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Dancing with Mr. Darcy: Award-Winning 21st Century Jane Austen Short Stories Anthology
Traumatized by her parents’ decision to give up the rectory in Hampshire where she grew up, Austen had been unable to write for ten years. During that time she moved from one rented property to another and it was only when her brother Edward offered her a permanent home in his Chawton House Estate that she had the peace and security to pick up her pen again. All of her novels were written or published while she lived there.
Dancing with Mr. Darcy is the very best short fiction inspired by Jane Austen or Chawton House as judged by Sarah Waters, bestselling author of Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith. In addition to featuring the winning piece of fiction and nineteen other stories, this anthology contains introductions from Sarah Waters, as well as from Rebecca Smith, the great-great-great-great-great niece of Jane Austen.
Dancing with Mr. Darcy is the very best short fiction inspired by Jane Austen or Chawton House as judged by Sarah Waters, bestselling author of Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith. In addition to featuring the winning piece of fiction and nineteen other stories, this anthology contains introductions from Sarah Waters, as well as from Rebecca Smith, the great-great-great-great-great niece of Jane Austen.
244 pages, Paperback
First published October 19, 2010
44 people are currently reading
1932 people want to read
About the author
Lane Ashfeldt
11 books4 followersLane Ashfeldt's short fiction is published in literary journals in Ireland, England, Greece and the US, and in anthologies from ‘Punk Fiction’ to the rather more genteel ‘Dancing With Mr Darcy’. A collection, SaltWater, (“imaginative, fast-moving stories with satisfying endings”—The Examiner) is published by Liberties Press.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
October 23, 2010
Dancing With Mr. Darcy is a fabulous book. A book reviewer isn’t supposed to reveal an opinion right away, but I have many reasons for liking this compilation, which began as a short story competition in 2009 sponsored by Chawton House Library to celebrate the bicentenary of Jane Austen’s arrival in the Hampshire village of Chawton. This was a momentous occasion in Jane’s life, for she would enjoy her most productive years there.
Dancing with Mr. Darcy is great for bed time reading.
When my head hits the pillow, I can stay awake for 20 minutes at the most. That’s just the right amount of time to savor one of these stories, which is between 2,000-2,500 words in length, reflect upon it, and turn off the light. The book will remain on your bedstand for at least 20 nights if you stick to this schedule. But here’s the kicker: It’s hard to put down.
The stories are truly original.
The inspiration for these stories was taken from any theme in Jane Austen’s novels, like a character or single sentence. Authors could also draw upon Chawton House, an Elizabethan mansion, as their muse. Whatever they decided, they were encouraged to get their creative juices flowing. And were they ever!
The book opens with a story inspired by Chawton and a dead Jane Austen crossing the River Styx . She is accused in a Higher Court by the older female characters she created for wilfully portraying them as manipulative harpies and scolds. I wondered how author Victoria Owen would resolve this curious plot, but it ended beautifully and logically. Another story that drew my attention was Felicity Cowie’s ‘One Character in Search of Her Love Story Role‘, in which the central charcter, Hannah Peel, a contemporary heroine, finds her voice by interacting with classic literary heroines, including Jane Bennet and Jane Eyre.
Fresh voices are given an opportunity to shine.
Unknown authors do not often get to compete in a public forum for an opportunity to have their work published with the backing of a prestigious institution. I read the short biographies at the end of the book, and while many of the authors took creative writing or majored in English, some are still students, one lives on a farm, another is a book reviewer, several are scholars, another is a math and science teacher, and yet another was educated to be a lady. With such a variety of backgrounds, it is no wonder that the stories are not clichéd.
Many of the tales had contemporary settings, and there were times that I had to puzzle out just what their connection was to Jane Austen or Chawton house. Like all compilations, I preferred some stories over others, such as Kelly Brendel’s Somewhere, inspired by a passage in Mansfield Park, and Eight Years Later, which is Elaine Grotefeld’s take of love lost and found again in the mode of Persuasion.
Jane Austen would have approved.
The variety of the stories, and their excellence and fresh approach to the Austenesque genre makes this book stand out from the pack. Jane Austen would have approved of their original plots, their intelligent writing, and the variety of ideas that sprang from the original impetus. These twenty stories were selected from 300 submissions, and one can only imagine how many good stories barely missed the cut.
Sarah Waters at Chawton House, July 2009. Image @Chawton House
In a different way, I found this compilation equally as thrilling as A Truth Universally Acknowledged, edited by Susannah Carson, a book of critical insights by famous authors about Jane Austen that I adored and reviewed late last year. Stories that are judged, weighted, or juried tend to have an edginess and contemporary bite that attract me.
In this instance, the stories were judged by a Chair judge, Sarah Waters, the author of Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith, and a panel of judges: BBC journalist Lindsay Ashford; author Mary Hammond; Rebecca Smith (five-times great niece of Jane Austen, descended through her brother Frances); and freelance editor Janet Thomas.
The book is available today at your local or online bookseller. Run, don’t walk to obtain your own copy. I give it three out of three Regency fans and then some.
Dancing with Mr. Darcy is great for bed time reading.
When my head hits the pillow, I can stay awake for 20 minutes at the most. That’s just the right amount of time to savor one of these stories, which is between 2,000-2,500 words in length, reflect upon it, and turn off the light. The book will remain on your bedstand for at least 20 nights if you stick to this schedule. But here’s the kicker: It’s hard to put down.
The stories are truly original.
The inspiration for these stories was taken from any theme in Jane Austen’s novels, like a character or single sentence. Authors could also draw upon Chawton House, an Elizabethan mansion, as their muse. Whatever they decided, they were encouraged to get their creative juices flowing. And were they ever!
The book opens with a story inspired by Chawton and a dead Jane Austen crossing the River Styx . She is accused in a Higher Court by the older female characters she created for wilfully portraying them as manipulative harpies and scolds. I wondered how author Victoria Owen would resolve this curious plot, but it ended beautifully and logically. Another story that drew my attention was Felicity Cowie’s ‘One Character in Search of Her Love Story Role‘, in which the central charcter, Hannah Peel, a contemporary heroine, finds her voice by interacting with classic literary heroines, including Jane Bennet and Jane Eyre.
Fresh voices are given an opportunity to shine.
Unknown authors do not often get to compete in a public forum for an opportunity to have their work published with the backing of a prestigious institution. I read the short biographies at the end of the book, and while many of the authors took creative writing or majored in English, some are still students, one lives on a farm, another is a book reviewer, several are scholars, another is a math and science teacher, and yet another was educated to be a lady. With such a variety of backgrounds, it is no wonder that the stories are not clichéd.
Many of the tales had contemporary settings, and there were times that I had to puzzle out just what their connection was to Jane Austen or Chawton house. Like all compilations, I preferred some stories over others, such as Kelly Brendel’s Somewhere, inspired by a passage in Mansfield Park, and Eight Years Later, which is Elaine Grotefeld’s take of love lost and found again in the mode of Persuasion.
Jane Austen would have approved.
The variety of the stories, and their excellence and fresh approach to the Austenesque genre makes this book stand out from the pack. Jane Austen would have approved of their original plots, their intelligent writing, and the variety of ideas that sprang from the original impetus. These twenty stories were selected from 300 submissions, and one can only imagine how many good stories barely missed the cut.
Sarah Waters at Chawton House, July 2009. Image @Chawton House
In a different way, I found this compilation equally as thrilling as A Truth Universally Acknowledged, edited by Susannah Carson, a book of critical insights by famous authors about Jane Austen that I adored and reviewed late last year. Stories that are judged, weighted, or juried tend to have an edginess and contemporary bite that attract me.
In this instance, the stories were judged by a Chair judge, Sarah Waters, the author of Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith, and a panel of judges: BBC journalist Lindsay Ashford; author Mary Hammond; Rebecca Smith (five-times great niece of Jane Austen, descended through her brother Frances); and freelance editor Janet Thomas.
The book is available today at your local or online bookseller. Run, don’t walk to obtain your own copy. I give it three out of three Regency fans and then some.
August 9, 2015
I have been aware of the Austen in August project for the past few years but have never been able to participate, so when I spotted that it had come back round again I wanted to make sure I joined in. I am a hard core Austen fan (hard core is not an adjective traditionally associated with Austenism but believe me, I am). I even like Northanger Abbey and apparently that puts me in a minority. I do want to reread one of the originals so I can feel I've truly done Austen in August 'properly' but when I caught sight of Dancing with Mr Darcy in the library, my curiousity was piqued. This is a collection of short stories inspired by Jane Austen or by her home in Chawton, with the author Sarah Waters having selected the winning selection. As spin-offs go, it seemed pretty original so despite the plethora of not-so-amazing books about Jane Austen, I decided to give it a go.
This book did have a slightly amateurish feel - Sarah Waters explains in her foreword what her criteria were for a winning entry. Not only was 'good writing' necessary (a hard-to-quantify term if ever there was one) but also a certain way in which they engaged with the source material. I found it interesting the way that Waters described the often cartoonish Austen fandom of recent years; fixated with Mr Darcy and generally synonymous with Pride and Prejudice only. Miss Austen was author to more than one book. Certainly, I felt that this anthology achieved what it had set out to do in widening the scope of thinking about Jane Austen but I definitely found some of the stories were more effective than others.
My favourite was the first one, 'Jane Austen over the Styx', where Miss Austen is put on trial after death by her most unlikeable characters - the middle-aged women. Mrs Norris, Lady Russell, and Mrs Bennet all get to have their say and Jane is forced to defend herself and her punishment does seem a cruel one. Another highly evocative chapter was 'Second Thoughts', featuring that infamous night when the Ultimate Spinster Miss Jane Austen found herself briefly engaged to Mr Bigg-Wither. As Jane tries to summon up reasons to be happy about the match, her fears and doubts mount up until only one option can be possible. I also enjoyed 'The Delaford Ladies' Detective Agency', although I still think that trying to inject a mystery into Jane Austen never has much chance of success, as Death Comes To Pemberley proved quite so spectacularly. The attempts to modernise Sense and Sensibility via 'Marianne and Ellie' felt more effective than Joanna Trollope's effort last year but still lacked a certain something.
The re-tellings set in the modern world were an interesting mix. I felt rueful recognition at the precocious child in 'Cleverclogs' who smugly read Austen for the achievement rather than from any true understanding (I was nine when I first tackled Pride and Prejudice). I also thought that the wartime staging of a theatrical P & P had a sweetness to it that reminded me of certain black and white wartime films. The narration by the topless model studying literature surprisingly did put some of Austen's observations about womanhood into a modern context - this was clearly a competition with very high standards. Still, I was surprised (or perhaps not so surprised) by the number of stories which took the idea of rediscovered love as their theme, borrowed from Persuasion. Is this what we are all secretly longing for? To find our way back into the arms of a lover long-forgotten?
I doubt that I will ever seek this book out again but I still felt a respect for what it had set out to do; after two hundred years of Janedom, to consider her work with a fresh eye. So many of her observations on the world still hold true today and yet to the casual observer, she is merely the creator of Mr Darcy, that writer whose main focus is to marry her heroines off to very rich men. True fans know that nothing could be further from the truth, that Austen was an ironist, that love was not her focus but rather the lives of those she had around her. In opening up the field to everyone, the editors of this collection attempt to translate Austen's words for a new and fresh audience, to prove that these stories are not for the rarified or the costume drama fan. To paraphrase Mr Darcy, 'every savage can dance'.
For my full review: http://girlwithherheadinabook.blogspo...
This book did have a slightly amateurish feel - Sarah Waters explains in her foreword what her criteria were for a winning entry. Not only was 'good writing' necessary (a hard-to-quantify term if ever there was one) but also a certain way in which they engaged with the source material. I found it interesting the way that Waters described the often cartoonish Austen fandom of recent years; fixated with Mr Darcy and generally synonymous with Pride and Prejudice only. Miss Austen was author to more than one book. Certainly, I felt that this anthology achieved what it had set out to do in widening the scope of thinking about Jane Austen but I definitely found some of the stories were more effective than others.
My favourite was the first one, 'Jane Austen over the Styx', where Miss Austen is put on trial after death by her most unlikeable characters - the middle-aged women. Mrs Norris, Lady Russell, and Mrs Bennet all get to have their say and Jane is forced to defend herself and her punishment does seem a cruel one. Another highly evocative chapter was 'Second Thoughts', featuring that infamous night when the Ultimate Spinster Miss Jane Austen found herself briefly engaged to Mr Bigg-Wither. As Jane tries to summon up reasons to be happy about the match, her fears and doubts mount up until only one option can be possible. I also enjoyed 'The Delaford Ladies' Detective Agency', although I still think that trying to inject a mystery into Jane Austen never has much chance of success, as Death Comes To Pemberley proved quite so spectacularly. The attempts to modernise Sense and Sensibility via 'Marianne and Ellie' felt more effective than Joanna Trollope's effort last year but still lacked a certain something.
The re-tellings set in the modern world were an interesting mix. I felt rueful recognition at the precocious child in 'Cleverclogs' who smugly read Austen for the achievement rather than from any true understanding (I was nine when I first tackled Pride and Prejudice). I also thought that the wartime staging of a theatrical P & P had a sweetness to it that reminded me of certain black and white wartime films. The narration by the topless model studying literature surprisingly did put some of Austen's observations about womanhood into a modern context - this was clearly a competition with very high standards. Still, I was surprised (or perhaps not so surprised) by the number of stories which took the idea of rediscovered love as their theme, borrowed from Persuasion. Is this what we are all secretly longing for? To find our way back into the arms of a lover long-forgotten?
I doubt that I will ever seek this book out again but I still felt a respect for what it had set out to do; after two hundred years of Janedom, to consider her work with a fresh eye. So many of her observations on the world still hold true today and yet to the casual observer, she is merely the creator of Mr Darcy, that writer whose main focus is to marry her heroines off to very rich men. True fans know that nothing could be further from the truth, that Austen was an ironist, that love was not her focus but rather the lives of those she had around her. In opening up the field to everyone, the editors of this collection attempt to translate Austen's words for a new and fresh audience, to prove that these stories are not for the rarified or the costume drama fan. To paraphrase Mr Darcy, 'every savage can dance'.
For my full review: http://girlwithherheadinabook.blogspo...
March 12, 2024
I rarely give such low ratings, so I feel like I should provide two qualifiers for this one: First, I'm only casually acquainted with Ms. Austen's works. Second, I'm not big on short stories as a story-telling format outside of online fan fiction.
So, that being said.... This is a collection of entries to a Jane Austen-inspired short story competition held in 2009. I struggled to read through several stories, before giving up on the compilation entirely. While the idea of stories inspired her and her works intrigued me, I ultimately found these stories unremarkable. This collection might hold more appeal for die-hard Austen fans -- but, at the risk of being harsh, it seemed to me that the amateur nature of the writing showed through rather clearly and there was something rather "highschool English writing assignment" about even the winning entry.
So, that being said.... This is a collection of entries to a Jane Austen-inspired short story competition held in 2009. I struggled to read through several stories, before giving up on the compilation entirely. While the idea of stories inspired her and her works intrigued me, I ultimately found these stories unremarkable. This collection might hold more appeal for die-hard Austen fans -- but, at the risk of being harsh, it seemed to me that the amateur nature of the writing showed through rather clearly and there was something rather "highschool English writing assignment" about even the winning entry.
July 27, 2024
Unfortunately none of these short stories stood out to me. Most I found slow and even one I skipped entirely due to the content. The stories that were inspired by Jane Austen were pretty much all over the place from modern to historical. Some you could tell had a distinct connection to the author and her work while others I couldn't see any connection at all.
March 26, 2012
Sarah Waters' foreword of this anthology states a concern that Jane Austen's work is being appropriated by an array of genres including, even now, sci-fi cinema. Does this mean that interpreting and embracing the pure themes of Austen seems to be declining? Maybe not declining so quickly, and we have Dancing with Mr. Darcy as evidence.
All that Jane Austen provided for us to ponder and enjoy seems alive and well in this collection of entries in the Chawton House Library short-story competition. These are a fine mix of thoughtful, reminiscent, innovative, and, at all points, entertaining. The authors who shown brightest here were Elaine Grotefeld, Lane Ashfeldt, Stephanie Shields, Penelope Randall, Stephanie Tillotson, and Jacqui Hazell:
Grotefeld's "Eight Years Later" - any eight years later, a letter, and the male point of view
Ashfeldt's "Snowmelt" - don't mess with a woman who is fearless of taking her own path, but who won't give up her carton of well-loved books
Shields' "The Watershed" - so relevant for any of us who have felt that watershed moment and have never forgotten it
Randall's "Oxfam Dress" - although sparked by Lydia's purchase of that ugly bonnet in Meryton, it tells of the underdog who wasn't really -- such an eternal note in Austen's writing
Tillotson's "Second Fruits" - sensuous story inspired by a lover's jump in Persuasion
Hazell's "The School Trip" - simple, beautiful, youthful; standing in someone's shoes for a second and realizing our own power needs "only a little space."
Inspiring. Read them all.
All that Jane Austen provided for us to ponder and enjoy seems alive and well in this collection of entries in the Chawton House Library short-story competition. These are a fine mix of thoughtful, reminiscent, innovative, and, at all points, entertaining. The authors who shown brightest here were Elaine Grotefeld, Lane Ashfeldt, Stephanie Shields, Penelope Randall, Stephanie Tillotson, and Jacqui Hazell:
Grotefeld's "Eight Years Later" - any eight years later, a letter, and the male point of view
Ashfeldt's "Snowmelt" - don't mess with a woman who is fearless of taking her own path, but who won't give up her carton of well-loved books
Shields' "The Watershed" - so relevant for any of us who have felt that watershed moment and have never forgotten it
Randall's "Oxfam Dress" - although sparked by Lydia's purchase of that ugly bonnet in Meryton, it tells of the underdog who wasn't really -- such an eternal note in Austen's writing
Tillotson's "Second Fruits" - sensuous story inspired by a lover's jump in Persuasion
Hazell's "The School Trip" - simple, beautiful, youthful; standing in someone's shoes for a second and realizing our own power needs "only a little space."
Inspiring. Read them all.
December 7, 2022
short stories that filled the everlasting austen-shaped hole in my heart<3
December 13, 2017
Ετοίμαζα κατεβατό, αλλά εντάξει δεν αξίζει τον κόπο. Εφηβικό φαν φίξιον at its most eye-rolling.
Λες και οι χαρακτήρες της Austen δεν μιλούσαν ποτέ για τίποτα άλλο εκτός από λεφτά, είτε είχαν είτε όχι (ΧΑ!)
Λες και οι χαρακτήρες της Austen δεν μιλούσαν ποτέ για τίποτα άλλο εκτός από λεφτά, είτε είχαν είτε όχι (ΧΑ!)
March 2, 2018
Interesting. Varied between charming & stupid.
June 8, 2025
Pretty disappointing. Only four of the twenty short stories in this collection were good or interesting.
October 4, 2011
I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At Heart website:
RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:
First and foremost, you have to be a big Jane Austen fan to want to read a book like DANCING WITH MR. DARCY. This is a compilation of some twenty short stories that were submitted to the Chawton House Library for a literary contest. As the title suggests, all of the short stories were to be inspired by Jane Austen. Not knowing what to expect from this read, I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the talent of most of the stories that I've read.
Since they are short stories, I finished reading this book in one evening. Every story maintained a fast pace and most of them were full of quick-witted dialogue. I enjoyed most of them and found them interesting, imaginative, and unique.
The winner of the competition, Jane Austen Over the Styx, opened this book, and out of all the stories in here, I just didn't connect well with it. In that story, we have a dead Jane Austen, accused by some of the characters she wrote about of portraying them as manipulative shrews. This is the only story that I found a bit on the slow side and not as interesting as the rest of them.
Personally, I loved One Character in Search of Her Love Story Role by Felicity Cowie. This was a contemporary story in which our heroine is given an assignment to `shadow' Jane Bennet and Jane Eyre. The dialogue was very good and the characters three-dimensional, but the footnotes made by our heroine were laughing-out-loud funny!
Please, if you get to read this book, make sure to check out biographies of these very talented people. They come from England, Scotland, North and South Wales, Canada, and United States. Their backgrounds are as different as the stories they penned, and I found it fascinating. I was truly humbled by this group, which included an actress, a journalist, a farmer, a teacher, and a theater director.
If I were Jane Austen, I would have had a ball reading these stories! I highly recommend it, and promise you, you'll love it!
Melanie
RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:
First and foremost, you have to be a big Jane Austen fan to want to read a book like DANCING WITH MR. DARCY. This is a compilation of some twenty short stories that were submitted to the Chawton House Library for a literary contest. As the title suggests, all of the short stories were to be inspired by Jane Austen. Not knowing what to expect from this read, I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the talent of most of the stories that I've read.
Since they are short stories, I finished reading this book in one evening. Every story maintained a fast pace and most of them were full of quick-witted dialogue. I enjoyed most of them and found them interesting, imaginative, and unique.
The winner of the competition, Jane Austen Over the Styx, opened this book, and out of all the stories in here, I just didn't connect well with it. In that story, we have a dead Jane Austen, accused by some of the characters she wrote about of portraying them as manipulative shrews. This is the only story that I found a bit on the slow side and not as interesting as the rest of them.
Personally, I loved One Character in Search of Her Love Story Role by Felicity Cowie. This was a contemporary story in which our heroine is given an assignment to `shadow' Jane Bennet and Jane Eyre. The dialogue was very good and the characters three-dimensional, but the footnotes made by our heroine were laughing-out-loud funny!
Please, if you get to read this book, make sure to check out biographies of these very talented people. They come from England, Scotland, North and South Wales, Canada, and United States. Their backgrounds are as different as the stories they penned, and I found it fascinating. I was truly humbled by this group, which included an actress, a journalist, a farmer, a teacher, and a theater director.
If I were Jane Austen, I would have had a ball reading these stories! I highly recommend it, and promise you, you'll love it!
Melanie
October 11, 2010
OVERVIEW:
Dancing Mr. Darcy is a collection of winning entries from the Jane Austen Short Story Competition held in 2009. This competition was in celebration of the bicentenary of Jane Austen's arrival to Chawton village; and writers were asked to compose a short story that had a connection to Jane Austen, her novels, her Chawton home, or the Chawton House Library. The twenty writers chosen are all women of various ages; some even still in college! Although some are American, majority of the writers live in the United Kingdom. These women make a living as journalists, educators, artists, screenwriters, librarians, actresses, and of course, published writers. The stories range from seven to ten pages in length and have varying connecting links to Jane Austen. With some stories the connection is strong and obvious, like a story about Jane Austen characters, and with others the connection is more abstract, like contemporary stories inspired or influenced by Jane Austen.
To continue reading, go to: http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com...
Dancing Mr. Darcy is a collection of winning entries from the Jane Austen Short Story Competition held in 2009. This competition was in celebration of the bicentenary of Jane Austen's arrival to Chawton village; and writers were asked to compose a short story that had a connection to Jane Austen, her novels, her Chawton home, or the Chawton House Library. The twenty writers chosen are all women of various ages; some even still in college! Although some are American, majority of the writers live in the United Kingdom. These women make a living as journalists, educators, artists, screenwriters, librarians, actresses, and of course, published writers. The stories range from seven to ten pages in length and have varying connecting links to Jane Austen. With some stories the connection is strong and obvious, like a story about Jane Austen characters, and with others the connection is more abstract, like contemporary stories inspired or influenced by Jane Austen.
To continue reading, go to: http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com...
June 30, 2014
Every now and then I like to change up my reading habits a bit and pick up an anthology of short stories. I was intrigued by this one, being a fan of Jane Austen, as it's a compilation of stories from the Jane Austen Short Story Competition. Some of these stories are really great and I wish they would be expounded into full novels. I really enjoyed "Jane Austen over the Styx" (and it is the winner!), "Cleverclogs", "Snowmelt", "One Character in Search of Her Love Story Role" (which makes me want to go find the book by Felicity Cowie that she was working on when she wrote this short story as character development), and "The School Trip". There were a few that I didn't like at all, and I wish "The School Trip" had ended the anthology as it catches the spirit of writing and being inspired by Jane Austen. I also enjoyed reading the authors' notes at the end of each story in what their inspiration was (and what Jane Austen has to do with their story), even if I felt a few of them were stretching it quite a bit. Overall, a pretty great read. I think I'll go re-read "Persuasion" now.
November 16, 2010
It's given that there could have been more thought given to the title of this short story collection, Dancing with Mr. Darcy by various authors. And I began reading expecting a fanatic homage to Jane Austen. I was happily surprised to find some of the better stories actually shine a critical light on some aspect of Jane's work or life. "Jane Austen Over the Styx" and "Jayne" come to mind as memorable stand outs. Each story is illuminated by a short paragraph on the author's inspiration. Fans of Ms. Austen, and those who enjoy short stories should delight in this collection.
November 1, 2011
Don't let the title fool you - I didn't really enjoy any of these short stories. Most aren't even based on particular Jane Austen books but on inspirations from those who have been to Chawton House Library.
August 3, 2016
I've abandoned this halfway--a poorly curated selection of stories that don't feel polished enough to be published.
September 23, 2016
Some stories were good, others were just not for me. I enjoyed the story about Austen getting judged by her own characters very much.
June 21, 2018
Thought only the first story had any merit. I found the short story compilation called Blame It On Miss Austen much more worthwhile and enjoyable.
June 5, 2017
Dancing with Mr. Darcy edited by Sarah Waters is an anthology of entries for a Jane Austin short story competition sponsored by the Chawton House Library. The quality of the twenty entries is mixed in spite of being contest winners. The winning entry, "Jane Austin over the Styx" by Victoria Owens, has Jane judged by her own characters. The second best (according to the panel who selected the stories for the anthology), "Second Thoughts" by Elsa A. Solender, is about Jane herself leaving Harris Bigg-Withers to remain single. And third place, "Jayne" by Kirsty Mitchell is about a nude photographic model who is very practical about providing money for a secure future. Obviously very different styles and approaches.
I rather enjoyed "The Delaford Ladies' Detective Agency" by Elizabeth Hopkinson where Elinor discovers a ghost is a man who enjoys embroidery (she helps him keep his secret and continue his hobby) even though Marianne prefers the emotions a ghost brings. A humorous story is "Miss
Austin Victorious" by Ester Bellamy, where a group plans to put on a play from Pride and Prejudice in a house that collapses. Interesting moods are produced by "Snowmelt" by Lane Ashfeldt, where a librarian moves and (probabably) changes her life and in "The Watershed" by Stephanie Shields where a girl waiting results on her exam ends up enjoying a vacation that she really didn't want to experience. "The Oxfam Dress" by Penelope Randall takes a scene from Pride and Prejudice where Lydia decides to buy an ugly hat and puts it in a modern background. "The Jane Austin Hen Weekend" by Clair Humphries shows a hideous pre-wedding weekend that ends interestingly. "The School Trip" by Jacqui Hazell shows how one unlikely student can be inspired by a field trip. There are 10 more less memorable (to me) stories.
All in all, the stories are certainly in some way related to Jane, usually gentile, and somewhat interesting. None of the authors will ever give Jane any competition. Other Jane related books are probably more worth your time.
I rather enjoyed "The Delaford Ladies' Detective Agency" by Elizabeth Hopkinson where Elinor discovers a ghost is a man who enjoys embroidery (she helps him keep his secret and continue his hobby) even though Marianne prefers the emotions a ghost brings. A humorous story is "Miss
Austin Victorious" by Ester Bellamy, where a group plans to put on a play from Pride and Prejudice in a house that collapses. Interesting moods are produced by "Snowmelt" by Lane Ashfeldt, where a librarian moves and (probabably) changes her life and in "The Watershed" by Stephanie Shields where a girl waiting results on her exam ends up enjoying a vacation that she really didn't want to experience. "The Oxfam Dress" by Penelope Randall takes a scene from Pride and Prejudice where Lydia decides to buy an ugly hat and puts it in a modern background. "The Jane Austin Hen Weekend" by Clair Humphries shows a hideous pre-wedding weekend that ends interestingly. "The School Trip" by Jacqui Hazell shows how one unlikely student can be inspired by a field trip. There are 10 more less memorable (to me) stories.
All in all, the stories are certainly in some way related to Jane, usually gentile, and somewhat interesting. None of the authors will ever give Jane any competition. Other Jane related books are probably more worth your time.
May 6, 2020
This book was given to me many years ago as a gift, and I only just picked it up to try and read very recently. I hadn't realized that it was a compilation of short stories submitted for a prize competition and that they were to be written with a general theme of Austen in mind and that the book wasn't an actual full narrative...So I didn't quite realize what I was getting into when I started reading. I got through the first two essays and decided not to continue. I found them to be very short essays that didn't delve into much at all, covering an array of topics and themes - it felt more like trying to grade papers than reading a good book of short stories. Maybe someone else will love it for all the reasons I don't, but either way, I wasn't going to commit any more time to it. Not for me at all.
December 14, 2018
2.5 stars
This is a collection of short stories inspired by Jane Austen and Chawton House/Cottage, written for a contest judged by Sarah Waters. The results are pretty mixed, with several stories doing absolutely nothing for me. I considered giving up entirely a few stories in after a particularly lackluster story. But there were a few worthwhile reads in the collection. My favorite was “Second Thoughts,” a story which imagines Jane Austen’s inner thoughts on the sleepless night between accepting the marriage proposal of a family friend and revoking her acceptance the following morning. I thought it really got to the heart of not only Austen herself, but her writing style and philosophy as well. I would skip this book unless you’re a diehard Austen fan!
This is a collection of short stories inspired by Jane Austen and Chawton House/Cottage, written for a contest judged by Sarah Waters. The results are pretty mixed, with several stories doing absolutely nothing for me. I considered giving up entirely a few stories in after a particularly lackluster story. But there were a few worthwhile reads in the collection. My favorite was “Second Thoughts,” a story which imagines Jane Austen’s inner thoughts on the sleepless night between accepting the marriage proposal of a family friend and revoking her acceptance the following morning. I thought it really got to the heart of not only Austen herself, but her writing style and philosophy as well. I would skip this book unless you’re a diehard Austen fan!
March 3, 2020
I enjoyed a lot of the stories in this collection. It is a bit amateurish but that was what I expected from this sort of writing competition. I adored "One Character in Search of Her Love Story Role" by Felicity Cowie though; reminded me a lot of Jasper Fford's Thursday Next series (complete with footnotes that are delightful). "Jane Austen over the Styx" by Victoria Owens reminded me a bit of Fforde as well as another short story in the Jane Austen Made Me Do It collection. I also found Clair Humphries' "The Jane Austen Hen Weekend" delightfully wacky. Overall, there were more stories I liked than didn't though, per usual, I'm always unsatisfied with short stories. I want to know so much more!
August 22, 2017
I'm not usually a reader of short stories but picked this one up from my mother's huge pile of British lit thinking it was a full-length novel. A few of the stories were a bit engaging, but the many contemporary ones that attempted to play on a theme (sometimes just one scene or character) from Jane Austen's novels just weren't very interesting or good to me. Almost DNF but needed something quick to read while waiting for my e-reader back from my husband. I enjoy many of the Austen spin-off books, but they are usually written more in her style and set in the same period. I'll stick with those from now if I want a taste of JA.
May 20, 2018
The best thing about this book was it made me realize that I hadn't already read as many of Austen's books as I had thought I had. I paused in the reading of this book to read Lady Susan and Sense and Sensibility (and one other non-Austen novel) and quite enjoyed them. Unfortunately most of the stories in this collection left me cold as far as short fiction goes, and didn't connect to Austen in any way that resonated with what I appreciate most about her (her keen and satirical eye for an array of character types).
June 24, 2020
Twenty short stories inspired by Jane Austen and her home at Chawton, selected from entries to the Chawton House Library competition in 2009 and all written by women.
I’m not a great fan of short stories - and some of these had very tenuous links to either of the themes. The range of authors meant that there was always the hope that the next story would be better! I particularly liked “Jane Austen over the Styx”, “Second Thoughts” and “The School Trip” whilst “The Delaford Ladies Detective Agency” was amusing. (There was no actual dancing with Mr Darcy!)
I’m not a great fan of short stories - and some of these had very tenuous links to either of the themes. The range of authors meant that there was always the hope that the next story would be better! I particularly liked “Jane Austen over the Styx”, “Second Thoughts” and “The School Trip” whilst “The Delaford Ladies Detective Agency” was amusing. (There was no actual dancing with Mr Darcy!)
October 14, 2023
As with most short story collections, only some of these really spoke to me. Eight Years Later, Miss Austen Victorious, Second Fruits, and Cleverclogs were all good reads…but like many here, I found One Character in Search was my favorite.
Oh, and the winning story of the original contest was a great concept, but felt more like a vignette than a complete story.
Oh, and the winning story of the original contest was a great concept, but felt more like a vignette than a complete story.
September 1, 2025
I really enjoyed some of the short stories in this collection but some didn't really resonate with me. Jane Austen and her works were supposed to be the inspiration for these short stories but I found some of the explanations of inspiration really reaching. Some felt like they had nothing to do with her at all.
February 8, 2014
These short stories are the winning entries in the Jane Austen short story contest sponsored by Chawton House, the home of Jane Austen's brother, which is now a library for early women writers. The winning entries are written by experienced writers and are inspired by Jane Austen, (her themes, her stories, her life) or some aspect of Chawton House or Jane Austen's home, Chawton Cottage. There are a mix of contemporary, historical and fantasy stories of all types.
The winning entry "Jane Austen Over the Styx" finds our beloved authoress in Hades answering to six of her most horrible elderly female characters. They charge her with being guilty of disliking the elderly and wish to punish their author in some way. This is an usual setting for a story and slightly darkly funny. I disagree with the ladies because there are other examples of kind elderly women in Jane Austen's stories. The outcome is bittersweet. This was one of the stories I liked in the anthology because it was funny and odd and very different and featured Jane Austen.
The runner up entry, "Jayne", is set in the modern world and features an adult model protagonist who also studies English Literature. She has the same monetary goals as Jane Austen's characters but set in the real world, her goals seem more practical and easier to relate to. This is a good story if you like contemporary fiction.
The second runner-up takes place inside Jane Austen's head as she struggles with her decision to marry or not marry Harris Bigg-Wither. Like her characters, she wants financial support for herself and her family but she really doesn't want to marry without love. The author expertly captured Jane Austen's thoughts and feelings and the reader will feel like they are right inside Jane Austen's head.
My favorite story is "The Delaford Lady's Detective Agency" in which Elinor Dashwood Ferrars is a detective specializing in minor domestic crimes affecting women. She sets out to solve the mystery of a ghost who finishes the embroidery of one of Marianne's house guests while the guests sleep. The story is told from Elinor's point of view and the author stays true to Elinor's calm, rational personality. The answer to the mystery isn't all that surprising but how Elinor deals with it is true to her time period and her personality, which I like.
Another take on Sense and Sensibility but in the modern world is "Marianne and Ellie". Ellie, the sensible, practical sister has to help her over-emotional younger sister through a bad break-up while keeping the secret of her own failed relationship. I could really relate to the two sisters in the story. I can see my little sister as Marianne. I'm not as nice as Ellie but I can see myself in her shoes and enjoyed the updated version of the story.
My other favorite contemporary story is "Cleverclogs." I gather that Cleverclogs means smartypants in British because the narrator of the story is a little girl who loves to learn and talk about what she's learned. She's precocious and intelligent and just discovering the works of Jane Austen, thanks to her sympathetic grandmother. She lacks maturity for all her wisdom but figures out the right thing to do in the face of a crisis. This is another story I could relate to because the narrator reminded me of myself as a child and of a girl I used to babysit for. I liked the way she experienced Jane Austen and used her love of books to overcome a big change in her life.
Another stand-out is "Snowmelt" about a librarian who is afraid of change and fears the apocalypse is coming soon. When the world changes around her and she's no longer relevant, she learns to accept the changes and turn a negative into a positive. I especially liked this story because of the changing library theme and the study of early women writers.
"Second Fruits" is another good contemporary retelling of a Jane Austen story, this time Persuasion, in which a young lady is forced by her father to give up her happiness for the sake of ambition and money. The father in the story did not seem very realistic and I find it hard to believe that a 20th century teenager wouldn't fight for her own happiness, but otherwise I liked the way the author updated the story and made it relevant to the real 21st century world.
My least favorite story is "One Character in Search of Her Love Story Role" in which the author uses footnotes to explain obscure literary theory references. It made the story even more confusing than it was and distracted the flow of the narrative. In this story, a contemporary heroine spends time with Jane Bennet and Jane Eyre to discuss life and love and how to be a heroine. It would have been a much better story without the complicated references.
Overall, I was a bit disappointed in these stories. I was hoping for more Regency-set stories or more Jane Austen stories and didn't care for the overwhelming amount of modern stories.I also think the overwhelming use of British terms and Literary philosophy make some of the stories difficult for the average American reader. I wouldn't recommend buying this book as part of a Jane Austen collection but for a general literature collection or women's literature collection.
July 19, 2020
I really disagreed with who was chosen as the winner, although I thought that story showed a great deal of promise - it was just too short. I found other stories in the collection more worthy but overall ... I just rather read Austen.
July 19, 2020
I really disagreed with the winner of this short story competition - a great idea, but too short. There were other stories I found much more intriguing and thoughtful. Some of them though just seemed, well, silly to me. Truthfully, I'd rather just read Austen.
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June 5, 2024I enjoyed several of the short stories as many of them were well crafted with clear inspiration from Jane Austen's writings. These stories were enjoyable to read to help wind down or just after waking up in the morning.
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