By Laine Wood JASNA-NC met on December 12, 2021, to learn about and discuss a paternal cousin of Jane Austen—Elizabeth Hancock de Feuillide Austen. Chapter members Gisele Rankin and Sue Scott co-hosted the discussion. Eliza’s life story was told through a series of eight themes, all of which were informed by personal letters in the Austen family collection via Dierdre Le…
Read More
Realism and Romance: JASNA-NC Reads Nancy Martin-Young’s Wit and Prattles
By Sara Tavela JASNA-NC met on November 14 to discuss the novel Wit & Prattles by Nancy Martin-Young. A great boon was the participation of the author, a member of our chapter! The discussion began with a useful illumination of the differences between a historical and a contemporary regency romance. Authors Georgette Heyer and Barbara Cartland serve as major influences…
Read More
October 24 Debrief on the AGM, “Jane Austen in the Arts”
By Nancy Young “C’mon Janeites, don’t you want to go/To the AGM in my Sweet Home Chicago…” That was the theme song for this year’s Annual General Meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America, held October 15-17 in Chicago. Two JASNA-NC members attended and shared their experience with 24 other attendees at the JASNA-NC October meeting. Member and…
Read More
JASNA-NC’s Bench Installed at Chawton House
By Gisele Rankin In 2019, seeing the need to replace the old and mismatched benches in its gardens and install additional seating, Chawton House initiated a “Share a Bench with Jane” campaign. A number of JASNA-NC members banded together to sponsor a bench. After disappointing but unpreventable delays, eight of the 30 new benches now grace the grounds of Chawton…
Read More
Discussing Austen, Slavery, and “Dead Silence!”
On September 19, more than forty JASNA-NC members and guests gathered on Zoom for “All the Noise about ‘Dead Silence!’ A Fresh Look at Austen and Slavery” with Collins Hemingway. Collins is one of three JASNA Traveling Lecturers and his presentation was funded in part by a grant from JASNA. Thank you to Sue Scott for managing the grant process…
Read More