Meet the woman who lives like Jane Austen – from dressing in Regency-style costume to writing novels.
Jessica Bull has been in love with the writer ever since the first episode of Pride and Prejudice aired on the BBC in 1995.
The 46-year-old from London is a Janeite – a term used to characterize devotees of Jane Austen’s work.
The mum-of-two has inhabited her world – by dressing dressing up in Regency-style customes, attending balls and even learning how to horse ride.
She has read all her works, watched every adaptation and read every biography she could find.
Jessica, studied English at university and began her career as a librarian before becoming a communications consultant – also said Austen was her aspiration to become a novelist.
Trying to find comfort on Austen’s work, encouraged Jessica to start writing fiction again after a hiatus of 10 years.
And in 2024 she finally published her debut novel – a Austen-inspired murder mystery.
Jessica said: “I have tried many ways to inhabit Jane Austen’s world, and some of these have been successful than others my flock of backyard hens is thriving, but it’s not so easy to learn to ride horseback in your forties!
“Famously, Janeites love to dress up in Regency costume and I very much enjoyed getting my old sewing machine out to create some.
“I even turned my very obliging husband into my own leading man by sewing him a Captain Wentworth-style naval jacket!”
This year marks 250 years since the English writer known for her celebrated six novels, was born.
But despite two and a half centuries of time passing by, the Austen hype is still much alive – particularly after the release of the much-anticipated drama Miss Austen on the BBC.
Jessica said: “I’ve been in love with Jane Austen ever since the first episode of Pride and Prejudice was broadcast in 1995.
“I was blown away by everything about the BBC’s adaptation – the snarky humor, the costumes, the romance and, of course, Colin Firth as Mr Darcy!
“At the time, I was 17 and studying for my A-levels – so I asked my English teacher about Jane Austen and he sent me to the library to borrow her books.
“Since then, as well as reading all her works, I have watched every adaptation and read every biography I could find. There is something so comforting in the way Austen encourages us to laugh at ourselves and the world around us.”
For Jessica, being a Janeite is “enormous fun” – as she is part of a community which spans the globe sharing love for her novels.
Together they visit locations connected to Austen’s life and work – including countless National Trust properties as well as Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton.
And together enjoy learning more about what life was for women in her time.
“Because the community is based around our shared love of Austen, we are very welcoming and never take ourselves too seriously,” said Jessica.
“I have tried many ways to inhabit Jane Austen’s world, and some of these have been successful than others my flock of backyard hens is thriving, but it’s not so easy to learn to ride horseback in your forties!
“Famously, Janeites love to dress up in Regency costume and I very much enjoyed getting my old sewing machine out to create some.
“I even turned my very obliging husband into my own leading man by sewing him a Captain Wentworth-style naval jacket!”
But Janeites also launch and attend Austen-inspired events around the UK – from the Jane Austen Festival in Bath to Jane Austen Week Alton, Hampshire.
And Jessica’s favorite events are the balls – where they get to wear their best Regency customes.
She said: “This year is very exciting, as there are more Austen-inspired talks, exhibitions, costumed meet-ups being planned than ever before to celebrate the 250th anniversary of her birth.
“My favorite are the lavish balls held in her honor, where we get to wear our finest regency attire and attempt to follow her footsteps on the dancefloor.
“Regency dancing is so much faster and more riotous than the films would lead you to believe. How her heroines could flirt while keeping up with the steps, I do not know!”
For her the Regency look is “iconic” – as it is “different” from everything which came before and after.
Jessica said: “In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, women were demanding greater freedom than ever before, and the fashion reflected this – in enabling women to dress without a lady’s maid and take part in exercise.
“I must say, the empire line gowns, flat shoes and even short stays – like a half corset – are surprisingly comfortable and easy to wear.”
Jessica who studied English at university began her career as a librarian, before becoming a communications consultant – but her aspiration was to become a novelist.
Trying to find comfort in Austen’s work inspired Jessica to start writing fiction again after a hiatus of 10 years.
And in 2024 she finally published her debut novel Austen-inspired murder mystery called Miss Austen Investigates.
She said: “After I had my two daughters, I found it difficult to find time to write and lost some of my confidence.
”When the pandemic happened in 2020, I turned to my love of Austen for comfort, and it was realising how hard she struggled to get published that encouraged me to start writing fiction again after a hiatus of 10 years.
“In 2024, I finally published my debut novel, an Austen-inspired murder mystery, Miss Austen Investigates with Penguin Michael Joseph, and have a second, A Fortune Mast Fatal coming on March 27.
“The most revolutionary act Austen did was to make an ordinary woman the heroine of her own story.
“She is sometimes criticised for the narrowness of her fictional world, but her novels prove that the small things in life – such as how you navigate relationships with potential partners, friends and family – are just as interesting as stories about war and other typically masculine topics.
“If time has proved anything, it’s that Austen had such a brilliant, innate understanding of human nature, that her characters are universal.
“Her stories are as fresh and as relevant today as they were when she first wrote them, over 200 years ago.
“That’s why they’re constantly being retold and adapted to reflect different eras and cultures.
”I really hope all the revived interested in Jane Austen this year will lead many new readers discovering they love her work just as much as I do.”
