JASNA Oregon & SW Washington Region
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • JASNA >
      • Free Membership
      • Tribute Donation
    • Our Region >
      • Regional Coordinators
      • Board Officers
  • Contacts
  • Membership
  • Events
    • Events Main Page
    • 2026 - 2027
    • 2025 Events
    • Past Events >
      • 2024 Events
      • 2023 Events
      • 2022 Events
      • 2021 Events
      • 2020 Events
      • 2019 Events
      • 2018 Events
      • 2017 Events
      • 2016 Events
      • 2015 Events
      • 2014 Events
      • 2013 Events
      • 2012 Events
    • Portland AGM >
      • 2010 AGM Portland
    • Carpooling
  • Tribute Grant
    • Tribute Grant 2025
    • Past Tribute Grants >
      • Tribute Grant 2024
      • Tribute Grant 2023
      • Tribute Grant 2022
      • Tribute Grant 2021
      • Tribute Grant 2020
      • Tribute Grant 2019
      • Tribute Grant 2018
      • Tribute Grant 2017
      • Tribute Grant 2016
      • Tribute Grant 2015
      • Tribute Grant 2014
    • Tribute Grant Honorees
    • Tribute Grant Winners
  • Photos
  • Members Only
  • Links
  • Site Archives

Sanditon Discussion Preparation for March 8 Reading Group

3/1/2015

0 Comments

 
The topic for the upcoming Reading Group discussion, scheduled for this upcoming Sunday, March 8, is Jane Austen's final work, Sanditon. The discussion leaders will be Jennifer and Sam Snoek-Brown. Please read the following in preparation for the reading group discussion:

While Sanditon is an unfinished novel, comprised of only 12 chapters, there are so many opportunities for rich discussion and so many themes that we could potentially discuss as a group. While Sam and I were discussing the unfinished novel this weekend, within only a few minutes we had listed multiple potential discussion topics, including (but not limited to):
  • Health fads and treatments in Jane Austen's time
  • Seaside resorts and the commercialism and allure of sea-bathing in Jane Austen's time
  • Jane Austen's own failing health at the time of writing Sanditon
  • The theme of communication -- and miscommunication
  • The theme of extreme change represented in Sanditon in multiple ways
  • Comparisons to other works of Jane Austen
  • Speculating what Sanditon reveals of Jane Austen's writing if this were the FIRST work of hers you read
  • The meaning and importance of "subscription libraries" in society during Jane Austen's time
  • Commentary of other novels and authors mentioned in Sandition
  • Connections between Northanger Abbey and Sanditon
  • Connections between Mansfield Park and Sanditon
  • The writing and drafting process evident in Sanditon -- as well as the editing process of its subsequent publication
  • The numerous versions and popularity of the continuations Sanditon has spawned

As you can see, there is so much potential represented within so few pages!

So how to narrow this down to a single discussion? Sam and I decided to go back to the source -- or rather, the source of Sanditon's initial presentation to the public, which was in 1870 through J.E. Austen-Leigh's memoir of his aunt Jane Austen. In that memoir, in Chapter XIII, Austen-Leigh described the writing of Sanditon and included his own personal summary of it, along with substantial excerpts from Austen's text. The full manuscript of Sanditon was not published until 1925. (Scroll down to the bottom of this message for links to his memoir online.)

Therefore, Sam and I have pulled out the following discussion questions/themes relating to J.E. Austen-Leigh's original introduction of Sanditon. 
  • What do we make of the title, Sanditon? The nephew refers to Sanditon only as "The Last Work," but says it was untitled. The family named it "Sanditon," but some sources indicate Jane Austen's original working title was "The Brothers."
  • Is there any indication as to why Jane Austen began this last work, and why did she set it aside a few months before her death? The nephew very clearly lays out the start and end dates of Austen's work on Sanditon, and uses metaphorical language to describe his own view of why Austen worked on this "last work" while she was ailing:  "...it is certain that the mine at which she had so long laboured was not worked out, and that she was still diligently employed in collecting fresh materials from it." 
  • Is there a primary heroine? The nephew states, "...nor was any heroine yet perceptible, who, like Fanny Price, or Anne Elliot, might draw round her the sympathies of the reader."
  • What indications are there of the story's direction? The nephew states, "... there was scarcely any indication what the course of the story was to be."
  • And finally, what can we, as readers, judge about the work's quality? The nephew states, "It is more difficult to judge of the quality of a work so little advanced."

For sources and/or further reading, please feel free to explore the following:
  • E-text of Sanditon available online in multiple formats at https://archive.org/details/Sanditon
  • E-text of J.E. Austen-Leigh's 1870 memoir available online through Project Gutenberg (scroll down to Chapter XIII, "The Last Work")
  • Links to more info about seabathing, seaside resorts, health issues, etc. relating to Sanditon here on the Austenonly website, http://austenonly.com/about/jane-austens-sanditon/
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    JASNA ORSWWA

    Welcome to the web site of the Oregon & SW Washington Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA). We are a friendly and active group dedicated to the appreciation of Jane Austen's life and works.

    Please email for more info! Also, please let us know if you have interesting Austen-related news/tidbits to share with everyone here on the home page.


    Categories

    All
    About
    Agm
    Austen Inspired
    Books
    Bylaws
    Charles Dickens
    Courtship
    Dancing
    Essays
    Events
    Family Connections
    Humor
    Illustrations
    Jasna
    Jewelry
    Letters
    Magazines
    Maps
    Meetings
    Members
    Miscellany
    Movies
    New Members
    Online Videos
    Photos
    Poetry
    Radio
    Reading Group
    Regency
    Reviews
    Sherlock Holmes
    Theater
    Travel
    Tv
    Web Sites

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    May 2023
    May 2022
    July 2021
    May 2021
    January 2021
    September 2020
    July 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    July 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012



JASNA Oregon & SW Washington Region

Welcome 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.

© 2011-2019, JASNA ORSWWA. All rights reserved.

Contacts  |  Membership Inquiry

About Us  |  Events  |  News

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos from Leyram Odacrem, Ben Sutherland, Robbo-Man, Tobyotter, drs2biz, simononly, SteveR-, shimelle, Ben Sutherland, Adair733, WarmSleepy, summonedbyfells, mischiefmari, Jim Linwood, cwasteson, Ben Sutherland, Adair733, Jamiesrabbits, Ben Sutherland, Jo Naylor, stephenshellard, cwasteson, M Pinarci, Maxim34374, slightly everything, HerryLawford, caligula1995, Patrick Denker, gabig58, Adair733, Adair733, Damian Gadal, dolldalera, Ben Sutherland, adplayers, William Arthur Fine Stationery, helenogbourn, Adair733, Adair733, cwasteson, Eileen M. Kane