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."

Thursday, August 5, 2010

"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

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

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!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

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

Monday, May 24, 2010

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

Sunday, February 28, 2010

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.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

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

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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)