Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Camp Austen: My Life as an Accidental Jane Austen Superfan: Ted Scheinman


“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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