VULTURE.COM Ranks Jane Austen Movies-What a Hoot!

Click here to see the full article

Jane Austen's novels are so rich in plot, characterization, dialogue and humor that they have been a treasure trove for screen writers.  Vulture.com, a web site devoted to "devouring current culture" recently featured an article by Sarah Seltzer that ranks 21 Austen-related films. This list is purely personal, but is VERY funny. Here is what Ms. Seltzer says about "Becoming Jane" (2007),

A liberty-taking biopic, it commits the travesty of suggesting that Austen’s work was inspired by a man who trifled with her affections, fed her her cleverest lines, and then left her alone so she could marry her work. But it’s also a travesty because, well, we know Jane Austen. And Anne Hathaway, you are no Jane Austen.

For more of Ms. Seltzer's wit, click the link under the photo above.

Jane Austen's Likeness on English 10 Pound Notes Beginning in 2016

To read more about this change in currency, click here.

JASNA member Yvonne Boyer alerted the editor of this publication to the fact that the Bank of England has decided to put the face of Jane Austen on English 10 pound notes beginning in 2016. The Bank of England's new governor Mark Carney said  in a recent statement, "Her novels have an enduring and universal appeal and she is recognized as one of the greatest writers in English literature."  Austen's image will take the place of another iconic British writer, Charles Dickens, who face has previously appeared on 10 pound notes. 

JASNA Member Caroline Davis Stars in Delightful British Comedy

 JASNA member Caroline Davis will be starring in

an English comedy written by A.A. Milne in early August.

See below for details.  This play looks like it would

be enjoyed by all JASNA members!

Carrick Productions presents the Nashville premiere of the comedy Mr. Pim Passes By, written by A. A. Milne, Friday and Saturday evenings, August 2-3 and 9-10, at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinee, August 4, at 2 p.m., in the Dead Poets’ Society Auditorium, Lowry Hall, on the Montgomery Bell Academy campus (Wilson Blvd. entrance). $10; $8, seniors/students. Free parking. Info: 615-957-5056.

A. A. Milne’s Mr. Pim Passes By
Makes Nashville Premiere August 2-10

‘Comedy of conversation’ from Winnie-the-Pooh creator
will play five performances

Mr. Pim Passes By, a 1919 comedy of manners and morals by British author A. A. Milne, will make its Nashville debut August 2-10, for five performances in the Dead Poet’s Society Auditorium on the campus of Montgomery Bell Academy. Presented by Carrick Productions, Mr. Pim will play two weekends: Friday and Saturday, August 2-3, and August 9-10, at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee on Sunday, August 4, at 2 p.m.

Written five years before Milne’s iconic Winnie-the-Pooh series, and staged to great acclaim in London (1920) and New York (1921) – where it was praised as “the most brilliant light comedy since Oscar Wilde”­ – Mr. Pim Passes By is set in the formal manor house of a Buckinghamshire country estate shortly after World War I (think Downton Abbey). During a visit to Marden House, out-of-towner Mr. Pim’s casual revelations about a chance meeting throw the ordered lives of his host and hostess into complete disarray.

Embraced for its witty dialogue and high-spirited – and often high-minded – characters (think Noel Coward), Mr. Pim Passes By also weaves a thread of social commentary throughout its comedic dilemma by prompting a question worthy of George Bernard Shaw: Do rules of convention outweigh matters of the heart?

The cast features Rick Seay as George Marden, J.P.; Caroline Davis as his wife, Olivia; Lizzie Boston as George’s niece and ward, Dinah; Aaron Ardisson as Dinah’s suitor, Brian Strange; Wesley Paine as Lady Marden, the family matriarch; Merredith Brittain as the housekeeper, Anne; and Gregg Colson as the title troublemaker, Mr. Carraway Pim.

Seay will direct and Jennifer Rybolt is producer. June Kingsbury will handle the 1920 costumes.

                                     

Tickets for Mr. Pim Passes By are $10, with $8 senior (55+)/student rate, and can be purchased at the door (cash or checks only).

The Dead Poets' Society Auditorium is on the ground floor of Lowry Hall on the MBA campus. Free parking is available in a garage located adjacent to Lowry and accessible via the Wilson Blvd. entrance (near West End). Visit montgomerybell.edu for a campus map.

For more information, visit carrickproductions.wordpress.com or contact ccdavis1010@gmail.com.

Mr. Darcy Takes a Dip in the Serpentine Lake at Hyde Park!

 

 A giant statue of Jane Austen's iconic romantic hero, Mr. Darcy, emerges from The Serpentine in London's Hyde Park to celebrate the launch of brand new TV channel Drama.

To get the full story, click on this link.

 A twelve foot statue of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy has been constructed and is on display for a brief time in the Serpentine Lake at Hyde Park in London.  A definite conversation starter, this statue will only remain in Hyde Park for a week. It then heads to Scarborough beach for several days before finally resting at Lyme Park until February 2014.

Doug Murray Tells "The True Story of Box Hill" at Summer JASNA Lecture and Picnic

Despite "steamy" weather, JASNA members enjoy a delightful picnic in the Presidential Courtyard at Belmont U.

Dr. Douglas Murray, professor of English at Belmont University and noted Austen lecturer, delivered a lively and substantive talk about Jane Austen's novel, Emma, on Sunday, June 23 in the Massey Board Room at Belmont.   "The True Story of Box Hill, or What's a Nice Girl Like Emma doing in a Place Like That?" was the provocative title Dr. Murray gave to his talk which proved to be a little provocative itself!   Twenty six JASNA members enjoyed Dr. Murray's presentation which was liberally illustrated with his own photos of Box Hill as well as other slides to illustrate points about the setting, characters, etc. in Emma.   Following the presentation, JASNA members walked to Belmont's Presidential Garden, an intimate courtyard shaded by trees and various plantings to enjoy a potluck picnic lunch.  Besides fruits, salads and desserts, Jo Ann Staples shared special delicacies mentioned in Emma  (Stilton cheese, butter, celery and beets).
Caroline Davis's tasty mini-cupcakes and Yvonne Boyer's cream-filled dates were also desserts which would have gotten "rave reviews" from Miss Bates had she been fortunate to attend.

Dr. Douglas Murray entertains as well as instructs JASNA

members about Box Hill.

Debbie Carroll and her daughter are all smiles as they wait for the 

lecture to begin.

Summer Event in Springfield, TN: "Dressing Mr. Darcy"

"What Jane Saw" Provides a Virtual Time Travel Experience for Janeites

To get inside the "What Jane Saw" virtual exhibit, click here.

When my JASNA friends Caroline Davis and Paula Covington both recently e-mailed me about a Jane Austen-related Internet exhibit, I knew that it must be something special...and it was!  If you have any interest in what paintings Jane Austen may have seen at a London exhibit on May 24, 1813, you don't have to go any farther than clicking on the link just below the watercolor image of the art gallery (see above).  From that point, you will enter into an ambitious online exhibit called "What Jane Saw."  This website, produced by Janine Barchas, an associate professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin, allows modern day viewers to wander through a reconstruction of paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds that were on display for Austen and her contemporaries to see in 1813.  Besides Austen, Lord Byron and the Prince Regent were part of the crowd who viewed these paintings at this early "blockbuster" exhibit.