We do love it when modern women's magazines promote Jane Austen. The latest one to do so is Australia's Elle magazine who've published their "7 Quotes That Prove Jane Austen's Advice Never Goes Out of Date". Their top picks were:
  1. "There may be a hundred different ways of being in love." Emma.
  2. "Business, you know, may bring money, but friendship hardly ever does." Emma.
  3. "A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of." Mansfield Park. 
  4. "There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart..." Emma. 
  5. “I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way.” Sense and Sensibility. 
  6. "A fortnight's acquaintance is certainly very little. One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight." Pride and Prejudice. 
  7. “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance... it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.” Pride and Prejudice.

 Pride and Prejudice - Now Starring Ford Prefect On Monday May 1st, Journalism student Max gave what is being dubbed the "worst answer on Pointless ever". The contestants on the popular TV quiz show were asked to name which famous novel six trios of literary characters were from. However, despite Lizzie Bennet, Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley being a choice on the board, Max named Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect and Zaphod Beeblebrox as having been characters from Jane's Pride and Prejudice. Twitter users were up in arms:

“Literally p***ed myself laughing at the journalism student that thought Zaphod Beeblebrox was in Pride and Prejudice #Pointless.”

“They have Pride and Prejudice on the board and you go for totally the wrong one, are you kidding me?! #Pointless.” 

And at the Jane Austen News we thought that Mr Darcy was a hero universally acknowledged as being from Pride and Prejudice. So, not universally acknowledged after all!

 
Calling All Visitors to Bath in July
Finally, one for anyone who is coming to Bath in July, and specifically between July 7th and July 16th. This is when nearby Frome will be holding its 17th Frome Festival - an annual celebration of art, theatre, music, crafts and dance. As 2017 is the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's death, the festival will honour this milestone with several literature events, and even a recital of her little known musical composition at Christ Church in Frome. So as Bath and Frome are so close together, it might be worth seeing what's on if you'll be coming to see us at the Centre in July and perhaps combining your visit with one of the Austen festival events!