JASNA'S Happy Hour With Jane Austen:
Portland Center Stage Armory
by Vonnie Alto, Secretary

Kate Hamill’s Sense And Sensibility began its run in January 2019 at the Portland Center Stage at the Armory. We were all abuzz with her rollicking adaptation of it. Our members attended various showings which included Happy Hour events such as “How to Write Like Jane Austen” presented by Willamette Writers (see previous post) and “Advance Gender Equity in the Arts” presented by the cast.
 
Of course, our region participated in our own pre-show Happy Hour in the Alan J. Beard Mezzanine prior to the Sunday matinee showing of Sense and Sensibility on February 3, 2019. Our Region Coordinator, Margaret Christmann attired in Regency dress gave a delightful presentation titled, “Hooked on Jane Austen? Let’s Talk!”    
 
Margaret provided a brief biography of Jane Austen’s life, her writings including Sense and Sensibility, and Jane’s love of the theater. She attended performances whenever she was in London or Bath.
 
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 in the village of Steventon In Hampshire. She was one of eight children. Her father was a clergyman.
 
Jane lived at home her entire life and helped run the family home. Jane’s parents encouraged Jane and her siblings to read and write plays. Jane’s early works or Juvenilia included three plays: “The Visit,” “The Mystery,” and “The First Act of a Comedy.”   
 
The Austen family also performed comic theatricals in their home. Later as an adult, Jane took part in unrehearsed performances and readings at home with her family.
 
While growing up, Jane also wrote several stories and read them aloud to her family for feedback and critique. At the age of 12, Jane wrote her first novel titled, The Beautiful Cassandra. She wrote Love and Friendship, an epistolary novel when she was about 15 years old. During this time, Jane also wrote The History of England in which she mocked the portrayal of English monarchs in school textbooks by writing her own mischievous history of them.
 
In her twenties, Jane wrote three novels: Northanger Abbey (1798-1799), Sense And Sensibility (1798), and Pride and Prejudice (1796-1797).  In her later years, Jane wrote Mansfield Park (1813), Emma (1814-1815), and Persuasion (1816).
 
Jane Austen also wrote Lady Susan, an epistolary novel in 1794 and continued to revise it throughout her life, carrying it with her wherever she lived. Eventually, it was published in 1871.
 
Jane Austen stopped writing her final novel, Sandition, in 1817 which remains a fragment of eleven chapters. It was later published in 1925.
 
Only four of Jane Austen’s novels were published in her lifetime and all anonymously:  Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815).
 
Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published posthumously in 1817, six months after Jane Austen's death.
 
Jane Austen also left behind her letters, but many were burned by her sister, Cassandra after her death and later family members destroyed other letters.
 
Later, a nephew wrote A Memoir of Jane Austen in 1869, which was published that year.
 
Jane loved the theater and attended performances in both London and Bath. Jane also played the piano. She loved to dance and was an accomplished dancer at assemblies. 
 
Jane died at the age of 41 on July 18, 1817 from a lingering illness. Experts have debated the cause as Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, an adrenal disorder called Adddison’s Disease, and even the possibility of death by poisoning.  She was buried in Westminster Cathedral.
 
In the early 1900s, scholars started studying her works.
 
Thanks to the actor, Colin Firth and his 1995 portray of Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen is more popular than any time in history and has never lost popularity. Her fame has gradually increased over the years and decades.
 
Sense and Sensibility was originally written as an epistolary novel or series of letters titled. Elinor and Marianne. It was a difficult book to write because the characters were not in the same location as Jane had her characters write back and forth to each other. Later, Jane revised it into a novel form which was published in 1811 anonymously “By A Lady.” She paid to get it published into three volumes. It earned 140 pounds and sold out in 2 yrs.
 
Our Region Coordinator, Margaret Christmann also provided an introduction to the Oregon and SW Washington Region and how to join our local group and the national JASNA. Our local JASNA group gets together regularly to talk about Jane Austen, her books, her life, and the events and people important in her time.
 
In 2010, we hosted the national meeting, a conference of workshops with both informal and scholarly talks. It was titled, “Jane Austen and the Abbey: Mystery, Mayhem, and Muslin in Portland.”  Here’s the website link: http://www.jasna.org/agms/portland/index.html.
 
We welcomed new members, those reading their first Jane Austen novel and those who have re-read her books many times. Margaret insightfully said, “You don’t need to be an Austen expert to feel at home in JASNA although you may become one as you attend our meetings. “
 
Afterwards, our members adjourned to the theater where we sat together for a riveting showing of Sense and Sensibility.

Review of Kate Hamill's Sense And Sensibility
Portland Center Stage Armory
By Vonnie Alto, Secretary

After our pre-talk Happy Hour of Jane Austen, our members adjourned to the theater where we sat together for a Sunday matinee of Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, performed on February 3, 2019. What a fun performance of comedy and creative staging with spinning furniture and a mercurial cast who played multiple characters regardless of gender, generation, size, and shape!  
 
Early on in a time travel twist, the cast wriggled out of their modern day garments to transform into the 19th century characters of Sense and Sensibility. They did not disappoint our sensibilities. The cast was constantly but sensibly in motion and also emotion back and forth fluidly across the stage spinning their chairs and tables to denote scene and character changes. There was so much to see that if you didn’t eyeball the myriad movements all at once, you could easily miss the gossip that was all abuzz in this lively production.
 
Then there was the sound effects. The delightful Mrs. Jennings constantly buzzed her gossip. Other characters disappeared off stage and into the aisles to interject their gossipy conversation. The crashing of glasses for dramatic emphasis and scene changes kept the audience alert to the unexpected.
 
Similarly, if you knew in advance that a line from Emma was inserted into the play, you looked for it. Sure enough one was in Edward’s engagement speech when he says to Elinor, “If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.” Sigh! What a romantic thing to say and so apt!
 
Professor Emeritus, Pauline Beard caught the pilfering. “This is Mr. Knightley’s lovely line in Emma. (Chapter 49). No wonder the playwright used it. Edward’s engagement request is written in the third person with a remarkable distance from what was actually said. Clever move on the playwright’s part.”    
 
What else did our JASNA group think about the play? What were some of the reactions?
 
Of course, we raved and gushed about the characters, their wit, the acting, the setting, and everything in between.
 
Stephanie Vardavas said, ”I thought the adaptation and staging were extremely clever, and I found myself howling with laughter many times. The actress who plays Mrs. Jennings is wonderful, and both Marianne and Elinor are terrific.”
 
Erudite JASNA scholar, Arnie Perlstein offered, “"This production of Kate Hamill's adaptation of Sense & Sensibility was spectacular in every way-- the writing, the staging and the acting." 
 
Longtime member, Dula Baker said, “Anyone not familiar with the novel would have been lost in the fast pace of the play. I found the quirkiness of the quickness, the wheeled props, and the trading of roles (even while both characters were on stage) fascinating. The actress who played Mrs. Musgroves was outstanding. The choreography was amazingly executed; no one sailed off the stage or crashed into anyone or anything. Though the novel is not funny, this play was hilarious; even the actors succumbed to silent laughter at times. This event was an afternoon well spent! Also, the Happy Hour provided by the theater and Margaret Christmann's presentation were well received.”
 
Another longtime member Ceil Huntington affirmed, “The synchronization was amazing! I never seen so much movement in a play. It’s incredible, almost like a ballet. I’m impressed with the mechanics.”
 
English Professor Emeritus, Pauline Beard agreed, “It was light hearted and fun rather than farcical. I also appreciated that this production kept fairly closely to Austen’s text. I loved the fact even the wine for Marianne was mentioned correctly: Constantia…which Elinor promptly quaffs!  I disliked the way Lord Middleton’s dogs were shown in the Ashland production...far too confusing and loud, but here I laughed out loud at the line about pointers...referring to the dogs...but using the stretched out finger pointing off stage where three men pointed back.... I also loved the bed scene with the lamp and teacup...ingenious. The use of chairs and door frames was amazing...how anyone did not get in the way I can't imagine. When Edward came in at the end did he really mean to fall? The actors applauded him…but I think it was a mistake yes?  Maybe they had many such slips and trips in rehearsals with all the movement...it seemed almost choreographed at times.”
 
Conversely, a few of our members offered some enlightening criticisms that puts the performance into perspective:
 
Ceil Huntington noted, “They’ve taken liberties with the text. This is slapsticky.”
 
Pauline Beard added, “My only criticisms are to do with acting...I think Mrs. Jennings went on too long about Chapman (?) in her bedroom…and it turns out to be her wolf hound…it was funny at the beginning but she drew it out so lengthily (playing for the limelight after The Oregonian review maybe?) that the actor playing Brandon had to get back into his serious role and lost it. Also the actress playing Anne Steele was too high pitched and spoke so rapidly that half of her lines were lost. Her lines are important because she lets out the secret of Lucy’s engagement. I think that might have been lost on anyone in the audience who does not know the text.”
 
There you have it! Both thoughtful and off the cuff reactions to Kate Hamill’s Sense and Sensibility in Portland! If you’re curious to know more about this intriguing play, read the script available at Multnomah County Library or online at Amazon and elsewhere.
 

Pride and Prejudice Conversation Recap
at Mother Foucalt's Bookshop
By Vonnie Alto, Secretary

On January 24, 2019, erudite Janite, Arnie Perlstein held a Pride And Prejudice conversation at Mother Foucault’s Bookshop on 532 SE Morrison Street, Portland. An intimate gathering participated for the evening in this freewheeling conversation exploring Arnie's shadow theory about Jane Austen’s fiction, focusing mostly on Pride And Prejudice.
 
Mother Faucault’s Bookshop kindly pulled a display of research books of the period along with works by Jane Austen.
 
Arnie proved again to be a terrific speaker and extremely knowledgeable about Jane Austen. His remarkable recall and attention to details was most welcoming, probably because he keeps meticulous records of articles/books he reads and researches.
 
We were asked to think about the ambiguity of Jane Austen’s characters. Isn’t it interesting that the male characters gravitate towards Elizabeth Bennet! Charlotte Lucas realizes that her friend, Elizabeth is in danger of being taken from her. One reason why Charlotte marries Mr. Collins is that he will inherit and she’ll end up at the estate of Elizabeth.
 
Arnie then asked, Did Mr. Darcy really reform or not? Did he trick Elizabeth into marrying him? What if Mr. Darcy constructed a fake reality for Elizabeth? Arnie says that it’s possible that Mr. Darcy used his resources to make Elizabeth think that he likes her when he really has his sights on another.
 
What is also interesting is that all the male characters who are interested in Elizabeth are connected to each other off stage but show up on stage and converge on Elizabeth at the same time. Maybe Mr. Darcy and Bingley are actually attracted to each other!
 
Arnie noted that Agatha Christie knew the works of Jane Austen well. Miss Marple is called Aunt Jane who lived in a small village just like Jane Austen. What a coincidence!
 
Arnie says that there are really shadow stories to the works of Jane Austen—stories that are beneath the main story. Jane Austen cleverly wrote two different stories at once with two messages for each of her books. The deeper message underneath the main story expands the flexibility of our minds. It’s up to the reader to figure it out. She trains us to doubt our first impressions which was the original title of Pride and Prejudice.
 
When Arnie looked further, he saw glimmers of other writers messing around with shadow stories, too, such as Henry James and Shakespeare. Therefore, Jane Austen followed in the tradition of great writers. For example, The Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollenstonecraft is really a rallying cry for women.
 
Also, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is full of shadow stories too. Her sister, Charlotte Bronte became famous due to her novel, Jane Eyre which also contains shadow stories. Interestingly, she is credited with hating Jane Austen and thought that there’s no passion to Jane Austen’s writings. Interestingly, Charlotte Bronte corresponded with Henry Lewes, a Janeite who loved Jane Austen’s writings and who recommended that she read Jane Austen. It turns out that Charlotte was really interested in Jane Austen and the darker themes meaning Jane Austen’s shadowed stories. As a result, the subtext of Emma permeates Jane Eyre.  
 
Even Mark Twain read Jane Austen although he didn’t want to acknowledge that he admired her.
 
Arnie further noted that all the great authors borrowed endlessly from one another. The writings of Henry James is filled with allusions to both Jane Austen and Shakespeare. Jane Austen herself inserted metaphors and similes from Shakespeare and other phrases of his into Emma. The borrowing of great literature continues today. Even the movie, Clueless is based on Emma.
 
The character, Emma is manipulated by other characters and doesn’t know it. Sixty years before Jane Austen wrote Emma, Samuel Richardson wrote Pamela in 1749. Henry Fielding wrote Tom Jones and also Shamala (a parody of Richardson’s Pamela). In fact, Arnie believes that Richardson was up to something and deliberately incorporated a shadow story into Pamela.  
 
What if Harriet Smith in Emma is actually a Shamala? Harriet thinks that Emma is her plaything. Emma tries to match Harriet with others. Later Emma realizes that Harriet really has her eye on Mr. Knightly, not Mr. Churchill.
 
There’s also echoes of usurpation in Emma similar to that of Richard II by Shakespeare in which Henry usurps Richard’s throne. In Emma, Harriet usurps Emma. Harriet does this on purpose when she uses a different voice. She no longer speaks using “Yes, Miss Woodhouse.” 
 
Next, Arnie discussed Jane Austen’s family toward her legacy. Apparently. Her nephew airbrushed Jane out of revenge because his mother didn’t get along with her mother. What survived is Jane Austen’s handwriting in Juenlia—stories she wrote when she was a teenager.
 
Jane Austen’s letters shows sexual innuendos, however, it is up to the reader to see what they’re ready to see. The word, "confinement," is actually a pun. Women entered into final confinement during childbirth with some never surviving!
 
In closing, Arnie recommended reading Pride and Prejudice. Be sure to look for the shadow stories in Jane Austen’s works. If you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice,. Read it for fun and see what happens. Be sure to visit his blog, Sharp Elves Society for more on his shadow theory.

How to Write Like Jane Austen Recap
at Portland Center Stage Armory
by Vonnie Alto, Secretary
 
Jane Austen aficionados gathered for Happy Hour at the Portland Center Stage Armory to hear the Willamette Writers pre-talk, “How to Write Like Jane Austen“ prior to the showing of Sense and Sensibility on January 22, 2019. Academic librarian, Elizabeth Brookbank and instructor/writer Amy Foster-Myer discussed what makes Jane Austen unique and how we can write like her today.
                          
Both speakers have each completed a novel set in the time of Jane Austen which they hope soon to publish. They graciously provided a plethora of tips on how to do the same.
 
Amy Foster-Myer’s book is a Jane Austen time travel novel in which a modern day heroine, Emma Wood, accidentally falls out of a window in a shop on the Pulteney Bridge and into the Thames River at a Jane Austen festival in Bath. Mark Landen, with whom she has a flirtatious friendship attempts to rescue her, and falls into the river too. Interestingly, these thwarted lovers actually live an ocean apart and only see each other in person during the 10 days of the festival. They have never taken their relationship seriously. When they emerge from the river, they have fallen back in time to 1802 where they meet Jane Austen who becomes a character in the story.
 
Amy noted that it is during this time that Jane Austen probably experienced her “lowest emotional point in life—loss of home, living in a city she despises, loss of love (either through death or marriage to another), etc. Because ultimately, this is also what Emma is grappling with—how does one willingly step into the unknown whilst also knowing there may be nothing but a long drop and a dark period ahead of you?”
 
Amy stated that she pays homage to Austen’s plotlines by creating “a pair of thwarted lovers whose own poor choices and inability to speak openly about their feelings results in separation, wounded feelings, and an emotional distance that seems insurmountable. It is only over the course of the novel, in learning the lessons of friendship and love, that they can overcome their own obstacles and achieve ‘rational happiness.’”  Thus, it’s a story of miscommunications and misunderstandings about a modern heroine who also insightfully comments on Georgian society.
 
Amy wrote this fun book while taking a Literary Arts workshop titled, “How to Write A Novel in 8 Weeks.” Amy’s suggests that we read Jane Austen to write like her. Amy watched Jane Austen movies the entire time while writing her novel to keep herself engrossed in the world of Jane Austen. She read letters of Jane Austen and noticed her “snarky, prickly, and wry wit.” Amy said that Jane’s “cruel wit” comes through her letters. Amy strove to capture that “snarkiness” in her own book.  Amy recommended Project Gutenberg for accessing Jane Austen’s letters/novels in full text with references since it was easy for her to google the subject while writing her novel. Amy recommends that if there’s a style of writing that you like, choose that as your writing voice.
 
I later asked Amy what was the challenge in portraying Jane Austen? Amy said that, “The biggest challenge in doing something so monumentally pitfall--laden as portraying a person so famous and so studied was my initial desire to ‘get it right’ coupled with the fact that we have so little actual evidence about what Austen was like, and so much debate within the community about her. Her letters are wonderful source material, but they are, sadly, so redacted by Cassandra's ever-watchful concern for both Jane and other family member's privacy that much has been lost. So ultimately, I had to make the decision to portray Jane as I believe her to be--the Jane I talk to in my head, I guess you could say. And I also wanted to capture that Jane was a bit of a prickly pickle at times! There are a number of passages in her letters where she is biting, sarcastic, and sometimes even, downright cruel. I didn't want to present some perfect image of Jane, but the real person -- or perhaps I should say, any real person. I wonder what my readership will think of her when this book is out in the world. I look forward to it, but it's a nervous anticipation. “
 
Conversely, Elizabeth Brookbank’s book is about two young women set in 1809 England during the time Jane Austen lived, but Jane Austen is not a character in it. The two women fall in love with each other which is based on a romantic friendship. Of course, everything goes wrong because Georgian/Regency era society expected that women marry men.
 
Elizabeth said that it’s necessary “to marinate” in the world of Jane Austen so you’ll write naturally like her. She watched PBS dramas/movies to get a sense of how the people back then talked. She zeroed in on the cutting, dry wit of Jane Austen, but not the sarcasm. Elizabeth also noted that what is often missing in romance novels of the period is Jane Austen’s wry wit which she strove to capture.
 
Interestingly, some writers avoid reading fiction while they’re writing fiction. Elizabeth said that’s a mistake because it’s really good to get the period into your psyche while you’re writing about it. That’s why it’s good to build a historical foundation so that when you sit at the computer you can write easily in the historical style of the time.
 
To do this, Elizabeth read about the phenomenon of historical romantic friendship before she started writing her book. However, she still had to research details (i.e. authentic dialogue, clothing, transportation, the look of houses, the age for coming out in 19th century society, etc). But be careful. It’s easy to let the research overtake the writing. After a few weeks, Elizabeth decided to separate her writing time from her research time and keeps a separate document for research notes. For editing, she uses Scrivner to make edit notes to herself in which Scriver puts red bracketed text into whatever is written. For example, [build more here] or [insert more here].
 
By contrast, Amy gives herself 5 minutes to research a subject. She also used key letters for inserting information later. She borrowed this useful method from fellow writer Evan Williams. He deliberately inserts the same arrangements of letters with brackets into various spots in his novel as a note to himself to return to that section later—either to clean it up, add a detail, a scene, or something else. Essentially, it’s a mnemonic device that you’ll remember to search for later in the revision process. For example, the bracketed letters that Williams uses is “[asdf]” is actually meaningless and doesn’t contain a particular meaning. Instead, it serves as a flag for him to add or fix something later in his novel.
 
If using Microsoft Word, type CTRL+F to bring up the search bar into your document. Then type in your code letters or special word to find those areas that you need to revise or add more information. 
 
However, it’s important to choose a selection of key letters or even a particular word that you can remember as a reminder of what needs to be done later for your book. Make sure to bracket it so that it’s separate from your story.
 
What an interesting method for inserting information! It’s also lends itself to other methods. I talked to another attender at the happy hour who extrapolated this tool and created her own method. She recommended to code it in your manuscript and index cards for research. In other words, use the first letter of a word such as “E” for editing or “R” for research that requires further attention. Then bracket it which would allow you to carry on with without losing your train of thought, yet indicate that you need to do something further with the sentence. This would send you in the direction you need to go but wouldn’t answer the question. 
 
Also, these first letter codes of a word would correspond to key letters on your index cards (i.e. E for editing, R for research--for perhaps researching transportation, vehicles, hemlines, and how people of certain spoke).
 
Both Elizabeth and Amy agreed that about 10% of research goes into a book. The rest of their research provides authority. Elizabeth says if you’ve put a lot of research into your book, then it will be boring. Don’t over explain. Instead, give a sense of the time.  Amy said that it’s important to note that Jane Austen wrote her books for the people of the time with approximately 10% giving the reader a sense of the world, but not a complete history.
 
Elizabeth said that there’s different amounts of research to include, depending on your story. You’ll need both general and specific research for accuracy. Historical information that is most important are the dynamics of the main characters (their interactions and how other characters view them) vs the history of the period (including  servants/clothing). Therefore, pick and choose specific things about what you’re writing and make it accurate.
 
Elizabeth kindly provided a handout of Regency/Georgian/Victorian England research resources. She especially recommended the Georgian/Regency blogs: “Regency History,” “Jane Austen’s World,” “Pen and Pension,” “The Risky Regencies,” “All Things Georgian,” “Austen Authors,” and “English Historical Fiction Authors.”  Also, British Baby Names and Behind the Name.
 
Inquiring minds wanted to know, do these writers write multiple projects at the same? Is it easier to do so?
 
Elizabeth said that no writing is easy. It’s all hard. She has more than one project going because it’s hard to focus on just one project.
 
Amy writes 1,000 words flash fiction short stories and also novel writes and tries to focus her energies. She recommends having something else to focus on while writing your novel so that it brings momentum to your writing. She’s always working on three different phases of writing: 1) writing the current project, 2) editing a completed work, and 3) mulling over an idea for the next project that she hasn’t yet written. This writing process is based on the writing advice she heard from local author, Fonda Lee of Willamette Writers. Lee always works on three projects at the same time: 1) the book she’s drafting, 2) the draft she’s revising, and 3) the project she’s mulling over and researching.  
 
Another attender volunteered that for her this was the biggest takeaway of the happy hour. Have three categories of writing that you’re in the process of doing: editing, writing and developing--each which requires a different length of time to complete. This keeps your interest level up and your writing exciting. Otherwise you can get stalled. If you have these three levels you’re working on, then you’ll always have something moving forward. You can work on all three levels in one day or one at a time. Then slot in a new projects as you finish one of these levels.  When you finish something, you’ll return with a new outlook and a fresh vision. Then you slot in a new project as you finish one of these levels. This way, there’s always something you’re developing and finishing.
 
So much to ponder! What an engrossing happy hour on writing like Jane Austen! Thank you Elizabeth and Amy for sharing your insightful tips on how to write like Jane Austen and how to portray Jane Austen! We look forward to reading your own novels once they are published.
 
Both Elizabeth and Amy are accessible on the web: Elizabeth Brookbank is on Twitter at elizabethbrookb and Amy Foster Myer has a blog:  https://amyfostermyer.wordpress.com/
 

January 2019 Meeting Recap:
Mothers in Jane Austen’s Novels
Discussion Leaders: Dula Baker and Stephanie Fleming
Hostesses: Joanne Graham and Sylvia Foster
By Vonnie Alto, Secretary
 
Once again our January meeting took place at the majestic Hillsboro Public Library. Joanne Graham and Sylvia Foster graciously hosted the event. There, we dined on a delicious buffet spread of savory cranberry cheese pull-apart bread; scones with clotted cream and preserves; and cute Santa Hats of brownies and walnuts topped with strawberries. We also had fresh mandarin oranges, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, grapes, and blackberries; a variety of crackers and cheeses;  an assortment of cookies; meat wraps; olives; ambrosia fruit cocktail salad; fingertip sandwiches of cucumber or egg; and a vegetable platter of carrots, green beans, broccoli, tomatoes, and salary. Ferrero Rocher Fine Hazelnut chocolate completed our buffet. 
 
On a separate table, we placed our collection of teapots and cozies with teacups, including an assortment of tea: Oolong White Peach, English Breakfast, Jasmin Silver Tip, Cranberry Blood Orange, Blackberry Sage, St Crispin Day, and Breakfast in Paris with cream, sugar, and honey.
 
Long time members, Dula Baker and her daughter, Stephanie Fleming led a lively and thought provoking discussion on Mothers in Jane Austen’s novels where they gave extensive forethought and insight on nearly every conceivable subject on motherhood, complete with references to conduct advice books of the period.  They also distributed informative handouts to accompany their discussion. See PDF versions of their handouts below.

Pictures of Jane Austen were passed around along with the article, “Are We Ready for New Diretcions? Jane Austen’s The History of England & Cassandra’s Portraits” by Annette Upfal and Christine Alexander. We learned that science looked at Jane Austen’s portraits and her sister, Cassandra’s pictures and found startling resemblances. Dula looked into the depth of how Jane Austen developed her characters and personalities and noted that Jane was a phenomenal observer of human character, including herself.
 
Dula and Stephanie then asked the group the following question: Since none of the mothers seems to be adequate, what is Jane Austen telling us about mothers? And about herself?
We learned that we don’t know what Jane’s relationship was like with her mother. Maybe Jane’s childhood wasn’t as happy as we thought. We know that Jane’s mother was in poor health and that Jane took on a lot of the responsibilities from her mother and that her father supported her extensive reading/writing. However, we don’t know if her mother did. Most of what we know is from her nephew, James Edward Austen-Leigh’s A Memoir of Jane Austen. He had limited knowledge and he glorified their lives. The letters shows that Jane has a lack of empathy for her mother and that there’s also an emotional distance between the two. In one of the letters, Jane writes, “I supposed my mother will like to have me write to her. I shall try at least.”  Obviously, Jane didn’t want to write to her mother although Jane was a letter writer. This begs the question: Why didn’t Jane want to write to her mother? Scholars have questioned Jane’s early years. Maybe the early years were more stressful than we know because of how Jane has written about mothers in her novels.
 
 The mother-daughter duo then asked, What Were Mothers Like During the Regency Era? What were the expectations/norms at the time? What were their roles?
Dula and Stephanie noted that the mistress of an estate is similar to a manager of a small hotel/CEO and thus responsible for the finances, for hiring staff, for charitable contributions, she assisted their husband in the overall estate business, and managed all food/supplies for the home. What was raised/grown in the summer was preserved for the offseason. Mrs.Rundell’s Domestic Cookery was considered a period conduct guide on how to manage finances and estates.
 
The mistress of an estate also supervised the domestic servants. Often, the servants were in short term situations and thus had a high turnover. The mistress of an estate saw to the servants needs (i.e. clothing, medical, education).
 
She also hosted dinners, gatherings, and provided local entertainment. She provided advice to the sick (especially when there weren’t doctors available).She visited the poor, gave advice to them, and listened to their complaints.
 
Of course, the mistress of an estate was expected to bear children. She was responsible for the education of her children, whether or not she hired it out. She was also responsible for her children’s moral education. The daughters had to have accomplishments to marry well. Female formal accomplishments included: singing, playing an instrument, dancing, speaking French (possibly Italian), drawing,  painting, sewing, decorative needlework, elegant penmanship, mathematics to manage household ledgers, and the ability to conduct polite education that revealed suitable knowledge of history, literature, and poetry.
 
Next, the mother-daughter duo asked, What Were Thoughts About Motherhood and which influences us today?
We learned that the Romantic Era of the late 1700’s – 1800’s was influenced by the Enlightenment, the individual, and the philosophy that children were born good and can be molded. The philosopher, John Locke said that nurture, not nature makes a difference. Therefore, the Enlightenment philosophers thought that children had the ability to reason. There was an emphasis on educating children because they would be the future citizens of society.
 
Writers in the period engaged in public debates about motherhood. The philosophy of discipline had a forgiving attitude for good behavior while bad parenting resulted in bad children. It was thought that parents are responsible for the behavior of their children.
 
Women possessed a biological power because they could bear children. Bearing children was women’s foundational contribution to society and also the threat to the social order. During this time, scientific research was intense. A high infant mortality rate existed since many mothers died in childbirth. Breastfeeding debates became political. If a marriage broke down (usually from domestic violence), men obtained custody of the children according to the 1839 Infant Act. A mother could petition the courts for her children under 7 years of age and get visits for children over the age of 7.  However, there was also a rise of infanticide. If a woman was an overly sympathetic mother and in severe poverty, she could become murderous and commit infanticide to protect her child from misery. 
 
Dula and Stephanie also discussed motherhood in Romantic Literature: We learned that there were an abundance of instruction books, essays, and opinion pieces published during this time.  Motherhood conduct novels portrayed the dangerously good mother who risked making her children selfish with excessive maternal love. The naturally bad mother operated from her overly emotional constitution. Mary Wollenstonecraft wrote that some mothers didn’t enjoy motherhood and were neglectful. Such a mother lacked the ability to control her own feelings/desires so that she neglected or harmed her children. As an example, Mary Musgrove in Persuasion was a neglectful mother.
 
If women didn’t get the education they deserved, they became bad mothers. Arnie Perlstein noted and Stephanie agreed that Mary Wollenstonecraft was all about women strengthening their minds so as to lead independent lives with meaning. Mothers supervised a child’s diet/exercise and encouraged their development. Conduct book examples of the period include: An Inquiry into Duties of the Female Sex (1786, read in 1805) by Thomas Gisborn. Also, John Newberry wrote a children’s book with instructions to children. Mary Wollenstonecraft recommended serious reading. Most of Jane Austen’s characters read and Jane herself got her education from reading.
 
Furthermore, women were victims of injustice because the laws were against them. The grief of the mother could harm the fetus. Therefore, it was recommended to have power over your emotions at all time. But, how would a mother have time to read these books? Dula noted that with all the many duties that a mother had, she probably wouldn’t have time to read these conduct books or many of them.
 
Next Dula and Stephanie discussed breastfeeding and midwifery.
A wet nurse was dangerous. The virtues of breastfeeding were extoled. So long as a mother could breastfeed, she could postpone having children. Therefore, this was a natural form of birth control.
 
A lively discussion followed where the membership contributed their own thoughts to the subject of motherhood during the Romantic Era:

• Stephanie Vardavas said that boarding schools affected a child’s upbringing. The boy children had too soft of an upbringing if they went to Eaton vs a rough upbringing at Gorsten boarding schools.
• Lisa Perrine noted that women had no legal rights. Women were pregnant all the time and therefore at risk of death through childbirth. Women lived hard lives with not much medical care or good doctors or many doctors. Jane Austen’s writings provides a window into a woman’s life during the Romantic Era. Girls were not given any education. They had to educate themselves or get into books like Jane Austen. Jane Austen didn’t want to get married but instead write.
• Arnie Perlstein offered his shadow theory on the subject. Arnie asserted that Mrs. Tilney is the symbol of the dead mother. She died in childbirth, not of a fever (a shadow story revealed). In fact, there’s 20 references in Jane Austen’s letters where a woman is pregnant again. Was there such a thing as separate beds? This tells us what Jane Austen thought about pregnancy, birth control, and motherhood. It was a dangerous life for women.
• Joann Graham noted that Jane Austen’s sister-in-law, Fanny (Charles wife) died at the age of 25 with her baby. She had 3 daughters. Later, Charles married her sister and had more children. Queen Victoria was taught needlepoint and played the piano because she was going to get married and have children.

 
Then Dula and Stephanie turned the discussion to Jane Austen’s novels beginning with motherhood in Northanger Abbey:

• Dula said that Mrs. Morland (mother of Catherine) was pregnant all the time and nursing. However, she was able to teach French or Italian to her kids. How did her type of mothering influence Catherine?
• Pauline Beard answered that she was a negligent mother which gave Catherine independence. Therefore, Catherine is willing to take on new thoughts and adventures.
• Our Region Coordinator, Margaret Christmann’s impression was that the mother was involved with the youngest children until they grew older. Former Region Coordinator, Kim Higgins said that Mrs. Moreland was a fantastic mom because Catherine was well behaved. As Catherine grew older, she took on a mother role.
• Both Marcia Hamley and Stephanie Fleming agreed that Catherine had to find her way home by herself after being told to leave the Tilney’s estate. She did it without being scared. She was independent because of her upbringing.
• Marcia Hamley added that because Catherine had to shift for herself, she was able to do so.
• Dula/Stephanie said that Catherine read novels. She’s also very trusting of John Thorpe, but not the 2nd time because she learned from her mistake. She’s thoughtful, learns a lot and thrives. The Gothic novel is a metaphor for female existence. Catherine needs experience to realize that not everyone has been raised with her high morality.

 
Next motherhood in Mansfield Park was discussed:

• Dula said that the 3 Ward sisters in Mansfield Park are role models for Fanny at the age of 10 who has left home.       
• Pauline Beard added that it’s nature vs nuture in Mansfield Park. Pauline said that the term has been in use since Elizabethan times but research areas began using it in the 19th century. Why are Fanny and William and Susan such good people when the home life is so squalid? Nature (genetics) would suggest that the parents are good (or were) before life let them down. Fanny is lifted out from the home (nurture or lack of it) when she is 10. William leaves for the navy at about age 14 (this is conjecture because there is no mention of his age). Therefore, one could argue that nature determines their lives. Susan remains but is a good child (Nature versus nurture) when Fanny returns and then Susan is also lifted out (and up!) to Mansfield Park. Maria and Julia are neglected by their parents and spoiled by their aunt (nurture). At the end of the novel, Sir Bertram admits that their education should have been better and he should have taken more care of them. 
• Margaret Harshbarger said that William and Fanny had good parenting.

 
We also had an interesting discussion on children's ages:

• Margaret Harshbarger asked, “How long in this era are you considered a child? 12 or 13 years old?” Stephanie Fleming said that the idea of children and play takes shape in this period. Margaret Harshbarger responded by saying that the idea of a child is determined by the social class. Former Region Coordinator, Bill Boyd said that children raised in horrendous circumstances come out OK.

 
Next, our group turned our thoughts to a discussion of motherhood in Pride & Prejudice:

• Stephanie asked: Why were Jane and her sister, Elizabeth so different? Jane was born the first and got a lot of positive attention from her parent. Elizabeth was beautiful too. Mrs. Bennett becomes more fretful and inattentive as more children arrived, she worried because she wanted to have a boy. By the time Lydia arrives, Mrs. Bennett is off the chart worried because now they have to find husbands for all their daughters.
• Marna Tisdel said that for the Bennetts to have 5 daughters and no sons, the girls need to marry and marry well.
• Stephanie Fleming noted that Jane and Elizabeth act as mothers to each other with Elizabeth as reason.
• Mary Benson said that she herself comes from a large family with 5 brothers. The oldest children are authority figures and do what mother and father want. With a huge family of 8-10 children, parents don’t have time to parent everyone.
• Lauren Bruss asked, “At what point is it the failing/duty of the older sister to mother younger sisters? Therefore, Lydia should have been mothered.
• Kim Higgins offered that Mrs. Bennett gave up mothering by the time Lydia was born since Lydia is like Mrs. Bennett. 
• Pauline Beard said that it’s “the luck of the son” which is crucial to keeping an estate. “The luck of being the first son gave a man the benefit of primogeniture: inheriting the land and property of the father...no occupation...but the second son would go to the military and the third to the church...Tom in Mansfield Park thus inherits everything...no occupation and spoiled he is a wastrel. The living that should have been Edmund's is leased to help pay Tom's debts.”
• Arnie Perlstein asked, “Who puts in a good word for Mary in Pride and Prejudice?” Elizabeth believes that Mary is stuck and an imbecile. Actually, Mary is smart. Be careful. There’s a loss of virtue here. Mary embodies a narrow subject view but actually is much more sympathetic.
• Arnie has argued since 2010 that Mary Bennet in the shadow story of Pride and Prejudice is actually a combination of Mary Wollstonecraft and Jane Austen, and she only seems like a pedant and fool because Elizabeth thinks Mary is that. Actually, the real fool is Elizabeth because Mary tries to warn Eliza against Darcy. For more information, search his blog, Sharp Elves Society for several posts about Mary Bennet. Arnie noted, “Like Jane Austen, Mary Bennett will be there in the library with Jane Austen’s father and Jane with the books.”
• Arnie further noted that Collen McCullough wrote a sequel novel of Pride and Prejudicefrom the point of view of Mary Bennet titled, The Independence of Mary Bennett. Another member acknowledged that Mary is a bluestocking which means a feminist.
• Arnie pointed out that Mrs. Bennett is only 40 years old, and maybe still fertile. She’s not wanting children since she acts nervous so that maybe her husband will leave her alone. Another form of natural birth control.
• Dula said that there’s an empty headedness of some mothers. What is Jane Austen saying about that?
• Frank McClanahan said that many mothers are absent or not there in Jane Austen’s novels. Therefore, it’s much more interesting for a writer to write of characters without a mother there. It’s a scary growth experience for Catherine Moreland when she’s on her own in Northanger Abbey.

 
Next, a discussion followed on motherhood in Sense And Sensibility:

• Pauline Beard asserted that in Jane Austen’s there’s no discipline of children and that the children are noisy. They destroy conversation. In one of Jane’s letters, Jane writes of visiting children being very noisy and thinks they should be thumped to keep them disciplined.
• Pauline also said that the more smothering you do, the more you are a bad mother. Lady Middleton in Sense And Sensibility is the worst mother in literature.
• Marcia Hamley noted that Lady Middleton’s daughter is named Anna Marie which is a foreshadowing of Mary Ann.
• Lisa Perrine said that Marianne, her mother, and Mrs. Dashwood are replicas of each other. Both fall in love with Willoughby. Marianne wears her heart on her sleeve. Willoughby jilts her for another and she is never the same again.
• Stephanie Fleming said that the mother, Mrs. Dashwood, experienced a growth journey and realized she didn’t have the emotional continuum of Jane on the Brain by Wendy Jones.
• Pauline Beard says that young men have power over women. Willoughby marries for money and feels regret how he treated Marianne but still married for money.

 
Finally, Dula and Stephanie asked, What were the messages on motherhood from Jane Austen:

• Dula wondered about the way men try to put women under the control of the government.
• Marcia Hamley noted that the era was patriarchal and that the issue of men taking over women’s bodies comes from a lack of respect and men wanting to have power.
• Stephanie Fleming asked: Is Jane trying to educate her people to take back her power? Arnie Perlstein answered, “Yes. Educate women to take their power from men who hold all the cards. In Jane Austen’s shadow stories, there are always women who appear weak and powerless but who actually use their wits to get others, especially the rich and the powerful, to do what they want.”
• Guest visitor, Shelby West of the Portland Meetup, The Jane Austen Book Club, commented that there’s beautiful images of what fathers and mothers did right and wrong in Jane Austen’s novels.
• Then Kim Higgins offered the final comments. Kim said that she had thought about the mothering of the governesses and the balance of power. Governesses usually are below in society but yet mothered children who will have more power than the governess. Also, kids have an emotional connection to their governess. Stephanie Fleming added that conduct novels reveals that it’s important to pay attention to the emotional connections of your children and who they spend time with. Kim said that the character, Emma went unchecked because Miss Taylor (the governess) was mothering others in society.

 
Thank you, Dula Baker and Stephanie Fleming for researching and leading an insightful discussion on Mothers in Jane Austen’s Novels!

November 2018 Meeting Recap:
Book Discussion - Jane on the Brain: Exploring the Science of Social Intelligence With Jane Austen by Wendy Jones
Speaker: Wendy Jones
Hostess: Lisa Perrine
By Vonnie Alto, Secretary

Lisa Perrine graciously hosted our November meeting at her lovely Beaverton home. A large turnout of 38 members and friends attended to hear our out-of-town speaker and author, Wendy Jones give her presentation on her book, Jane on the Brain: Exploring the Science of Social Intelligence With Jane Austen.
 
We all dined on a lovely buffet tea spread of delicacies and desserts: Crustless tea sandwiches of salmon, egg, cucumber, and tuna; Endive with Salmon; Green Tomato Red Bean Dip; pita chips; lemon curd; jellies and jams; buttermilk scones; tarts; brownies; gingerbread pretzels; chocolate chip biscuits; Pepperidge Farms Milano Cookies; shortbreads; nut bread; vanilla bread; strawberries; and baked peach cobbler.    

Lisa’s beautiful kitchen served as the place setting for our collection of teapots and cozies with teacup sets.

Our reading group discussion commenced when Wendy Jones gave an engrossing presentation on empathy and personality disorders in Jane Austen’s novels. Wendy’s goal was to write a book for smart, general readers about the mind and the brain in relation to Jane Austen’s works. She discussed how Jane Austen’s extraordinary and empathetic insight into others is fundamental to her popularity. Because Jane Austen portrays human nature accurately, we can use her novels to talk about the mind-brain. In other words, you cannot have sense without sensibility.

Wendy defined empathy as understanding another’s state of mind by thinking and feeling from their perspective and even replicating that emotion. Empathy in Jane Austen’s novels is conveyed through mirroring.

Although Jane Austen didn’t have a lot of therapeutic language available, she still realized that there exists an Empathy Continuum from no empathy to extremely high empathy. When reading Jane Austen’s novels, ask yourself, “Where do you think Jane Austen’s characters belong on the Empathy Continuum?”

Wendy addressed the psychological conditions that disrupt social functions, including mental illness, stupidity, and envy. For example, Emma suffers from limitations of envy. She isn’t paying attention when she fails to empathize.

However, Wendy said that, “We can’t have empathy for everyone all the time or we would go crazy. We need to have boundaries.“

At the opposite end of the Empathy Continuum or spectrum are the psychopaths. Psychopaths can understand when you’re sad but don’t feel it so it means nothing to them. This is the opposite of empathy. When you make others see your pain, they are less likely to hurt you.

Then, there’s the personality disorders: Anti-Social Personality Disorder (APD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) – all of which can be seen in Jane Austen’s characters. Some examples of Jane Austen’s characters exhibiting personality disorders are the following:  Sir Walter in Persuasion and John Thorpe in Northanger Abbey have NPD; Mr. Elliott in Persuasion has APD; Lady Susan has BPD.

Wendy noted that these disorders weren’t named at the time, nevertheless, Jane Austen with her astuteness could still see what we see today. When there’s a clustering of symptoms, then you can start to name them as our modern, contemporary society has done.

Wendy gave us tips for raising our empathy. She said that we raise our empathy by paying attention to each other and reading—especially reading novels. Of course, reading Jane Austen novels also raises our empathy.  

What did our group think? Such a lively, thought provoking discussion followed.

Former Region Coordinator, Bill Boyd, said that Jane Austen is a cure for the world’s evils, that Mrs. Norris in Sense and Sensibility is worse than Fanny Dashwood, and that Fanny Dashwood is a psychopath.

Our current Region Coordinator, Margaret Christmann noted that Mrs. Norris is purposefully destructive to Fanny because she is trying to destroy Fanny.

Jennifer Fleming raised the question, “How do you characterize Lucy Steele in Sense And Sensibility? Wendy answered that Lucy Steele is a psychopath with not a lot of empathy.

Bill Boyd further noted that many characters fit into the autistic continuum, including Mr. Darcy of Pride And Prejudice. Wendy disagreed. She said that Mr. Darcy reads the minds of other characters and is willing to evolve and grow.

Professor Emeritus, Pauline Beard acknowledged that reading Jane on the Brain drove her back into the novels. Pauline referenced the fabulous cartoon on page 80 of the book regarding the automotive metaphor of a vagal break. In Sense And Sensibility, Elinor puts the brake on her emotions when Lucy drops the news of her secret engagement to Edward. To quote Jane Austen, Elinor’s “amazement as too great for words“ then she forces “herself to speak and to speak cautiously” with “a calmness of manner.”

Pauline further noted that Maria marries Rushworth out of revenge in Mansfield Park. Sir Bertram had given Maria the chance to escape her engagement to Rushworth because her father talks about releasing her from the engagement. But Maria is all about revenge. After “the first three or four days after Henry Crawford’s leaving Mansfield Park,” her feelings hadn’t yet been “tranquilized” so “her answer might have been very different.” But when she didn’t hear from him, “her mind became cool enough to seek all the comfort that pride and self-revenge could give.” The key words here are “tranquilized,” “mind,” and “self-revenge.”

Former Teacher and Secretary of our region, Pat Fulbright noted that there’s gold diggers in the novels. For example, in Persuasion, Mr. Elliot tries to protect his inheritance. He’s a psychopath with no conscience or empathy.

Renowned Janeite, Arnie Perlstein said that Jane Austen had a deeper message which alludes to his shadow theory discussed on his blog, Sharp Elves Society. Arnie said that Jane Austen looked at narcissism according to everyday narcissism. Everyone sees the world through our own private eyes. Therefore, we have to struggle to see others who they really are because it’s impossible to be objective.

When reading a Jane Austen’s book, we see the world through the eyes of the heroine. There’s one heroine for each book. All of Jane Austen’s novels are colored by the young subjectivity and narcissism of each heroine. Arnie said if you read the heroine’s viewpoint with suspicion, then you’re on the path to the shadow stories or hidden worlds in Jane Austen’s novels.

Arnie suggests that we read a Jane Austen novel along the lines that everyone is unintentionally a narcissist. When you do, that is how you see the shadow story or sub layers of stories lurking beneath the surface of seeming objectivity.  Ask yourself, “Is this the truth? Or, is this the truth seen by heroine?” This truth may not be the objective truth because it’s her truth, in her point of view. Always ask, “Who is the narrator?” The answer is a young woman. Is a young person a reliable narrator? Probably not, Arnie says.

What a deeply insightful presentation on a complex but intriguing subject—Jane Austen’s brain and that of her characters! Thank you Wendy Jones for travelling to our region to present this path breaking study! We thoroughly enjoyed your graciousness and insight into this fascinating topic! For those who read the book, Jane on the Brain: Exploring the Science of Social Intelligence With Jane Austen by Wendy Jones, please write an Amazon review so that Amazon can recognize Wendy. She so deserves the recognition!    

Note to our membership: For additional insight into this presentation of Jane on the Brain, please read the meeting minutes for November 2018.

Also, here are some enlightening articles about Wendy’s book, Jane on the Brain:

• “Jane on the Brain: Exploring the Science of Social Intelligence with Jane Austen” in Publisher’s Weekly:

https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-68177-554-8

• Jane on the Brain: Jane Austen and Empathy”11/29/2018.

https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/literary-musings/jane-on-the-brain-jane-austen-and-empathy/?fbclid=IwAR35LCG4Fu3TwHkThXAtr2stXnYGWehnIfGfP9FObKZkjNTAEStO0RuxM-0

• “Book Excerpt from Jane on the Brain” in The Scientist, 11/30/2017.

https://www.the-scientist.com/reading-frames/book-excerpt-from-jane-on-the-brain-30556

• “Beyond the Reach of Justice or Compassion: Jane Austen’s Mr. Eliot is a Psychopath of the Charming, Dangerous Ilk” in Psychology Today, 1/18/2019.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/intersubjective/201901/beyond-the-reach-justice-or-compassion?fbclid=IwAR08-ZgYaw8NH0xWD2z9z9iBLioRsujX-AcTlCYBpmMl-CPACgRwBgHWrdk

After the reading group discussion, our region held a business meeting. We voted nearly unanimously to co-sponsor with the Southern Oregon Chapter a stone at Chawton House which will be placed along the garden path. Thank you, Collins Hemingway for your foresight and initiative in temporarily funding the stone which was the last one up for grabs! We also discussed the upcoming play, Sense And Sensibility to be performed at Portland Center Stage. Our region agreed to participate in a discussion and short presentation during the happy hour prelude to the final Sunday matinee.

Then we discussed our 2019 Reading Group Schedule. We are excited that our Spring Tea will feature the renowned actress, Kimberly Brangwin Milham who travels around the U.S. dressed in period costume and talks about the theater during the time of Jane Austen and the plays that Jane attended.  Thank you, Frank McClanahan for suggesting her and helping to implement this for our region! We also nominated topics with speakers and voted on them for 2019. For more information, please see our events page.