Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Jane Austen Week - Tuesday: The Jane Austen Advice Column


Everyone can get involved on this one! You can feel free to post your ideas on your blog or leave a comment here: whatever is convenient! So the game is "The Jane Austen Advice Column"; it's kind of a fun, role playing game.

Instructions

  1. Pick a character from a non-Jane Austen novel (Dickens, Trollope, Eliot, Shakespeare, etc.) that encounters a problem in their story. Write a letter for them to "The Jane Austen Advice Column", where Jane Austen characters answer their questions.
  2. Write a response as one of Jane Austen's characters: try to make the letter sound like the character that is writing (for example, if you're writing as Mrs. Elton from Emma, you may want to use expressions as "Caro sposo" or mention "Maple Grove" or "my brother, Mr. Suckling") and come up with an answer that they would come up with. 
Of course, if you happen to see someone else's non-Jane Austen character letter and would like to answer it as another Jane Austen character, feel free to.

I would also like to include the best ones in the concluding post of Jane Austen Week, so I may ask you to include your letters to that post.

Above all, have fun and keep it clean and funny!

Here's an example to start everyone off:

Dear Jane Austen Advice Column,
My name is Amy Dorrit and my father has been imprisoned for many years in the Marshalsea prison; I have been working as a seamstress to support him and my brother and sister. My sister, Fanny, works as a dancer and has gotten the attention of a man who is wealthy. Both Fanny and myself met with his mother: his mother wants Fanny to leave her son alone, but Fanny tells her that she already had no interest in him. In return for this, his mother gave Fanny a very expensive bracelet and promised to have her dressmaker make her a new gown. I don't feel right about the whole thing. What should I do?
Sincerely, Amy Dorrit (Little Dorrit)

My dear Amy,
I daresay, I ought to have been consulted on the matter! My sister, Mrs. Suckling of Maple Grove knows many a dressmaker in Bath: I daresay, I'm sure she could get my brother, Mr. Suckling, to find a suitable dressmaker for your sister! And Amy, I daresay we really need to find you a more suitable position. I'll start making inquiries for a governess's position. Mr. Suckling's cousin, Mrs. Bragge, has been looking for a governess for ages: I had a dear friend, Jane Fairfax -- I quite rave about Jane Fairfax -- A sweet, interesting creature -- who I was going to get the position for, but she married and Mrs. Bragge is still in need of a governess! You are afraid of giving me trouble, but I shall write to Mrs. Partridge in a day or two, and shall give her a strict charge to be on the look-out for any thing eligible. Leave everything to me!
-- Mrs. Elton (Emma)


I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!


 God Bless,
 God Bless, Miss Elizabeth Bennet

10 comments:

  1. Oh, how fun!!

    I love your letter and response. :)

    In Christ,
    ~Moriah

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  2. Hahaha! That's such a good idea! I'll have to be thinking about that...

    Where do you come up with these? ;-)

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  3. Oooh!!! This sounds like SO much fun!! I'm gonna take a little while to write it out, though...I want to put it into deep thought ;)

    BTW, I'm having a giveaway over at my blog!! I think you'd like it ;)
    http://god-sdaughter.blogspot.com/2011/08/private-collection-giveaway.html

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  4. Sounds great! Finally posted my blog today!

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  5. Thanks everyone! I can't wait to see your responses!

    Melody,
    I ran across a Jane Austen forum one day (must have been a couple of years ago) on the internet, and some of the members were posting topics like this where other characters from other stories were writing letters asking advice to Jane Austen characters. I remembered it yesterday and thought it would make a great game for Jane Austen Week. That's how I came up with this idea. Other ideas I just pull out of my head or if something looks fun on a couple of blogs, I'll do something similar.

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  6. Wrote mine, posting tomorrow! :)

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  7. Here's mine!

    http://regencydelight-janeaustenetc.blogspot.com/2011/08/jane-austen-advice-column.html

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  8. This sounds like fun! Yes, they do this on the forums over at The Republic of Pemberley, but usually it's Lady Catherine de Bourgh who answers. I really enjoyed reading Mrs. Elton's answer to Amy! I'll have to give this a try! :)

    ~Miss Laurie

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  9. Well, I enjoyed reading everyone else's letters and finally wrote my own. They were so much fun to write!

    My Letters: http://old-fashionedcharm.blogspot.com/2011/08/jane-austen-advice-column-my-letters.html

    ~Miss Laurie :)

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  10. Ohh I don't know how I missed this! What a great idea. I loved your reponse!

    I have just posted mine:
    http://butwhenayoungladyistobeaheroine.blogspot.com/2011/08/dear-jane-austen-advice-column.html

    and now I am off to read everyone elses!

    Mel :)

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