Lost Austen and Lost in Austen

So Jane Austen’s unfinished manuscript has sold for $1.6 million. I have a heap of unfinished scribbling in my bottom drawer but I suspect that none of my writing generates the interest that Jane’s does. Our fascination with her continues. What captivates me about her writing is her observations of society at the time, the dos and don'ts of behaviour; what was expected and the uncomfortable nature of that, especially for women. The characters are so real to me that I could imagine how they would behave in any given situation. The brilliant television series ‘Lost in Austen’ put a new spin on Jane’s work, melding the characters with modern times. Oh to be able to write like that…