The October 27th JASNA-NC Zoom debriefing on this year’s Annual General Meeting was small in
number, but great in enthusiasm. Those fortunate members who attended the meeting in Cleveland
rocked to all things Jane. Listeners who did not attend enjoyed a sampler of the event’s highlights.
Since the AGM’s 2024 focus was “Austen, Annotated,” Sara Tavela asked the group members to offer
their own favorite Austen tidbits worthy of an annotation. The results:
- Wentworth’s hazelnut lecture from Persuasion has parallels to a passage from the anchorite Julian of Norwich.
- The only time a male manhandles an Austen heroine occurs in Northanger Abbey, when John Thorpe grabs Catherine by the arm, trying to prevent her from walking with the Tilneys.Jane Austen was firmly a Romantic era writer—five years younger than Wordsworth.
- Mansfield Park deserves a good annotated edition.
This sage advice will save frustration with annotations: Two bookmarks help a reader flip from passage
to note.
Members who attended the conference then shared their impressions. The location offered many perks, with a Mahler concert, fine Ohio wines, experienced callers at the ball, and the eclectic mix of rockers from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who mingled among the Regency crowd.
Sessions that members particularly enjoyed spanned from horses to horsehair hats. A Battle of Waterloo
reenactor, José Torres Ramirez, along with his horse Cuba, was one favorite. Speaker Amanda Vickery asserted that Jane Austen was covertly political and stated that Austen was troubled by the cruelties suffered by those less fortunate, such as Fanny Price. Juliet McMaster’s lecture on the art of illustration proposed that book illustration itself is apparently a type of annotation, as is a film adaptation of a novel. Roger E. Moore’s discussion of clerics linked Austen’s satire to Chaucer’s, though Austen didn’t believe that the bad acts of individual clerics besmirched the calling.
Susan Allen Ford spoke on the diversity of Jane Austen’s reading. Her opening quotation of Henry James’
slur of Austen had all in our meeting up in arms—genteel, comely arms. Paul Savidge shared his copy of a Disraeli book actually owned by Jane herself, with her own underlinings in pencil.
Twenty percent of conference-goers were attending for the first time. Attending in person had benefits.
Regency attire abounded. The Emporium’s goods drew shoppers and emptied their reticules, following
the example of Jane herself, who apparently spent half her income on clothes and their upkeep.
Those who attended virtually found that sessions were easy to access and offered ample opportunities
for livestream audience participation. More sessions were recorded than had been in the past. An added perk for virtual participants was the interval music courtesy of Bare Necessities.
Next Up
- Our 250th planning committee met and has many wonderful ideas for all the ways we as the NC region can celebrate and have a grand time next year. We have chosen a theme for the year called “Reimagining Jane,” and stay tuned for a member survey coming to your inbox where all of the ideas from the committee are shared so that we can garner interest and focus our planning. There’s a lot to be excited for next year!
- Our November meeting will be our Virtual Book Club with our fanfiction selection, Beth Patillo’s Jane Austen Ruined My Life, which was recommended and mentioned in Inger’s book we read in August, Jane Austen and the Price of Happiness. The author, Beth Patillo, will join us for a Q&A during the meeting, and I’ll be asking for your questions for her in advance, so stay tuned. You can find the details and register here.
- Our December meeting will be our annual hybrid meeting with the in-person contingent at Gisele’s lovely home in Cary and the online portion via Zoom. Our member Kuldip Kuwahara, will be speaking on Jane Austen and happiness, and it promises to be an engaging talk! The meeting will take place on Sunday December 15th from 2-4 p.m., and registration information will be in the November newsletter.