November meeting: Pride & Prejudice meets North & South

Dear OR/SW JASNA members,

We hope you can join us for our upcoming meeting this November 11th!  On this occasion, we will be comparing and contrasting Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South.  

We feel that we must just mention -- we feel it incumbent upon us to hint -- that there remain only a few weeks in which to read North and South, if you have not already. (We naturally assume that you've already read Pride and Prejudice,probably several times.) 

As you are reading, please be thinking about the following topics:

• What are the similarities between the two novels in terms of plot?  
  
• In what ways do the plots differ?
  
• What are the personal attributes of the characters in each novel?  Do you see an Elizabeth, a Mr. Darcy, a Mr. Bennet, a Lady Catherine de Bourgh, etc. within North and South?  Do you see any parallels with characters from any of Jane Austen's other novels?
  
• Are there themes in North and South which resemble those in Pride and Prejudice? How does each author treat themes such as social class, money and wealth, parenting, making judgements upon appearances, etc.?
  
• How does each author's personal background and place in history influence their respective novels?
  
• Are there any other comparisons that can be drawn between the two novels?
  
• Has there ever been a more romantic ending in the history of film than that in the 2005 BBC version of North & South? (just checking that you're still with us!)
  

Thank you for taking the time to read the books; we hope you will really enjoy reading or rereading them.  Also, most of you will have recent editions of Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal, and if you will check No. 30 (from 2008), you will find an excellent article on page 53 entitled "Mrs. Gaskell's North and South: Austen's Early Legacy" by Janine Barchas.

Further details about the meeting and how to find our hosts, Bill and Marna's house will follow.

See you then!

Warmly,
Alex and Kelly