“Ted Scheinman spent his childhood eating Yorkshire pudding,
singing in an Anglican choir, and watching Laurence Olivier as Mr. Darcy. As the son of a devoted Jane Austen scholar,
this seemed normal. Despite his attempts
to leave his mother’s world behind, he found himself in grad school organizing
the first ever University of North Carolina Jane Austen Summer Camp, a
weekend-long event that falls somewhere between an academic conference and a
superfan extravaganza.
“In Camp Austen,
Scheinman tells the story of his indoctrination into this enthusiastic world,
delivering a hilarious and poignant survey of one of the most enduring and
passionate literary coteries in history.
Combining clandestine journalism with frank memoir, and academic savvy
with insider knowledge, Camp Austen is
perhaps the most comprehensive study of Austen that can be read in a single
sitting. Brimming with stockings,
culinary etiquette, and scandalous dance partners, this is summer camp as you’ve
never seen it before.”
(Darn it, I did it again.
I finished this book about a week ago and I’m only now getting around to
writing this review the month following…I hate throwing off my reading
tally.) Many of you know that I only
very recently picked up (and read in its entirety) my very first work of Jane
Austen: Pride & Prejudice. I’d
somehow made my way through my undergraduate and graduate studies without
reading any of her writing, despite the fact that my studies contained a very
heavy emphasis on British Literature (my thesis was even about the importance
of teaching British literature in the American classroom). It seemed very natural that I pick up this
book when I saw it on the New Releases shelf at my local library. This really is something one can read in a
single sitting; it’s a very tiny book, but it is crammed with a lot of
information. I’m going into this review
with a few words of “caution.” This is
not for the casual reader; one actually needs to know something about Jane
Austen in order to recognize the references and even appreciate some of the
humor. I was thankful that most of the
account centered around Pride &
Prejudice (since it was the theme of the very first Jane Austen Summer
Camp) because I doubt I would have understood/enjoyed it as much without this
knowledge. Additionally, parts of this
book read like a very eloquent essay on Austen and her works – especially her
very early ones, which I have not read as of yet. I wasn’t “lost” because I hadn’t read these
works, but I do feel that I would have appreciated the author’s assessments
much more had I done so.
The structure of the book was interesting. Scheinman has a unique style. It feels academic, yet personal. There’s a sense of humor in it that I can
easily imagine he carries into his daily life.
The style alternated between literary analysis and personal experiences. By far, the personal experiences were my
favorite. In fact, this was more of what
I was expecting when I picked up this book.
About half of the book was devoted to analyzing Austen’s writing and
life via the lens of the summer camp. I
found this to be eye-opening and interesting information, but there were
moments when I just wanted to get back to Scheunman’s experiences as he donned
the clothing and persona of Mr. Darcy. I
suppose this is a non-fiction read (and didn’t come from the biographical section
of the library), so I should have supposed that it would contain a good amount
of literary analysis. Of course, this is
definitely something I’m used to reading; however, it may not be for
everyone. I’m sure other readers out
there have or will pick up this book with the belief that they’re about to read
simply a humorous account of Scheinman’s time as an observer in the world of
the Austenites. There is much more to this
little book than that.
This is an amusing, intelligent, witty, very quick
read. I recommend it to fans of British
literature, especially American ones, and, even more so, fans of Jane
Austen. It was fascinating to get such a
glimpse into the secret world and lives of American Austenites.
*After reading so much about the wonderful Mr. Darcy costume, I couldn't resist including a picture of the author (in the blue coat) all dressed up. Thank you Google (image borrowed from the official Camp Austen site HERE)!
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