 |
 |
            |
|
|
|
|
|
Jane Austen Society of Australia
JASA News
|
Susannah Fullerton |
|
 |
|
News, Views & Titbits– Emma on stage! – Pemberley in Sri Lanka – Latent Eroticism in Jane Austen
Jane’s fascination is unending! |
|
|
|
 Australian Frances O'Connor as Fanny in a new production of Mansfield Park. |
– Mansfield Park on screen We are told that release date in Australia for this has finally been set at 5 November with, as you know, Australian Frances O’Connor as Fanny . According to an article in the Chicago Evening Standard by Sarah Shannon, reported in JASNA’s Letter from Chicago from the energetic Margo Goia, Fanny is transformed into: |
|
|
The 1999 JASA Country Weekend ~ Morpeth, NSWPamela Whalan waxes philosophical about our March Country Weekend at Morpeth, in the NSW Hunter Valley. In Australia, there exist buildings constructed during Jane Austen’s lifetime and shortly after her death which reflect the aesthetics and lifestyle of Georgian England. The JASA weekend in Morpeth in mid March gave us an opportunity to understand something of that Georgian experience. The lectures were conducted in the beautifully proportioned rooms of Closebourne, the main building of the St John’s Conference Centre, and the formal dinner was partaken of in the elegant Aberglasslyn, designed by the colonial architect John Verge, so we had a chance to identify with those who lived at the beginning of the 19th century. Aberglasslyn is a magnificent 1840 mansion, being lovingly and stunningly restored by its present owners, whose appreciation for and knowledge of the building, its style and its history, is most impressive. A few of our members actually stayed in the mansion for the weekend, and report surroundings of real beauty – typical Verge detail in the beautiful timbered floors and architraves; the magnificent circular staircase, strongly reminiscent of those in Verge’s Elizabeth Bay House; extraordinarily high and beautiful ceilings, and a glorious view over the river and the green fields to wake up to in the morning. Mind you, those of us who drew the short straw of the upper bunk in the accommodation of the Conference Centre felt little in common with the original owners of the estate, but perhaps understood something of the difficulties of life encountered by servants and convicts of the early colony. Morpeth was an inspired choice for a weekend devoted to the study of Jane Austen’s Life & Letters, because one felt a deeper understanding of the period just by sitting in the assembly room before the conference actually began. And when the videos, presentations and discussions began we were even more engrossed in the works and times of Miss Austen. On the Friday evening we saw an interesting video on her life and work – a comprehensive interview with biographer David Nokes (not particularly popular in our circle!), which proved to be articulate, balanced, informed and interesting – but sensibly did not have a long formal programme. This allowed recovery time for those who had negotiated the traffic nightmare of the Friday evening exodus from Sydney. The video provided stimulation and guidance for informal discussion on the topic for the weekend, and the early conclusion of the formal part of the evening also gave the bridge aficionados, the chocaholics and the party animals time to find each other out. The Saturday morning session was most interesting. Nine members had each been delegated to report on a biography, thus we had a brief resumé of nine different biographies, and the readers’ evaluation of them. My favourite evaluation was Lyn Drabsch dramatically dropping David Nokes’ heavy tome from a great height – actions can speak louder than words. The post-lunch sessions of a conference can often be an excuse for people to catch up on sleep, but on this occasion we were divided into groups to devise (preferably fiendish) questions on Austen’s life and works which tested the knowledge of the assembly. The session quickly became very noisy, and there was a great deal of hilarity. Dinner at Aberglasslyn was a highlight. It is tempting to say that this sandstone mansion is in the middle of nowhere, until you stand on the terrace, sip your champagne, and allow your eyes to wander over the peaceful, pastoral beauty of the Hunter Valley. This is definitely somewhere, not nowhere. Many of us took the opportunity to wear our Regency finery, and it did look appropriate in that elegant setting. For a few hours, it was easy to pretend we were in another world, in another time. Some took the opportunity to stroll down the tree-lined avenue from our sleeping quarters to the local Anglican church on Sunday morning to join in the service. As an added bonus it was Mothering Sunday, and all of us, whether mothers or not, were treated to a piece of simnel cake as we left the church. During the Sunday morning session we discussed Miss Austen’s letters, and this discussion was helped by playing taped excerpts of readings from the letters. When a letter written just before her death was read to conclude the session, all of us were moved, and it was as well that morning tea followed immediately as it gave us some time to compose ourselves for the rest of the day and journey home. Morpeth is a pretty town, close enough to Sydney to be accessible and full of historic interest. It was a charming setting for our weekend in the country, and the committee organised a programme full of information, variety and interest. Pamela Whalan
Abberglasslyn, with some elegantly attired JASA members |
 A hypothetical map of Highbury, including part of the Parish of Donwell. From Jane Austen’s Emma. 1995. Penny Gay.
From Neckclothitania or Tietania, being an essay on Starchers, by One of the Cloth, published by J.J. Stockdale, Sept. 1st. 1818, engraved by George Cruikshank. |
|
Emma's Men – Study DayPresented by Pamela Whalan and Kerry-Anne O’Sullivan, this most successful day is reported by Devika Brendon. Jane Austen’s novels are often seen as women’s books. This Study Day gave us a guided tour of Highbury from a different perspective: another look at the men in Emma. During the day, we were encouraged, using study guides, puzzles and crosswords, to think about the men in the novel from a number of different perspectives. The Emma's Men crossword used to ‘entertain’ us over lunch is reproduced on this website. Only if you MUST, refer to the crossword solution. From a few descriptive lines written in the first person, we guessed the identities of men in Who am I?; identified the paths and routes taken through Highbury by various characters in the course of the novel on Penny Gay’s map of the village (91KB); selected the phrases, in varying degrees of formality and informality, that Robert Martin would have used in his letter proposing to Harriet Smith; matched certain cravat styles to the characters of the men who would wear them; considered the probable sources of education of the men in Highbury; evaluated the essential qualities of a true gentleman; considered the different spheres in which each man would have lived and worked; and discussed what kind of lifestyle choices a chosen character would make if he were alive today; and wrote a job description for him. All these activities, conducted in groups around tables of ten or so, gave us detailed insight into the characters of men whom we had previously perhaps forgotten, overlooked or taken for granted in the process of reading the novel. We had a lot of fun discussing and debating the answers and the meanings of clues, and comparing our stores of knowledge with each other. The result was that we saw so much more of the complexity of Jane Austen’s art in her portraits of the lesser-known characters that people the world of Highbury. Devika Brendon |
 |
|
Mrs. Goddard's SchoolA new group for younger Jane Austen enthusiasts. What was it like to live in the world of Jane Austen?? What did they wear, what games did they play? If you know children who are 6–14 and would enjoy activities bringing Jane Austen’s period to life in a very practical way, as well as finding out more about Regency Games that Jane played with her nephews and nieces, read about Mrs. Goddard’s School. Jane Austen in SchoolsIn response to many enquiries, the Society is putting together a resource kit for students on Jane Austen. We would love to have input from teachers on students’ needs. If you can help, please ring Yvette Field on 9498 4369, or Susannah Fullerton on 9380 5894 or email info@jasa.net.au JASA Limerick CompetitionIf you haven’t time to enter the Writing Competition, dash off a limerick for us! To help, we show you a couple written by Irene Dias of The Ohio Chapter of JASNA.
CAN YOU DO BETTER? Our Patron, Emeritus Professor Yasmine Gooneratne also provided this one for us:
Competition open to JASA members only. Send your entries to: Susannah Fullerton 26 Macdonald Street Paddington, 2021 Deadline: 30 September 1999 Prize: $30.00 Book Token |
|
|
Other Places, Other SocietiesFor contact details of other Jane Austen societies and links to other Jane Austen web sites see LINKS. Kent – Jane Austen CountryA member writes to JASA from Kent: Dear Jane Austen Fans ‘Down-Under’, I live in an area rich in Jane Austen links. The county of Kent is right in the corner of south-east England, close to the coast of France, and it was from this country that Jane’s paternal ancestors came (near Tunbridge Wells, a beautiful Georgian town and well worth a visit if you are ever in England). However, I would like to concentrate on the Canterbury area, particularly two small villages, Goodnestone (pronounced ‘Gunstun’ by the locals), and Godmersham. Goodnestone is about three miles away from where I live and contains Goodnestone Park, the home of the then Bridges family, into which Jane’s brother Edward married. Jane frequently visited this house and the biography by Claire Tomalin says:
The very same hall (1) and the outside of the house (2) are pictured here. When a meeting of our local society took place in the dining room of Goodnestone House, I had to keep reminding myself that this was the very room where Jane Austen danced!
The second village connected with Jane Austen, Godmersham, is about ten miles away. This, as I am sure you all know, was the house of Edward, Jane’s brother who was adopted by the Knight family and subsequently inherited all their goodies! It was he who married the daughter of the Bridges at Goodnestone. Godmersham was, and still is, a grand house. Claire Tomalin again:
Jane’s parents, and all of her brothers and their families, visited this house at frequent intervals. Cassandra often visited, Jane less often, as she and Elizabeth Knight did not get on particularly well. Unfortunately Godmersham House, being behind high brick walls, is not photographable today. The house had been used until recently for annual dinners by the Kent Jane Austen Society, but has since changed hands and this has stopped. We are hoping to persuade them to let us in again! I hope you will find interesting the photo of Godmersham Church (3), where Jane will have worshipped and where many of the Knight family are buried. Edward Knight also had these estate cottages (4) built for his workers (not at all unlike the architecture of Jane Austen’s House at Chawton), and you can just make out the initials E.K. over the doorway. There is a plaque inside the church to Susannah Sacktree, nurse to Edward’s children and a close friend of Jane. In fact, Jane seems to have got on better with her than with Elizabeth Knight! Jill Wiffen [The Jane Austen Society (UK) is having its conference in Kent on the weekend of 17-19 September, including exploring some Austen sites in the area. Speakers include such JA luminaries as Helen Lefroy, Deirdre Le Faye, Brian Southam and Nigel Nicolson. If you can be in England at that time, costs are very reasonable (only £160 for the whole weekend), and the programme looks excellent. Write to Alwyn Austen, 149 Bridge St, Wye, Ashford, Kent, TN25 5DP, phone 01233 812 650]
|
|
Jane Austen in Spain
When comparing the celebrated first sentence of Pride and Prejudice with one of its Spanish versions we cannot avoid the intricate question of translation. Is it possible to read and comprehend the novels of Jane Austen in a language other than English? Even for those with some knowledge of that language the obstacles are still great, many nuances and details are inevitably lost, and it remains certainly difficult to grasp her wit completely, her sense of humour, the complexity of her prose and the fine irony that pervades the texts. Actually, Jane Austen and her novels are fairly unknown in Spain, and the Regency period in England is rather unfamiliar too – the Victorian age and aesthetics are more recognised. There is also not much information or criticism available in Spanish about the times or the works of Jane Austen beyond academic circles. However, all six of the novels together with Sanditon and the Juvenilia have been translated into Spanish: Amor y Amistad, Sentido y Sensibilidad (also translated as Juicio y Sentimiento, Sentido Común y Sensibilidad or Razón y Sentimiento), Orgullo y Prejuicio, Mansfield Park (or En el Parque Mansfield in earlier versions), Emma, Persuasión and La Abadía de Northanger. Some of these are so ‘domesticated’ or localised that they transform Elizabeth Bennet into Isabel, Lady Catherine into Lady Catalina and Jane Bennet to Juana; others, on the contrary, even observe Austen’s use of capital letters in some nouns and adjectives. However, thanks to the ‘Austen Renaissance’ in the film industry, a new interest in Jane Austen and her works has arisen. It is still true that the recent adaptations based on her novels are more popular than the novels themselves, but there is no doubt that they are getting the much wider readership they deserve since this fad began, and paperback editions of all the novels are being issued since the film versions of Sense and Sensibility and Emma – not so much for Persuasion – proved to be commercial successes. Unfortunately, the acclaimed A&E’s Pride and Prejudice and Emma have not been shown on Spanish televisions. Furthermore, Claire Tomalin’s biography, which has just appeared, will doubtless introduce Spanish readers into the little known life and personality of the author, generally associated in encyclopaedias with the traditional view of a spinster writing anonymously and living an uneventful life within the limits of a small and self-enclosed world, with an extraordinary gift for comedy and satire who parodied the sentimental fiction of the age and whose novels are invariably concerned with the topics of courtship, love and marriage. The educational approach, on the other hand, is really narrow, since Jane Austen’s novels, and English literature in general, are not normally on the curriculum at secondary schools, where Spanish literature is mainly taught – with the possible exception of some Shakespearean tragedies – although some abridged editions of literature written in English are required to be read for the English class. I have come to read Austen’s novels at University, where some of her works (especially Pride and Prejudice) are of course included in the English Literature syllabi. Nonetheless, while in other countries studies on Jane Austen are certainly prominent and much has been said through the years, in Spain only three PhD Dissertations on her novels were defended from 1976 to 1998 and very few books and articles on her work can be found. For me, Austen was not only a most interesting find, but is also the subject of both my MA thesis and the doctoral dissertation on which I am currently working. Pilar Cristina Martín Higarza
Jane Austen Society of MelbourneThe Jane Austen Society of Melbourne meets on the last Saturday of February, April, June, August and October at 1.30 pm at the English-Speaking Union, 146 West Toorak Road, South Yarra. Each year our programme is designed around a particular theme. For 1999 the theme is Exteriors: Jane Austen and the World Around Her. For our February meeting five members of the planning committee presented a thumbnail description of the historical background to Jane Austen’s life and novels, concentrating on subjects like the East India Company, politics, wars, the Industrial Revolution and Enclosures. In April we were delighted to hear a talk by George Tibbits, retired Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Architecture at Melbourne University on Domestic Architecture in Jane Austen’s England illustrated with some wonderful slides. We are looking forward in June to hearing our Past President Carla Hawley speak on Reconciling the Writings of Jane Austen and in August we will have Richard Heathcote, Manager of Ripponlea House (a magnificent National Trust property) talking to us about Mr Gilpin, Mr Repton and the Landscaping of England. The year will be rounded off by The Fabric of Life by Andrea Richards, one of our members whom many of you met at the Morpeth weekend, who is also a member of the Embroiderers’ Guild. Some members may be interested in the forthcoming Melbourne Theatre Company’s performance of Pride and Prejudice, at the Victorian Arts Centre from 27 August to 2 October. The play is a stage adaptation by James Maxwell and was a hit for Dublin’s Gate Theatre Company. We have a group booking for the matinee at 4 pm on Saturday 25 September. If anyone will be in Melbourne that weekend, and wishes to come with us, tickets can be obtained from our Secretary Marjorie Marris at 58 Holyrood Street Hampton 3188 (tel. (03) 95986441) for $36.95. In addition to our bi-monthly meetings we are having during the alternate months group discussions on Sense and Sensibility, held in small groups at members’ homes. We ran our first series of group discussions last year on Northanger Abbey and they were a great success. Any visitors to Melbourne are most welcome to come to any of our meetings. Further information can be obtained from the Secretary Marjorie Marris on (03) 9598 6441. Or visit us at Jane Austen Society of Melbourne web site. Mercia Chapman
|
|
 |
|
News from Christchurch, New ZealandThe Adelaide branch of JASA contacted Ruth Williamson via e-mail earlier this year. It was good to hear how a different group in a different place has its own approach to the study and enjoyment of Jane Austen. Long may this process continue everywhere! Readers may be interested to know about an Austen connection here in Canterbury, NZ. Christene Evans’ copy of Early Canterbury Runs includes an account of a property on the south bank of the upper Selwyn River. Two of Jane Austen’s nephews, Arthur Charles and Richard C. Knight, acquired it in 1852 and named this station Steventon, after the village in Hampshire where Jane’s parents brought up their family. Sir John Hall, with whom the Knights sailed to New Zealand on the Samarang, noted in his diary that they were rather wild young men in those days. Early Canterbury Runs also notes that A C Knight, the elder of the two, had been in the Navy. The first homestead at Steventon was built on the bank of the river about two miles above Whitecliffs, nowadays about one hour’s drive from Christchurch. Richard Knight remained on the station until 1866, when he sold Steventon, with 80 acres of freehold, to two young settlers, Henry Hill and Frederick Napier Broome. This Mr Broome was none other than the second husband of Lady Barker, author of Station Life in New Zealand, a classic account of rural life on that property. Lady Barker is better known in Australia as Lady Broome, which title she adopted after her husband was knighted in 1884. By that time he was Governor of Western Australia and later held the same position in Trinidad. The Steventon property is a lasting reminder of a distinguished pioneering and literary heritage. We have also searched further afield for material relating to our favourite writer. We enjoy following the career paths of some of the actors in productions of JA’s novels, including Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth from the 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice. The latter made a most convincing villain in the current hit movie Shakespeare in Love, with screenplay written by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman. Colin Firth’s character shared almost nothing in common with the heroic Mr Darcy. Before too long Jennifer Ehle will also act a role created by Stoppard, in a new production of his play The Real Thing. We look forward to the upcoming screen adaptation of Mansfield Park with some trepidation: whispers of Fanny Price being pursued by Mary Crawford as well as by Henry Crawford suggest that some liberties have been taken with the novel. Naturally we must wait until we view it before making a judgement, but we do have difficulty seeing Fanny as a robust feminist prototype. We hope all will become clear once we see the film. An ongoing flow of information continues to arrive here from Christene’s penfriend Margo (Goia) from Chicago. She has sent on items on subjects as diverse as questions of property in Pride & Prejudice, the British Navy in JA’s lifetime, experiences arising from running Gala dinners for the Illinois/Indiana chapter of JASNA and most recently, news of a highly entertaining game so appealing that we include an outline here. Perhaps JASA members would also enjoy this exercise at their meetings: the object is for competing teams to use 15 minutes to devise three very clever but uncharacteristic statements for characters from JA’s novels. We all recall the game played at the Box Hill picnic in Emma when those present were invited to produce one thing very clever, two things moderately clever and three things very dull indeed. Each team works on pithy sayings before the results are shared with everyone. Some of the hilarious examples passed on by Margo included gems such Miss Bates saying ‘silence is golden,’ or ‘let me think before I answer you,’ and Mrs Norris asking ‘Why don’t we get a new wardrobe for Fanny?’ Moderately clever offerings most unlikely to have left Mrs Jennings’ lips were ‘I detest a party’ and ‘I think a girl should be at least 25 before she marries.’ Three things very dull indeed (never) said by Mrs Bennet were ‘Don’t marry; a girl ought to have a career. I’d rather my daughter marry a stable lad than a squire. Hold your tongue; you’re embarrassing me.’ With such great potential for entertainment, perhaps the best examples produced by JASA members could also be published in a future Newsletter for all to enjoy? [Now there’s a challenge and an invitation! Members do send your clever suggestions to the Society and we will publish them in the next Newsletter. Ed] Ruth Williamson and Christene Evans
Jane Austen in South AustraliaOur South Australian friends report… The Adelaide year is shaping up as a splendid and memorable one. When we looked at plans for speakers, we found we had over a year’s supply of passionate, in-depth subjects prepared by the members of the group. So it’s an active year. We have had JA and the value of money, Support givers and receivers in the characters, JA and science, In the steps of JA and a look at the area JA covered, Birthing Practices at the time of JA and what JA may have hung on her walls. We recently changed premises and to farewell our former home, we all did a piece of our favourite partings in the novels. With a large group present we didn’t come close to repeating the same partings. We have in place our Millenium Austen Bug. In December, we will each present our synopsis of the real end of Sanditon. If anyone is passing through Adelaide they are most welcome to visit. We meet on the third Saturday of every month except January, at 2.15 at The Catholic Centre, Jerningham St, North Adelaide. Best Wishes to all the Sydney group from the Adelaide Friends. Lynnaire Hawker
Brontë SocietyThe Brontë Society had an interesting session at its last meeting in May, when JASA member Irene Mannering spoke on Wuthering Heights on Stage & Screen, comparing three film versions of the same scene, from the Laurence Olivier, Timothy Dalton and Ralph Fiennes versions of Heathcliff. Their next meeting is at 2pm, Saturday 4 September, at New College, University of NSW, Kensington, on The Many Lives of Charlotte Brontë, with a variety of speakers including Susannah Fullerton and Christine Alexander. Do visit and enjoy this extra literary experience. The Brontë Society’s president in Australia, Dr Christopher Cooper, left in May to attend the AGM of the central English group held, over a whole weekend, not unnaturally in Hawarth. He will also be visiting Westminster Abbey for the 150th anniversary Memorial Service for Anne Brontë, and having tea in the House of Commons! The Brontë group here has taken giant steps forward in the last couple of years under his leadership. It is well worth your visiting and/or joining. Contact:
Jane Austen in PerthA small but enthusiastic group has recently developed in Perth to meet and discuss Jane’s works and times. Their first organised meeting watched and discussed the Kate Beckinsale Emma, and they plan further meetings every six weeks. Any Perth members interested in joining them should contact: Jill Reece |
 |
|
Letter from Chawton
Dear Friends I am writing this letter to you in May, one of the prettiest months of the year over here. All around Chawton the hedgerows are white with May blossom, the roadside verges are lined with Queen Anne’s Lace, and the woods are full of blue bells. I know I am waxing rather lyrical, but it really is beautiful just now, before the verges are mown so that we car drivers can see where we are going! We have a new gardener Celia, cousin of Ann, our Bookshop Manager, who is very keen to get some old varieties of plants established – something I always longed to do when I was Curator here, but somehow there was never enough time. She has dug a vegetable plot, and has sown modern varieties, just to see how they do in our rather chalky, stony soil, and all we have to do now is to nag Tom (Curator Tom Carpenter) into watering them! Late last summer, the south of England’s Meridian Television company filmed their gardening programme, Grass Roots, in our garden. I have to admit that I was horrified when they asked to come, because at that time of year the garden is just green, hardly a flower to be seen. However, never daunted, I rushed round to all the local garden centres and bought up any plants they had that would still be in flower in late August – this is known as ‘instant gardening’ and ‘cheating’, but what else could I do? Then of course, we had a sudden heat-wave, so I had to plant them all out in the cool of the mornings and evenings. When I told the Producer about the plants which Jane mentions in the novels and in her letters, they wanted to give us a Moor Park apricot tree (you remember, in Mansfield Park, when Mrs Norris and Dr Grant squabbled over the quality of its fruit?). After phoning around far and wide, I eventually located one, container-grown and already trained, just a few miles away. On the day of the filming, the presenter, Roddy Llewellyn, showed me the ‘surprise’ they had for us, and I had to look suitably astonished. Then they dressed me up as Mrs Austen, gardening in her smock – which was too short, so I ended up, on television, in my long cotton nightie with the smock on top of it – the things I do for Jane! Over 700 visitors came to see the programme being filmed. Part of the event is for people to bring their gardening problems and receive advice from the Grass Roots team, and some of them are filmed asking their questions, hence the enormous popularity of this television series. All 18 of our Stewards helped with crowd management, and it was a very happy day. The apricot tree, thank goodness, has survived the winter and even produced a couple of flowers this spring. To celebrate Jane’s birthday in December, we had a new event – Music and Mince Pies – held in the Drawing Room, when Dr Mike Parker played music from Jane’s own collection on his 1808 harp, and he also accompanied Miss Kathy McGrath, who had a lovely soprano voice. Possibly the last time anyone sang in that room, it was Jane herself! The pies were filled with Jane’s friend Martha Lloyd’s Lemon Mincemeat recipe, and they were so popular we will have to have twice as many this year. A more recent event took place up in London, on 29 April this year. The City of Westminster decided to place a Green Commemorative Plaque to Jane Austen on No.10 Henrietta Street, where Jane stayed occasionally with her brother Henry when he lived there in 1813 and 1814. Tom worked with Gillian Dawson, the Co-ordinator of the project, on the organisation of the event – quite a problem when 50 people and Jane’s own, newly-restored donkey carriage pulled by a real, live donkey (George) were going to descend on a narrow, busy London street! All went according to plan, Amanda Root (the actress who gave such a moving performance as Anne Elliot in the recent televised version of Persuasion) performed the ceremony of unveiling the plaque, and Cassandra Knight (a co-lateral descendant) said a few words too. Then we all wandered back to Covent Garden, where we had a sumptuous buffet lunch in the Theatre Museum. It was a very enjoyable, but tiring day. The Jane Austen Memorial Trust (which owns and administers the museum and cottage) has had several very generous gifts recently. One was a set of six original watercolour fashion plates, designed and painted by Rex Whistler for the costumes for the 1936 theatre production of Pride and Prejudice, with Celia Johnson as Elizabeth. They can be seen in our Costume Room, and will be rotated two at a time, to preserve them. Another very interesting acquisition is a collection of copies of live-sized silhouettes of Jane’s brother Edward’s son William and six of William’s children. These will be displayed in The Granary, our lecture room. 1999 is the Jane Austen Memorial Trust’s Jubilee Year – the cottage was opened as a museum in July 1949. To mark the event, we have produced a book with reproductions of a selection of the drawings by Hugh Thomson for the 1894 edition of Pride and Prejudice, with a short biography of this remarkable artist. Over the years, so many of our visitors have asked for copies of these drawings (we own the printer’s proofs and they are on display) that we decided it would be a nice way to celebrate our 50 years, and the firm who publish our guide book, Jarrold’s of Norwich, have produced a really attractive book, which we are selling in our bookshop (plug!). With very best wishes to you all. Jean Bowden |
|
|
|
 |
|
1999 JASNA Tour of Jane Austen's EnglandVery soon (21 June to 2 July 1999), with one other Australian and eight Americans, I will be travelling to England to take part in JASNA’s third tour of Jane Austen’s England. The theme of the tour is Jane Austen: Pastimes and Pleasures, so as well as visiting Jane’s home towns of Steventon, Bath, Chawton and Winchester, we will see places she visited such as Lyme Regis and London, as well as other places in Hampshire. For two solid weeks, the ten of us will immerse ourselves in Jane’s ‘pastimes and pleasures.’ Each day we will be doing something exciting and uniquely Jane Austen, whether it may be a dramatic script reading at Lyme Regis or touring the Assembly Rooms in Bath. Some of the things that I am particularly looking forward to include a night of English Country dancing, luncheon at Ibthorpe House and seeing Jennifer Ehle (alias Elizabeth Bennet) in the flesh in Tom Stoppard’s play – The Real Thing. As I write, there are only a few weeks to go until we leave, the excitement is definitely growing – this is also my first trip to England, and I know it will be a once in a lifetime experience. For anyone who loves Jane Austen and her work as much as I do, the JASNA Tour or any other future tour to Jane Austen’s England is a must and something I would surely recommend to anyone! Felicity Schubert [Felicity and Anne Harbers, the other lucky ‘tourer’ will tell us about the tour after the event.] |
|
||
|
||
|
  Regency FairThe newly instituted Regency Fair carries items specifically for Janeites, from all around the world: they are listed here for the convenience of those who can’t actually attend JASA meetings. Indulge yourself! To order, contact: Susannah Fullerton Postage will be charged for items sent by mail.
Juvenilia
|
|
|
|
|
|
FEEDBACK: info@jasa.net.au 1 July 1999 What's New | About Jane | About JASA | JASA News | Sensibilities | Calendar | Conference | Book Reviews | JASA Library | Writing Competition | Mrs Goddard's School | Regency Fair | LINKS |
