Ted Scheinman spent his childhood eating Yorkshire pudding, singing in an Anglican choir, and watching Laurence Olivier as Mr. Darcy. As the son of a devoted Jane Austen scholar, this seemed normal. Despite his attempts to leave his mother's world behind, he found himself in grad school organizing the first ever University of North Carolina Jane Austen Summer Camp, a weekend-long event that falls somewhere between an academic conference and a superfan extravaganza.
In Camp Austen, Scheinman tells the story of his indoctrination into this enthusiastic world, delivering a hilarious and poignant survey of one of the most enduring and passionate literary coteries in history.
Combining clandestine journalism with frank memoir, and academic savvy with insider knowledge, Camp Austen is perhaps the most comprehensive study of Austen that can be read in a single sitting. Brimming with stockings, culinary etiquette, and scandalous dance partners, this is summer camp as you've never seen it before.