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 treasurer Sue Scott remarked that the Marriott’s location on the Magnificent Mile, combined with good weather, enhanced her visit to the Windy City. “A solid conference overall,” she reported, noting cheerful coordinators who carried on despite some issues with staffing shortages and organization. Given the pandemic, “it was amazing it happened at all,” she said.
The emphasis in breakout sessions was less focused on general interest topics than often is the case. Instead, there were a variety of specialized “niche” topics.
Highlights for Sue Scott and fellow member Jennifer Basco included a breakout session on “The World of Jane Austen Soundtracks” by Ruth Mudge, who explained how Austen movie soundtracks interpret plot. Many scenes include actual musical performances, while background music may reflect travel or romance themes. Soundtracks in Austen movies also leave gaps in music so Austen’s wonderful dialogue is not eclipsed. The 1995 Pride and Prejudice music is notable in using an actual period style pianoforte instead of a piano. Mudge lauded the soundtracks for the 2005 Pride and Prejudice and the new Emma.
Scott was highly entertained by videos from the “Jane Austen Society of TikTok” by Linley Erickson, Elizabeth Roy, and Rhonda Watts and recommends watching videos on the men of Austen. She also enjoyed the talk of the “literary industrial complex” of merchandise related to Jane Austen described in the session “’Here, There, and Everywhere’: Jane Austen in the Contemporary Popular Arts” by Laura Dabundo. The best part of the AGM, however, she thought was the musicale during the brunch presentation, during which a pianist and soprano performed works gleaned from music Austen herself had transcribed.
Jennifer Basco attended the AGM for the first time, noting that perhaps 20 percent of attendees were also first-timers, possibly because attendance was down and slots remained open for registration. Only 538 attended, Scott said, down from 800-900 pre-Covid. Despite recent JASNA efforts at inclusion, there did not seem to be an increase in diversity among attendees.
Basco shared pictures of some of the costumes attendees sported, as well as warning of the hazards of causing chaos in a country dance. Her favorite session was the one on soundtracks. Other sessions she liked were “’A Young Lady of Spirit Happened to be at the Playhouse’: Austen Re-Writes the Archetypal Coquette for Regency England” by Claudia Martin and a special interest session on “Whiteness: Beauty and Ugliness in Regency Dress” by Amelia Rauser. The predominance of white in fashion was linked to classical marble sculpture, thus transforming women into a semblance of living sculptures. Madras fabric and the West Indies link to English import was also discussed. Basco was also intrigued by a session on how French plays influenced Austen’s use of conversation in her novels.
Interested members can purchase access to recorded sessions from the AGM for $129 (watch for details). There were some discussions of the difficulty in online registration and plans for future meetings at conference centers.
In other news
- Striving for Diversity and Inclusion – JASNA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee (JEDI) guidelines are posted on the JASNA-NC site.
- Dues Increase – Treasurer Sue Scott announced that JASNA dues would increase November 1. It has been 20 years since the last increase, and actual membership costs have gone up to about $47 per person. The new student rate is $20, with only online access to publications. The individual rate remains at $30, with a digital-only publication, and increases to $45 for print publications. Lifetime membership is $500 for digital, $750 for print. Visit the JASNA Join & Support page for more details.
- Holiday Gift Exchange – Gift exchange, anyone? Those interested in an anonymous birthday/holiday gift exchange with JASNA-NC members can register November 5 on Elfster. Dollar limit is $25. While Austen-themed gifts are always welcome, the gifts are not restricted to only Jane-related items. Thanks to Katie Allen for coordinating!