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Journalist and author
The Line of Thought
. . . to dream over books and loiter at street corners and let the line of thought dip deep into the stream.
--Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
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“To be quite honest, I do not think I can live without something of a musical society,” the newlywed Mrs. Elton reports telling her...
Deborah Yaffe
Feb 17
0
The year's last snark
It’s always tempting to gorge on soon-to-be-forbidden foods in the days before starting a diet. Similarly, as New Year’s Resolution time...
Deborah Yaffe
Dec 30, 2024
6
R.I.P. Quackers
Let me say up front that I understand that the death of a beloved pet—like the death of a newborn baby --is no laughing matter. And yet,...
Deborah Yaffe
Sep 9, 2024
2
Gotcha!
One of the pleasures of life as a pedantic Janeite killjoy is the opportunity to call out minor--yet vexing!--Austen-related errors...
Deborah Yaffe
Jun 10, 2024
4
Growth spurt
Back in the 2010s, when I first started reading Jane Austen fanfic, the typical example of the genre was a romance novel, either Regency...
Deborah Yaffe
May 9, 2024
1
Snooze
Earlier this year, I had the occasion (read: an excuse) to rewatch several of the feature-film adaptations of Emma. I reconfirmed the...
Deborah Yaffe
Apr 22, 2024
0
On this day in 1816. . .
Ninety-third in an occasional series of excerpts from Jane Austen's letters. Just when you think it’s safe to go back in the water. . ....
Deborah Yaffe
Apr 1, 2024
0
Stocking stuffer
What do you get for the Janeite who has everything? You’d think it would be easy to buy for people whose fandom has spawned an ocean of...
Deborah Yaffe
Feb 29, 2024
0
Digging in
It’s December 25! Time for everyone’s favorite Christmas tradition: A trip to the movies, followed by a delicious dinner of steamed...
Deborah Yaffe
Dec 25, 2023
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The sounds of Jane Austen Christmas
Emma Woodhouse’s Christmas holiday is not a good one, as readers of Emma will recall: On Christmas Eve, she fends off Mr. Elton’s...
Deborah Yaffe
Dec 21, 2023
0
Roots
As my family and our guests gather around our Thanksgiving table today, the menu will include a roasted carrot salad discovered in a...
Deborah Yaffe
Nov 23, 2023
0
Interview of a lifetime?
I knew it! Jane Austen loves me! “Kindred spirits, indeed!” the author, dead since 1817, told me last week. “Our friendship would have...
Deborah Yaffe
Oct 9, 2023
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