Category: News

Book reviews · News

The Web Round-up: all things Austen

BookLady Deb1 Comment

 Some tidbits for this week:

Books · News

Jane Austen’s Regency World Magazine

BookLady Deb1 Comment

Beginning August 1, “Jane Austen’s Regency World Magazine,”  published by the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, will offer a subscription discount of twenty percent to members of the Jane Austen Society of North America. The offer is not yet “live,” but you can read about it on this preview page: http://www.janeausten.co.uk/regencyworld/page.ihtml?id=12

JASNA has a 2-page article in each issue of the magazine, and favorites Maggie Lane and Sheryl Craig are also regular contributors.  The contents of the current and all back issues can be viewed online with one sample article downloadable from each issue.

Also see Laurel Ann’s post on Jane Austen Today about the latest July Newsletter from the Jane Austen Center.  You can sign up for this online newsletter at the Center’s website….and be sure to take the     “Pride & Prejudice” Quiz …[you might just find you need to re-read the book, a perfect thought for a summer’s day!]

JASNA-Vermont events · News · Schedule of Events

English Country Dance News

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ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCE CLASSES
IN PLATTSBURGH, NY

A series of 6 Tuesday night classes,
starting Tuesday July 22, 2008

Teaching by Wendy Gilchrist

 

TIME: 7 pm to 9 pm

DATES: July 22 & 29, August 5, 12, 19, 26

PLACE:
Langlois-Racine Dance Studio
34 Riley Avenue, Plattsburgh, NY

COST: $30/person for the series (6 classes)
Register at the door at your first class
(Registration form attached, more available at door)

INFO:
Sharon Schenkel at lylfaceem@aol.com or 518-643-0310
Wendy Gilchrist at 518-563-1834

VERMONTERS: Contact Wendy Gilchrist if you’d like a ride to class from the ferry landing in Plattsburgh (that is, you’d go on the ferry as a foot passenger). You must be at the Plattsburgh ferry landing by 6:15pm. Contact Wendy at wgilchrist@cvph.org or leave a phone message a day ahead at 518-563-1834.

CLASSES IN VERMONT: Wednesday nights in August at the home of Tom and Val Medve. Drop in, no advance registration required. Suggested donation $3 per person per class. For more info, please contact Val at valandtom@verizon.net or 802-899-2378.

News

Austen’s Obituaries

BookLady Deb2 Comments

July 18, 1817.  Just a short commemoration on this sad day…

No one said it better than her sister Cassandra who wrote

I have lost a treasure, such a Sister, such a friend as never can have been surpassed,- She was the sun of my life, the gilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow, I had not a thought concealed from her, & it is as if I had lost a part of myself…”

(Letters, ed. by Deidre Le Faye [3rd ed, 1997], From Cassandra to Fanny Knight, 20 July 1817, p. 343; full text of this letter is at the Republic of Pemberley)

There has been much written on Austen’s lingering illness and death; see the article by Sir Zachary Cope published in the British Medical Journal of July 18, 1964, in which he first proposes that Austen suffered from Addison’s disease.  And see also Claire Tomalin’s biography Jane Austen: A life, “Appendix I, “A Note on Jane Austen’s Last Illness” where she suggests that Austen’s symptoms align more with a lymphoma such as Hodgkin’s disease.

The Gravesite: 

Austen is buried in Winchester Cathedral, where no mention is made of her writing life on her grave:

 It was not until after 1870 that a brass memorial tablet was placed by her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh on the north wall of the nave, near her grave: it tells the visitor that

Jane Austen

[in part] Known to many by her writings, endeared to her
family by the varied charms of her characters
and ennobled by her Christian faith and piety
was born at Steventon in the County of Hants.
December 16 1775
and buried in the Cathedral
July 18 1817.
“She openeth her mouth with wisdom
and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”

The Obituaries:

David Gilson writes in his article “Obituaries” that there are eleven known published newspaper and periodical obituary notices of Jane Austen: here are a few of them:

  1. Hampshire Chronicle and Courier(vol. 44, no. 2254, July 21, 1817, p.4): “Winchester, Saturday, July 19th: Died yesterday, in College-street, Miss Jane Austen, youngest daughter of the late Rev. George Austen formerly Rector of Steventon, in this county.”
  2. Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle(vol. 18, no. 928, p. 4)…”On Friday last died, Miss Austen, late of Chawton, in this County.”
  3. Courier(July 22, 1817, no. 7744, p. 4), makes the first published admission of Jane Austen’s authorship of the four novels then published: “On the 18th inst. at Winchester, Miss Jane Austen, youngest daughter of the late Rev. George Austen, Rector of Steventon, in Hampshire, and the Authoress of Emma, Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility.  Her manners were most gentle; her affections ardent; her candor was not to be surpassed, and she lived and died as became a humble Christian.” [A manuscript copy of this notice in Cassandra Austen’s hand exists, as described by B.C. Southam]
  4. The Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle published a second notice in its next issue (July 28, 1817, p. 4) to include Austen’s writings.

There are seven other notices extant, stating the same as the above in varying degrees.  The last notice to appear, in the New Monthly Magazine(vol. 8, no. 44, September 1, 1817, p. 173) wrongly gives her father’s name as “Jas” (for James), but describes her as “the ingenious authoress” of the four novels…

[from Gilson’s article “Obituaries”, THE JANE AUSTEN COMPANION [Macmillan 1986], p. 320-1]  

Links to other articles and sources:

News

Austen-Byron Quiz

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The JASNA website has posted an Austen-Byron quiz, from the Greater NY Region’s Spring Conference “Austen and Byron:  Together at Last”….  See the JASNA site for submission information (answers will be posted later this summer)…

News

Gore Mansion tours

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Jane Austen tours of the Gov. Gore mansion

Gore Place, the historic estate at 52 Gore Place, Waltham/Watertown line (Massachusetts), will offer Jane Austen Tours of the mansion July 18 and 20. A guide in period costume will use Austen’s words to describe the decor of the mansion and the lifestyle of the Gores. Admission to the evening tour, 7 p.m. Friday, July 18: $12 adults and $8 children, age 5 to 12. Admission for the daytime tours, Sunday, July 20, at 11 a.m., noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m.: $10 adults and $5 children, ages 5 to 12. Reservations recommended. Call 781-894-2798. All attending will receive a 10 percent savings on the traditional three-course afternoon tea service at the Tea Leaf on Moody Street in Waltham. Reservations required in advance for tea. Call 781-891-1900. Offer valid through Aug. 15. For more information, visit http://www.goreplace.org.

News

The Web Round-up: all things Austen…

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There is so much going on and I am behind the times here, but I have to at least give a nod to the various Austen goings-on out there:  here is a sampling from the past week or so:

*Austenprose has a an article on the Mark Twain House in Hartford Connecticut and its financial troubles…and should we care in the light of his apparent dislike of Austen?….check this out and learn more about it all (and perhaps Twain didn’t dislike her so much after all….?)

* Ellen Moody has posted on the movie “Lake House” (with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves) and its relation to Persuasion; another post on the poet Mary Chandler (1687-1745) (scroll down on the post to get to the full article)…and also it is worth looking at her Sense & Sensibility movie reviews…

* there is a terrific new Jane Austen site at janeausten.org, but like Laurel Ann at Austenprose, I wonder who is the source and would like to know more!….

* Ms. Place reviews Georgette Heyer’s A Royal Escape, which sounds like a perfect “summer read”… and Ms. Place has several recent posts on all manner of things:  The Marriage Mart; Public Bathing in Bath; a letter from the Duke of Wellington, and much more…. see all at Jane Austen’s World.

* Jane Odiwe has a new book ready for the press….see her post on her blog about Mrs. Brandon’s Invitation, a Sequel to S&S (with the usual lovely drawings).

* Note that on Tuesday’s and Fridays, Diana Birchall will be channeling Mrs. Elton ( “Mrs. Elton Sez” ) in an advice column on the excellent “Jane Austen Today Blog” of Ms. Place and Laurel Ann.

* The Greater New York JASNA Chapter will host Juliet McMaster on September 13, 2008…she will speak on “Speaking Fictions: the Genres of Talk in S&S.”

* The Blog of the Central New Jersey JASNA Chapter has a ton of delightful tidbits….

Books · News

Reading List 101: the Chawton House Library Reading Group

BookLady Deb2 Comments

Happily found in my mailbox:   The Female Spectator, Vol. 12, No. 2, Spring 2008, publication of the Chawton House Library.  This issue has a terrific a list of books that the Library Reading Group has chosen for its 2008-9 discussions of the work of women writers, 1600-1830.  For those of us always looking for other titles to read after our annual re-reads of Austen, this is a wonderful place to start (and only sorry I cannot attend the monthly meetings at the Library which include afternoon tea!)…here is the schedule of reads:

  • Fielding, Sarah. THE ADVENTURES OF DAVID SIMPLE.  (Sept)
  • Burney, Frances.  THE WANDERER.  (Oct)
  • Wordsworth, Dorothy.  THE GRASMERE AND ALFOXDEN JOURNALS.  (Nov)
  • Austen, Jane.  PERSUASION.  (Dec)
  • Wollstonecraft, Mary.  MARY.  (Jan)
  • Robinson, Mary.  BEAUX AND BELLES OF ENGLAND.  (Feb)
  • Falconbridge, Anna Maria.  NARRATIVE OF TWO VOYAGES TO SIERRA LEONE.  (Mar)
  • Radcliffe, Ann.  THE ITALIAN.  (April)
  • Shelley, Mary.  THE LAST MAN.  (May)
   
              
 

  
JASNA-Vermont events · News

Still Re-Reading Austen at 94! a Conversation with Mildred Darrow

BookLady Deb2 Comments

Our JASNA-Vermont gathering on June 22 was titled “Beginnings”… I have already posted on the publishing history of Northanger Abbey,  but we also had a discussion on the history of JASNA, and had the delight of having Lorraine Hanaway, a former president of JASNA and one of the founding members, share with us the story of these “beginnings” of the Jane Austen Society of North America in 1979.  [See also Persuasions, No. 15, 1993, “The Founding of JASNA” by Joan Austen-Leigh, for a great synopsis]  We felt very connected to the early years with Lorraine sharing her JASNA tales as well as newspaper articles, banquet menus, etc.  We cannot thank Lorraine enough for being with us.

The JASNA-Vermont group is privileged to also have a life-member in our new chapter:  Mildred Darrow was also there in the beginning and attended the first public gathering in New York City in 1979, and most AGMs thereafter.  Mildred joined us on June 22, and it was heart-warming to see Lorraine and her re-connect.  We had asked Mildred to share some of her memories of JASNA in the early years, as well as her love of Austen…. she is still re-reading her at the age 94!  So I append below some of the conversation that Kelly and I had with Mildred…and we also heartily thank her for being part of our gathering [and special thanks to her daughter Linda for bringing her to us!]  For those of us who have read Jane Austen at different times in our lives and still continue to get so much out of these many re-readings, it is a delight to know we all might also be still re-reading Austen a the age of 94!

[ Lorraine Hanaway (left) and Milded Darrow ]

A Conversation with Mildred Darrow 

Mildred Darrow is 94 years old and still reads her Austen!  She lives at Wake Robin, after moving there from Connecticut with her husband in the late 1990’s.  Whitney Darrow, Jr. was a well-known New Yorker cartoonist…he died in 1999. 

The most impressive thing about Mildred is that she STILL re-reads her Austen…has all the new editions on her shelf.  Otherwise she reads almost no fiction, as she says she cannot retain the story line…but she does read biographies and history, as the “facts are easier to hold on to…”  When we interviewed her, she was reading the biography of James Smithson (founder of the Smithsonian)… Mildred says she used to read what one “should”…now she reads what she wants to! 

Her first Austen read:  required High School reading in 1929 Milwaukee:  EMMA!  She hated it and realized later she was far too young to “get” it!  She started again after college with Pride & Prejudice and has never looked back; she LOVES Mansfield Park (yea!) 

Her beginnings with JASNA:  She saw an article in the New York Times about the first JASNA meeting:  $5. to attend the event in New York City.  She was one of the first members, and became a life-member early on.  From then on she attended all the AGMs with her friend Jane Eiger and has many memories of their times together; she remembers J. David Gray and Joan Austen-Leigh, and tells of the time she and Jane had too much wine at their table and Jane kept commenting on all the goings on in a far too loud voice!

As  for the costumes, they did not dress up themselves, but she remembers wonderful regalia on others.

She felt that through the years, JASNA has become more and more academic and she had less in common with the speakers; there was a loss of personal discussion and contact, so not as much fun…

She traveled to all the Austen sites in England, while her husband sat outside drawings his cartoons! 

What Mildred has read when not reading Austen:

  • does not like Trollope at all!
  • loves Barbara Pym
  • likes Brontes, but not as attached
  • went through a mystery period and read all the British literary mysteries
  • she is not a writer herself and has not kept a journal of her adventures (our loss!)

What makes Austen special to her: She loves her writing style, her humor, her satire; “she just offers everything you could possibly want in a book!” 

Thoughts on Hollywood:  “they think too much of themselves if they think they can improve upon Jane Austen!” 

She has gotten her daughter to read Austen:  [Linda says she has been reading Jane Austen herself since high school and is as “hooked” as her Mom!] 

What is her favorite Austen?:  (this is my favorite answer):  though she agrees that one always has to say Pride & Prejudice because it is unsurpassable; she says [quite rightly!] ” My favorite is whatever book I have just finished!”

So THANK YOU Lorraine and Mildred for sharing your love of Austen with all of us! 

[and see also the post by Janeite Mae on this June 22 gathering ]

JASNA-Vermont events · News

JASNA-Vermont on Vermont Public Radio 2

Janeite Kelly3 Comments

Deb and I had a delightful time talking with VPR listeners and Vermont Edition host Jane Lindholm today at noon. If you missed the broadcast, hear it online. If you wish to continue the conversation on this blog: post a comment!

* * *

Please see the following page for more information on the various portraits of Austen (this question came up in the interview, so what follows is some explanation…), as well as some comments… Continue reading “JASNA-Vermont on Vermont Public Radio 2” →