Opportunity Wouldn't Knock on Jane Austen's Door

As if being homely isn't bad enough, apparently Jane Austen would have trouble getting published if she was writing today. At least that's what UK's The Guardian is reporting. The directory of Bath's Jane Austen Festival took some slightly rewritten hunks of several Austen novels, including Pride and Prejudice, and sent them to publishers under the name "Alison Laydee" to see if they'd attract the interest of the modern market. All of them were rejected, without only one publisher specifically noting that the work appeared to be a rip off. Other publishers, contacted afterwards, claimed that they returned form rejected letters but had, in fact, taken note of the plagiarism.

What's this supposed to prove? Not much, I think. Whatever Austen's charms (I read P&P in high school and it was OK) and however timeless her stories might be, her style is surely dated. Is it surprising that any publisher would think twice before signing up an author writing in 19th-century style? I'd imagine that even the best purveyor of vaudeville in the 21st century would have problems selling it.

Still a neat stunt, tho'.