“Tea Time with a Janeite” is a series that features members of JASNA-North Carolina, digging into their love of Jane (and tea) and letting us get to know them a little bit better. The series is produced by member Mayra Garcia Mastin. Enjoy our second interview!
Janeite: Emily Williams
Member Since: 1997 and then 2011
What is your preferred tea or relaxation beverage?
Despite really loving black teas such as Darjeeling and Earl Grey, I’m very sensitive to caffeine! So I usually do those decaf if I have the chance. Otherwise, throughout the day I drink herbal or decaf green teas and rely on chamomile lavender tea in the evening before bed to unwind.
Tell us a little about your background (career/real life):
I teach courses on English comp and literature at Belmont Abbey College, which is also my undergraduate alma mater; I specialize in British Romantics and Victorians. Aside from teaching, I have a background in technical writing, marketing and copywriting. I have also served as editor of several local magazines and have written freelance for other publications.
When did Jane Austen become part of your life?
When I was about 13 or 14, I saw Ang Lee and Emma Thompson’s film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and I instantly fell in love. I began raiding the local library for books on her life and novels and began reading them one after the other. She’s been part of my life ever since and it’s a permanent condition!
What do you love most about Austen?
Do you have a few days? Haha…First off, I would say it’s the idea of mentally retreating into a realm of calm, gentility and beauty that I associate in my mind’s eye with the Regency period, even if I admit it has been mostly manipulated through film and fantasy. The culture of Austen, with our inside-jokes and references, is also a kind of language that one can use to bond to other Janeites. On a more academic level, Austen’s novels appeal to me for the exquisite way she observes human behavior and how each of us can relate to her characters in one way or another. She is universal in so many respects, which is one reason why I think she endures through the ages.
Favorite Austen character?
That’s a tough one as I have so many. Probably Marianne Dashwood because I relate to her the most!
Least Favorite Austen character?
Mr. Elliot for being an annoying, conniving twit.
Other favorite authors/genres?
Elizabeth Gaskell, the Brontes, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and the poetry of Emily Dickinson, to name a few. I also have a deep interest in Holocaust literature.
Other passions/interests?
British, French and American history; Biblical archaeology; historical and ballroom dancing; cooking; linguistics; opera, jazz and classical music; creative writing and Sci-Fi (yes, I’m a Doctor Who fan).
What are you reading now?
Black Tudors: The Untold Story by Miranda Kaufmann. It examines the lives of ten Africans that lived in England during the Tudor period and it’s a fascinating read.
What do you enjoy most about our chapter, JASNA-NC?
It’s so wonderful to be able to see the same faces when we all gather each year for the Jane Austen Summer Program! I’m so proud to be a member.
One fun fact about anything about yourself?
I’m the Secretary for the British Club of Charlotte, NC. We’re a group of expats and Anglophiles that get together to celebrate all things England. We even have a Guy Fawkes celebration each November!
If you had to recommend one of Jane Austen’s novels for someone starting out, what would it be?
Probably Pride and Prejudice – it’s a novel that encompasses everything Austen!