Jane Austen Society of North America-Middle Tennessee Chapter

The Middle Tennessee chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) meets 4-5 times a year. Upcoming 2014 Programs: Feb.: Coordinator: Andrea Hearn; Reader's Theater Rendition of "Lovers' Vows" -4:00 pm Vanderbilt Alumni Hall." May 18: Presenter; Bridget McAdam; "Lizzie Bennet Diaries." Summer: Popcorn and a Movie: "Pride and Prejudice-Having a Ball." Oct. Book Discussion of MANSFIELD PARK. Dec. Celebrating Jane's Birthday with Music and Cards."

Saturday, December 19, 2009

"Lover's Vows Brings Down the House at Dec. Meeting

A large crowd of JASNA members and their guests enjoyed a condensed "readers-theater" version of the 18th century play, "Lover's Vows" by Elizabeth Inchbald at the December meeting. Director Caroline Davis enlisted JASNA members as well as local actors and actresses to enliven the 1 hour performance. Comedy, melodrama and surprises marked this play which Caroline described as unlike the play in "Mansfield Park" because "Lover's Vows" in Austen's novel was practiced and never performed; this play was performed but never practiced!!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Jane Austen Centre Giftshop in Bath Offers Unique Christmas Gifts

Christmas cards adorned with Georgian-era shoppers, cross-stitch samplers, Jane Austen calendars, Pride and Prejudice earrings, Elizabeth Bennett lotion and tea towels imprinted with Mr. Darcy's proposal are just a few of the extraordinary Christmas gifts which the Jane Austen Centre Giftshop in Bath sells. Lovers of Jane Austen's works may find all sorts of special Austen-themed items online at: http://giftshop.janeausten.co.uk/acatalog/Christmas_Gifts.html

The Christmas tree ornament pictured above is a "literary ornament" which is filled with strips of texts from old editions of Pride and Prejudice topped off with a black ribbon. What more could any Austen fan wish for at Christmas?

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JASNA Eastern Pennsylvania Region Sponsors Jane Austen Day 2014

New Book for Janeites: JANE AUSTEN'S ENGLAND

A cultural snapshot of everyday life in the world of Jane Austen Jane Austen, arguably the greatest novelist of the English language, wrote brilliantly about the gentry and aristocracy of two centuries ago in her accounts of young women looking for love. Jane Austen’s England explores the customs and culture of the real England of her everyday existence depicted in her classic novels as well as those by Byron, Keats, and Shelley. Drawing upon a rich array of contemporary sources, including many previously unpublished manuscripts, diaries, and personal letters, Roy and Lesley Adkins vividly portray the daily lives of ordinary people, discussing topics as diverse as birth, marriage, religion, sexual practices, hygiene, highwaymen, and superstitions. From chores like fetching water to healing with medicinal leeches, from selling wives in the marketplace to buying smuggled gin, from the hardships faced by young boys and girls in the mines to the familiar sight of corpses swinging on gibbets, Jane Austen’s England offers an authoritative and gripping account that is sometimes humorous, often shocking, but always entertaining.-Amazon review

Jane Austen Playing Cards for Sale!

llustrators featured in this deck are Hugh Thomson & Chris Hammond. These beautiful cards feature quotes from Jane Austen, English novelist whose works, though satirical, realistically depicted the gender inequalities in inheritance laws that made women dependent on marriage for their economic security. The card suits correspond to these novels: Hearts ~ Pride & Prejudice, Diamonds ~ Sense & Sensibility, Clubs ~ Emma, Spades ~ Persuasion . For more information, click on the photo of the cards!

A Body in Highbury? Oh My!

Jane Austen's Emma has been described as a detective story without a body - except for those who read carefully, there actually is a body, and the potential for an excellent mystery story. Set about a year after Emma closes, The Highbury Murders pays homage to the wit of Jane Austen and the whodunits of Agatha Christie. You do not need to have read Jane Austen's books to enjoy this novel, but if you have - if you regret that she wrote only six - The Highbury Murders is a welcome extension to her world. Pour yourself a cup of tea, settle somewhere comfortable, and indulge yourself with the proverbial good read.

New Book for Janeites by Scott F. Southard

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM, by Scott D. Southard. All her heroines find love in the end–but is there love waiting for Jane? Jane Austen spends her days writing and matchmaking in the small countryside village of Steventon, until a ball at Godmersham Park propels her into a new world where she yearns for a romance of her own. But whether her heart will settle on a young lawyer, a clever Reverend, a wealthy childhood friend, or a mysterious stranger is anyone’s guess. Written in the style of Jane herself, this novel ponders the question faced by many devoted readers over the years–did she ever find love? Weaving fact with fiction, it re-imagines her life, using her own stories to fill in the gaps left by history and showing that all of us–to a greater or lesser degree–are head over heels for Jane.

Dolley Madison "Squeeze" at The Columbus Museum

Austen Inspires Short Stories by Many Contemporary Authors in JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT

Edited by Austenprose.com’s Laurel Ann Nattress and published just in time for the 200th anniversary of the publication of Sense & Sensibility, Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart is an engaging collection of 22 never-before-published original short stories inspired by Jane Austen. The treasures in this volume include exclusive short fiction and reading group material from beloved bestselling authors Jo Beverley, Syrie James, Adriani Trigiani, and Lauren Willig; top Austen sequel writers Pamela Aidan, Stephanie Barron, Carrie Bebris, Amanda Grange, and Laurie Viera Rigler; mother and daughter (Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway) and husband and wife (Frank Delaney and Diane Meier) teams; and a brand new voice in Austenesque fiction—Brenna Aubrey, the recently announced Grand Prize winner of a short story contest hosted by Ballantine Books, Austenprose, and the highly trafficked Austen fan site The Republic of Pemberley (Pemberley.com). For more information click on image.

Vampires and Jane, "Oh My!"

It’s 1810, and just as Jane Austen is penning her greatest masterpieces, old Undead friends become new neighbors and raise hell in her tranquil village. The Damned are out of favor and have been banished from polite society just in time to interrupt Jane’s work and her peace of mind. Instead of writing, she has to deal with a niece who flirts dangerously with vampires, a formerly respectable spinster friend who discovers the joys of fornication with the Damned (and borrows Jane’s precious silk stockings for her assignations), murderous creatures haunting the village’s peaceful lanes, a civil war between the Damned, the return of her vampire characteristics, and a former lover who plans to blame her for his broken heart for all eternity. It’s measuring up to be a busy year for the productive Jane.

Etsy and Books Collide: Penguin's New Hand-Sewn Covers

Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron: Being A Jane Austen Mystery

In her tenth Jane Austen Mystery, Barron introduces her novelist heroine to the poet Lord Byron, who is famously regarded as being “mad, bad, and dangerous to know.” Not surprisingly, then, when a beautiful young woman, who has rejected the poet’s unwanted advances, is murdered, the Romantic rakehell is the chief suspect. Ah, but could he have, in truth, perpetrated the foul deed? Fans of the series will not be a bit surprised to learn that Jane is determined to find out. As always, Barron does an excellent job of capturing Austen’s first-person voice, and she gives lavish attention, as well, to period detail. Perhaps too lavish in this case, since the book is slow paced, and there is often more attention to atmosphere than to mystery. Barron’s many fans will not be particularly bothered by this fact, however, and will be delighted to learn—in an appended Q & A with the author—that an eleventh installment in the series is already underway. --Michael Cart (Booklist)

Jane Austen Society of North America-Middle Tennessee Chapter

Jane Austen Links

Saturday, December 19, 2009

"Lover's Vows Brings Down the House at Dec. Meeting

Friday, December 11, 2009

Jane Austen Centre Giftshop in Bath Offers Unique Christmas Gifts

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Middle TN JASNA Members Enjoy a Windy Afternoon at Arrington Vineyards