 Jane Austen Society of North America, Puget Sound Region, and
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 Winchester Cathedral scraps Jane Austen statue plan after protests Proposals for a £250,000 memorial to add to her gravestone and the nearby museum prompt fierce local opposition https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/feb/21/winchester-cathedral-scraps-jane-austen-statue-plan-after-protests?utm_source=Daily+Media+Digest&utm_campaign=5d36818e36-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_01_08_04_54_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_296e14724b-5d36818e36-248627497 Alison Flood Thu 21 Feb 2019 14.06 GMT ‘There are other priorities’ … Winchester Cathedral. Photograph: Jon Boyes/Getty/Canopy Plans to erect a statue of Jane Austen in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral have been shelved after residents baulked at the idea of another memorial to the novelist in the city. The cathedral had commissioned the sculptor Martin Jennings to create a statue of Austen for its inner close, planning for it to “seal her place in the rich and complex identity of Winchester and create a lasting memorial to her literary genius” and setting out to raise £250,000 to make the proposals a reality. The project was supported by Hampshire county council and Winchester city council. Winchester in the spotlight: the city where Jane Austen died 200 years ago But according to the Southern Daily Echo, residents and local groups submitted “a barrage of criticism” in response to the plans. “There is a strong body of opinion that rejects the idea of another Jane Austen statue anywhere, or any statue at all in the cathedral close,” wrote one resident. Another letter suggested that “the cathedral already has Jane Austen’s gravestone and Winchester has the house she died in. The two seem adequate and certainly reflect her relationship with Winchester”. The cathedral said in a statement that it had listened carefully to feedback and “alongside support and enthusiasm for the project, we have also been fully aware of serious concerns expressed regarding the type of sculpture, the location and the timing of this significant commission.” As a result, it was decided “with regret, not to go ahead with this concept. There are other priorities within the cathedral and city that need to be the focus of attention and energy at this time,” it said. “We are honoured that an artist of the stature of Martin Jennings has worked with us on this project thus far and we thank him for his support and understanding in this decision.”  By Vonnie Alto, Secretary Once again, for September, avid Janeite, Arnie Perlstein, both hosted and led another penetrating reading group discussion highlighting his hidden shadow theory in his lovely garden at his historic Irvington home. Arnie’s antique dining table was the centerpiece of our tea. Members dined on a smorgasbord of Sushi; a potpourri of cheese; crackers; salami; fresh grapes and home grown plumbs; cheesecake pie; brownies; assorted muffins and cookies including shortbread, chocolate chip, and jelly cookies; and crustless tea time sandwiches. We served tea from the kitchen island counter which displayed our permanent collection of teapots and teacups. We all took our tea in the garden. After the business meeting, we discussed the gaps in Persuasion by probing its mysteries and flaws, its coincidences and surprising revelations…. It is well known that Jane Austen revised Persuasion after finishing it in 1816. However, there were many cancelled chapters resulting in a different ending than originally created with gaps existing which leads to the conclusion that this novel is a work in progress and not a finished work, but it’s very close to being finished. As a result, Arnie noted that there are “many subtly interwoven shadow story threads” if you read against the grain and take the narrator’s voice as flawed and even not present in some scenes. Many of us were either enthralled or shocked by the revelations that a nearly blind Jane Austen created a nearly blind heroine, Anne Elliot and that there’s a strong LGBTQIA+ theme underlying the entire novel which revolves around two captains: both Captain Wentworth and Captain Harville. While Wentworth is the acknowledged hero of the novel, Captain Harville is an alternative hero. Therefore, according to Arnie, Captain Harville is the first Austen shadow protagonist who is a man -- all the other five from the other books are women. Now for the scandal! Spoiler alert! First, Captain Wentworth and Captain Harville were both romantically involved with Captain Benwick, but at separate times and after Wentworth and Harville had their initial romance 8 years prior to the start of the novel. By the time the novel begins, Captain James Benwick is no longer involved romantically with either of them. What a coincidence that all three of these men are captains! This led to a lively discussion of ship life and how the shipping industry must have been an attraction for LGBTQIA+ men and also an avenue for them to come out of the closet since sailors were cloistered there at sea for long periods of time without women. How do we know that Benwick is gay? The phrase, “she’s too piano” suggests it. It’s also possible that Fanny (Benwick’s deceased fiancé and sister to Captain Harville) actually exists to give Benwick “a beard” (meaning a cover) to let others think that he is heterosexual. What is peculiar is that Fanny conveniently exists off stage. She died before the novel begins, so she never appears in the book. Therefore, she may not be real but a cover. Apparently, her death broke Benwick’s heart, but in actuality, it allows him to hide his true sexual orientation beneath the guise of a melancholy romantic poet. Secondly, Arnie ingeniously revealed that Captain Harville is actually Anne’s half-brother, the long lost Dick Musgrove, because Dick is the product of an illicit relationship between Mrs. Musgrove and Sir Walter which is why Sir Walter doesn’t like him. Harville is a most devious character and strategizes how to keep his romantic relationship with Wentworth. He creates two plans for doing this. With Plan A, Harville impersonates Mrs. Smith in drag, in an attempt to influence Anne to marry Cousin Elliot because Harville doesn’t want Wentworth (Anne’s suitor) to marry Anne as he and Wentworth have a romantic and sexual relationship. Anne is clearly not interested in Cousin Elliot, but Harville assassinates Cousin Elliot’s character anyway. Since Plan A fails, Harville implements Plan B, his backup plan. He encourages Wentworth to marry Anne because then he (as the fake Mrs. Smith) can remain close by as their best friend. Anne wouldn’t know that he is not the real Mrs. Smith because she is nearly blind and can’t see very well. The half agony, half hope letter is key to this love triangle. Apparently, Wentworth actually wrote the letter to Harville who then convinces Wentworth to give it to Anne. Harville and Wentworth renew their love for each other when they both leave the room at the White Hart Inn. They also agree that Wentworth should give the same letter he gave to Harville (the half agony, half hope letter) to Anne to encourage her feelings for Wentworth. This will lead to their engagement and then the fake Mrs. Smith will gradually get more and more connected to the new married couple. Therefore, Wentworth and Anne’s upcoming marriage is really a cover up for Wentworth’s relationship with Harville which means that Wentworth is bisexual. Ultimately, Anne would be let in on their secret and be pulled into an incestuous menage a trois with them since Harville is really her half-brother! What a soap opera of a story! And in a Jane Austen novel! Arnie noted that it’s this “alternative social layer beneath the conventional one” that Jane Austen skillfully portrayed which is interesting to contemplate, but what’s even more interesting is that it’s “in plain view without most readers catching on to what she was writing about!” That’s where the gaps exists. What brilliant plotting! Arnie revealed that, “It’s only in plain view in the following sense: If there had been a single paragraph of narrative added early in the novel which explicitly said that Wentworth had a romantic relationship with a fellow sailor at sea not long after Anne rejected him, then it would not have been hard to figure out that it was Harville--that’s the point--our assumptions determine what we see.” What a brilliant detective Arnie Perlstein is at mining the hidden layers of Persuasion! Thank you, Arnie for giving us such a wealth of hidden insights! For more on this intriguing theory, please see Arnie’s blog, Sharp Elves Society. By Vonnie Alto, Secretary In July 2018, members gathered at the lovely wooded estate of our host, Lauri Conway in Ridgefield, Washington to discuss the 1796 bestseller, A Gossip Story by Jane West as a precursor to Sense and Sensibility. The Snoek-Browns graciously and most eruditely led the July discussion. Our members were in for a treat since Sam is an Assistant Professor at Pierce College and Jennifer is the OER Librarian at Tacoma Community College, our former web manager, and our 2017 Tribute Grant Award Recipient. As a fan favorite and always a hit with the group, our literary couple presented a lively and fun in depth analysis of A Gossip Story and the author, Jane West in comparison to Jane Austen and Sense and Sensibility. Everyone in attendance agreed that this was a most thoroughly enjoyable literary discussion! We couldn’t stop the banter and the exchange of amusing comments. We had such a grand time comparing the two Janes, their lives, and craft, and then also dissecting A Gossip Story. Of course, it can’t possibly measure up to Sense & Sensibility, but it has its own charm as an uproariously, entertaining scatterbrain of a read! For more on this topic, see the post “The Tale of Two Janes” on our website (for a timeline comparison, characters/plot comparison, character relationship chart, and discussion resources). Our meeting was complimented with a lovely tea spread. Lauri’s beautiful windowed dining room provided the venue for the tea table decorated with a bouquet of sunflowers. Members dined on a potpourri of Endive With Salmon; Coconut Rolled Dates; crustless salmon, egg, and tuna sandwiches; cinnamon rolls; lemon bread; brownies; assorted cookies; chips with humus; fresh blueberries and cherries; salads; and a tin of Pirouette crème filled chocolate wafers. Our permanent collection of teapots and tea sets were charmingly arranged in the kitchen; with the teapots on the island counter and the tea cups displayed on a lovely table overlooking a gorgeous hillside view. We used the buffet hutch for our membership tags and Jane Austen freebies. The top of the hutch was charmingly decorated with a plaque that reads: "Prayer: The World's Greatest Wireless Communication." Jane Austen would likely approve! Our meeting was also a farewell to Sam and Jennifer Snoek-Brown who have recently relocated to Tacoma, Washington. Our region thanks them for their many contributions in hosting meetings and serving as discussion leaders and also to Jennifer for serving as our former web manager. We miss them and look forward to seeing them again at our annual Spring Tea--and hopefully another reading group discussion! Here are the PDF versions of the handouts Sam and Jennifer Snoek-Brown distributed during our "Tales of Two Janes: A Gossip's Story and Sense and Sensibility" discussion, plus an additional document Sam created to map out the relationships in both works. 
 Jane Austen, left, loathed the Prince Regent, who later became George IV, but he might have been one of her first readers. CreditFrom left: Hulton Archive via, Getty Images; Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images
Read complete article: https://nyti.ms/2LJMr4s  A diverse cast gives “Sense and Sensibility” at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival a sharper edge.
Photo by Jenny Graham ARTICLE  Elizabeth Bennet has to refuse the advances of a powerful man. | Jan. 1, 2018 1109 a.m. ET Originally posted in the Wall Street Journal Author: Paula Marantz Cohen If you’re struggling to make sense of the sexual-harassment issues swirling around us, you could do worse than read Jane Austen. I was struck by this recently while teaching what she called her “rather too light and bright and sparkling” novel, “Pride and Prejudice.” Consider the portion of the novel in which Elizabeth Bennet is proposed to by the egregiously foolish and self-important Mr. Collins. A refresher: Elizabeth is one of five sisters living on a small estate, which, in accordance with English law of the period, was “entailed” through the male line. This means when her father dies, his property will pass to his closest male relative, leaving Elizabeth, her sisters and their mother (should Mrs. Bennet survive her husband) homeless. Mr. Collins is the distant cousin to whom the Bennet estate is entailed, and he assumes that Elizabeth will accept his proposal based on her vulnerable position. He further assumes that she will be grateful for his “condescension.” When she says no, he explains to her why: “I shall choose to attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant females.’’ The scene caricatures a familiar dynamic in recent news: A powerful man believes that a vulnerable woman will succumb to him. He equates his power with attractiveness and confuses her resistance with playful seductiveness. The heroine’s response is an example of clarity and decisiveness: “I am very sensible of the honor of your proposals,” pronounces Elizabeth, “but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than decline them.’’ Her refusal might serve as a guide to women on how to answer an unwanted proposition: politely but firmly. In some cases, harassment can be stopped by a forceful “no” or a decisive pushing away of a hand. But it is also true that some men do not take the hint—or are even incited by the resistance, as Mr. Collins initially appears to be. Again, the novel is a helpful guide to next steps. When Mr. Collins suspects, based on something Mrs. Bennet says, that Elizabeth is “a very headstrong foolish girl,” he immediately pulls back. It is one thing to have one’s way with a pliant woman, something else to contend with a difficult one. Figuring out how to relay to someone in power that you have the capacity to make his life miserable may be an effective way to stop him in his tracks. To be sure, Elizabeth Bennet’s triumph happens within a work of fiction. If we compare Elizabeth with her creator, we see a salient difference. Jane Austen and her sister, Cassandra, had brothers with whom they could live after their father died; Elizabeth had only sisters. As my students noted, in real life she might have been obliged to accept Mr. Collins or end up as a governess where the abuse might have been worse. In marrying, she would at least have her own establishment. That is the rationale of her friend Charlotte Lucas, who accepts Mr. Collins’ subsequent proposal. We must therefore note that Elizabeth Bennet’s success is a function of her creator’s will to shape her destiny in a positive manner. Austen provides her with Mr. Darcy, a supremely worthy partner, who alleviates the possibility that she will be left with nothing. Moving back and forth between fiction and real life, one realizes that Jane Austen is showing us the ideal scenario while urging us to imagine the reality likely to alter it. If one had sisters and no brothers, living in a home entailed to a distant male relation like Mr. Collins, what would be the responsible route to take? Would Elizabeth be right under such circumstances to refuse a distasteful proposal, when not only her future but that of her sisters might be at issue? Mrs. Bennet’s fixation on marrying her daughters, generally ridiculed by readers, makes sense in the grim context. Some final lessons derive from this: One can sometimes know what is the right thing to do but not be able to do it. Thus we ought not to judge others harshly when circumstances curtail their ability to act freely. That said, even Jane Austen, writing more than 200 years ago, knew what the right behavior looked like in the face of a harasser. Elizabeth was decisive and clear in rejecting Mr. Collins. Austen represented this in her fictional world; in 2018, we should hope to be able to imitate it in our real one. Ms. Cohen is a professor of English at Drexel University, where she is dean of the Pennoni Honors College. Copyright ©2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers visit http://www.djreprints.com.
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