Yours, Etc.—Jane Fairfax: A New Beginning
- Sarah Hurley
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
My dearest readers—friends, if I might be so bold—the time has come for me to bid you all farewell. As Mrs. Bennet declares in the final chapter of Pride and Prejudice, upon Lydia’s final removal from Longbourn with her new husband, Mr. Wickham:
“I often think ... that there is nothing so bad as parting with one's friends. One seems so forlorn without them.”
Indeed, parting is such sweet sorrow! Especially when one parts from such good company.
My journey with the Jane Austen Summer Program began at their symposium celebrating Jane Austen’s juvenilia in 2023, where I was honored to present parts of my undergraduate thesis research on the adaptation panel with Sayantani Dasgupta and Adam McCune. For two years now, I have cherished the opportunity to continue my involvement with JASP as a regular member of the blogging and publicity team. In those two years, I’ve been allowed to indulge my passion not only for all-things Jane Austen, but also the Twilight Saga, 1980s pop culture, Spotify playlist-making, and good-natured romantic self-deprecation, among others.
Truly, dear readers—you’ve been so kind to allow my whims and fancies!
I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to share your stories through the Janeite Spotlight project, an initiative I launched nearly two years ago to showcase the spectacular personal, material, and intellectual contributions of Austen fans dedicated to furthering Jane Austen’s literary and cultural legacy around the world. Through the project, I’ve interviewed nearly forty incredible individuals whose devotion to Jane Austen and her fan community never fails to warm my heart. I cannot thank you enough for trusting me with your stories—for trusting me to listen, to respond, and to do them justice.
This summer, I was also afforded the opportunity to attend JASP 2025: Sensibility and Domesticity as an intern and Context Corners Discussion Group leader. Experiencing the symposium a second time from a behind-the-scenes perspective gave me a newfound understanding and appreciation of the event. I was overwhelmed by the team’s creativity, adaptability, and unwavering support of the public humanities.
But even good things, as they are wont to say, must come to an end. As some of you might know from a previous episode of the Sense and Sensibility vlog series, co-hosted by Maizie Ferguson, Na’dayah Pugh, and myself (just FYI, the full series is available for free on the Jane Austen Summer Program's YouTube channel!), I am moving to Belgium next week to begin working as an au pair in the beautiful and historically rich city of Antwerp. Many of my Austen-minded friends have identified the upcoming year as my “Jane Fairfax adventure,” a prospect which terrifies and delights me in equal measure!
In order to prioritize my time abroad, during which I will be not only caring for my host family's two precious children but also taking intensive language courses and exploring continental Europe, I will be stepping down from the Jane Austen Summer Program blogging team. Because you, my dear readers, have been so kind throughout my time with JASP, it felt wrong to disappear without an explanation, as Mr. Willoughby abandoned Marianne Dashwood in his pursuit of the much wealthier Sophia Grey. I wanted the opportunity to express my gratitude for your endless encouragement and support over the last two years. I say with utmost sincerity that the JASP community is a singularly warm, intelligent, compassionate, and frankly delightful group of individuals that I am proud to call my friends.
So, for the final time, dear readers: I thank you for reading. And please, I beseech you, keep reading long after I’m gone.
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