By SUSAN COLTRI
Lately there has been a renewal of national interest in Jane Austen, one of the most beloved female authors of all time, said Linda Brummett, general manager of the bookstore.
To celebrate this excitement, the bookstore has declared March “Jane Austen month.” All Jane Austen titles are 25 percent off.
“Many people within the department are fans of Jane Austen,” Brummett said. “Some are even members of Jane Austen societies.”
“Although we couldn’t tie the promotion into her birthday or anything, we thought we’d just hop on the national bandwagon and do it anyway,” Brummett said.
Since the beginning of the promotion, sales of Jane Austen novels have about doubled, Brummett said. But most surprising is that sales of books about Jane Austen herself have tripled.
The interest in Jane Austen is not only seen in the sales of her books, but in the movies that have recently come out, Brummett said.
“Persuasion,” her last novel has been playing in a Salt Lake City movie house for months. Cable station A&E just did a six hour “Pride and Prejudice.”
“And ‘Sense & Sensibility’ will sweep the academy awards if there is any justice,” Brummett said.
The movie “Persuasion” will be available to rent in the bookstore beginning April 2, said Bonny Duffin, bookstore accounting secretary.
Brummett and Duffin are very excited about the revived interest in Austen. “It’s a great experience to see society fall in love with her,” Brummett said.
Many people who have never read her books are going to see the movies and then becoming interested in the novels, Duffin said. Often movies based on books will raise a new interest in the book.
Brummett attributes the Austen interest to a lack of other good material. People are having to look back to the past to rediscover what other times have offered
