'Among the Janeites': 6 stories from the realm of intense Jane Austen fandom

Deborah Yaffe wondered why Jane Austen inspires such intense fandom. Here's some of what she found.

5. Austen derby

Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Junior skaters from the Oxnard Sugartown Sugar Babies prepare to compete at the National Championship for Banked Track Roller Derby in Los Angeles, California.

An academic named Devoney Looser, who has written books on Jane Austen and teaches courses about her work at Arizona State University, is also a roller derby enthusiast and tried to think of a clever pun when she became involved in the sport. (Picking a "punny" name is de rigueur for roller-derby participants.) Looser finally settled on Stone Cold Jane Austen.

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