10 - Speculations on the Future

Summary

AS WE ENTER THE SECOND DECADE of the twenty-first century and approach the bicentennial of the publication of Austen's first novel, there seems to be no letup in the outpouring of commentary on Austen and her fiction. Articles on Austen are as likely to be found today in Critical Inquiry or Studies in English Literature as they are in Eighteenth-Century Studies or Victorians Institute Journal. Perhaps the best evidence of the continuing interest can be seen by looking at the activities of the Jane Austen Society of North America. In 1981 JASNA, which boasts a healthy mix of American and Canadian scholars, launched the scholarly journal Persuasions. In 1999 the society began a second publication, Persuasions On-Line, that now rivals its printed sister in length and quality. One can gain some idea of the breadth of scholarly inquiry that Austen's work inspires by inspecting the “Table of Contents” of the 2008 issue of Persuasions. Among the nine articles grouped on the theme of Austen's legacy are Claudia Johnson's “A Name to Conjure With,” Jocelyn Harris's “Jane Austen, Samuel Johnson, and the Academy,” Janine Barchas's “Mrs. Gaskell's North and South: Austen's Early Legacy,” and Sarah Parry's “The Pemberley Effect: Austen's Legacy to the Historic House Industry.” Turning to the thirteen essays in the “Miscellany” section, one can read Thomas Rand's “Emma and Twelfth Night,” Rana Tekcan's “Notes on a Turkish Edition of Pride and Prejudice,” and Freydis Jane Welland's “The History of Jane Austen's Writing Desk” — and more.