Behind the Scenes:
The Novel Life Of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography
by Janine Barchas, illustrated by Isabelle Greenwood
Speaker: Janine Barchas
Part 1.
Our region welcomed multi-published author and Janeite, Janine Barchas, on June 15th for a special anniversary event in celebration of Jane Austen's 250th birthday.
Our new regional member, Cindy Filer, hosted us at her beautiful home in NE Portland where we gathered on her spacious white octagon deck with an arboretum forest in the background to hear Janine speak.
Janine is the author of The Lost Books of Jane Austen. Janine gave a a behind the scenes presentation of her new book, The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography, illustrated by Isabelle Greenwood.
Janine accompanied her presentation with a handout. See attached file.
We learned that graphic novels are a hot new genre flooding libraries and bookstores. The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography is a novel about a female author (Jane Austen) written by a female scholar (Janine)
We got a first hand behind the scenes look at the The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography. This is Janine's second scholarly book since writing The Lost Books of Jane Austen.
The Novel Life of Jane Austen is a dual creation with Janine providing the text and research (the how, what, and when) and Isabelle the illustrations. It is the first graphic novel written about Jane Austen and her life. It took 3 years for Janine to write the book.
Janine selected 3 phases of Jane Austen's life to document and told Austen's life 3 parts:
The book celebrates Jane Austen's life while focusing on Austen's relationship with her sister and family. Cleverly, the author uses a matted color palette and portrays Austen wearing a yellow dress in the cartoon panels for the reader to identify her which explodes into a bright reds of maroon, magenta, fuchsia, and pink to show Austen writing or imagining her stories.
Janine inserted new information from her research about Austen. Everything presented in the graphic novel is based on fact and history with authentic engravings and newsletter images and maps integrated into the artwork. As one member noted, the book becomes a tour guide for readers to reminisce about their travels to England.
Both the author, Janine, and the illustrator, Isabelle, conducted many site visits over the course of a year to document Jane Austen's travels to such places as Netalee Abbey, Farleligh Castle, the village of Chawton, and the Jane Austen House Museum.
Janine found herself challenged on how to recreate 3 distinct eras in Austen's time. She used Austen's spectacles to denote the 3rd section of the book or Jane's final years at Chawton. Isabelle also added age lines to Austen's face to age her.
We also discussed the world of Jane Austen and what attracts readers to Jane Austen's writings.
Based on Janine's classroom experience as a teacher, Janine noted that young people live in a world of too much choice and multiple social media platforms that everything is acceptable.
One of our members, Cynthia Eckersley noted that young people really crave a world that is calm with a right/wrong way to behave as compared to a lack of formality and chaos that exists in today's society. Hence the appeal of Jane Austen to youthful readers.
Cynthia insightfully noted that during the 18th-19th century of Jane Austen, women couldn't hold a job or own land; in today's world, there's too much freedom. The pandemic turned the world upside down. As a result, people today are moving towards the past for entertainment and history (such as re-enactments, including the annual Jane Austen Festival in Bath and the Versailles Masked Ball).
Regional Coordinator, Vonnie Alto asked, "Why write a graphic novel?" Janine answered that words and images in a graphic novel work in unison. Janine's previous book, The Lost books of Jane Austen shows that pictures illustrated how Austen became popular--but words together with pictures better reveal Austen's life.
Vonnie asked a follow up question: "Why read a graphic novel?" Janine responded by stating that Austen's fans crave other ways to experience Austen. A graphic novel provides a unique medium to recount Austen.
Graphic novels are also a way of creating a visual dynamic based on research with images. Words and images work together to transport the reader back in time into the era and life of Jane Austen. Janine compared the effect to screenwriting. The visuals and words come together. It's rich and brings it alive.
Janine noted that Austen pulled from her ordinary life and put it into her novels which the graphic novel explores.
Since the The Novel Life of Jane Austen is a different medium, Janine is waiting to see how readers react to it. She said that a visual sense is needed to appreciate a graphic novel.
Janine had such a positive experience writing The Novel Life of Jane Austen that she would like to write another one to continue Austen's life story--as none of us wants a good story to end. Janine noted that the movie, Clueless is based almost word for word on Jane Austen's Emma. It opened a door into graphic novels. Janine stepped through that door by writing The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography.
Thank you, Janine Barchas, for visiting our region and showing us how your created The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography. And thank you to our host, Cindy Filer for hosting our region at her lovely home!
The Novel Life Of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography
by Janine Barchas, illustrated by Isabelle Greenwood
Speaker: Janine Barchas
Part 1.
Our region welcomed multi-published author and Janeite, Janine Barchas, on June 15th for a special anniversary event in celebration of Jane Austen's 250th birthday.
Our new regional member, Cindy Filer, hosted us at her beautiful home in NE Portland where we gathered on her spacious white octagon deck with an arboretum forest in the background to hear Janine speak.
Janine is the author of The Lost Books of Jane Austen. Janine gave a a behind the scenes presentation of her new book, The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography, illustrated by Isabelle Greenwood.
Janine accompanied her presentation with a handout. See attached file.
We learned that graphic novels are a hot new genre flooding libraries and bookstores. The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography is a novel about a female author (Jane Austen) written by a female scholar (Janine)
We got a first hand behind the scenes look at the The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography. This is Janine's second scholarly book since writing The Lost Books of Jane Austen.
The Novel Life of Jane Austen is a dual creation with Janine providing the text and research (the how, what, and when) and Isabelle the illustrations. It is the first graphic novel written about Jane Austen and her life. It took 3 years for Janine to write the book.
Janine selected 3 phases of Jane Austen's life to document and told Austen's life 3 parts:
- Part 1: Budding Writer 1796-1797 (The promise of Jane Austen in her twenties)
- Part 2: Struggling Artist 1801-1809 (The genteel poverty of Jane Austen in her early thirties)
- Part 3: Published Author 1811 - 1817 (Jane Austen's final years at Chawton House)
The book celebrates Jane Austen's life while focusing on Austen's relationship with her sister and family. Cleverly, the author uses a matted color palette and portrays Austen wearing a yellow dress in the cartoon panels for the reader to identify her which explodes into a bright reds of maroon, magenta, fuchsia, and pink to show Austen writing or imagining her stories.
Janine inserted new information from her research about Austen. Everything presented in the graphic novel is based on fact and history with authentic engravings and newsletter images and maps integrated into the artwork. As one member noted, the book becomes a tour guide for readers to reminisce about their travels to England.
Both the author, Janine, and the illustrator, Isabelle, conducted many site visits over the course of a year to document Jane Austen's travels to such places as Netalee Abbey, Farleligh Castle, the village of Chawton, and the Jane Austen House Museum.
Janine found herself challenged on how to recreate 3 distinct eras in Austen's time. She used Austen's spectacles to denote the 3rd section of the book or Jane's final years at Chawton. Isabelle also added age lines to Austen's face to age her.
We also discussed the world of Jane Austen and what attracts readers to Jane Austen's writings.
Based on Janine's classroom experience as a teacher, Janine noted that young people live in a world of too much choice and multiple social media platforms that everything is acceptable.
One of our members, Cynthia Eckersley noted that young people really crave a world that is calm with a right/wrong way to behave as compared to a lack of formality and chaos that exists in today's society. Hence the appeal of Jane Austen to youthful readers.
Cynthia insightfully noted that during the 18th-19th century of Jane Austen, women couldn't hold a job or own land; in today's world, there's too much freedom. The pandemic turned the world upside down. As a result, people today are moving towards the past for entertainment and history (such as re-enactments, including the annual Jane Austen Festival in Bath and the Versailles Masked Ball).
Regional Coordinator, Vonnie Alto asked, "Why write a graphic novel?" Janine answered that words and images in a graphic novel work in unison. Janine's previous book, The Lost books of Jane Austen shows that pictures illustrated how Austen became popular--but words together with pictures better reveal Austen's life.
Vonnie asked a follow up question: "Why read a graphic novel?" Janine responded by stating that Austen's fans crave other ways to experience Austen. A graphic novel provides a unique medium to recount Austen.
Graphic novels are also a way of creating a visual dynamic based on research with images. Words and images work together to transport the reader back in time into the era and life of Jane Austen. Janine compared the effect to screenwriting. The visuals and words come together. It's rich and brings it alive.
Janine noted that Austen pulled from her ordinary life and put it into her novels which the graphic novel explores.
Since the The Novel Life of Jane Austen is a different medium, Janine is waiting to see how readers react to it. She said that a visual sense is needed to appreciate a graphic novel.
Janine had such a positive experience writing The Novel Life of Jane Austen that she would like to write another one to continue Austen's life story--as none of us wants a good story to end. Janine noted that the movie, Clueless is based almost word for word on Jane Austen's Emma. It opened a door into graphic novels. Janine stepped through that door by writing The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography.
Thank you, Janine Barchas, for visiting our region and showing us how your created The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography. And thank you to our host, Cindy Filer for hosting our region at her lovely home!
| novel_life_of_ja_bkgrnd.pdf |