked us if we wanted to leave a TWITTER message for Kate and William. I asked, why? They couldn’t answer. I said ,, “are they going to read it?” And they said,”well, probably not, if you are being realistic.” I said we were being realistic and didn’t leave a message.
Could some kind person out there explian to me the purpose of TWITTER and how it works? I’m fine with e-mails , I love using Skype and of course I’m addicted to running a blog but TWITTER leaves me non plussed.
Ah, Tony! I am teaching a workshop next week on how to use Twitter for communicating with your students. Wish you could be there to see all the wondrous ways in which this social media can be used. I use it primarily to find information quickly, respond to a question succinctly, and network with others. Twitter is not for everyone, but there are folks who use the site in marvelous ways. There are Twitter Haikus! And twitter novels (though you need to use the hash tags), and live twitter discussions during ball games or Jane Austen movies. It CAN be fun for those who like the medium.
Gosh, Tony, I’m in the same boat as you. I’d much rather spend time reading Vic’s blog anyday – much more fun and interesting. Plus I’ve heard people can be pretty rude on Twitter. Why bother?
My problem Vic is that i have never been able to contact anybody i want to with TWITTER. Who do i talk to with it? I like e-mail and Facebook, to a certain extent, but i think Facebook is like hanging your dirty washing in public. With Facebook you really have to be careful what you say. The wrong person might be reading!!!! But TWITTER, how do you talk to anybody with that????
#hashtags. Direct reply. Retweets. If you make a comment about this post, for example, and include the tiny URL, then say, “Recommend” then add the hashtags – #JaneAusten #DarcyHumor – you will be able to talk to folks, or they will be able to find it and reply. I first invited people via email, then other Janeites found me.
Twitter is not for everyone, but I much prefer it to Facebook, which I find VERY invasive.
Thanks Vic. You are being very patient with me..I don”t understand all the hashtag stuff but it SOUNDS good. I can see how TWITTER is great for passing on web links etc and I can see how it is developing the English language or some might say reducing the ENGLISH language and putting it into terminal decline ha! ha!
The TWITTER strands TWITTER keeps sending me to comment on don’t interest me.. Sometimes on the BBC website I try to follow TWITTER strands, about football matches and recently about the GlastonburyFestival weekend. However it is all ineffectual chit chat.. It doesn’t interest me at all.. It’s like commenting to somebody at work or the family at home . The difference being you know the back history to the passing comment with people you know intimately.. It seems like a way of saying intimate things to somebody you don”t know. the comments have no depth or real meaning maybe I will get the hang of TWITTER one day. Who knows. Ha! Ha!.
Actually I don”t think Jane would have taken to TWITTER at all. She was very much family orientated and communicated with those she knew well. E-mail would have suited her. FACEBOOK definitely not.. She liked to say things behind peoples backs.. ha! ha!
All the best,,
Tony
(and thanks again Vic. You are great!!!!)
Thanks Vic. You are being very patient with me..I don”t understand all the hashtag stuff but it SOUNDS good. I can see how TWITTER is great for passing on web links etc and I can see how it is developing the Engllash language or some might say reducing the ENGLISH language and putting it into terminal decline ha! ha!
The TWITTER strands TWITTER keeps sending me to comment on don’t interest me.. Sometimes on the BBC website I try to follow TWITTER strands, about football matches and recently about the GlastonburyFestival weekend. However it is all ineffectual chit chat.. It doesn’t interest me at all.. It’s like commenting to somebody at work or the family at home . The difference being you know the back history to the passing comment with people you know intimately.. It seems like a way of saying intimate things to somebody you don”t know. the comments have no depth or real meaning maybe I will get the hang of TWITTER one day. Who knows. Ha! Ha!.
Actually I don”t think Jane would have taken to TWIITTER at all. She was very much family orientated and communicated with those she knew well. E-mail would have suited her. FACEBOOKK definitely not.. She liked to say things behind peoples backs.. ha! ha!
All the best,,
Tony
(and thanks again Vic. You are great!!!!)
I love it!!!
Beautifully done! I especially love the e-receipt and reservation confirmation by the hotels, the tracking code for the delivery of the piano and the St. Clemens ceremony on you tube. It makes it feel so real. Congratulations!
Hysterical! I really laughed out loud. THANK YOU!
What an awesome read. Spot on! I’m off to go read Lizzy’s next.
Vic, I just have to tell you how much I love your blog!! And the in boxes are so funny!! Really clever — thanks for pursuing all the amazing side subjects !! :-)