Keira Knightley and Rosamund Pike in the 2005 film "Pride and Prejudice"
It is interesting to think about Jane Austen and what she would have thought about her fame today. Could she ever have imagined the extent of it? It is amazing to think of all the movies, television series and books that have been based on her novels and her life. She is one of the most beloved and well-known writers in the world and her future fame was surely beyond her imagination. She would certainly have been astonished and delighted by all the attention the 200th anniversary (on January 28) of "Pride and Prejudice" is getting. She called this book her "darling child." There are lectures, newspaper and magazine articles, radio programs, exhibitions, and even a BBC television special which recreates the Netherfield Ball as described in "Pride and Prejudice." (Read more here.) It was shot on location at Chawton house in Hampshire, England, the home of Jane Austen. All of these programs and articles are examining the reasons for and celebrating the enduring popularity of this novel.
Take a look at this short film about Jane Austen called The Divine Jane. It was part of an exhibition I saw at the Morgan Library in New York two years ago, A Woman's Wit: Jane Austen's Life and Legacy. In this excellent film, actors, writers and scholars talk about Jane Austen and what she has meant to them.
Part one of "The Divine Jane"
Part two of "The Divine Jane"
I hope you enjoy it!