JaneAustenTimeline.pdf |
CharacterPlotComps.pdf |
DiscussionResources.pdf |
RelationshipCharts.pdf |
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.
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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 July 2018 Meeting Recap
A Gossip Story Comparison to Sense & Sensibility Discussion Leaders: Sam and Jennifer Snoek-Brown Hostess: Lauri Conway 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! 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.
Chawton House, formerly owned by the family of Edward Austen Knight, Jane's brother, was converted to the Chawton House Library for the study of early women's writings. Sandy Lerner bought the house, restored it, and donated her collection of women's writings of the 17th to the 19th centuries. She has recently decided to end her financial support leading the library to launch a plan to become self sufficient. JASNA and it's members have supported the library through the North American Friends of Chawton House Library. JASNA has sent out a plea to it's members to support their efforts.
CHAWTON HOUSE Reading Group Discussion of "What Happened in 1817" Discussion Leaders: Bill Boyd and Vonnie Alto Hostess: Lauri Conway By Vonnie Alto In July, Lauri Conway hosted our region at her lovely home in Washington! Bill Boyd and Vonnie Alto debuted as Lord Boyd and Lady Alto in an innovative reading group discussion for a "Conversation with Lord Boyd and Lady Alto on "What happened in 1817 – the Year Jane Austen Died." The new dynamic duo discussed the Romantic Era and how Jane Austen fits into it, historical events, the mood and atmosphere in England, industry/science/math, fashion, literature and etymology, what Jane Austen read, Jane Austen's daily life, and the last months of Jane Austen’s life. Handouts were distributed which included a Chronology of Events Surrounding 1817, a Jane Austen Timeline of 1817, Etymology and New Word Usage of 1817, and a Bibliography of 1817. Photocopies of fashion plates and period paintings were distributed to the group for a total immersion in 1817.
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JASNA Oregon & SW Washington RegionWelcome to the web site of the JASNA Oregon & SW Washington Region, a friendly and active group dedicated to the appreciation of Jane Austen's life and works.
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