How do you get your digital Austen fix?
Well, the local outdoor pool is officially closed now and my habit of jogging in the swim lanes (sounds crazy, but try it, it’s addictive, especially in the sunshine) must be shelved until Memorial Day 2013. Before I consider switching up my regimen to hot yoga (yoga in 110 degree heat, anyone?) or piloxing (pilates + boxing), I think I can get my endorphins pumping just by surfing the net and searching for all things Darcy and Austen.
I’m doing a little more of this lately due to the fact that on September 29th I’ll be giving a talk to the JASNA Greater Chicago Region entitled Jane Austen: Multimedia Maven? If you’re in town, I’d love to see you there! Either way, I’d like to ask you how you get your digital Austen fix…
Ready for a laugh? This clip is one of my favorite Austen fixes, a mash-up of Ashes to Ashes and Pride and Prejudice with an actor that really gets (and I mean gets) Gene Hunt. Even if you’ve never heard of Ashes to Ashes, you’ll love this spoof:
One of my readers posted the following Jane Austen is My Homegirl Rap video on my facebook page (thank you, Debbie!) and I thought all of you would enjoy it. It really is a tribute to Downton Abbey more than Jane Austen, but the lyrics are hilarious and Debbie thought of me because my book Definitely Not Mr. Darcy touches on the dubious medical tactics of the Regency, and so does this rap. Check it out:
Likewise, I’m sure that you’ve seen the viral classic Jane Austen’s Fight Club and the hilarious The Jane Austen Drinking Game. (Wouldn’t we all love to party with these guys?)
Once in a while, just for a laugh, I watch the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Have you seen it? This particular episode is a little raunchy, you’ve been warned, especially since Lydia is involved:
The Blackadder series has long been a go-to, feel-good source of entertainment for me, and if you’ve never seen Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder, you’re in for a real treat. He is delicious! Love him! Wished he had never stumbled upon Mr. Bean… The writing in this entire series crackles, and there are several episodes dedicated to the Regency with Hugh Laurie, whose gift for comedic timing as the daft Prince Regent makes me laugh no matter how many times I’ve seen it. Let me know what you think:
I’d like to know how you get your Austen hero or Jane Austen fix. Do you have any favorite You Tube video clips to share? Do you play the new facebook game Jane Austen’s Rogues and Romance? Do you have the Ask Mr. Darcy Magic Eight Ball app for the Android? (WHY oh WHY don’t they make this app for the iPhone?! I really. Want. It.)
Or, maybe you turn to low-tech fixes such as your I Love Darcy mug or your Pride and Prejudice board game, or…the novels themselves, ha ha! How do you get your fix? Can’t wait to hear…
Karen Doornebos
- Web |
- More Posts
19 Responses to How do you get your digital Austen fix?
Our Novels
P&P: RC
Be sure to vote!
*Giveaways
Enter our monthly contest using the Rafflecopter form on the
Giveaway Page.
All rules and prizes are listed there! Click the image or link provided.
Our Imprint
Purchasing
Austen Authors Amazon Marketplace
Contact Us
Authors can be contacted via their email link on the Austen Authors page. For general information or to contact the admins, click the image to the left.
April 2
April 8
April 30
May 20
Facebook
RSS
Twitter
The Writers Block
Amazon Store
At the moment my fix is The Lizzy Bennet Diaries. I await every new video. Soooo good! I especially love Ashley Clements/Lizzies impression of Mrs. Bennet. Just great!
And for low key – I have a little round keychain from the Jane Austen Centre in Bath with I love Darcy on it
http://www.janeaustengiftshop.co.uk/acatalog/key_ring_trolley_coin_i_love_darcy.html
(My first thought of piloxing? pillow + boxing. Strange non-english-mothertongue mind. That gave me a laugh as well this morning. Thank you!)
Hello Katrin,
Your keychain sounds great…and I like the idea of a pillow boxing workout–oh wait, we already do that here at home
!
Oh my I love these!!! I have watched the first twenty or so episodes of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries and they are hysterical. So glad I heard about those. I have seen the other two as well – the rap one cracks me up – but never the Blackadder videos. Love Hugh Laurie! He is fabulous. So much better as a comic then House, IMHO.
Thanks for this terrific post, Karen. I needed to laugh.
Sharon, I’m so glad I introduced you to Blackadder! And what the heck were YOU doing up at 3 in the morning
?
LOL! It wasn’t yet midnight here on the west coast. And for a night shift RN of 20+ years midnight, or even 3 am, is nothing!
I re-read the endings or certain scenes of Austenesque novels.
Sounds like the perfect solution!
I LOVED the Jane Austen Is My Home Girl video. Way too funny! Thanks for the other video links as well. A few I hadn’t seen before and will have to wacth this evening when I get home from work.
That one seems to be winning the popularity contest! Hope you enjoyed the rest of them too!
Oh Karen, I have followed the Lizzie Bennet Diaries for awhile now and LOVE THEM!! These girls are so clever and FUNNY! And right on the money!
The Fight Club video is also an old favorite. It’s been around for awhile now and is funny every single time I watch it. It never gets old. I discovered Black Adder through my love of Colin Firth (who I fell in love with in 1995 through P&P). He plays Shakespeare in one episode, and it was so cleverly done that I had to watch the rest of the series. Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Miranda Richardson, Rowen, everyone is so terrific. The English sense of humor is priceless. Am running out of room…
I have a little digital photo key chain that I keep pics of CF as Darcy in for quick fixes!
How cool that you have digital pix of CF on your keychain–I need to do that!!! Thanks, Rae!
What diverting entertainment for my rather dull evening! I particularly enjoyed the Jane Austen is My Homegirl rap! Too funny!
Thanks for sharing these, Karen!
Jakki, it’s always great to hear from you! Glad these spiced up your evening, ha ha!
Watching Blackadder is what made me first try reading Jane Austen, funnily enough. The third series, the one set in the Regency has episodes entitled ‘Dual and Duality’, ‘Sense and Senility’ etc, which is what made me first pick up Sense and Sensibility. Not quite the same genre though
I am a big fan of Blackadder, series 2-4 are definitely worth watching, but if you’ve only seen Hugh Laurie in House you’d be in for a shock, he’s in all 3 of those series, with a large part in series 3 (regency) and 4 (WWI) and he plays a buffoon.
I’d not seen any of those videos you posted, I still get my Austen fix via the written word, whether it’s book, ebook or fanfiction. I recently read a modern/regency ebook mash up that I enjoyed called ‘Lydia Bennet’s Blog’. It’s set during the timespan of Pride and Prejudice but with lots of modern references that are described in another context, like ‘the face book’ which is a book of beauty remedies that gets passed around etc. It reminded me a bit of the style of Bridget Jones’ Diary, which of course is also based on P&P, but I preferred Lydia Bennet’s blog to be honest.
Good luck with your talk!
Ceri, I will check out “Lydia Bennet’s Blog,” it sounds pretty cool! I agree, Hugh Laurie is fabulous in Blackadder…
Thanks for wishing me luck with the talk, I’ll take it!
I feel so behind in the times. I will have to look for the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Sounds like great fun and the rap. I wonder if it can be turned into a ringtone? For myself, I am on Amazon a lot looking for new books and reading whatever excepts are available, not to mention my daily visit to austenauthors.net.
Okay, those were just hilarious clips. I’m afraid the closest I come is with things like this blog, FB groups, and Pinterest pages that share video clips. I don’t have any apps or games- sorry.
I’ll have to do some exploring some more I can see that now. Thanks for sharing!
Everyday when I’m online, I check out The Lizzie Bennet Diaries before playing Jane Austen’s Rogues & Romance in fb. When I am free I visit my usual JA blogs like AuAu, Austenprose, Austenesque Reviews, etc to read the posts.
Btw, I watched a few of the clips like P&P mashups with Ashes to Ashes and The Jane Austen Fight Club. I’ll check out the other videos this weekend.
I’ve never heard of the Jane Austen Rap! Thanks for showing it!!