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5 days ago
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- Scroll.in
Bonnets, speech bubbles, ‘cheeky easter eggs': A sophisticated graphic biography of Jane Austen
This year is the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth and she hasn't aged a bit as the cultural touchstone of classy romance. Her Pride and Prejudice anti-hero, Mr Darcy, perennially pops up in his breeches in Instagram memes, while Regency feminist, Elizabeth Bennet, has been brought to life by a host of contemporary actors. Along with new screen versions of Austen's Sense and Sensibility (starring Daisy Edgar-Jones) and a Netflix version of P&P, there have been adaptations of her classics, Persuasion, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park . And, there are numerous biographies and biopics, including a TV drama about Jane's sister, Cassandra, who burned most of Jane's letters . Now, there is also a graphic biography: The Novel Life of Jane Austen , written by Janine Barchas and illustrated by Isabel Greenberg. Together, they have co-created a storyboard for the domestic life that framed Austen's writing, encompassing her closeness to both Cassandra and her brother Frank, who joined the navy and liked to sew. Unlike a 'cradle to grave' biography, Barchas begins with a teenage Jane in London, with Frank touring an exhibition about Shakespeare and his work. We then follow her, in illustrative comic boxes and speech bubbles, through her publishing rejections, her breakthrough debut Sense and Sensibility, and her rise to become one of most beloved writers in the canon of English literature. The book ends beyond the grave, flashing forward to the present, in a scene where contemporary fans – Janeites – visit Jane Austen's House , the cottage in Hampshire where Austen lived when she revised and published her six novels. It's also a sign of subtle structural polish. Now Jane Austen is as deserving of her own gallery as Shakespeare was when we first met Jane as a young, unpublished author. Barchas – an 'Austenite', as Austen scholars are called – is the author of The Lost Books of Jane Austen , a study of the mass market editions of Austen's work. ( The Novel Life touches on Austen's posthumous appeal with a scene where readers buy Austen books for one shilling at a railway station after her death, aged 41.) Barchas also wrote Matters of Fact in Jane Austen: History, Location and Celebrity , which links Austen's characters to well-known locations and figures in her era. Barchas is the co-creator of the interactive digital exhibition, What Jane Saw , which invites us to visit two art exhibitions witnessed by Jane Austen: the Sir Joshua Reynolds retrospective in 1813 or the Shakespeare Gallery as it looked in 1796. The Novel Life , however, is a more definitive life story. It's also best read in print (although it is available as an e-book) to appreciate Greenberg's illustrations and graphic format. The Novel Life is a gentler, less dramatic style than traditional comics with six-pack superheroes or Japanese manga, similar to Greenberg's previous literary graphic biography foray, Glass Town , about the Brontë sisters. For The Novel Life , Greenberg has drawn a world in which Austen is whimsical, with expressive eyes looming under her signature bangs. She and her sister Cassandra appear in bright yellow or blue empire-line dresses. Most scenes are illustrated in a muted palette of yellow, blue and grey. This palette, Barchas reflects in the preface, represents 'the relative quiet of her (Austen's) life'. When Jane is thinking or writing, however, the pages transform into vivid shades of pink to symbolise her imagination and inspiration. In these pages, The Novel Life is at its best, showing that graphic biography can be both captivating and deceptively sophisticated. Is a graphic biography really a biography in the conventional understanding of the genre? It can upset the perceived rules. Anticipating this, in the preface, Barchas reminds us: 'Any biography of Austen, and there are many, exists at the intersection of speculation and research.' This book is at this intersection. While the dialogue is largely invented, it is grounded in Barchas' expertise and there is a glossary of sources at the end. Throughout, there are also nods to the archive. Barchas begins with a scene of Jane in 1796 writing a letter to Cassandra at a desk while staying in London – one of the few not burnt. A speech bubble quotes an extract from it: 'Here I am once more in this scene of dissipation and vice, and I begin already to find my morals corrupted.' There are also Post-it style notes, separate to the bubbles, offering extra biographical context for readers less familiar with the intricacies of Austen's story. A key scene happens when Jane, 22, receives her first rejection by a publisher for her manuscript 'First Impressions' and is comforted by the loyal Cassandra. The note reads: 'Jane would carry out more than a decade and a half of revisions before she dared to offer the manuscript to another publisher, who released it in 1813 as Pride and Prejudice .' Because of their visual casualness, importantly the notes don't interfere with the intimate, engaging tone of the story. For Austen's committed 'Janeite' fan base, Barchas promises 'cheeky easter eggs ' in the preface. Janeites can delight in well-quoted lines from the novels that appear as dialogue or a character's thoughts. Look, for instance, for Jane reading at a dinner party from P&P : 'It's a truth universally acknowledged […]' and 'she is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me […]'. It's a truth universally acknowledged too that graphic biography can be confused with the graphic novel, now the third most popular literary genre in sales after general fiction and romance. But, dear reader, there's a tradition of life writing in the medium. The Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic biography/memoir, The Complete Maus , tells Art Spiegelman's father's story of the Holocaust to his son, Art, who struggled to understand his father. Maus portrayed Jewish people anthropomorphically as mice and Nazis as cats. It was described by The New Yorker 'as the first masterpiece of comic book history'. Other high points in graphic biography include Peter Bagge's Woman Rebel , the story of birth control campaigner Margaret Sanger, published in 2013. Not everyone will appreciate a work diverging so dramatically from the expectations of a traditional biography. And those who will most appreciate or scrutinise The Novel Life are, yes, the Janeites and Austenites. Regardless, Austen comes to graphic life in the mind and hands of Barchas and Greenberg. More generally, for those of us who like our biographies in vivid colour – literally – and enjoy experiments in nonfiction storytelling, it's a delightful reading experience, just like Jane Austen. Kerrie Davies is Senior Lecturer, School of the Arts and Media, UNSW Sydney. This article first appeared on The Conversation. The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography, Janine Barchas, illustrated by Isabel Greenberg, Greenfinch.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Adults, teenager facing several allegations in Terrebonne Parish drug investigation
HOUMA, La. (WGNO) — Four people have been arrested as the result of a multi-agency drug investigation in Terrebonne Parish. On June 4, Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office Narcotics Division agents, in partnership with Louisiana State Police, DEA and members of Louisiana Patrol and Parole (P&P), executed search warrants at two Houma-area homes. Girlfriend of escaped New Orleans inmate Derrick Groves arrested: U.S. Marshals At the first home in the 200 block of Hanson Drive, reportedly linked to 32-year-old Kenya Patterson, authorities allegedly found: 750 grams of a Heroin/Fentanyl mix Over 300 pills of unprescribed medication Distribution amounts of Marijuana A rifle Numerous items of drug paraphernalia consistent with drug distribution Close to $1,400 in cash Kenya Patterson was arrested and booked into the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex on charges of: Possession with the intent to distribute heroin Possession with the intent to distribute CDS II Possession with the intent to distribute marijuana Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon Possession of a firearm in the presence of narcotics Illegal use of a CDS in the presence of juveniles Clandestine labs Possession of drug paraphernalia Transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses Additional outstanding warrants in an unrelated case He is currently being held on a $611,000 bond. Further investigation led authorities to a second home in the 200 block of Angelle Drive, also linked to Patterson, said TPSO authorities. P&P agents were conducting a compliance check for 28-year-old Keondra Patterson, who is currently on parole. That's when they reportedly discovered alleged signs of drug activity and a firearm. A search warrant was issued and TPSO agents arrested a 16-year-old unidentified male, who was found asleep with a gun visibly on him. Two killed in Jefferson Parish car crash He was booked on a charge of illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile. Other people in the home were also arrested. The search allegedly led to the discovery of: Close to 35 grams of heroin Drug paraphernalia consistent with drug distribution Four handguns Over $4,200 in cash Keondra Patterson was arrested and booked into the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex on charges of: Possession with Intent to Distribute CDS I Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon Possession of a firearm in the presence of narcotics Possession of drug paraphernalia Transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses Outstanding arrest warrants in an unrelated case She is being held on a $65,000 bond. Also arrested on the scene was 24-year-old Jecell D. Mosely on charges of: Possession with Intent to distribute CDS I Possession of a firearm in the presence of narcotics Possession of drug paraphernalia Transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses Mosely has since been released on a $55,000 detains the most followed person on TikTok, Khaby Lame House GOP effort to lock in DOGE cuts faces Republican resistance California Republican pushes back against Trump immigration enforcement Metairie man sentenced in 2024 child pornography case Athletics rookie Denzel Clarke robs Angels of home run with 'absolutely insane' catch Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
21-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Heritage minister pitches major CBC funding hike ahead of possible snap election
Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge is pitching a massive overhaul of CBC/Radio-Canada that would see the broadcaster's news programming be ad-free, and its per capita funding nearly doubled. But an impending snap election means that plan could never be enacted. P&P hears from Minister St-Onge.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
What to do if your snowblower doesn't start
DES MOINES, Iowa — It happens every year at P&P Small Engine on University Ave. in Des Moines. The first big snow of the year hits Iowa, and snow blowers won't start. 'Typically they've been put up since about this time last year when we had a couple big snows,' said Jeff Nicholson, of P&P Small Engines. 'So, there's going to be a lot of fuel that's lacquered up in the carburetor and they're not gonna have much success starting a lot of those.' Iowa Senate approves 2% funding increase for K-12 schools Nicholson predicts Wednesday will be a very busy day at the shop, but some will try to solve the snow blower fuel problem on their own. 'The best thing is to try and start it and if it's an electric start to plug it in cause it spins it quicker and sometimes it can ignite,' said Nicholson. 'If it doesn't start, then I will try and get rid of the old fuel, put some fresh fuel in and try and drain the carburetor bowl. There's usually a nut on there. You can drain the old fuel out to get fresh fuel in.' Shops like P&P are now selling snowmobile fuel in a bottle, which has a longer shelf life than regular gas that you put in your lawn mower. P&P will be busy Wednesday. They do encourage people who need help to bring their machines in. The shop can repair around 30 or so machines in a day. 'We know the weather patterns going to be really active for the end of February so this probably isn't our last event of the year,' said Nicholson. 'If it doesn't start for you don't push it to the side. Don't wait till the next event and then try and rush it and get it fixed right away we're gonna get a lot of snowblowers done for a lot people here in the next week or so.' For more information on P&P small engines, click here. Metro News: What to do if your snowblower doesn't start DMPS strategic plan includes school closures, expanded pre-K, and signature schools Clive makes the switch to trick-or-treating on Halloween night City council rezones Des Moines property to make way for controversial rowhome development Drake's Stirtz proving the doubters wrong Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
