Tag: Jane Austen

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)
   
              
 

  
Books · JASNA-Vermont events · Uncategorized

On Re-Reading “Northanger Abbey”

BookLady Deb10 Comments

An updated version of this blog post can be found here:

https://janeausteninvermont.blog/2017/12/15/pump-rooms-and-gothic-terrors-how-northanger-abbey-came-to-be/

 

 

JASNA-Vermont events · News

JASNA-Vermont on Vermont Public Radio!

Janeite KellyLeave a comment

Tune in on Thursday July 3rd to your local Vermont Public Radio station (107.9 in the Burlington area) and hear JASNA and our own local chapter discussed on Vermont Edition, with host Jane Lindholm. The program will air beginning approximately 12:08 pm (after the noon news and weather); a call-in show, our Vermont Edition segment will last until approximately 12:40.

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UPDATE (July 2nd): Deb and I spoke via phone to Vermont Edition producer Sarah Ashworth today, anticipating our segment on tomorrow’s show (see their website for a Jane-preview!). One question we were asked was, ‘Who is your favorite Austen couple?’ Having just this morning watched the Knightley-Macfadyen Pride and Prejudice, my thoughts immediately flew to Elizabeth and Darcy. B-U-T… taking a second to think about it, can anything grab a reader more than love recaptured. The idea of a second chance when you believed yourself to have been passed by… That, of course, leads to a discussion of Anne Elliot and Capt. Wentworth in Austen’s last completed novel, Persuasion. Not only a love story, Persuasion gives us all hope that life, in the end, does sometimes work out happily. What better legacy could Austen have left us with?

If you have thoughts and observations on Austen, her novels, the films give a call to VPR tomorrow during our show: 1-800-639-2211 or email vermontedition@vpr.net.

Should you miss our segment, you too will get a second chance: look up the online podcast at www.vpr.net.

 

Books · News

A Signed “Emma” on the block…

BookLady Deb3 Comments

I append the following story from BBC News:   

“From BBC News:  Record price for inscribed Austen

An inscribed first edition of Jane Austen’s novel Emma has fetched a record £180,000 at a London auction.  The three-volume set inscribed on behalf of Austen to Anne Sharp, her friend and governess to her niece, was sold at Bonhams to a telephone bidder.  Of 12 presentation copies sent by Austen’s publisher, it was the only one given to a friend of the author. The book, first published in 1816, tells the story of Emma Woodhouse and her matchmaking exploits.  The price was a new world record auction price for a printed book by Austen. 

 

The British vendor, who wants to remain anonymous, is descended from a family that married into the family of Richard Withers, who was left property belonging to Ms Sharp when she died. They said: “The family are delighted with the price fetched today. The novel had been sitting in my family library for at least three generations.”

  

‘Slightly spoiled’

Austen gave nine presentation copies of Emma to family, one to the library of the Prince Regent and one to a countess. Ms Sharp’s was the only one given to a personal friend – a demonstration of the bond between the two women.  They became friends while Ms Sharp was working as governess to the author’s brother Edward, and remained close for many years.  For the novel, Austen created a governess character called Miss Taylor.  Set in Regency England, the novel’s heroine, a young woman aged 21, is described in the opening paragraph as “handsome, clever and rich”, but also “slightly spoiled”.

 

In March, Bonhams sold a rare, inscribed first edition of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit for a world record-breaking £60,000.  And in November last year, it sold a first edition of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights for £114,000. “

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk:80/2/hi/uk_news/7470543.stm 

See also:  Laurel Ann’s wonderful post on Jane Austen’s Dearest Friendship on “Austenprose” for more information and a list of resources about Austen’s friendship with Anne Sharp.

JASNA-Vermont events · News

June 22, JASNA-Vermont meeting on “Northanger Abbey”

BookLady Deb1 Comment

REMINDER ABOUT OUR NEXT MEETING

June 22: 2-4 pm

“BEGINNINGS”
Northanger Abbey ~ Dramatic Readings and Discussion
& JASNA ~ A Short History (roundtable discussion)

Place:  Champlain College, Hauke Center, Maple St, Burlington, VT

We open with a roundtable discussion of JASNA’s beginnings. Lorraine Hanaway and Mildred Darrow both joined JASNA in its earliest years; Lorraine also served as president (1984-88). JASNA-VT members will then dramatize three scenes from Northanger Abbey and general discussion follows. We end with our Northanger Abbey QUIZ (see our page on Northanger Abbey with links to the novel and articles; the Quiz is at the end.) 

This meeting will be very informal. Light refreshments, and lots of time to meet, greet and talk. Free and open to the public.  Please contact us if you have questions. 

Book reviews · News

In the mailbox…

Janeite Kelly3 Comments

Finally, on Tuesday, PERSUASIONS (the annual journal of the Jane Austen Society of North America) hit the mailbox. And what a wonderful array of articles – with so many more online!

I’ve not had a lot of time, and definitely haven’t read the journal cover to cover, but a few interesting tidbits have already surfaced. On page 10, Marcia Huff alludes to 2006’s AGM (in Tucson), which of course was on Mansfield Park. In just a few sentences, she has made me reassess Fanny Price and her role in this novel. Living in Vermont, which has its corn crop and apple crop, as well as the celebrated maple-sugaring season, I was most intrigued to see how Shannon Campbell would ‘vindicate’ Jane Austen’s allusion to an apple orchard in blossom in July (for which Jane’s brother took her to task) — but what an entertaining article! It must, indeed, have been fascinating to work with the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale. And I personally am grateful to have some hints of where to look for meteorological information on London in 1814…

I met Alice Villaseñor in Winchester last summer, and was particularly interested to read about her finds at the Chawton House Library; she studied the contents of the Knight Collection, which is currently housed there; it formed part of the library of books owned by Jane’s brother, Edward Knight. I had a chuckle over the conclusions drawn by Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer – though I ask: must everyone be diagnosed with some syndrome nowadays??

One of the most noteworthy of the articles read so far has to be Douglas Murray and his routing out several ‘portraits’ of George, the Prince of Wales in the novel dedicated (reluctantly?) to him: Emma. Fascinating. And, very a propos to our June 22nd meeting: a persuasive article by Tenille Nowak on one of the ‘horrid novels’ in Northanger Abbey. Recommended reading for anyone planning to attend our meeting in a couple weeks.

I am in the middle of an eye-opening look at Mr Knightley written by Theresa Kenney. And next up, I think, must be Margie Burns‘ look at ‘George and Georgiana’, aka: Mr Wickham and Miss Darcy.

While I hesitate to toot my own horn (but who else will, if I don’t?), I do want to say that I hope readers find some interest in the courtship of Emma Smith and James-Edward Austen (Jane’s nephew), as well as Emma’s possible involvement, a la Emma Woodhouse, in the courtship of her own brother Sir Charles Joshua Smith and his second wife, Mary Gosling. The article is ‘Edward Austen’s Emma Reads Emma.’ I’ve just begun a blog of my own, relating to Emma and Mary, as I try to track down more diaries and letters of all the families involved (Emma and Mary both came from substantial families).

A full table of contents for Persuasions, vol. 29 (2007) is available online at JASNA. And don’t forget the offerings at Persuasions-Online, including the ‘new’ vol. 28, No. 2 issue: Global Jane Austen. There is also Barry Roth’s 2006 Jane Austen bibliography, if you’re looking for something new to read on JA.

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Also in the mailbox: a copy of Jane Odiwe‘s Lydia Bennet’s Story. Right now, Lydia has just hit the town of Brighton – and she seems to have an eye for a certain young man who is NOT Mr Wickham… It is fun to read the little hints of what has been going on in Pride and Prejudice (so I would say a knowledge of that book is useful), but Ms. Odiwe goes her own direction with this storyline and it can certainly be enjoyed on its own terms. Will post a full review of the book once it’s been read.

Book reviews · Books

Book Review: Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma

BookLady Deb7 Comments

I am no lover of sequels. I just shut down really, when, in anticipation of a beloved author’s continued words on a character or plot or unfolding event, I run smack into a wall of some stranger’s thoughts.  I want JANE AUSTEN’s words, I want new works from her, something more to read, to savor, not a return to or a rehashing of any of the nearly perfect worlds of her six novels.  Those are complete to me, and I want them left alone, I want to protect her characters from someone else’s mutterings.  So I confess to not reading any of the many sequels and much prefer to just re-read Austen, who says most everything better than anyone. [After writing this, I was looking at Joan Klingel Ray’s Jane Austen for Dummies and find her words on pg 297, almost mine exactly…”  I have to admit that when I need more Jane Austen, I just reread Jane Austen….I am not a fan of sequels…and I would never attempt to convince [others] not to read the sequels…but I am content to let Austen’s characters’ lives end with her novels…” (p297)  So I am in good company I think!  ]… Continue reading “Book Review: Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma” →

Books

Rejecting Jane

Janeite KellyLeave a comment

Finally got around to reading the article by David Lassman entitled REJECTING JANE (published in Jane Austen’s Regency World; issue 28, July-August 2007). An experiment whereby chapters of actual Jane Austen novels were sent to publishers and agents! As an aspiring writer myself, what could be more daunting than to read of these rejections – for rejections are what came back.

For each query (18 in total), four publishers and two agents were sent sample chapters from one of three Austen novels: Northanger Abbey – very apropos to our June 22nd meeting; Persuasion; and Pride and Prejudice. The novels were all submitted by a Miss Alison Laydee, a resident of Bath, with their titles changed (ditto lead character names) to, respectively, Susan, The Watsons, and First Impressions. Gotta laugh when the “First Impressions” packets went out unchanged as to the first line of the opening paragraph… and still no one caught on – with one possible exception (though this person may have been more fixated upon the opening pages).

Responses to these queries (15 out of 18 received at the time of publication) were nail-bitingly quick, though with the usual result: thanks, but no thanks. I would quibble, however, as to why packets were mailed to publishers NOT accepting unsolicited manuscripts, or to the agent who dealt only with TV and film writers; these circumstances surely were known by the submitter – or should have been better researched.

No need to condense the story; read it yourself at Regency World. And ‘thanks, David’ for the best laugh I’ve had this week!

Query

Why is Jane Austen so Popular?

BookLady Deb5 Comments

I was having dinner with a great buddy the other night and we of course got talking about Jane Austen, as we are wont to do….we have both been reading Austen for a good number of years, attend the annual JASNA meetings together, and discuss the latest movies, occasionally disagreeing, but have terrific conversations nonetheless.  We most often quibble over Fanny Price and Mansfield Park (she dislikes Fanny with a passion, loves Mary & Henry Crawford and hence the whole book tends to lose its bite!) … I have told her that there is now a wonderful new Blog just about Mansfield Park, but alas! she does not care….

But our discussion the other night, with my very NOT Austen-loving husband in rapt attention, tended to the very basic question of “why is Jane Austen so popular right now?”  We can say that the movies and Hollywood are driving the popular culture, that Colin Firth as Darcy has changed the face of the romantic hero for all time, that she has always been popular so what’s all the fuss, that she gives us a respite in the world of computers and television and cell phones and ipods always THERE demanding our attention, that her writing is so superb we cannot but read and re-read because there is nothing to compare, her wit and social commentary are unparalleled, etc., etc. …. there is no one answer for sure….but I thought I would put this to the blog test and see what sort of response we can get from the cyberspace world out there that is filled with Austen blogs, sites, comments, articles…and just give you all a chance to wax poetic on this very basic thought:  why IS Austen so popular now? and why are her 6 novels (plus all the other wonderful jottings) on YOUR reading pile?  Any thoughts and comments appreciated….especially from those who might be better than me at convincing my friend that Mansfield Park is quite a delightful book after all!

[there is a great article on this question at the Masterpiece Theatre site, titled Why Jane? Why Now? ]

Movies · News

So much out there!

BookLady Deb1 Comment

Ok, I admit it!… I cannot keep up with it all!…but just in case others of you want to know what’s actually going on in cyberspace but don’t have the time to search it out each day…here is a sampling!… Jane is indeed, everywhere!

As “Miss Austen Regrets” recently aired in the U.K., there have been numerous postings about it all over again…here are a few:  Guardian online, several other links to articles in the U.K.,  and at Jane Austen’s World (where there are a few posts on the movie)  And I remind you to look again at the article on the JASNA site about the kernels of truth in the story…

And check out the Conversation Blog on the Jane Austen Addict site to learn about  The Jane Austen – MI-5 connection:  now I LOVE seeing this in writing…there are SO many connections to one of my favorite shows, MI-5 (Spooks in the U.K.) and the Austen adaptations that my head has been spinning for weeks!  Thank you Ms. Rigler for putting this all together so well! 

On the Becoming Jane Fansite, there is a post on Favorite movies and books…always fun to read someone else’s opinions… and also scroll down for a great interview with Andrew Davies done with Masterpiece Theatre  (and I too don’t agree with him about the P&P 1995 2nd proposal scene…this I think was perfectly done, exactly as Austen wrote it….not any words…and we were not privy to the passion….)

Ms. Place, as always, has penned a great article on Drinking tea, wine, and other spirits in Jane Austen’s Day.  And while you are there…look at her story from a few days ago about the Wedding Procession in the 1995 S&S.  And on her Jane Austen Today Blog, there is a great post on Fashionable Websites Jane Austen Would have liked to Visit!  THANK YOU Ms. Place for sharing your ever-interesting wealth of information!

On Austenblog there is a book giveaway contest…submit by May 2.

And Jane Odiwe  writes of Fanny Price’s room in Mansfield Park, with some lovely drawings.

And over on Austenprose Laurel Ann gives us 10 top (and very humorous) reasons to re-read Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict (it is being released in paperback…)  [For a nice new review of Confessions go to the Historical Fiction site ]

and I am sure this is not the half of it…. yikes!