Proud and Prejudiced.....

Ah, Jane. The divine Jane, dear aunt Jane. Ms Austen. It is a truth universally acknowledged that no other writer has inspired such idolatrous enthusiasm. Her appeal knows no bounds, cuts across all demographics, takes all sorts. Woe betides the hardy soul who dares to tangle with the Janeites - those redoubtable Trekkies of English Literature (perhaps somewhere there is a picturesque corner of a field where they gather to be inculcated into the cult en masse. Hampshire, probably). But where should the self respecting librarian shelve the books? Following months (weeks, days, minutes) of earnest discussion Dorothea suggests the following possibilities:

1) CLASSICS - Jane is class, her novels are classics. They must be becuase the characters all wear bonnets. And wet shirts. Well, they do on the BBC.

2) CHICK LIT - Jane rebranded. Edgy Jane, "contemporary" Jane, post-modern Jane. Chuck her in amongst the pink and glitter - the 30something -singleton Sex and the City renegades will gobble her up.

3) ROMANTIC FICTION - Stick 'em next to the Mills and Boon. It's basically the same thing. Not universally acknowledged but true all the same.

4) THE MARK TWAIN SOLUTION - "Any library is a good library that does not contain a volume by Jane Austen. Even if it contains no other book."

The choice is yours . . . . .