On Stage

"I have been to the theatre, and secured a box for to-morrow night. ... I have engaged Captain Wentworth. Anne will not be sorry to join us, I am sure. We all like a play." Persuasion chapter 22

Yes, we all like a play, especially when it is an adaptation of one of Jane Austen's novels. Jane Austen loved going to plays, especially when she could sit in a private box. "I talked to Henry at the play last night. We were in a private box -- Mr. Spencer's -- which made it much more pleasant..." 

Of course, the production of a play is central to the story in Mansfield Park, where Jane Austen uses the appropriateness of the play and its production in the absence of Sir Thomas to demonstrate the moral differences between Fanny and, well, everyone else at Mansfield Park. Some of the story's most dramatic moments occur on the stage, as when Sir Thomas returns home after a long absence and finds his private study turned into a stage with an actor in full rant:

"He stepped to the door, rejoicing at that moment in having the means of immediate communication, and, opening it, found himself on the stage of a theatre, and opposed to a ranting young man, who appeared likely to knock him down backwards. At the very moment of Yates perceiving Sir Thomas, and giving perhaps the very best start he had ever given in the whole course of his rehearsals, Tom Bertram entered at the other end of the room; and never had he found greater difficulty in keeping his countenance. His father's looks of solemnity and amazement on this his first appearance on any stage, and the gradual metamorphosis of the impassioned Baron Wildenheim into the well-bred and easy Mr. Yates, making his bow and apology to Sir Thomas Bertram, was such an exhibition, such a piece of true acting, as he would not have lost upon any account. It would be the last--in all probability--the last scene on that stage; but he was sure there could not be a finer. The house would close with the greatest eclat." Mansfield Park chapter 19.

"A ranting young man..."

C. E. Brock

http://www.mollands.net/etexts/images/mpillus/mpbrockwc11.jpg

Given the importance of plays to Jane Austen and the role played by the theater in her stories, we are delighted that one of her novels is coming to the stage in our area. Students at Our Lady of Mercy High School will be presenting Jon Jory's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice on December 17, 18, and 19. Come and watch Elizabeth and Darcy misunderstand and then rediscover each other's character while Mr. Wickham does all he can to muddy the waters.

The performance should be an excellent opportunity to experience one of Jane Austen's best loved stories up close. With a talented cast and crew, Pride and Prejudice on Mercy's stage should be one of the best events of the season. Event details are below:

Event: Pride and Prejudice performed on stage by students at Our Lady of Mercy High School
When: December 17, 18, 19 7:30 pm
Where: Our Lady of Mercy Performing Arts Center, 1437 Blossom Road, Rochester NY
Tickets: At the door $8 general admission, $5 students/seniors
Info: http://www.mercyhs.com/about-mercy/news/1365-mercy-presents-pride-prejudice

Tea Time

Tea at Jane Austen 1812 weekend, Genesee Country Village (photo: Lisa Brown)

“We drank tea again yesterday with the Tilsons, and met the Smiths. I find all these little parties very pleasant.” 

Jane Austen Letters

http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/brablt10.html  

When we think of the Regency, many images come to mind. Some think of the Royal Navy and imagine Nelson at Trafalgar. Others love fashion and picture Regency ladies and gentlemen in their finest attire. Still others are excited by the dance, music and art of the period. And everyone likes to imagine a nice cup of tea on a cold winter’s day.

Well, the Royal Navy has sailed, but the other aspects of the Regency can all be experienced at the Penfield Community Center this weekend where a Jane Austen Holiday Tea will be held.

More below the fold......

Happy Birthday Jane

"Edward Austen Presentation" 

by Unknown - Hill, Constance. Jane Austen: Her Homes & Her Friends. Great Britain: Richard Clay and Sons, Ltd., 1901.. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons

"He is the best landlord, and the best master," said she, "that ever lived. Not like the wild young men now-a-days, who think of nothing but themselves. There is not one of his tenants or servants but what will give him a good name. Some people call him proud; but I am sure I never saw any thing of it. To my fancy, it is only because he does not rattle away like other young men.” Pride and Prejudice, chapter 43

So what was it really like to be a member of the landed gentry in the Regency? Jane Austen gives us examples of several characters who are landowners. Some are better than others. Mr. Rushworth can’t wait to tear down Sotherton. John Knightly takes interest in all aspects of estate management from the “plan of a drain” to the “destination of every acre of wheat , turnips, or spring corn.” (Emma chapter 12).

Jane Austen’s brother Edward was her closest connection to the landed gentry. Edward was adopted by Thomas and Catherine Knight who had no children. Eventually, Edward inherited the Knight estates and took the Knight name. 

The Knight estate consisted of properties primarily in Hampshire, Kent and London. Jane Austen visited Edward’s primary residence Godmersham in Kent often and lived in a cottage in Chawton owned by Edward.

Godmersham, Edward Knight's primary residence

John Preston Neale [Public domain or No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons

As a large landowner, Edward would have provided a clear lens for Jane Austen’s view of the characters who appear in her novels. So how did Edward Knight live? How did he manage his estates? What were his relationships with all the people who lived and worked on his property?

Fortunately we may have some answers. JASNA Central and Western NY is delighted to welcome Linda Slothouber to our Jane Austen Birthday Luncheon. Linda is a life Member and elected Board Member of JASNA. She comes to us from the Washington DC Metropolitan Region where she is co-coordinator of the 2016 AGM. She has had a career in management and technology consulting and has written on companies that were important in Jane Austen’s time such as Wedgwood and the cotton mills of Richard Arkwright. In 2013 she participated in the JASNA International Visitor Program, doing research on the management of Edward Knight's estate in Chawton.

As a result of her research, Linda has published a book detailing the operation of the estate. Jane Austen, Edward Knight, and Chawton: Commerce and Community is a delightful book that gives Jane Austen fans a close look at life on a country estate. If you haven’t already, please take a look at the review that appeared on your JANSNA CWNY blog here . 

Linda’s book is rich in the details of estate management, such as revenues and expenses, but it also delves into the character of Edward Knight and his relationships with many people in the community of Chawton. Linda will tell us much more, but for the moment imagine Darcy or Knightley rather than Rushworth or Crawford.

Please join us for this event. As always, there will be great food, great company, and a great speaker. The details are given below. Note that we ask you to pre-register by December 5. The registration form can be found at the link below.

Hope to see you there.

Event: JASNA CWNY Jane Austen Birthday Luncheon

When: Saturday December 12, 10:30 am.

Where: Chatterbox Club, 25 Goodman St. N, Rochester NY 14607

Registration: Registration Form here

Collections and Recollections November Meeting

Edith Lank Shows her collection to Juliette Wells (Celia Easton)

“Mr. Knightley had done all in his power for Mr. Woodhouse's entertainment. Books of engravings, drawers of medals, cameos, corals, shells, and every other family collection within his cabinets, had been prepared for his old friend, to while away the morning; and the kindness had perfectly answered. Mr. Woodhouse had been exceedingly well amused. “   Emma, chapter 42

We love to collect. Coins, butterflies, seashells, campaign buttons, stamps,

Jane Austen stamps issued by the Royal Mail to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth 
(https://postalheritage.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/jane-austen-on-stamps/)

you name it, somebody collects it. Of course, some prefer to simply collect cash.

Bank of England introduces Jane Austen on the ten pound note

(http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/characters/austen.aspx)

Of course, fans of Jane Austen are fascinated collections of Jane Austen memorabilia. Some collections are very scholarly and rich, like the Bodleian Library, Oxford, or the Morgan Library in New York.

Letter to Cassandra 1808 from Godmersham

(http://www.themorgan.org/collection/literary-and-historical-manuscripts/282280)

Draft manuscript of The Watsons purchased by the Bodleian Library for over £1,000,000

(https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/news/2011/2011-jul-14)

For those who really want to study Jane Austen’s work up close, there is even a digital collection of all the available Jane Austen manuscripts.

Close up of a scan of the manuscript for Sanditon

(http://www.janeausten.ac.uk/index.html)

Manuscripts are very rare and priceless artifacts that properly belong in museums, but you don’t need to go to Oxford or New York to find Jane Austen memorabilia. Jane Austen fans like to collect lots of things, from old editions to greeting cards. Such collections can help us feel closer to the author who produced the six greatest novels in the English language (OK, just an opinion) and to her fans around the world.

Our own Edith Lank has an extensive collection of materials related to Jane Austen and you will have the opportunity to view some of that collection at our next JASNA Central and Western NY meeting.

Edith is planning to move parts of her collection to new homes, but before doing so she will bring many items to our next meeting so they can be viewed together one more time. The picture at the top of this article shows Edith showing her collection to Julliete Wells, whose Emma was just published by Penguin Books (I got a signed copy at AGM). Now you too can have a close up view. Please join us for our next meeting. Here are the details:

Event: JASNA CWNY Meeting

When: Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 1 pm

Where: Barnes and Noble, Community Room, Pittsford NY

Hope to see you there.

Exasperating Emma Binghamton Meeting

"EmmaTitlePage" by Jane Austen - Lilly Library, Indiana University. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_(novel)

“It is such a happiness when good people get together--and they always do.” Emma chapter 21. Spoken by one of the most exasperating characters in Emma.

Jane Austen’s Emma was published in 1816. As the title page attests, it was written by the author of Pride and Prejudice, but its main character, Emma Woodhouse, is not nearly as universally loved as the heroine of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet. Indeed, Emma is often considered as Jane Austen’s literary masterpiece, yet many people would rather read Pride and Prejudice. So how does the technically superior novel give way? Perhaps it is because, as Marie Sprayberry puts it, “its heroine, and many of her relatives and neighbors, are often thoroughly exasperating people?”

From the very beginning Emma and Elizabeth are presented differently. We first hear about Elizabeth from her father as “Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters.” (Pride and Prejudice chapter 1). Later, after she is insulted by Mr. Darcy at the Netherfield Ball, Lizzy reacts. “She told the story however with great spirit among her friends; for she had a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in any thing ridiculous.” (Pride and Prejudice chapter 3)

Lizzy is quick, spirited, lively, and playful.

"Come, Darcy," said he, "I must have you dance"

Spirited Lizzy Bennet deals with the proud Mr. Darcy. 

(C. E. Brock at http://www.mollands.net/etexts/prideandprejudice/pnpillus.html)

Then we read about Emma.

“Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition,

… 
The real evils, indeed, of Emma's situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself; these were the disadvantages which threatened alloy to her many enjoyments.” (Emma chapter 1.)

Handsome, clever , and rich to be sure, but also a tad arrogant and spoiled. It’s downhill from there.

"I planned the match from that hour"

Emma matchmaking 

(C. E. Brock at http://www.mollands.net/etexts/emma/emmaillus.html)

Then there are Frank Churchill, Jane Fairfax, Mr. Woodhouse, and Miss Bates, all of them exasperating in some way. Frank is off to London for a haircut, Mr. Woodhouse wants everyone to eat thin gruel, Jane hardly speaks, and Miss Bates speaks far too much. Only the farmers, Mr. Knightly and Robert Martin, seem to make sense.

In the little village of Highbury, Jane Austen layers relationships on relationships; emotions and status mingle in a complex brew that leaves us wondering, as Marie Sprayberry puts it, “how can it all end happily?”.

Hypothetical map of Highbury by Penny Gay 

(http://www.jasna.org/info/maps.html)

A story of “three or four country families,” Emma challenges us to truly understand some of the basic truths about character and relationships that can leave us a little uncomfortable.

It’s all a great theme for discussion. Please join us in Binghamton as Marie Sprayberry leads a discussion of Emma: Exasperating Characters. Here are the details:

Event:   Emma: Exasperating Characters a meeting of the former JASNA Syracuse region

Where: RiverRead Books, 5 Court Street, Binghamton

When:  Saturday, November 7, at 2 pm

It will be a great warm up for next year’s AGM. Marie will also discuss our recent reorganization. Rest assured, you will only discuss and not meet any exasperating characters.

JASNA AGM - Return to the Regency

“It is such a happiness when good people get together…” Emma, chapter 21

Last weekend was JASNA’s Annual General Meeting in Louisville Kentucky and Jane Austen was correct in noting that when good people come together happiness follows. The weekend was full of creative company, intriguing insights, fabulous food, and merry music.

On Saturday we will all have the opportunity to savor the highlights of the weekend as we review the AGM at our JASNA CWNY meeting. Please join us at the Barnes and Noble in Pittsford at 1 pm. To tempt you, here are just a few of the things we considered:

How did a naval surgeon treat his patients?

 Royal Navy Surgeon

Surgeon's Instruments

How proficient was Mary Bennet at the pianoforte?

"Hammerflügel Conrad Graf rem" by Andreas Praefcke

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hammerfl%C3%BCgel_Conrad_Graf_rem.jpg#/media/File:Hammerfl%C3%BCgel_Conrad_Graf_rem.jpg

Who was George Wickham? Impoverished soldier or master spy?

"Pride and Prejudice CH 15" by C. E. Brock

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PrideandPrejudiceCH15.jpg#/media/File:PrideandPrejudiceCH15.jpg

How did a Regency lady dress for visiting friends?

Regency Dress

How did a Regency lady travel?

Sedan Chair

How much would Darcy’s £10,000 per year be worth today?

What is an AGM really like?

 Salad to start dinner at the AGM

Belle of Louisville outside our hotel

Where is the best place to rent or buy Regency goods?

Why Regency Rentals and A Lady's Maid of course.

Hope to see you on Saturday.

Dollars and Cents and Sensibility

Edward Austen Knight

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Austen_Knight

“…as a farmer,…, he had to tell what every field was to bear next year,….The plan of a drain, the change of a fence, the felling of a tree, and the destination of every acre for wheat, turnips, or spring corn, ..." Emma, chapter12

Generally, I don’t like to do book reviews. It is too much like homework, and, for me, the idea of reviewing a book detracts from the enjoyment of reading. However, I have just finished reading a book that deserves to be read by all those who are interested in Jane Austen’s life and times.

The book is Jane Austen, Edward Knight, & Chawton Commerce and Community by Linda Slothouber (1). This book is the result of work done by the author as  a participant in JASNA’s International Visitor’s Program. The purpose of that work and the book is to examine the finances of Edward Knight’s estate and use that information ”to provide a historical context for Jane Austen’s allusions to estate management in her novels, and to help those who study or visit the village of Chawton understand the estate economy there” (p. 2)

The book succeeds beautifully and provides a wonderful window into the lives of the landed gentry in Jane Austen’s time. Edward Knight was, of course, Jane Austen’s brother. He was adopted by wealthy relatives and became heir to a large estate primarily in Hampshire and Kent. He provided the home in Chawton where Jane Austen wrote Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion, and where she, perhaps, put Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility into their final forms. Jane Austen is also known to have visited Edward at his main residence at Godmersham Park in Kent. As her wealthiest relative, Edward would have provided Jane Austen with a close example of the land owning class in Regency England.

Godmersham Park, Home of Edward Knight 

(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Front_Facade_of_Godmersham_Park_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1490002.jpg

Attribution: David Anstiss)

The book focuses on the finances of Edward Knight’s estate, but opens with a description of Edward Knight himself and his inheritance. Suffice to say, he was more Knightly than Rushworth and he took a great interest in the management of his estate. 

The book then focuses on the details of the finances and management of the estate. While the estate records are often incomplete, some of the best documented years are from 1808 to 1819, spanning the time of Jane Austen’s residence at Chawton. During this time the property in Hampshire generated an average income of £4,278. Income from Edward Knight’s other properties probably added about £3,800, for a total income of about £8,000. Mrs. Bennet would have been impressed. However, Edward Knight needed to be a careful steward since his income varied significantly over this period. The postwar years were especially difficult, as the income form the Hampshire properties fell to £3,722 in 1815 from a high of £4,909 in 1813.

Chawton House, Edward Knight's Residence in Hampshire, now Chawton House Library

by Raymoseley at English Wikipedia - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chawton_House1.jpg#/media/File:Chawton_House1.jpg

Of course, Edward Knight wasn’t the only one living on the estate. Linda Slothouber also introduces us to all the others who lived around Chawton: the magistrate, justice of the peace, steward, estate servants, genteel tenants, farmers, and day laborers. We learn about how they lived, how much they earned and what roles they all played in the working of the estate.

Slothuber focuses on the finances of estate management, but if you are not inclined toward numbers, never fear. Slothouber’s clear prose and accessible style work to bring these characters to life. By the time I finished reading the book, I felt as if I had been living at Chawton for a few days, getting to know the people who lived there. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in understanding Jane Austen’s world.

For me, the next step will be to open up a spreadsheet and start working with the numbers to better understand Regency economics.

1. Jane Austen, Edward Knight, & Chawton Commerce and Community, Linda Slothouber, Woodpigeon Publishing, woodpigeonpublishing.com 2015.