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In Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, Miss Jane Mansfield, recently transplanted from Regency England into the body and life of 21st-century Los Angeleno Courtney Stone, is torn between elation at the range of choices in Courtney's wardrobe (the fact that women can wear trousers is "a revelation") and horror at the number of pieces that expose far too much skin for a lady.
Jane is also bewildered by one particularly exotic item:
One of the garments...consists of two bowl-shaped pieces of fabric in a pale yellow, connected with strips of fabric and decorated with lace and embroidery of the same color.
Is the mystery garment:
(A) a soft bowl with a built-in cover for gathering strawberries at Donwell Abbey.
(B) an ugly, two-headed bonnet that not even Lydia Bennet would consider giving a makeover.
(C) a double bowl for white soup at the Netherfield ball.
(D) none of the above.
Meanwhile, in Regency England...
The clip-clop of horses on cobblestones. Rolling hills and stately homes. Gentlemen in frock coats and shiny boots. Bonneted ladies in flowing empire gowns.
This is the world that Courtney Stone, the heroine of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, always wished to visit. The world of Jane Austen. One morning, Courtney awakens in that world. In someone else's body. Jane Mansfield's body. And not 50's screen siren Jayne Mansfield. Gentleman's daughter Jane Mansfield. In 1813 England.
Whether it is a dream come true or a case of be-careful-what-you-wish-for remains to be seen. But at least she gets to wear, for the very first time, one of those romantic muslin gowns.
First, however, there is the matter of undergarments. On top, a lady must wear restricting stays. And on the bottom, she must put on:
(A) scary Bridget-Jones-like granny pants.
(B) long Bo-Peep-like drawers with lace edges.
(C) a Regency version of a thong.
(D) none of the above.
The answer to the first question may be found in Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict.
And the answer to the second question will be revealed in Sex and the Austen Girl, the new comedy web series inspired by both "Austen Addict" books. A new episode posts this Monday (as in today!)—and every Monday for the next 18 weeks or so—on Babelgum.
Watch Sex and the Austen Girl, where Courtney and Jane face off over life, love, dating, and being a woman in today's world versus Jane Austen's time.
For more information about the author and her books, visit her website.
