the June 3 2012 flyer: share with your friends! ****************************
*We are honored to welcome Professor Rachel Brownstein, author of Becoming a Heroine (1982), Tragic Muse: Rachel of the Comedie-Francaise (1993), and Why Jane Austen? (2011). Films, feminism, and popular fetishes are among the subjects of her new work, an engaging treasure-filled meditation on Jane Austen as writer, woman, social commentator, and 21st-century icon. But most of all it is about reading, which Brownstein has been encouraging people to do, at Brooklyn College and the Graduate School of CUNY, for several decades.
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Please Join Us!
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~ Upcoming in 2012 and beyond ~
Sept. 23: Burlington Book Festival: ‘An Afternoon with Jane Austen’: authors Elsa Solender on Jane Austen in Love: An Entertainment, Stuart Bennett on The Perfect Visit, and more!
Dec. 2: Annual Birthday Tea with Paul Monod of Middlebury College on
“The Royal Navy in the Age of Nelson, 1775-1815”
Mar. 2013 [TBA]: “’Fifty Miles of Good Road’: Travelling in Jane Austen” with Deb Barnum
You are Cordially Invited to JASNA-Vermont’s April Meeting
~ How to Love ‘Sanditon’ ~
with
Eric Lindstrom*
A celebration of Jane Austen’s last unfinished work: Many readers find it difficult to “love” Sanditon. Critics and readers alike can find it alternately boring, bitter and uproariously wild, either likening it to her juvenilia or seeing only the morose shadow of her impending death. Join us as UVM Professor Eric Lindstrom helps us relate to and learn to love this text, even though it does not offer the typical Austen marriage plot.
*****
Sunday, 15 April 2012, 2 – 4 p.m.
Champlain College, Hauke Conference Center, 375 Maple St Burlington VT
Free & Open to the Public
Light refreshments served
*We are honored to welcome Eric Lindstrom, an Assistant Professor at the University of Vermont where he teaches courses primarily on Romantic Literature and Critical Theory. He is the author of Romantic Fiat(2011), and is currently working on a study of Austen’s canny relation to philosophical developments since her time, tentatively titled “Jane Austen and Other Minds.”
Eric Lindstrom
Please Join Us!
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**Upcoming in 2012 ~ see blog for details and mark your calendars!** June 3: Brooklyn College Professor Rachel Brownstein on her book Why Jane Austen? Sept. 23: Author Elsa Solender on her book Jane Austen in Love: An Entertainment Dec. 2: Annual Birthday Tea with Paul Monod of Middlebury College on
“The Royal Navy in the Age of Nelson, 1775-1815”
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I will be shortly posting more information on Sanditon – its publishing history and criticism, and the continuations, and various links. But please try to read this short fragment for the meeting – we promise lively discussion, but thankfully no quizzes! – think about how Austen might have completed this last work – who is the heroine, the hero? what was she trying to convey about the seaside? – many thoughts to consider, so bring your questions and ideas!
JASNA-Vermont celebrated in style this past Sunday at our annual Jane Austen Birthday Tea. As always, a delicious repast of afternoon tea goodies catered by Champlain Collegewith additional tasty holiday cookies by various JASNA members, made for a lovely afternoon of food and Austen conversation.
This year in celebration of the Bicentenary of Sense & Sensibility, we welcomed Rebecca McLaughlin, lecturer at the University of Vermont, as she shared her insights on “A Second Chance for Sense and Sensibility ~ Marianne as Heroine.”
Marianne Dashwood 1995 - Kate Winslet
As part of the course offered at UVM Austen: Page and Film**, McLaughlin presented an interesting and insightful look at Sense and Sensibility from the standpoint of Marianne as the Heroine [which then of course makes Colonel Brandon the true Romantic Hero!, with which I heartily concur!], backing up all her views with text examples, scholarly interpretation, and film clips from the various adaptations. This year we had the advantage of sitting at eight tables of eight with all engaged in lively discussion and much laughter as McLaughlin, in true college style, prompted us with questions and a quiz! *
those who dressed for the occasion!
I think all there would agree that it was one of our best teas to date, the table arrangement being a great hit and Rebecca’s presentation one to remember – I do know that she has certainly prompted many to re-read their S&S with renewed vigor and plan into the night movie marathons of all six film adaptations! *** and perhaps even sign up for her next class, sure proof that Jane Austen is alive and well in Vermont!
The CAKE!
A thank you to all who so generously helped with baking and at the event – I could not do it without you, and mostly to Janeite Marcia for her work as Hospitality Maven, Treasurer and Keeper of the Mailing List! – and a hearty THANK YOU to Champlain College for their generosity in providing the room for us, and their superb catering team. And finally, many thanks to Rebecca McLaughlin for sharing her love of Austen with us and making all feel like we were back in that ole’ college classroom, wondering whether to become English majors or not!
Alas! only a few pictures – with thanks to Janeite Margaret for adding to my very few taken – I need to remember to TAKE PICTURES at these things, especially of the Tea Table….
JASNA Members Hope and Marcia
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* Sense and Sensibility Quiz: [scroll to the end for answers, but no cheating!]
1. What was the original title of the story that would become Sense and Sensibility?
a. Reason and Emotion
b. First Impressions
c. Second Attachments
d. Elinor and Marianne
2. How old is the story that we now know of as Sense and Sensibility?
a. 200 years
b. 195 years
c. 216 years
d. 225 years
3. Originally, the story was written in letters; this style of novel is known as which of the following?
a. realist novel
b. epistolary novel
c. sensation novel
d. epic novel
4. Although revised from its original form, how many complete letters may be found within Sense and Sensibility?
a. none
b. three
c. six
d. ten
5. Which of the following is the narration style Austen uses in Sense and Sensibility?
a. first-person narration
b. third-person omniscient narration
c. stream-of-consciousness narration
d. all of the above
6. Which of the following characters notices that Edward is wearing a ring with a lock of hair in it when he visits Barton?
a. Mrs. Dashwood
b. Mrs. Jennings
c. Marianne
d. Elinor
7. How much is Colonel Brandon’s estate, Delaford, worth (in pounds)?
a. 2000
b. 1000
c. 600
d. 5000
8. Which of the following represents Marianne’s favorite maxim, or saying, within Sense and Sensibility?
a. always think of oneself first
b. you can only love once
c. money is everything
d. nature is man’s place of worship
[S&S Quiz, @2011 Rebecca McLaughlin and printed with permission]
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**The course at UVM: Austen: Page and Film will be offered online in the Summer 2012 semester. Course description:
Women’s & Gender Studies: Austen: Page and Film [WGST 095 OL1 : 3 Credit Hours ]
After nearly two centuries in print, Jane Austen’s works continue to enthrall us, whether in their original form or in the numerous television and film adaptations created since 1938. This course examines the role Austen played during her own time as well as the role she continues to play within our contemporary cultural imagination by analyzing four of Austen’s novels (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, MansfieldPark, and Emma) and by viewing faithful adaptations, reinterpretations and modernizations of each novel. We begin by placing each novel within its social and historical context, by defining themes that may help explain Austen’s modern appeal, and by creating our own vision of the action and characters. We then turn to the adaptations and investigate the historical moment of production, analyze changes to script and character, and think about how prose fiction differs from film in an attempt to understand the screenwriter’s choices and our current love of anything Austen. Course requirements include lively participation via blogs, reading quizzes, and a final written assignment.
Instructor: Rebecca McLaughlin, Lecturer, UVM Dept of English.
May 21, 2012 to June 29, 2012. Location: Online Course
You are Cordially Invited to JASNA-Vermont’s December Meeting
~ The Annual Jane Austen Birthday Tea! ~
In celebration of the Bicentenary of Sense & Sensibility (1811)
Rebecca McLaughlin*
A Second Chance for ‘Sense & Sensibility’: Marianne as Heroine
Is S & S not your favorite Austen novel? ~
Using the composition history of Sense & Sensibility, Austen’s biography, S&S film adaptations, and the novel text, McLaughlin argues that Marianne is the true Heroine of Austen’s first novel!
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~ Traditional English Afternoon Tea ~
Sunday, 4 December 2011, 2 – 5 p.m.
Champlain College, Hauke Conference Center,
375 Maple St Burlington VT
$20. / person ~ $5. / student RSVPs required! ~ Register by 25 Nov 2011
~ Regency Period or Afternoon Tea finery encouraged! ~
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*We are honored to welcome Rebecca McLaughlin, a life member of JASNA [she wrote her MA thesis on Jane Austen in 2000], and now a Lecturer in the Department of English at UVM, where she frequently teaches an online ‘Austen: Page & Film’ course.
~ Upcoming in 2012 ~ March 25: UVM Professor Eric Lindstrom on “How to Love Sanditon” June 3: Brooklyn College Professor Rachel Brownstein on her new book Why Jane Austen?
Hope to see some of you there!
Copyright @2011 Deb Barnum of Jane Austen in Vermont
For those who did not go to the AGM [and for those who did because the sound was flawed] – here is the video previewing the upcoming AGM in New York City next October [via Kerri]: http://jasna.org/agms/newyork/video/
“The Making of a Homemaker” – a Smithsonian Institution online exhibition about the domestic guidebooks written for the 19th century American housewife: many images
Image: Mrs. Lydia Green Abell. The Skillful Housewife’s Book: or Complete Guide to Domestic Cookery, Taste, Comfort and Economy. New York: R. T. Young, 1853.
Articles of Interest
Gemmill, Katie. “Jane Austen as Editor: Letters on Fiction and the Cancelled Chapters of Persuasion.” ECF 24.1 (2011): 105-122
Persuasion, An Annotated Edition, edited by Robert Morrison [in the same series as the Annotated Pride and Prejudice edited by Patricia Myers Spacks] – http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?recid=31301
I think I might weigh in after reading it myself – I thoroughly enjoyed the Hodge biography…
If you have read Bill Bryson’s At Home and Amanda Vickery’s Behind Closed Doors [and etc. regarding her titles] – and need another fix for your domestic matters obsessions, here is a must-have: If Walls Could Talk by Lucy Worsley [image US and UK cover: note that it is not available in the US until 2/2012 and has a different cover] – Ms. Worsley recently aired her Elegance and Decadence, The Age of the Regency on BBC4, also not available here until when ?? [though it is available for streaming, on youtube, etc.] [makes one want to abandon the colonies for good and head to the mothership?]
“Britain leaves us awed by ancient castles, ruins and museums. History pours out a legacy of battles, a developing monarchy, a structured class system, court-inspired behaviors and fashions, artwork and writings that have created an international hoard of Anglophiles. From among them have come forth those who feel that they must fuel the fire. Welcome to the happy home of English Period Authors. We have come together to share, inspire and celebrate and to reach out to our cherished readers.”
“What links Jane Austen, John Nash, Humphry Repton and Blaise Hamlet?” at the Georgian Gentleman blog:
Thrifty Jane blog – interviews with various Austen characters, esp the “thrifty” sort! [i.e. Mrs. Norris, Lucy Steele, Lady C, etc…] http://thriftyjane.wordpress.com/
Any interest in English Handwriting?? – here is an amazing online course for free – makes me want to dig out my old calligraphy pens and settle in for a winter class!:
Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome: this exhibit was at the Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth, but I was unfortunately unable to go – Laurel Ann at Austenprose did see it on the Sunday as she was leaving later than me – she said I must buy the book, so here you go, another lovely art book to peruse: http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300170726
DESCRIPTION: Have you ever read a mystery where the heroine sounds like
an oversexed gangster? Or a romance where the hero sounds more like a
girlfriend than a man? Chances are, the oversexed heroine was created by
a male author; the tender, emotional hero by a woman. Men and women
think, act, and talk differently – which causes problems for writers
who are trying to create characters of the opposite sex. Learn about the
most common gender differences, and use them to create believable
characters of the opposite sex. (And along the way, you may get some
great ideas about how to deal with your husband, boyfriend, boss, big
brother, or other assorted males — or for the first time, understand
what’s really going on inside the head of your wife, girlfriend, mom…)
Fee: $20 CRW Members; $25 Non-CRW Members. FMI about the workshops or
speakers, or to register: http://crw-rwa.ning.com
Sage and other variants were very fashionable during the Regency period as a green dye that did not fade or darken was invented. However, it was literaly the colour to die for – the pigment contained a poisonous copper arsenic compound!
Plum is a much nicer word than ‘Puce’, which was popular in the Regency period. The purplish pink shade was named after the French word for ‘Flea’ as it resembled the shade of the blood sucking insect after a meal. Yuck!
Teal and shades of blue were also in demand. In Jane Austen’s time dyes were expensive, pigments made of natural substances and the resulting hues rather muted compared to our modern artificial dyes, hence this lovely soft shade of teal would have been considered as being quite bright!
[from the Jane Austen Centre website]
[sage, plum and teal being my favorite colors – I knew I was born in the wrong century!]
For Fun
A joke on twitter – Victorian London:
“Why are a chimney sweep and a bugler good partners at cards?
One can follow soot, the other can trumpet.” joke, 1884
Registration for the 2011 AGM in Fort Worth Texas is now open. You must be a member of JASNA to participate, so what better time to join than now, when you can head off into the sunset with all new thoughts about Sense and Sensibility [and perhaps a Col. Brandon by your side!] – check out all the events at the AGM website here as JASNA celebrates the 200th anniversary of Austen’s first published novel:
You are Cordially Invited to JASNA-Vermont’s March Meeting
~Jane Austen’s London in Fact & Fiction ~
with Suzanne Boden* & Deborah Barnum**
Jane Austen and London! ~ Why did she go & How did she get there? ~ Where did she stay & What did she do? ~ Was it a ‘Scene of Dissipation & Vice’ or a place of lively ‘Amusement’ filled with Shopping, the Theatre, Art Galleries & Menageries? ~ And her fiction? ~ How does Mr. Darcy know where to find Lydia and Wickham? And Why does nearly everyone in Sense & Sensibility go to Town? To find out all this & more absolutely essential Austen biographical & geographical trivia, please…
Join Us for a Visual Tour of Regency London!
*****
Sunday, 27 March 2011, 2 – 4 p.m.
Champlain College, Hauke Conference Center, 375 Maple St Burlington VT
Free & Open to the Public
Light refreshments served
Suzanne & Deb will share their mutual love of London! ~ *Suzanne Boden is the well-traveled proprietress of The Governor’s House in Hyde Park, where she regularly holds Jane Austen Weekends: http://www.onehundredmain.com/ ; **Deb Barnum is the owner of Bygone Books, a shop of fine used & collectible books, the Regional Coordinator for the Vermont Region of JASNA, author of the JASNA-Vermont blog, and compiler of the annual Jane Austen Bibliography.
Upcoming: June 5: A Lecture & Organ Recital on ‘The Musical World of Jane Austen’ with Professor William Tortolano. At Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier. See blog for details.
[Image: Blackfriars Bridge, 1802. The City of London. London: The Times, circa 1928, facing p. 192]
Copyright @2011, by Deb Barnum, at Jane Austen in Vermont
You are Cordially Invited to JASNA-Vermont’s March Meeting
~Jane Austen’s London in Fact & Fiction ~
with Suzanne Boden* & Deborah Barnum**
Jane Austen and London! ~ Why did she go & How did she get there? ~ Where did she stay & What did she do? ~ Was it a ‘Scene of Dissipation & Vice’ or a place of lively ‘Amusement’ filled with Shopping, the Theatre, Art Galleries & Menageries? ~ And her fiction? ~ How does Mr. Darcy know where to find Lydia and Wickham? And Why does nearly everyone in Sense & Sensibility go to Town? To find out all this & more absolutely essential Austen biographical & geographical trivia, please…
Join Us for a Visual Tour of Regency London!
*****
Sunday, 27 March 2011, 2 – 4 p.m.
Champlain College, Hauke Conference Center, 375 Maple St Burlington VT
Free & Open to the Public
Light refreshments served
Suzanne & Deb will share their mutual love of London! ~ *Suzanne Boden is the well-traveled proprietress of The Governor’s House in Hyde Park, where she regularly holds Jane Austen Weekends: http://www.onehundredmain.com/ ; **Deb Barnum is the owner of Bygone Books, a shop of fine used & collectible books, the Regional Coordinator for the Vermont Region of JASNA, author of the JASNA-Vermont blog, and compiler of the annual Jane Austen Bibliography.
Upcoming: June 5: A Lecture & Organ Recital on ‘The Musical World of Jane Austen’ with Professor William Tortolano. At Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier. See blog for details.
[Image: Blackfriars Bridge, 1802. The City of London. London: The Times, circa 1928, facing p. 192]
Copyright @2011, by Deb Barnum, at Jane Austen in Vermont
We are honored to welcome our Canadian neighbors and noted Austen scholars:
Elaine Bander
*Dr. Elaine Bander has recently retired from teaching English at Dawson College, Montreal
Peter Sabor
**Dr. Peter Sabor is the Canada Research Chair in 18th-Century Studies and Director of the Frances Burney Centre at McGill University.
Upcoming in 2011 ~ March 27: ‘Jane Austen’s London in Fact and Fiction’ with Suzanne Boden & Deb Barnum June 5: A Lecture & Concert on the ‘Music of Jane Austen’s World’ with Prof. William Tortolano
at Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier
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Other Events of note:
December 1, 7pm ~ Newport, VT: Vermont Humanities Council First Wednesday Lecture:
Dartmouth professor emeritus James Heffernan will discuss the use of the fairy tale in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice in a talk at Goodrich Memorial Library in Newport on December 1. His talk, “In Want of a Wife: Romance and Realism in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice,” is part of the Vermont Humanities Council’s First Wednesdays lecture series and takes place at 7:00 p.m.
In the history of literature, Jane Austen is typically considered a realist of social relations—and yet Pride and Prejudice remains perennially popular because it incorporates a potent feature of the fairy tale: it fulfills the fondest wishes of its poor and not conspicuously beautiful heroine. Heffernan will show how Austen reconstructs the fairy tale within the framework of social realism. Heffernan is Professor of English, Emeritus and Frederick Sessions Beebe ’35 Professor in the Art of Writing at Dartmouth College. Author of numerous books and articles and lecturer for The Teaching Company, he has lectured around the world.
*Please bring a chair or blanket, an umbrella for the sun [or a bonnet!], and a picnic lunch if you wish [desserts and ice teas will be provided]
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• Upcoming Events: [please contact us to be on our mailing list]
September 26: JASNA President Marsha Huff on “Viewing Austen through Vermeer’s Camera Obscura” [Champlain College] December 5: Annual Birthday Tea with Professor Peter Sabor on the Juvenilia and Prof. Elaine Bander on Mr. Darcy [Champlain College] March 27, 2011: “Jane Austen’s London in Fact and Fiction” w/ Suzanne Boden & Deb Barnum [Champlain College] June 5, 2011: A Concert with William Tortolano at Vermont College of Fine Arts
Jane Austen in Vermont 