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Jane Austen Society of Australia Jane Austen - Antipodean Viewsedited by Susannah Fullerton and Anne Harbers
In the year 2000 Maggie Lane and David Selwyn collaborated on a book called Jane Austen: A Celebration, a collection of opinions about Jane Austen from famous Britons. Some of the opinions were drawn from diaries and letters, others were provided in response to letters requesting comment. The resulting book contains a delightful variety of responses from a mixed group of people. It is not, however, a surprising book. Jane Austen has always been regarded as a quintessentially English writer, so there is nothing unusual about her being something of an English preoccupation. Sitting in a Paddington, NSW, coffee shop one day, Susannah Fullerton and Anne Harbers (pictured on page 3) started to wonder just how a collection of opinions about Jane Austen from people who live on the opposite side of the world to where she lived and wrote might be received. Would anyone down under even bother to reply to a letter requesting an opinion? Did Jane Austen actually mean anything to people currently discussing whether or not to cut the ties with Britain and become citizens of a republic? Susannah and Anne decided to find out. They began by writing letters asking for a personal response to Jane Austen. They asked the recipients if they could remember a first reading of a Jane Austen novel, if a first reaction had changed over time, what they thought of the film versions and if they loved or loathed her novels. These letters were posted to hundreds of Australians and New Zealanders from all walks of life - actors and architects, writers, politicians, musicians, sportspeople, dancers, media personalities and even a sex therapist! Almost immediately the replies began to arrive. There were – inevitably – refusals to contribute, from people who were too busy, had never read Jane Austen, or who had nothing to say about her books. One man wrote that, having been forced to read Jane Eyre at school, he had been put off ‘Janes’ for life. Many letters disappeared into a black hole (especially those sent to sportspeople and many Australian politicians!), but in spite of those gaps, Susannah and Anne were delighted by the number, quality and variety of the responses which they received. A request to school teachers and their students brought in some wonderful comments for the book’s chapter on ‘Jane Austen in the Classroom’, while mention of the project in a newspaper resulted in requests from some people who were very keen to contribute to the book. Jane Austen lived in the age of the great cartoonists, Cruikshank, Rowlandson and Gillray – she would have been pleased to know that cartooning still flourishes today. Murray Ball, the Kiwi cartoonist famous for Footrot Flats, was so kind as to send a brilliant cartoon featuring Wal from Footrots meeting Mr Darcy. This gave Susannah the idea that perhaps more cartoonists could be persuaded to contribute, so more letters were sent out to well-known cartoonists. Once again, the response was fantastic and the book has been greatly enhanced visually by the witty, cleverly drawn cartoons featuring Jane and her characters in a variety of humorous situations. The result of all these marvellous responses is Jane Austen: Antipodean Views. Susannah and Anne had great fun sorting the various responses into chapters such as ‘Jane Austen on Stage and Screen’, ‘A Mother’s Persuasion’, ‘Delighting in Jane Austen’ and ‘Jane Austen and Other Writers’. The book is not intended as a piece of academic criticism, but has been written primarily for the enjoyment of the reader. What it reveals about well-known personalities and the tastes of familiar public figures will make you smile. Susannah and Anne also hope that their book will send you back, once again, to re-read the six novels with a knowledge that a passion for Jane Austen’s writing is not nearly as unusual in this part of the world as you might once have thought! The Jane Austen: Antipodean Views publication is already (even before the launch!) being received extremely well. Susannah went over to New Zealand for the New Zealand launch in November. Sales are already much more than satisfactory, and the press and radio have participated most positively. Under a heading of Aussies don’t believe Austen’s a plain Jane’ (!) Mary Powis of the North Shore Times for instance (23 November 2001) shows this picture of Susannah and Anne Harbers, and introduces her article with.. Jane Austen could never have dreamed the novels she wrote in Georgian England would be best-sellers in a country on the other side of the world 200 years later. When she moved to Bath it was one of the most elegant cities in Europe. Far away in the Antipodes, Sydney was a rough settlement and the Rum Rebellion was brewing. Yet today Jane Austen’s books are studied in schools, they are read in millions of homes, and the Jane Austen Society is the largest literary society in Australia. If you haven’t already ordered and collected your copy from the launch by Betty Churcher, former director of the National Gallery, hurry to order it now!
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  29 January 2004 FEEDBACK: info@jasa.net.au HOME |What's New | About Jane | About JASA | JASA News | Sensibilities | Calendar | Conference | Book Reviews | JASA Library | Writing Competition | Mrs Goddard's School | Regency Fair | LINKS |
