"Teapots: A Spoonful of History"--December Meeting Information

An Invitation to

The Middle Tennessee JASNA December Meeting

on

Sunday, December 12, 2010

2:00-4:00

Featuring

A Presentation by Yvonne Boyer

"Teapots: A Spoonful of History--

An Infusion of Imagery, Brewed for Your

JASNA Afternoon Delight"

Hosted by Paula Covington

907 Estes Road

Douglas Murray and Rachel DeVore Fogarty Discuss New Opera: "Persuasion"

Austen fans will be glad to know that as part of Belmont University's annual Fall Symposium, two Belmont professors will discuss their collaboration in shaping a new opera from Austen's novel Persuasion.  Austen's final novel, Persuasion (1817), depicts a culture clash between two communities: the aristocracy and the new meritocracy of the British Navy. The novel's heroine, Anne Elliot, is caught between these two communities: a world dying and one waiting to be born. On Saturday, October 30, Douglas Murray and Rachel DeVore Fogarty will discuss how they will present these communities in their opera in progress.  This program will be held from 3:00-4:00 pm in the Neely Black and White Dining Room (First floor, in the building contiguous to the Belmont Mansion, to the East)

For more information on all the Belmont Symposium sessions, go to:

http://www.belmont.edu/cas/pdf/2010_humanities_symposium_mailer.pdf

"Pride and Prejudice" at Vanderbilt

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen premieres at Neely Auditorium at Vanderbilt University for a one-week run on Oct. 7.

Jane Austen’s beloved novel, adapted by Joseph Hanreddy and J.R. Sullivan, is transformed for the stage in this acclaimed adaptation.  The world of romantic complications takes center stage as the lively heroine Elizabeth Bennett and the high-born, handsome Mr. Darcy dance their way to comic completion.




“What makes Austen still compelling in this day and age? To this question one can only point to the obvious: love never goes out of style and, despite the difficulty of present times, we still yearn to believe that love is possible even in the midst of seemingly insurmountable circumstances,” says Terryl Hallquist, director of Pride and Prejudice and associate professor of theatre.  “And, like it or not, the human condition is fraught with personal prides and prejudices.  Whether we recognize them and grow beyond them is a pursuit worthy of our constant study and attention.”



Pride and Prejudice will be performed at 8 p.m. on Oct. 7, 8 and 9 and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 9 and 10.  Admission is $10 for the general public, $7 for graduate and professional students and free for undergraduates with Vanderbilt identification.  Tickets may be reserved by calling (615) 322-2404.

Christine Shih Leads October JASNA Program

Chrisitine Shih at Chawton House Library last July for the "New Directions in Austen Studies" Conference

Program:  "Monsters: Perspectives of Jane Austen, Ann Radcliffe and Emily Bronte"

Presenter:  Christine Shih

Date and Time:  Sunday October 17 from 2:00-4:00 pm

Location:  Home of Judy Isaac, 1241 Cliftee Drive, Brentwood, TN

Attendees are encouraged to bring desserts, fruit, scones, tea sandwiches, etc. for High Tea beginning at 2:00 pm

Middle Tennessee JASNA Members will get a special "preview" on October 17 of a paper that Christine Shih has been asked to present at JASNA's Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Portland, Oregon. The following is a synopsis of Christine's paper entitled "Monsters: Perspectives of Jane Austen, Ann Radcliffe and Emily Bronte": 
 

"This essay concentrates on the shared experiences of the three authors Austen, Radcliffe and Emily Bronte. The “monster within their respective creations of Northanger Abbey, The Mysteries of Udolpho and Wuthering Heights was found within each author’s individual family life and brought to the novel with empirically consistent use of characterization. The characters of General Tilney, Signora Laurentini and Heathcliff, along with others, are brought together to describe the striking behavioral interactions with the author and the parental figures in their home life. A larger implication is drawn from the association of these works with many other novels from the eighteenth century to today, with the connection existing in each work to characterizations that describe Borderline Personality Disorder. I utilize an interdisciplinary approach to this essay by drawing from studies in medicine/nursing, diagnostics, philosophy, literature, psychology/psychotherapy and the discipline of parenting."

"Someone's Been Messing with Fanny"

"Ever wondered what it would have been like if Jane Austen had turned her hand to murder?

Murder at Mansfield Park takes Austen’s masterpiece and turns it into a riveting murder story worthy of PD James or Agatha Christie. Just as in many classic English detective mysteries, this new novel opens with a group of characters in a country house setting, with passions running high, and simmering tensions beneath the elegant Regency surface. The arrival of the handsome and debonair Henry Crawford and his sister forces these tensions into the open, and sparks a chain of events that leads inexorably to violence and death.

Beautifully written, with an absolute faithfulness to the language in use at the time, Murder at Mansfield Park is both a good old-fashioned murder mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the very last page, and a sparklingly clever inversion of the original, which goes to the heart of many of the questions raised by Jane Austen’s text. Austen’s Mansfield Park is radically different from any of her other works, and much of the pleasure of Lynn Shepherd’s novel lies in the way it takes the characters and episodes in the original, and turns them into a lighter, sharper, and more playful book, with a new heroine at its centre – a heroine who owes far more to the lively and spirited Elizabeth Bennet, than the dreary and insipid Fanny Price.

A treat for Austen lovers and murder mystery aficionados alike."--Taken from Lynn Shepherd's Home Page.

Beth Patillo Enjoys a Jane Austen Walking Vacation

Walking tours have been popular for many years.  However "literary walking tours" seem to be "reaching their stride."  Local Nashville author Beth Patillo was recently interviewed  about her recent Jane Austen walking vacation by Julie Johnson, U.S. Operations Manager of The Wayfarers travel company.  Ms. Patillo discovered The Wayfarers travel company online when she was looking for Bronte-related tours. She missed the Bronte tour, but managed to get a place on the Austen tour!

For more information about Ms. Patillo's trip click here.

"Twilight of the Gods" Features Local JASNA Member-Caroline Davis

Click here for more information about "Twilight of the Gods"

A brilliant writer like Jane Austen would probably be first in line to buy her ticket to the opening of "Twilight of the Gods" a play debuting in Nashville later this month. In this new comedic thriller by Wes Driver and Greg Greene, historical figures such as Mark Twain, H.G. Wells, Annie Oakley, Friedrich Nietzsche and Florence Nightingale "convene, converse, and ultimately collide.


JASNA-TN member and local actress Caroline Davis is cast as Florence Nightingale in "Twilight of the Gods" which will be performed at the Shamblin Theater, on the Lipscomb University Campus.

Dates and times for performances are: August 6-7, 12-14, 20-21 (7:30 PM)

General Admission is $15.00 (Box Officew: 966-7111)

JASNA-NY Has an Official Costumer

For anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming a character in one of Jane Austen's novels, NY-JASNA member Maureen O'Connor has the solution you have been waiting for!  Maureen designs and makes Regency era costumes .  She will make a Regency day dress ($100) or evening dress ($150) to your measurements.  Moreover, she will donate the proceeds from each costume's sale to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) Fund for 2012!  It's a win-win situation for you and JASNA!

For complete information, Click here for details about Regency Dresses made to order

Finger Food and a Film for August JASNA Meeting

Due to high summer temperatures, the Middle Tennessee JASNA chapter will meet indoors at the home of Mildred Tilley on Sunday, Aug. 22 from 2:00-4:00 pm to enjoy light picnic fare and  view the 2008 version of "Sense and Sensibility." JASNA's summer even was originally to be an outdoor picnic at Cheekwood.  However, because of the weather, this outing has been postponed.  Watch for details about a possible future date!

Austen Festival in Louisville on July 10 and 11

SAVE THE DATE!

3rd Annual JANE AUSTEN FESTIVAL-JULY 10 & 11, 2010

HISTORIC LOCUST GROVE

LOUISVILLE, KY

www.locustgrove.org

Sponsored by: Greater Louisville Region, JASNA

www.jasnalouisville.com

REGENCY EMPORIUM

JANE AUSTEN BALL

AUTHOR KIM WILSON "IN THE GARDEN WITH JANE AUSTEN" AND "TEA WITH JANE AUSTEN"

FOUR COURSE AFTERNOON TEA SERVED BOTH DAYS!

TUSSIE MUSSIE WORKSHOP

Watch the website for new developments. Reservations for tea, ball and workshops begin mid-May. All sold-out last year so do not delay!

Assistance gladly given about traveling and local arrangements.

Contact Bonny Wise, Regional Coordinator

wises4@insightbb.com

Recent Literary Mashups: The Zombification of Pride and Prejudice

On May 16 members of the Middle TN JASNA group were introduced to the fairly recent phenomenon of literary mashups, specifically ones that parody some of Jane Austen's novels. The term "mashup" was discussed along with a discussion concerning the pros and cons of this genre. Mildred Tilley the discussion leader for this talk along with most of the JASNA members who were present, were definitely not enamored of this "new" genre!

Jane Austen Mashup Links:
Jane Bites Back Website
The Battle for Jane Austen by Laura Miller in SALON
Dawn of the Dreadfuls Press Release
Mansfield Park and Mummies Author Interview
Maureen Cavanaugh Interviews Dr. Linda Troost about Jane Austen Mashups (Really a Fine Interview!)
"Marvel" Gives Austen Fans Another Serving

Vandy Prof Morna O'Neill Enlightens and Entertains JASNA Group about Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire

Historical as well as cinematic depictions of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, were topics covered in a wonderful presentation given at the Middle TN JASNA chapter's February meeting by Vanderbilt professor Morna O'Neill. Professor O'Neill first shared background information about Princess Diana's very famous distant relative, Georgiana, the Fifth Duchess of Devonshire who lived from 1757-1806. In addition to being one of the most beautiful and well-known personalities of her age, Georgiana was involved in politics, threw lavish parties and became an 18th century fashion "icon." The Duchess of Devonshire's flamboyant life was marked with a fear of debt because of her gambling addictions and entravagant lifestyle.

Professor O'Neill also shared fascinating details about how "historical" films are made by using specific examples of details from the film, "The Duchess" in which British actress, Keira Knightley plays the unhappy Georgiana and Ralph Fiennes portrays her ill-suited husband, the Duke of Devonshire.

Penguin Classics On Air Features Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell

Following recent airings on PBS of the movies “Return to Cranford” based on works by Elizabeth Gaskell and “Emma” by Jane Austen, Penguin Classics On Air has produced a four part series comparing and contrasting the works of these two famous British novelists. In these segments introduced by Steve Morrison, the editor in chief of Penguin books, topics include: differences in Austen and Gaskell’s books, ways their lives were quite different, why Austen is more frequently adapted, and how Gaskell might be a little more socially conscious than Jane Austen. These broadcasts are informative and very entertaining! To hear these fascinating talks go to: http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishersoffice/radioroom/0110/pcoa/gaskell_austen.html#vmix_media_id=9528197

Masterpiece Classic Tempts Janeites With a New Version of "Emma"

A fresh and fiercely funny new three-part adaptation of Jane Austen's comic masterpiece, starring Romola Garai (Atonement) as the "handsome, clever and rich" Emma Woodhouse, a young woman who dominates her small provincial world of Highbury. Misguidedly believing that she is a skilled matchmaker, Emma repeatedly attempts to pair up her friends, often with dire results. Jonny Lee Miller (Endgame, Eli Stone) plays Mr. Knightley, Emma's shrewd and attractive neighbor, and Michael Gambon (Cranford) is her affectionate, neurotic father. --From: "Masterpiece Classic" website http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/emma/index.html