For the love of Jane

By the time this post goes live I will most likely be on the way to Winchester for the commemoration at the Cathedral – and a few minutes into that I’ll probably be in floods of tears, so I’d better remember to pack some dark glasses.
 
I do wish this year was the one when we celebrate the birth of this wonderful lady, rather than the year when we commemorate her passing. Nevertheless, it’s wonderful to see her in the limelight for whatever reason, see her featuring on national news, on the new banknote, and also have adaptations and Regency documentaries broadcast in great number, which hasn’t happened over the last few years, and isn't likely to happen again until 2075.

It’s also very good to remember that I’m not going to Winchester just to witness a solemn event, but to meet with other people like myself, for whom Jane is a constant presence, and her world a way of life.

​I think that as well as a brilliant body of work, Jane Austen’s great legacy to the world is this wonderful ability to bring people together.

This ability was celebrated in My Friend Jane, a BBC programme about some of us who find great pleasure in getting together, in talking about Jane Austen’s novels and her brilliant characters, in playing dress-up and partying as they might have done in 1809.

Photo: BBC

Photo: BBC

The programme was broadcast on BBC 1 South yesterday, is currently on BBC iPlayer and will be repeated on 22 July at 14.50.

If you haven't been able to see it yet I hope you’ll enjoy a few ‘behind the scenes’ shots and some lovely dancing.

I wish we could all meet in Winchester to celebrate this wonderful lady who has given us so much joy.

​I know that if you can’t be there in person you’ll be there in spirit. So here’s to Jane and our undying love for her!