The Wrap-Up Thread

[Katie]

And now that Jane Austen July is over . . . here's a wrap-up thread! How did your reading go this month?

Sorry I haven't been able to be more active on the Goodreads group – it's been hard to keep up with both this and the Discord.

[Meriyou]

My JAJ this year was quite a failure, but I will continue with my tradition of Austen August and finish Emma, at least. On the positive side, I got plenty of new suggestions for next year and loads of links to interesting videos and articles. Thank you to everybody for the knowledge you've shared!

[Rebecca]

I didn't finish any of the books for Jane Austen July. I did enjoy reading everyone's discussions. I look forward to next year!

[Karen]

I am happy with my Jane Austen July. Read Mansfield Park for the first time....not one of my favorites. Read Jane Austen at Home and loved that. Rewatched 1995 Pride and Prejudice last night. A perfect ending to JAJ.

[Thaizi]

Thanks for hosting Jane Austen July, Katie!

I finally finished all six of Jane Austen's main novels this month!
I read my last two, "Emma" and "Mansfield Park".
While I enjoyed "Emma" and its 2020 adaptation, the themes and issues in "Mansfield Park" were more impactful for me.

I'm so proud to have read all of her main works :)

[Ginny]

I read Emma and watched two versions of it. I really enjoyed it, as well as seeing everyone else’s comments. Thanks to the hosts of this event!

[Zuzana]

Jane Austen July 2025 Wrap-up - Part 1

✔1. Read one of Jane Austen’s six novels
Emma by Jane Austen

✔2. Read something by Jane Austen that is not one of her main six novels
Love And Freindship: And Other Early Works Of Jane Austen by Jane Austen

✔3. Read a non-fiction work about Jane Austen or her time
Jane Austen's Families by June Sturrock
Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend by Rebecca Romney
The Georgian Gentleman by Michael Brander

✘4. Read a retelling of a Jane Austen book OR a work of historical fiction set in Jane Austen’s time
Jane Fairfax by Joan Aiken ::in progress::

✔5. Read a book by a contemporary of Jane Austen
The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith

✔6. Watch a direct screen adaptation of a Jane Austen book
Emma (1967 Spanish TV Series) - Director: Manuel Aguado, Cast: Lola Cardona, Arturo López

Emma. (2020 Movie) - Director: Autumn de Wilde, Cast - Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn

✔7. Watch a modern screen adaptation of a Jane Austen book (and other Austenesque media)
Fire Island (2022 Movie) - Director: Andrew Ahn, Cast: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang
Emma Approved (2014 Web Series) - Writer/Director: Bernie Su, Cast: Joanna Sotomura, Brent Bailey
Emma Agenda (2018 Web Series) - Creator/Director: Jules Pigott, Cast: Selis Maria Vargas
Clueless (1995 Movie) - Writer/Director: Amy Heckeling, Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd
Jane Austen Regrets (2007 TV Movie) - Director: Jeremy Lovering, Cast: Olivia Williams
Pride&Prejudice: Having a Ball (2013 TV Documentary)
Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel (Innocence and Indolence) - a complete recording of one of the improvised comedy shows "in the style of the wondrous and witty Jane Austen".


I counted Fire Island, 1967 Emma series and Emma Agenda Web Series that I watched in June.

Part 2 are just YT videos, articles, podcasts, Jane Austen jigsaw puzzles, Movie soundtracks, 18th and early 19th century music and other silly Austenesque activities.

[QNPoohBear]

I didn't finish anything except Fire Island and one Georgette Heyer novel. I'll continue with my podcasts and The Other Bennet Sister for awhile.

[Kathy]

I'm satisfied with my JA reading this month:

1. Novel: Pride & Prejudice
2. Other writings: 1) The History of England and 2) Lady Susan
3. Nonfiction: 1) The Life and Works of Jane Austen The Great Courses, Devoney Looser (24 lectures on DVD) and 2) Jane Austen's Bookshelf--both of these were outstanding experiences.
4. modern re-telling: did not complete
5. Contemporary of JA: Evelina by Fanny Burney
6. Direct adaptation: To celebrate 30 years of 1) 1995 P&P and 2) 1995 Persuasion, I watched them both and loved them as much as ever.
7. modern screen: did not complete

As I'm continuing to read JA and related works throughout the year, I'm currently in the middle of:
--The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennox
--Jane Austen by Tony Tanner
--So you Think you Know Jane Austen? by John Sutherland & Deirdre Le Faye (a re-read)

Thank you Katie for hosting this Goodreads forum for those of us who aren't on Discord.

[XJ Sally]

I didn’t finish any book for this Jane Austen July. I’ve just started Unequal Affections by Lara Ormiston. This is my second Austen retelling and its content and style are very different from my first retelling, The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow. For now, I cannot say which one I would prefer. I’m just looking forward to getting to the rest of the book. Many thanks to Katie and other hosts for this great event.

[Lorri]

Thank you, Marissa, Claudia, and Katie, for hosting JAJ and Katie for setting up this forum on GRs.

I had a wonderful time participating, even though I struggle to articulate all my thoughts.

My JAJ 2025:
1. The Annotated Emma Jane Austen edited and intro by David M Shapard
2. Excerpts from JA correspondence, “Opinions of Emma,“ and “Plan of a Novel, According to Hints from Various Quarters” Jane Austen
3. Jane Austen and Crime Susannah Fullerton
• Three criticism essays from A Truth Universally Acknowledged ...
• Twelve criticism essays and Contexts section from Emma Fourth Norton Critical Edition
• Introduction by George Justice from Emma Fourth Norton Critical Edition
• Introduction and notes by David M Shapard from The Annotated Emma
• Introduction to Oxford 3/3/2022 ed. of Emma by John Mullan
4. Not this year and that’s okay with me
5. Patronage Maria Edgeworth 1814 Introduction by John Mullan Volumes I&II of IV
6. Jane Austen’s Emma 1996 Kate Beckinsale TV movie
7. Miss Austen 2025 Masterpiece Theatre miniseries
• Other: Drank coffee from my new JA mug featuring the spines of her main six novels, watched a number of YT scholarly videos and BookTube videos of our hostesses and other BookTubers

Thank you to all the contributors to the discussions here on GR. I enjoyed reading all the comments. Hope to read and connect with you next JAJ!

[Jassmine]

I had a strong start and then got a bit distracted in the second half of the month. I completed three of the prompts, still need to finish Emma and return to the other novel/novella by Wollstonecraft.

[Theresa]

Didn't read much but enjoyed the movies

1. 59% done with Emma -Hope to finish the first week in August
2. X
3. DNFed A Fine Brush On Ivory - Just wasn't feeling it.
4. X
5. The Nun by Denis Diderot - Mixed feelings on this one.
6. Watched Emma 2020 and Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow
7. other related JA movies- Austenland and Becoming Jane
Really enjoyed all the movies this year.

[Zuzana]

Theresa wrote: "3. DNFed A Fine Brush On Ivory - Just wasn't feeling it."

Theresa, have you read the chapter on Emma - The Prisoner of Hartfield? It's probably the most influential, or at least most quoted essay from the book. I also enjoyed Jenkyn's take on the Bennets marriage and Mrs Norris's mental health.

[Jassmine]

Theresa wrote: "1. 59% done with Emma -Hope to finish the first week in August"

You are making me feel better, I'm only 45% done with Emma at this point. I think I'm having a bit of a reading slump...

[Theresa]

Jassmine wrote: "Theresa wrote: "1. 59% done with Emma -Hope to finish the first week in August"

You are making me feel better, I'm only 45% done with Emma at this point. I think I'm having a bit of a reading slum..."

Jassmine, I am just not loving it. I think it is in my bottom two of her books.

[Jassmine]

Theresa wrote: "Jassmine, I am just not loving it. I think it is in my bottom two of her books."

I'm loving it, but for some reason I can only do like 15 pages at a time and then I can't focus anymore...

[Sanchita]

Hi All, This is the first time I participated in janeaustenjuly readathon and was able to go for 3 prompts. Below are the prompts I could get:

1. Novel: Persuasion
2. Other writings: Love and Friendship and Other Early Works By Jane Austen
6. Direct adaptation: Emma

I completed review of Persuasion by Jane Austen. Here is the review:

https://youtu.be/3bqK7jo-WSo

[QNPoohBear]

I finally finished The Other Bennet Sister

The first two acts were slow. The exposition is already there. We know who Mary is. We knew she's the forgotten middle child but this tells us how to got to be the pedantic one.

The third act is a mis-mash of Jane Austen characters with Mary as Anne Elliot and her suitor is Henry Tilney and her other suitor is Henry Crawford.

The fourth act had too much drama for me. I would have told off Caroline Bingley long ago!

Looking forward to seeing how the TV series handles this long novel IF we ever get it.

[Meghan]

My first JAJ. Enjoyed every minute, loved reading all your insights about Emma and what you all read. I surprised myself by completing every prompt. Now missing JA in my life… but reading all of her main novels this year for her 250th, so still have P&P and Persuasion to look forward to.
1. Novel: Emma. Really enjoyed seeing the transformation of this character and relating her to other Austen heroes and heroines.
2. Other writings: Sanditon. Surprised how much I loved! So many new and different characters are introduced. Austen gives us the most detailed descriptions I’ve noticed especially the “good looking” Sidney Parker- very pleased with the PBS Masterpiece show casting, previously watched.
3. Nonfiction: Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley. After reading some of your reviews on here I was worried about the accuracy, but I loved the history of Jane’s life. And I appreciated Worsley’s opinions that suggest Austen’s context for her writing, even if they may be controversial.
4. modern re-telling: Longbourn- loved the historical context, what working class life may have been like, the role of Mrs. Bennet in P&P makes much more sense seeing what the girls could be faced with if they don’t marry well.
5. Contemporary of JA: The Castles of Alithin and Dunbayne by Ann Radcliffe. Like, not love, but offered so much insight into Austen’s writing- Comparison to the gothic novel and the importance of dialogue.
6. Direct adaptation: All Emma: 2020, really liked, Romona Garai, liked not loved, Kate Beckinsale, DNF boring.
7. modern screen: Clueless, classic, loved. Miss Austen- read the book earlier this year and had a lot of issues with it but I enjoyed the show.

[BarbaraBrubru_gingertiger]

I am happy with my reading, 7 books read in total including re-reads of "P&P" and "Persuasion".
I was surprised to realize I was not so much anymore into "P&P"!! Maybe I read it too much!
Now "Persuasion" is my favourite :)
Thanks again to organise the JAJ, such a good way to dive into JA spirit! Love it!

[Mark]

This was a lot of fun as a first time participant inJAJ. I was able to finish Northanger Abbey and Emma but couldn’t finish “Jane Austen’s bookshelf” or “She Played and Sang”. However this will be a nice way to finish up August as I am not ready to say goodbye to JA just yet. Thank you to all the moderators for hosting this event and looking forward to the next JAJ.