Better Late than Never – Part II: Fashion in Jane Austen’s World

June 21, 2009June 22, 2009 BookLady DebLeave a comment

Please see Kelly’s post below this for Part I – we have both been swamped these past two weeks and FINALLY getting to our respective posts on Hope Greenberg’s fabulous talk on fashion at our June 7th JASNA-Vermont gathering … with the beautiful backdrop of the Chapel at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a capacity crowd …

First I append a guest post from our own Janeite Marcia:

Fashionable Sunday in Montpelier

Hope Greenberg’s presentation on Sunday June 7, 2009 provided much, much more than I imagined. Who knew fashion was so complex?

For me, the most fascinating part was learning about how Austen used references to clothing and fashion to develop her characters. While reading Sense and Sensibility, it was clear that Lucy Steele’s manners were lacking, her behavior even tacky. Hope used the scene where Lucy inquires of Marianne regarding her clothing, and even her clothing allowance, to illustrate how Lucy is revealed as crass and ill-mannered.

As Hope Greenberg described, in addition to Lucy’s inquires of Marianne, from Wickham’s (Pride and Prejudice) only needing regimentals, to Mrs. Allen (Northanger Abbey) talking of little but clothing, we are treated to exquisite development of many of the Austen characters by these brief, but powerful, references to wardrobe, clothing, and fashion. We all accept that Lucy is uncultured, Wickham is without depth of character, and Mrs. Allen is a mere silly airhead. These are the perfect, subtle, understated Jane Austen descriptions which leave the reader with no doubt of the author’s meaning, while wondering where the impression came from.

While there are few enough references in the Austen novels regarding fashion and clothing, each of those mentioned by Hope Greenberg is amazingly revealing and powerful. Thanks to Hope, those of us who attended on Sunday will be more aware of such references and techniques as we reread Austen and will certainly be able to better appreciate the genius of Jane Austen.

It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Thank you to JASNA-Vermont!

***********************************************************

Thank you Marcia for your thoughts! We were most fortunate to have Hope spend a few hours with us – as a Humanities Computing Specialist at the University of Vermont, Hope has combined her love of history and 19th-century material and literary culture with her love of historic clothing and English Country Dance – she offered us a visual feast [with a new Macintosh program that presented all the fashion illustrations in the mode of flipping the pages of a book!] taking us through the process of dressing a lady of fashion from her linen shifts, corsets, petticoats, dresses, pelisses /spencers, to her shawls, hats and muffs, reticules, and other accessories; and dressing the man of fashion with his shirts, breaches / trousers, weskits, cravats, jackets and the glorious greatcoat – all this shown in the various fabrics and textiles of the time, with Hope’s actual dresses, fashion illustrations, and photographs from the trove of 18th and 19th century clothing in the UVM Fleming Museum. Hope ended her talk with a quick run through the various changes in fashion over the short period from the late 1780s to the 1820s – the French influence; the military influence; the return to the classical Egyptian and Grecian styles; the waist going up; the waist going down; the petticoat as an undergarment to the petticoat as part of the main dress; Beau Brummel’s affect on male fashion; the central role of the fashion magazines – all this in a short 2-hour whirlwind of muslin, linen and silk! [alas! we did go over a bit!]

And as Marcia mentions above – I too learned much from Hope’s references to Austen’s use of clothing details [or lack thereof] to delineate character – Willoughby’s shooting jacket; Nancy Steele’s obsession with her appearance; the lack of description of Bingley and Darcy, yet the emphasis on Wickham’s “regimentals”; Mrs. Bennet’s ridiculous concerns with wedding clothes and carriages; Lydia’s silliness about her bonnet; Mrs. Elton in Emma [no more need be said!]; Mrs. Allen in Northanger Abbey – and only Henry Tilney [dear Henry!] being “forgiven” for his extensive clothing musings!

So we heartily thank Hope for sharing her expertise with us – we are all alot wiser about Regency fashion and more attuned to Austen’s brilliant commentary.

*******************************************************************

Ditto Kelly’s thanks for a gracious afternoon in Montreal, a la Donwell Abbey and strawberry picking; hearing a fascinating preview of Jan Fergus’s upcoming AGM talk on “Tensions between Brothers and Sisters in Austen’s Novels”; and sharing a delicious tea with other JASNA-Montreal members [my daughter joined me for this trek to Montreal – and she loved all the Austen chatter – it is my daughter after all who got me re-reading Austen when she was studying Emma in college nearly 20 years ago – she called me up to say she seemed to be the only one in the class who thought Emma was FUNNY – I knew then and there we had raised her right!] Anyway, I digress – a huge thank you to Elaine Bander for a wonderful afternoon!

**************************************************************

And a little counterpoint to my blogging partner and cohort in JASNA-Vermont – who ever said that Knightley was a “namby-pamby”?? – I always viewed him as a very strong character – so we need to have a lively discussion about this! And of course lots to discuss about Mr. Collins – I agree that the 1995 makes him out to be SUCH a dolt [and the Lost in Austen character is just too CREEPY!] – the Elizabeth Garvie P&P rendition is much truer to the book [the music alone captures his essence] – but think we need to go back to the novel to see what Austen really says about him – and she makes no bones about making him out to be quite ridiculous. Kelly, we should have a session JUST on Mr. Collins – I think we could get a rousing discussion going! [there is also a book just on him by the way, titled “Mr. Collins Considered” – a great place to start, as well as the Irene Collins [no relation!] book on Austen and the clergy…]

[illustration from Pemberley.com]

Posted by Deb

Books · Jane Austen · Movies · News

Better Late than Never

June 21, 2009 Janeite Kelly3 Comments

Long over due are many comments on VARIOUS Austen (or Austen-related) topics. I have been so lazy in completing my online thoughts on the Austen Symposium in Lennoxville, Quebec (March!), and when at lunch with Janeite MKay, and she asked about the play, I had the thought: Well, better late than NEVER! So thoughts on that, and the last talk will come — I promise!

A little closer in time are two JASNA meetings. Our own JASNA-Vermont chapter hosted HOPE GREENBERG in Montpelier on June 7th; and Montreal/Quebec City’s chapter hosted a ‘Donwell Abbey’ strawberry picking at Elaine Bander’s Montreal home.

Before I forget – since Donwell Abbey reminds me – David from Montpelier, who attended our meeting on the 7th (he is a JASNA member! Yeah, David!!), spoke about reading P.D. James. This brought up James’ JAS (Jane Austen Society; in Britain) lecture a decade-plus ago. I just happened to have a copy of that the year’s “Report” (as JAS’s journal is called). So in digging it out for David, I re-read it myself. She brings up some points (since she treats Emma as a detective novel) about ‘clues’ in the novel that is unique and thought-provoking. But for me the more startling ideas were thoughts fired by her comments on Mr Knightley! James painted a picture of an exceptionally strong man, one who not the namby-pamby many name him to be. Makes me want to pull the novel out again — and soon!

Hope’s illustrated lecture on Fashion was one of the most comprehensive I have ever had the priviledge to listen to. The amazing amount of pictures – drawn from paintings, clothing (who knew Burlington’s Fleming Museum had so much in their ‘attics’!!), period drawings, etc. – as well as the lovely gowns Hope had on display (including the one she wore!), all brought to our capacity audience, visually and virtually, the fashion in Austen’s era. Thank you, Hope.

One JASNA-Vermont couple, Jim and Carol, had this to say about the presentation: Sunday was delightful …We enjoyed the presentation, especially once the sound was turned up a bit [Hope was microphoned]. I thought the visuals were very effective and useful for someone who is not at all versed in the subtleties of Regency fashion. Indeed, I have been most impressed with the intellectual content and professionalism of all three presentation we have attended. We look forward to our next meeting!”

Thanks, Jim! Great to hear such words of encouragement.

David wrote succinctly: “Thank you for hosting such a nice event…It was the largest attendance I have yet seen at a lecture, although it was only my third.”

We do have a growing and attentive audience in the Montpelier region! ‘Thanks,’ to everyone who attended Sunday.

And David shared his opinion that to bring Austen elsewhere in the state would greatly increase our presence; he writes about having some thing in St. Johnsbury — someday.

For the Montreal JASNA meeting, I went in order to meet their guest speaker, Jan Fergus. Jan’s book on 18th century publishing in Britain utilized the 1730-40 ledger (held at the Bodleian) belonging to Robert Gosling — Mary Gosling’s great-grandfather (my diarist; see SmithandGosling.wordpress.com, my research blog). Jan decried the sloppiness of Norton’s recent Austen publications; she ‘would proof them for free’, she exclaimed, as she showed the handwritten notes in the rear cover of her copy. Her lecture was a preview of her AGM lecture – on Brothers and Sisters in Austen’s novels, of course (Jan centered Sunday’s talk on Jane and Elizabeth Bennet).

The food was plentiful – and the strawberries sweet and delicious! Elaine has a lovely home, and I’m sure everyone was grateful for the invitation to visit her perfumed garden (peonies!). The weather held off just enough to make the day quite pleasant.

Two of the Montreal members are off to England, Elaine Bander herself; and Peter Sabor gives a paper at the Chawton Conference. Someday I hope it’s me that is able to hop a plane and have people anticipate some talk I’m about to give…

Which reminds me again, and I will close with this thought, of my lunch with MKay. We got to discussing – what else! – P&P films (1980, 1995 and 2005), as well as Lost in Austen. And that brought around a discussion of Darcy and Mr Collins. Between this lunch and Jan Fergus’s talk, I am convinced more than ever that 1995 (and, by extension, the Lost in Austen series) got poor Mr Collins ‘wrong’; that Charlotte was never a martyr to her marriage (a match made in heaven? perhaps not; but NOT a match made in hell either…); and that there is more to the Darcy-Collins pairing than people are willing to admit (MY paper proposal for Chawton; not accepted, of course.)

Time’s a tickin’ and Sunday morning’s winding down; so I will get off my soap box and get back to my book – a fascinating look at Virigina Woolf’s servants: Mrs Woolf and the Servants, by Alison Light. A ‘souvenir’ from my Montreal trip…

Still haven’t heard if my registration for the AGM puts me in among the 550 members going to Philadelphia… I see the numbers, as of 6/19, now stand at 503.

And JASNA’s website announces the inclusion of Persuasions vol. 3 – published in 1981. We must applaud JASNA’s dedication (and those who put these journals online for all) in making these invaluable resources available, and for free!

Books · Jane Austen · News · Rare Books

Austen on the Block

June 18, 2009 BookLady Deb1 Comment

314. [AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817).] Pride and Prejudice: a Novel in Three Volumes. London: T. Egerton, 1813. 3 volumes, 12mo. Half-titles. Contemporary dark brown sprinkled calf, brown endpapers, gilt volume numbers to spine, green morocco gilt lettering pieces to style, with “Charleton” gilt-stamped to upper cover; half morocco folding case. Condition: intermittent foxing; rebacked preserving original spines, a little wear to extremities, exposure to several corners, renewed lettering labels. Provenance: Frida Best (bookplate); Susan Carnegie? with intriguing provenance of an early feminist author.

It is tempting to identify the ownership stamp with Charleton House, Montrose, the home, from her marriage in 1769 until her death in 1821 of the feminist writer and philanthropist Susan Carnegie: “…she learned to challenge the idea that women were intellectually less able than men, choosing instead to explain discrepancies in terms of women’s educational opportunities and their general treatment in a patriarchal society. Certainly in her correspondence Susan was fearless in drawing attention to a lack of respect or of rudeness on the part of male writers. Prior to her marriage to George Carnegie of Pitarrow (1726-1799), she acknowledged her future husband’s right to command her, but hoped ‘that he never will have [the] occasion or inclination to exercise it’. (Oxford DNB). On her death the estate passed to her grandson George Carnegie Fullerton, poet and sportsman. His extravagances resulted his sale of the three Ayrshire properties, and another other volume with this ownership stamp, a copy of Charles Emmanuel de Warnery’s Remarks on Cavalry, 1798, sold at Bonham’s in 2003.
First edition. Gilson 3; Grolier Hundred 69; Keynes 3; Sadleir 62b.

est. $50,000 – $70,000

[from the Bloomsbury Auctions Catalogue. “Fine Books & Manuscripts, Literature and Americana” – New York, Sale June 23, 2009. See the Bloomsbury website for more information on the sale.]

Jane Austen · News

On the Air and in your Inbox ~ All Things Austen

June 17, 2009June 18, 2009 BookLady DebLeave a comment

penguin_logo Penguin.com has just announced a new program of “Classics on Air” – the first program [and rightfully so!] is on “Why We Love Jane Austen” with Juliette Wells*, Alan Walker, and Stephen Morrison: listen in for this 30 minute episode…

Elda Rotor of Penguin Classics interviews Jane Austen scholar Juliette Wells about Austenmania, what it means to be a Janeite, etiquette in Austen’s time, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Alan Walker, head of academic marketing, introduces listeners to Excellent Women by Barbara Pym on “Reading the Classics from A to Z.” And Stephen Morrison, associate publisher and editor in chief of Penguin Books, offers up the opening to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in his segment, “First Pages.”

Also today, the Jane Austen Newsletter appeared in my email box, always a happy occurrence: news items include an article on Sandy Lerner and the Chawton House Library; Jane Austen’s prayers by Linore Rose Birkard; Persuasion, the Twitter version; the National Gallery of Victoria exhibit of fashion during Jane Austen’s lifetime; a quiz on Austen manners; a reminder to vote in the Regency World Awards by June 30th; a follow-up on the production of the movie “Jane Austen Handheld“; and yet another article on the new book by Andrew Norman on Austen’s unrequited love…

You can sign up for the Centre’s monthly email newsletter here.

*Juliette Wells of Manhattanville College will be speaking at the 2009 JASNA AGM on “The Closeness of Sisters: Pride & Prejudice’s Influence on How We Imagine Jane and Cassandra.”

Books · Jane Austen · Literature · News

Silksoundbooks ~ Audiobooks read by your favorite actors

June 11, 2009June 18, 2009 BookLady Deb13 Comments

I stumbled upon this yesterday – Silksoundbooks.com, an audiobooks website with some of your favorite actors reading their favorite classics:

silksoundbooks persuasion

Silksoundbooks is a collaboration of English and American actors who came together and decided to record their favourite literature for you to enjoy. Headed by Bill Nighy (Pirates of the Caribbean / Love Actually / Underworld), many of the artists involved believe so much in the project, that they have waived performance fees in favour of taking shares in the company.

Unlike some audio book download websites, we record all our audio books in the leading recording studios in London and New York, with some of the most experienced directors from the worlds of radio, TV & film…… we are sure you will hear the difference!

We started this project with one simple aim – to deliver great quality audio books to you at great value – Just $14.95 each! Enjoy!

[from the website]

Check out the website at Silksoundbooks.com and see the catalogue of 64 books currently available, all are unabridged and exclusive to this project. Here is a sampling of books and the readers [but alas! no Richard Armitage, yet … can we petition for him?!] Part of the delight is to find a good number of actors / actresses related to Jane Austen films in some way, and two of Austen’s novels:

Jane Austen. Persuasion, read by Olivia Williams
Jane Austen. Northanger Abbey, read by Lynn Redgrave
Elizabeth Gaskell. My Lady Ludlow, read by Susannah York
Henry James. Washington Square, read by Jennifer Ehle
Emily Bronte. Wuthering Heights, read by Juliet Stevenson
Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre, read by Emily Woof
Fanny Burney. Evelina, read by Finty Williams, Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer
Mary Shelley. Frankenstein, read by Derek Jacobi
Joseph Conrad. Heart of Darkness, read by Toby Stephens
Gustave Flaubert. Madame Bovary, read by Julie Christie
Henry James. The Aspern Papers, read by Jeremy Northam
Henry Fielding. Joseph Andrews, read by Rufus Sewell
George Eliot. Mill on the Floss, read by Fiona Shaw
Hans Christian Andersen. The Snow Queen and other Fairy Stories, read by Greta Scacchi
Thomas Hughes. Tom Brown’s Schooldays, read by Hugh Bonneville

And this is just a short listing! Visit the website and experience this feast – I have already downloaded Washington Square read by Jennifer Ehle [a.k.a. Elizabeth Bennet!] to my ipod – it is easy to do [you will need a current version of Java] and quite wonderful listening!

silksoundbooks washington square

Further reading: an article in The Guardian when the site was first launched; and another at Timeout.com

Books · Jane Austen · News · Regency England · Social Life & Customs

New Release ~ “Behind Closed Doors: At Home in Georgian England”

June 10, 2009June 10, 2009 BookLady Deb1 Comment

Just a heads-up on this book to be released October 12, 2009:

Behind Closed Doors: at Home in Georgian England, by Amanda Vickery. Yale University Press, 2009. [can be pre-ordered for $45.00]

Here is what the Yale University Press website has to say:

In this brilliant new work, Amanda Vickery unlocks the homes of Georgian England to examine the lives of the people who lived there. Writing with her customary wit and verve, she introduces us to men and women from all walks of life: gentlewoman Anne Dormer in her stately Oxfordshire mansion, bachelor clerk and future novelist Anthony Trollope in his dreary London lodgings, genteel spinsters keeping up appearances in two rooms with yellow wallpaper, servants with only a locking box to call their own.

Vickery makes ingenious use of upholsterer’s ledgers, burglary trials, and other unusual sources to reveal the roles of house and home in economic survival, social success, and political representation during the long eighteenth century. Through the spread of formal visiting, the proliferation of affordable ornamental furnishings, the commercial celebration of feminine artistry at home, and the currency of the language of taste, even modest homes turned into arenas of social campaign and exhibition.

Amanda Vickery is reader in history, Royal Holloway University of London, and the author of The Gentleman’s Daughter: Women’s Lives in Georgian England, which won the Whitfield, Wolfson, and Longman-History Today prizes. She is also the co-editor, with John Styles, of Gender, Taste and Material Culture in Britain and North America, 1700–1830.

… a definite addition to your want list – and if you don’t already have it, you must also add Vickery’s previous work …

The Gentleman’s Daughter: Women’s Lives in Georgian England [Yale University Press, 1998; softbound edition, 2003] is already on my toppling TBR pile(s). Here are a few [of the many] reviews of this earlier work, the winner of several history/ literary awards:

Books · Jane Austen · News

“Deck the Halls”… with Zombies??

June 9, 2009June 9, 2009 BookLady Deb3 Comments

Now it has all gone over the top, or perhaps I have been secretly transported to another planet? or landed in a Jane Austen time-travel spin-off into a zombie-controlled society?

This has nothing to do with Jane Austen, so pardon the aside – other than the Pride & Prejudice and Zombies book is getting more press than the original ever could hope for. But I today saw release news on the following book by Michael P. Spradlin, due out in late October 2009, just in time for the holidays – I am speechless to be quite honest – any thoughts out there??

Zombie Christmas carols

Click here for information at the author’s website: Michael P. Spradlin.com
The HarperCollins Catalog

Zombie_1 christmas carols — Illustration by Jeff Weigel from the book

[though I can’t help but think that Dickens would love this ~ zombies in chains and all that!]

Books · Jane Austen · News

“Holy Austen, Batman!” Pride & Prejudice #3

June 5, 2009June 5, 2009 BookLady Deb5 Comments

Please see the post below for information on our JASNA-Vermont June 7th event on Austen & Fashion

***********************************************

The third issue of the Marvel Comic Pride & Prejudice will be released on June 10, 2009. Visit Comic Book Resources for a preview [click on the cover and continue through 7 pages of text] ~ a must-have for your P&P collection!

Marvel comic P&P #3 page 6

[from Comic Book Resources.com]

Posted By Janeite Deb

Fashion & Costume · Jane Austen · JASNA-Vermont events

7 June 2009: Austen & Fashion

June 4, 2009June 4, 2009 Janeite KellyLeave a comment

Join us in Montpelier this coming Sunday, 7 June 2009, 2 p.m., for what promises to be a fascinating discussion of Austen, fashion, and the Regency era (see our events page).

Our guest speaker, Hope Greenberg (pictured at left, in costume!), entices with the following description:

“We will have two halves, with a break in between. The first half discusses Austen’s use of clothing in the novels (who talks about clothing; how it reflects or delineates the character, etc.), and also Austen’s own comments, as mentioned in her letters. This is followed by an overview of clothing and Regency ‘style.’

A break for refreshments [kindly contributed by our Vermont Chapter members!] will give the audience time to look at the costumes on display. [We also hope some audience members will be coming IN COSTUME… But that we shall see!]

The second half covers ‘seeing’ historic clothing: How do paintings, fashion plates, or extant garments help (or hinder) us from figuring out what the clothing actually was like, how it changed, how to recognize different time periods.”

Plenty of time for questions and audience interaction. So MARK YOUR CALENDARS (if you haven’t already). See you at Vermont College of Fine Arts on the 7th!

P.S. – check out the fabulous AUSTEN-related books on our merchandise page: we’ll be having a “boutique” at the talk! All proceeds benefit JASNA-Vermont and our effort to bring free and open to the public events centering on All Things Austen.

*****************************

Please also make note that the Burlington Country Dancers are hosting their annual Across the Lake Event this weekend as well: see their website for more information, reservations and admission costs at www.peter.burrage.net/dance

Location: the Elley-Long Music Center,223 Ethan Allen Ave., Colchester, VT

Friday June 5, 2009
8pm to 11pm – Casual Dress – Welcome Dance for All
with Gene Murrow & Bare Necessities

Saturday June 6, 2009
1:30pm to 4:30pm – Casual Dress (Choose big or small hall when you arrive)
    BIG HALL ~ Gene’s Dance Workshop for Experienced Dancers
    with Gene Murrow & Bare Necessities

    SMALL HALL ~ Review Session for All
    with Orly Krasner & Impropriety’s Laura Markowitz

Sunday, June 7, 2009 [Location: at the Jericho Community Center]
Brunch 9:30am to 11:30am ~ Informal dancing 11:30am to 12:30pm
with Wendy Gilchrist & Fine Companions (Lee & Julian Shepherd, Charlene Thomson, Cheryl Spiese)

country dance pic