Austen In August: Year 5! (Call for Participants)

Posted on June 15, 2017 by

45 Comments

AustenInAugustRBR-Button

Welcome to the sign-up post for AUSTEN IN AUGUST, an annual reading event celebrating one of literature’s greatest writers! This event was inspired by a Twitter conversation that took place five years ago between three founders of The Classics Club. We’ve had ever-growing participation and excitement over these last four years, and I hope this year will see that trend continued! 

Call for Volunteer-Participants: I am currently looking for people who would like to host/sponsor a giveaway or provide a guest post. If you’re interested in doing either (or both) of these, please fill out this form. One of the reasons this event is so great every year is because of the awesome content provided by our participants and partners – I know this year will be no different! Please submit your participation request by July 5th so that I have plenty of time for scheduling. I’ll be responding as your requests come in.

So, why is Jane Austen so interesting? Pemberely explains: “Jane Austen is very resistant to being classified as part of a literary “school”, or being placed in any customarily-defined literary period — partly because none of the obvious available terms, “18th-century, “Romantic”, or “Victorian”, would appropriately describe her. Almost all of the major figures who were literarily active in the period 1800-1837, and who are currently deemed worthy of remembering (i.e. are “canonized”), fall into one of a few categories — either they launched their literary careers before 1800 (Burney, Edgeworth); or they were part of the Romantic movement (or were more or less strongly influenced by romanticism, or wrote in self-conscious reaction to romanticism); or they did most of their writing and publishing after 1837 (e.g. Dickens). Jane Austen is the conspicuous exception who does not fit into any of these categories.”

The Goal: To read as many of Jane Austen’s works (finished or unfinished) as you want or are able to, during the month of August. Biographies, audiobooks, spin-offs, and re-reads also count. I will post throughout the month on different subjects, as well as with my own reviews of the Austen books I finish. We will be offering giveaways, guest posts, and other shenanigans, all of which are meant to inspire a great, interactive event. If you are going to participate, you can read any of Jane Austen’s novels, a biography about her, or any contemporary re-imaginings (such as Austenland or The Jane Austen Book Club, for example). All posts will help you qualify for prizes, which I’ll explain in a later post!

If you want to sign-up to join us as a reader during the Austen in August, simply leave a comment stating such! Maybe include some of the books you hope to read. I will be hosting a read-along of Northanger Abbey as the August selection for the Classic Book-a-Month Club. I also plan to read Jane Austen: The Secret Radical by Helena Kelly. I’ve long argued that Austen was more politically aware than people allow; Kelly’s book has received some harsh criticism for suggesting as much. I’m looking forward to reading her arguments to see where we agree or disagree about Austen. I know, for example, we probably agree about the importance of Mansfield Park. 

Sign-ups are open throughout the month of July. If you sign-up after July 31st, you can still participate, but may not be eligible for some of the early giveaway prizes. To Share/Discuss on Twitter and Facebook, Use Hashatag #AustenInAugustRBR. Please also post the button somewhere on your blog (maybe in an announcement post or on your blog’s side-bar) so that we can spread the word, gather excitement, and encourage participation. The more of us reading Austen together, the better!

Category: Austen in August, Jane Austen

45 Comments on “Austen In August: Year 5! (Call for Participants)”

  1. I’ll join! I want to re-read Mansfield Park. There are a number of Austen adaptations I want to read too.

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  2. I plan on reading Emma for the first time. Joining in on reading Northanger Abbey sounds good, too. I started it once upon a time but don’t remember if I finished it. 🤔 Are you familiar with REDEFINING THE POLITICAL NOVEL by Sharon M. Harris (ed)? The focus is on American Women Writers, 1797-1901, but you’d no doubt enjoy Harris’s introduction.

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  3. Bummer – I do hope there’s a year 6 of this! I’d love to participate but am not choosing any of my own books this year so I can’t. Next year!

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  4. This sounds like a lot fun. I own all of her books and have only read P&P, S&S and her short story L&F. I definitely need to read more of her work. This sounds like the perfect way to focus on Austen this summer 🙂

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  5. I don’t think I’ll be able to squeeze in the read-along, but I recently found a book that will work well for this event: Dinner with Mr. Darcy. As the name suggests, it focuses on the food in Austen’s writing.

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  6. I am going to try and participate. This will give me a chance to read Mansfield Park. Also, a few years ago I picked up a book called A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love & Faith, by Lori Smith that I have never read. Thanks for the announcement!

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  7. HapPily reading JA for another year, Adam ! I have Jane Austen: The Secret Radical by Helena Kelly currently on loan from my public library, so either I’ll have to renew it or just get ahead of my August reading 😉
    Although I do have more options shelved to keep me in the AinA month’s reading – Thanks for hosting!

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  9. I’m in. This will be a good nudge to read one of the many non-fiction books I have about Austen like What Matters in Jane Austen?: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved by John Mullen or The Real Jane Austen by Paula Bryne

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  10. I’m so excited! I love Jane Austen. She is one of my favorite authors. I want to read Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, as these are two that I haven’t read before. I’m so excited to see what other people are reading and how they are enjoying Austen’s amazing literature.

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  11. Austen in August – wahoo – my favourite time of year !! I’m in – many thanks for hosting once again Adam 😊

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  14. Pingback: Joining up with Austen in August – Sarah Reads Too Much

  15. Hallo, Hallo everyone! 🙂 I had to let go of Adam’s #Classic reading challenge; my allergies put me over the edge this year; I might try to give it a go between mid-Summer + Autumn, resuming where everyone is with their readings but this was just a hard start to the year for me. However, I have already selected the books I want to read from Austen + a few sequels/re-tellings as well. I was quite stoked about it and seeing Adam host the event again, is just wicked sweet! 🙂 Count me IN!

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  16. I’d like to join in! I’ll be reading Sense and Sensibility because I haven’t read it and I have tickets to see a stage adaptation in the fall.

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  18. Yay! So glad you are hosting this once again!! I plan on reading that gorgeous edition of Emma that I won last time.:) And maybe listening to some of it as well.

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  19. I will definitely be an Austen reader in August. I am also willing to do a guest post on Austen and her world, though I have no idea how to be a guest blogger. I will be on vacation the first week of August. If you are scheduling for guests, schedule me for the last half of the month.
    -Anne@My Head is Full of Books

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  21. Excited for this! I’m up for some Jane. I’m going to read along with Northanger Abbey. I’ve never read it! I’m also going to re-read Pride and Prejudice listening on audio. Looking forward to it!

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  22. I just finished Northanger Abbey reread a few days ago. I look forward to your discussion. I also have Rosamund Pike reading of Pride and Prejudice Ive been saving for #AusteninAugustRBR.

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  23. Pingback: Austen in August: My New Challenge – I Would Rather Be Reading

  25. Count me in for this challenge! I’ve been wanting to read Emma for the first time as well as reread Northanger Abbey. When I first read about this challenge, I created my own Austen mini-marathon for the month of August. Check it out on my site!

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  27. I will do this again! I don’t know what I’ll be reading as I just thought to check this out. I will put up a post by August 1 with my details.

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  28. Pingback: Austen in August Reading Challenge 2017 | Fruitful Words

  29. Pingback: Austen in August – Dwell in Possibility

    • #AustenInAugustRBR * don’t forget the RBR at the end! Someone always comes along and takes the general tag. So we have our own. 🙂

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  32. Pingback: Austen in August 2017 | JMill Wanders

  34. Pingback: August #BookBlogger Events – Girlxoxo.com

  35. I’m joining! I had planned to all along, just been bad at being in the blogosphere as of late, but Jane is my homegirl, so…
    Reading adaptations and Jane themed books this year. Last year I finished her novellas and some other fan fiction.

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  36. Late to the party, but I love Jane, so I’m going to try to re-read Persuasion this year, to decide if I actually like it more than Pride and Prejudice…. 🙂

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  37. I am so IN! I’m so excited for #AustenInAugustRBR! I join edin on the Northanger Abbey as a reread. Also, I bought a copy of Love and Freindship … and I have a copy of Emma in Spanish that i have been meaning to dig into. Looking fwd to all the blog posts and tweets! Thank you for hosting again!

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  38. Pingback: Five Variations of Jane Austen’s Persuasion – The Misfortune Of Knowing

  39. Pingback: Reading Challenges Update – I Would Rather Be Reading

  40. Pingback: Much doom, gloom, and crying: A Sicilian Romance – My Book Strings

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