In her recent explorations in England, co-RC Sara happened across a treasure trove of secret diaries, written by no other than some of Austen’s characters! On July 24, JASNA-NC took a break from the heat to try to solve the mystery of some of the diary entries.
Can you guess who wrote “I was happy to be able to turn her over to him, so that I could run back to that gun merchant’s in the market square and look at the double-barrel he was keeping for me”?
How about “Diary, I proceeded to drink the glass of ‘finest old Constantia wine’ myself, reflecting that although its good effects on a colicky gout are, at present, of little importance to me, its healing powers on a disappointed heart might be as reasonably tried on myself as on another”?
Or “Dear Diary, I must take care not to harp on his choice of profession, disappointed as I am. Heaven knows I said enough in the chapel before I heard of it”?
After writing down our guesses for 40 diary entries, we gleefully compared notes to see how many we had guessed correctly. Congratulations to our top three scorers: Kirk, Sue, and Linda D.! Prizes for your sleuthing skills are forthcoming.
And thanks to Dwight McCawley of the Eastern Pennsylvania Region, who created the game.
Other topics…
We had fun discussing the new Netflix adaption of Persuasion. While the film is getting mixed reviews, leaves out key plot points (e.g., Mrs. Smith), and seems to entirely miss Anne Elliot’s character, Sir Walter and Mary (Elliot) Musgrove were spot-on, and many folks (perhaps especially younger viewers and those newer to Austen) are enjoying the less-staid, more-whimsical approach to the story. This may be a case where it is good to keep in mind the quote from Emma: “One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other” and exercise our forbearance. 😊
Our next meeting is August 21. Our Virtual Book Club will be discussing Sense and Sensibility.
Our accessibility working group will be kicking off in August. We’ve got 5-6 folks so far; let Karin know if you’re interested in joining us!
(Answers: Charles Musgrove, Elinor Dashwood, Mary Crawford)