Jane Austen Society of North America-- New Jersey Region

We've Moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 00:55:00 +0000

Hi, everyone --

As you may have noticed, our region has undergone some changes lately. The big one is our new name: JASNA New Jersey (rather than Central New Jersey), reflecting our efforts to broaden our membership. You can now find us across social media under our new name:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JASNANewJersey/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JASNANJ

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/JASNANewJersey/

We also have a new email address: JASNANewJersey@gmail.com Please add this address to your contacts.

And we've updated our website! You can find our new online home at www.jasnanj.com

Please like, share, and comment regularly on our social media, and stop by our website for programming news. We’re excited to continue expanding our offerings and bringing together Janeites from across the state!

We look forward to seeing every one at one of our meetings this year!

Amelia

Regional Chair

JASNA-NJ

Wordless Wednesday 203

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 16:30:00 +0000

Source: Keeping Track of Time: Georgian Watch Chains, Equipages, Fobs, and Chatelaines
via CNJ JASNA on Pinterest

Book Quote Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 16:30:00 +0000

Trying something new here on the blog, using a random word generator I will get a word and find it in one of Jane's novels. I will share that quote here.

responsible

"I must take leave to observe, Sir Walter," said Mr. Shepherd one morning at Kellynch Hall, as he laid down the newspaper, "that the present juncture is much in our favour. This peace will be turning all our rich naval officers ashore. They will be all wanting a home. Could not be a better time, Sir Walter, for having a choice of tenants, very responsible tenants. Many a noble fortune has been made during the war. If a rich Admiral were to come in our way, Sir Walter -- "

--Persuasion and chapter 3

Meet the Janeites - Ruth

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Name: Ruth

How did you become a Janeite? I've always been a history lover for all my life and enjoy reading novels of 18th and 19th centuries to gain an understanding of the mindset of those periods. Also after watching Persuasion starring Amanda Root and Sense and Sensibility with Kate Winslet I then purchased the Barnes and Noble book which contained all 7 novels of Jane Austen. Reading them I wondered why I never got into them way before!

Favorite Jane Austen Novel? Persuasion

Favorite Character? Marianne

Favorite Movie Adaptation? Sense and Sensibility starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet

Any Sequels or Adaptations you enjoy? Recently I just got into seeing for the first time the Colin Firth 1995 Pride and Prejudice mini series and I really enjoyed it!

Anything else you want to share? I never realized how in depth the world of the Janeites really is! There are Regency costumed balls where you can learn to dance from that time period, distinguished scholarly authors lecturing on the works of Jane Austen, lively local monthly discussion groups delving into different aspects of her works, fan fiction, the Juvenilia members and the list goes on! A very fascinating group!

Want to be featured on Meet the Janeites? Please fill out the linked form which is a quick survey about your Janeite background.

Wordy Wednesday 28

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 16:36:00 +0000

Source: Instagram Post via CNJ JASNA on Pinterest

Book Recommendation Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 16:21:00 +0000

Title: (LINK TEXT)

Author: (TEXT)

Publication Date: (TEXT)

Synopsis: (TEXT)

Review: (TEXT)

Friday Link Up

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 14:59:00 +0000

World Auction Record for Austen Letter at Bonhams - Fine Books & Collections

To tell or not to tell: "Sense and Sensibility' is as relevant today as it was when it was published more than 200 years ago - The Hindu

'It's an escape': the Americans who want to live like Jane Austen - The Guardian

5 Wonderful Literary Tourism Guidebooks - BookRiot

Classics to Read: Here are Five Beautiful Novels To Fall In Love With - Republic

Words, Words, words: 10 Writers' Homes You Must visit - The Travel

15 Romantic Movies on Netflix to Watch Once You've Seen After - Popsugar

The Fashion of Jane Austen's Novels - Publishers Weekly

OMG, I Want to Rent This House: Painswick, U.K. - Daily Beast

Best books on sisters: Author Patricia Nicol recommends books about sibling connectivity - Daily Mail

Classic decor ideas to steal from a couple's English country house - Curbed

34 Book Ornaments to Brighten Your Holiday - BookRiot

On Our Bookshelves - The Daily Jane Austen - A Year of Quotes - News Whistle

From Austen to Zadie, the English language's 100 best books are chosen by BBC panel...so how many of YOU read? - Daily Mail

Wordless Wednesday 202

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 16:29:00 +0000

Source: Jane Austen's World via CNJ JASNA on Pinterest

Book Quote Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Trying something new here on the blog, using a random word generator I will get a word and find it in one of Jane's novels. I will share that quote here.

gun

"Are you going as high as Belmont? Are you going near Camden Place? Because if you are, I shall have no scruple in asking you to take my place, and give Anne your arm to her father's door. She is rather done for this morning, and must not go so far without help, and I ought to be at that fellow's in the market place. He promised me the sight of a capital gun he is just going to send off; said he would keep it unpacked to the last possible moment, that I might see it; and if I do not turn back now, I have no chance. By his description, a good deal like the second-sized double-barrel of mine, which you shot with one day round Winthrop."

--Persuasion and chapter 23

Fun Friday - Jane Austen Soundtracks

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 16:33:00 +0000

Spotify has put together a playlist called Jane Austen Soundtracks

Celebrate Jane Austen with this collection of soundtracks from the big and small screen; featuring music inspired by her novels, and some of her favourite from the Regency era.

The playlist has 30 songs and includes:

Stars and Butterflies - From "Pride & Prejudice" Soundtrack (2005 movie)
Theme - From "Emma"
Willoughby
Love & Friendship Harp Theme
Pride and Prejudice Suite: III. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy
Symphony No. 6 In F Major: Larghetto
After the Explosion (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies)
Sham (Aisha)
I Suddenly Find It Agreeable (First Impressions)

Happy Listening!

Wordy Wednesday 27

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Source: Infohow.org via CNJ JASNA on Pinterest

Steps to brew tea fit for a queen:

1. Boil water

2. Rinse to warm the teapot

3. Boil water for the tea

4. Add black Indian tea leaves - 1 tsp per person

5. Let steep. - 3 fl oz water per person

6. Strain

7. Add milk and sugar, if desired

8. Enjoy with scones.

Program Review - The music of Jane Austen in practice and prose

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

The music of Jane Austen in practice and prose

On October 20, the New Jersey Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America sponsored a wonderful program on the music of Jane Austen’s time, presented by period music duo The Practitioners of Musick. The program took place at the public library in Plainsboro.

In an illustrated lecture, recorder and flute player John Burkhalter took us on a tour of the 19th-century world that shaped the Austen family’s musical experiences. He focused especially on the resort town of Bath, the epitome of luxury and entertainment, with its own social conventions and accepted modes of courtesy and conduct. In Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, Austen uses Bath as a dramatic backdrop for encounters between her heroines and more worldly families. As Burkhalter noted, Jane Austen paints a clear picture of the level of musical talent expected of ladies: just enough, but not too much. In Pride and Prejudice, for example, Elizabeth displays only a moderate degree of musical accomplishment; Emma Woodhouse plays and sings, but lacks true discipline.

After Burkhalter’s presentation, he and harpsichordist Donovan Klotzbeacher performed more than a dozen short pieces from the Austen family’s musical archives, including works by Purcell and Handel, several dance tunes, and the Irish song “Robin Adair,” the only piece identified by name in Austen’s novels. (Jane Fairfax plays it in Emma.)

Even Mrs. Elton, who planned to give up music once she married, or Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who never took it up in the first place, would have been diverted by the beautiful and instructive program.

You can find more pictures and some videos on our Facebook Page.

-Meredith Barnes

Friday Link Up

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Fri, 25 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Harold Bloom, literary critic who wrote of the 'anxiety of influence,' dies at 89 - Washington Post

Windsor Castle's Inner Hall closed by Queen Victoria opens after revamp - BBC News

'Clueless' to be rebooted as a drama series, internet says 'as if' - Newsweek

'Our heritage needs to be saved': Treasured lighthouses among historic buildings at risk - Country Life

This Jane Austen Letter Highlights the Horrors of 19th-Century Dentistry - Smithsonian

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Announces 2020 Season - Broadway World

Why did Andrew Davies give Sanditon an unhappy ending? To make the Jane Austen Society shriek for more - The Times (UK)

Daniel Mendelsohn's 6 all-time favorite books - Yahoo! news

The blessing of solitude - Daily Times

Are MCU Superhero Movies 'Cinema' or Not? Every Hollywood Star Who's Weighed in on the Debate - IGN (only linking this because someone pulled out the Mark Twain Jane Austen quote embedded below)

Mark Twain once said of Jane Austen "Everytime I read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.”

Sometimes even the greatest artists can talk shit about work as immortal as their own. They're allowed to be wrong.
— The Haunting of C. Robert Carg-Hill House (@Massawyrm) October 4, 2019

Wordless Wednesday 201

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Source: The MET via CNJ JASNA on Pinterest

Regency Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 13:55:00 +0000

We've written a few post in the past giving suggestions on some Gothic/spooky reading:

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? - Gothic Fiction (from 10/19/15)
A Gothic Halloween (from 10/31/14)

I wanted to write up something about tradition for the holiday, but got a bit bogged down with some things and realized that I just didn't have it in me. Sorry!

However, this topic has been covered so here are some posts on other blogs you can read:

Halloween in the Regency - The Regency Redingote
Halloween Celebrations in Regency England - Historical Hussies
Regency Halloween - Historical Hussies
Halloween Traditions of Regency England - Addicted to Jane
All Hallow's Eve - Jane Austen Centre

Meet the Janeites

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Name: Ruth

How did you become a Janeite? I've always been a history lover for all my life and enjoy reading novels of 18th and 19th centuries to gain an understanding of the mindset of those periods. Also after watching Persuasion starring Amanda Root and Sense and Sensibility with Kate Winslet I then purchased the Barnes and Noble book which contained all 7 novels of Jane Austen. Reading them I wondered why I never got into them way before!

Favorite Jane Austen Novel? Persuasion

Favorite Character? answer

Favorite Movie Adaptation? Marianne

Any Sequels or Adaptations you enjoy? Sense and Sensibility starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet

Anything else you want to share?Recently I just got into seeing for the first time the Colin Firth 1995 Pride and Prejudice mini series and I really enjoyed it!

Want to be featured on Meet the Janeites? Please fill out the linked form which is a quick survey about your Janeite background.

Wordy Wednesday 26

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Source: source unknown via CNJ JASNA on Pinterest

Monday Book Quote

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Trying something new here on the blog, using a random word generator I will get a word and find it in one of Jane's novels. I will share that quote here.

reflect

She had some satisfaction in finding that he was really going out of Bath the next morning, going early, and that he would be gone the greater part of two days. He was invited again to Camden Place the very evening of his return; but from Thursday to Saturday evening his absence was certain. It was bad enough that a Mrs. Clay should be always before her; but that a deeper hypocrite should be added to their party seemed the destruction of everything like peace and comfort. It was so humiliating to reflect on the constant deception practised on her father and Elizabeth; to consider the various sources of mortification preparing for them! Mrs. Clay's selfishness was not so complicate nor so revolting as his; and Anne would have compounded for the marriage at once, with all its evils, to be clear of Mr. Elliot's subtleties in endeavouring to prevent it.

--Persuasion and chapter 22

Friday Link Up

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

In Defense of Jane Austen. Also Zebras. - The New York Times

18 feminist book suggestions from your favourite female celebrities - Stylist

This gay 'Pride and Prejudice' adaptation will be set on Fire Island - LGBTQ Nation

Fashion Forward: Dress in the Age of Jane Austen - American Historical Association

What Jane Austen Thought Marriage Couldn't Do - The Atlantic

17 Gorgeous Books Like Pride and Prejudice - BookRiot

Incredible, Intimate Austen Letter Heads to Auction - Fine Books & Collections

Restoring the Sex and Rage to Jane Austen - The Atlantic

Rare Jane Austen letter to sister to be sold at auction - The Guardian

Revealed: The books British people lie most often about having read - Yahoo! Lifestyle

Jane Austen among Women - ProjectMuse

Jane Austen fans visit William & Mary - William & Mary

Wordless Wednesday 200

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Source: Regency Hot Spots: Gunters
via CNJ JASNA on Pinterest

MondayBook Recommendation

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Title: Polite Society

Author: Mahesh Rao

Publication Date: August 17, 2018

Synopsis: Beautiful, clever, and very slightly bored, Ania Khurana has Delhi wrapped around her finger. When Ania finds love for her spinster aunt, she realizes her potential as a force for good.

For her next match, Ania sets her sights on Dimple: her newest, sweetest, and, sure, poorest friend. But her good intentions may be misdirected, and when her aunt's handsome new nephew arrives from America, the social tides in Delhi begin to shift. Surrounded by money old and new, navigating gossip, scheming, and an unforgettable cast of journalists, socialites, gurus, and heirs, Ania discovers that when you aim to please the human heart, things seldom go as planned.

Using Jane Austen's Emma as a springboard, Polite Society takes us into the lives of a group of characters we never want to part with. Pairing stiletto-sharp observation and social comedy with moments of true tenderness, this delicious romp through the mansions of India's elite celebrates that there's no one route to perfect happiness.

Review: From NY Post: A charmingly hilarious modern reimagining of Jane Austen’s “Emma” set in a New Delhi high society where the houses are luxurious, everyone is scheming and secrets don’t stay secrets for long.

Fun Friday - Jane Austen Made Me Do It

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

David Faulkner - "Jane Austen Made Me Do It"

From website:

David Faulkner from Cornell's John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines examines why Jane Austen's work continues to influence global popular culture today. Austen’s cult status can't be explained by any single cause, but her writing career essentially began as fan fiction, parodying and paying tribute to the popular culture of her day. Examples are her wildly subversive “Juvenilia” short story collection and her first completed novel, "Northanger Abbey," which mocks yet celebrates the vogue for Gothic horror fiction in the revolutionary 1790s.

As an Austen enthusiast, Faulkner speculates that her continued popularity might be related not only to social and historical factors linking the late eighteenth century to our own era, but also to what makes her fiction a delightful and productive basis for his First-Year Writing Seminar: the fruitful interaction between academic and amateur ways of thinking about narrative, the way that imaginative writing engenders more imaginative writing, and the pleasure and power of rewriting a beloved story.The lecture was a part of Cornell University's 2019 Summer Events Series.

Wordy Wednesday 25

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Wed, 02 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Source: Quick Meme
via CNJ JASNA on Pinterest

Monday Book Quote

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Trying something new here on the blog, using a random word generator I will get a word and find it in one of Jane's novels. I will share that quote here.

repulsive

She had no dread of these two months. Mary was not so repulsive and unsisterly as Elizabeth, nor so inaccessible to all influence of hers; neither was there any thing among the other component parts of the cottage inimical to comfort. She was always on friendly terms with her brother-in-law; and in the children, who loved her nearly as well, and respected her a great deal more than their mother, she had an object of interest, amusement, and wholesome exertion.

--Persuasion and chapter 6

Friday Link up

noreply@blogger.com (Central NJ JASNA) — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Fans of Jane Austen Will Go Crazy Over These 4 Airbnb's - Women.com

10 Books I Can't Get Out of My Head - Vulture

Where Are All the Women in Early Modern English Literature? - Northeastern.edu

Which Jane Austen heroine are you? - The Daily Star

PhD Student Awarded 2019 Humanities Professional Pathway Fellowship - UNC.edu

"Walton plans to use her Humanities Professional Pathway Fellowship to produce an NEH Digital Advancement Grant application in hopes of being awarded start-up funding for a digital humanities project she calls “Jane Austen’s Desk.” “Jane Austen’s Desk” would be a public-facing website providing a window into Austen’s world and a space for fans and scholars around the world to connect, collaborate, and learn."

Why Imani Perry Doesn't Like Jane Austen's Novels - New York Times

No sense and sensibility when lovers of Jane Austen's work get merry - The Times UK

Jane Austen Knows That Manners Make the Man - WSJ

Continuing Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon - OUPblog

19 photos of the Jane Austen Festival regency costume parade in Bath - Somerset Live

Is Sanditon a true story? The inspiration behind Jane Austen's final, unfinished novel - inews UK

Someone Just Discovered John Milton's Copy of Shakespeare, Which is Absolutely Bananas - Vulture

12 Books to Read If You Are Obsessed with Downton Abbey - The Oprah Magazine

Jane Austen's family in Ireland: how they shaped politics and society in the North - The Irish Times

Elizabeth Burchfield, 91: Witty publicist and scion of Jane Austen - The Times UK