Sean’s
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(group member since May 04, 2014)
Sean’s
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from the Miss Jane Austen's Bookshelf group.
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Draft by JA of her letter dated April 1, 1816, to Reverend James Stanier Clarke (after dedicating "Emma" to the Prince Regent, at Revd Clarke's request):"You are very, very kind in your hints as to the sort of Composition which might recommend me at present, & I am fully sensible that an Historical Romance, founded on the House of Saxe Cobourg might be much more to the purpose of Profit or Popularity, than such pictures of domestic Life in Country Villages as I deal in--but I could no more write a Romance than an Epic Poem.--I could not sit seriously down to write a serious Romance under any other motive than to save my Life, & if it were indispensable for me to keep it up & never relax into laughing at myself or other people, I am sure I should be hung before I had finished the first Chapter."
From letter to Cassandra Austen, October 17, 1815:"I am very glad the new Cook begins so well. Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness."
Jane Austen to Cassandra Austen, 24 January 1809:"I am gratified by her having pleasure in what I write--but I wish the knowledge of my being exposed to her discerning Criticism, may not hurt my stile, by inducing too great a solicitude. I begin already to weigh my words & sentences more than I did, & am looking about for a sentiment, an illustration or a metaphor in every corner of the room. Could my Ideas flow as fast as the rain in the Storecloset, it would be charming."
A few favorite quotes from the letters:"I will not say that your Mulberry trees are dead, but I am afraid they are not alive."
"What dreadful Hot weather we have! – It keeps one in a continual state of Inelegance."
"So much for that subject; I now come to another, of a very different nature, as other subjects are very apt to be."
"Where shall I begin? Which of all my important nothings shall I tell you first?"
In reading the letters of Jane Austen, one is struck by the fact that the majority of the extant letters written by Jane Austen were to her sister Cassandra. Here is what Jane's nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh wrote in 1867, describing the relationship of the two sisters:"Their sisterly affection for each other could scarcely be exceeded. Perhaps it began on Jane’s side with a feeling of deference natural to a loving child towards a kind elder sister. Something of this feeling always remained; and even in the maturity of her powers, and in the enjoyment of increasing success, she would still speak of Cassandra as of one wiser and better than herself. In childhood, when the elder was sent to the school of a Mrs Latournelle in the Forbury at Reading, the younger went with her, not because she was thought old enough to profit much by the instruction there imparted, but because she would have been miserable without her sister; her mother observing that ‘if Cassandra were going to have her head cut off, Jane would insist on sharing her fate.’ This attachment was never interrupted or weakened. They lived in the same home, and shared the same bedroom, till separated by death."
In a 1995 review of the third edition of the Austen letters (edited by Deirdre Le Faye), Terry Castle makes this observation:
"And to the degree that Austen’s fictions are works of depth and beauty and passionate feeling – among the supreme humane inventions of the English language – one suspects in turn it is because she loved and was loved by Cassandra."
This is the website site for the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA). The Society always welcomes new members.http://www.jasna.org/
The Society has quarterly meetings at various locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Here is information about the next meeting, June 6, 12:00pm, in Belmont, CA:
The Planning Committee wishes to welcome everyone to the Belmont Library on the first Saturday in June. We are excited to be partnering with this institution, which means much more than just booking their beautiful community room! The Library manager, Elizabeth Beasley, informed us that there are four book groups at the Library who all love Austen, so our ranks will be swelled with potential new JASNA members. The Library will be advertising the event to their patrons and their Friends group will be providing some refreshments! Coffee and teas will be provided. Please bring your own mug, if possible. Contributions of light refreshments such as tea sandwiches, cookies, cake or fruit will be most welcome.
Saturday - June 6, 2015
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Belmont Library
The Taube Community Room
1110 Alameda De Las Pulgas
Belmont, CA 94002
Bruce Thompson, who has been teaching courses on History and Literature at the University of California – Santa Cruz since 1991, will give a presentation on "Why We Read Jane Austen." Professor Thompson provided this description of his talk:
The great American literary critic Lionel Trilling wrote several essays about Jane Austen over the course of his distinguished career, including a final, unfinished essay entitled "Why We Read Jane Austen" (1975). At about the same time, an equally distinguished critic, Ian Watt, author of the classic study "The Rise of the Novel," produced a brilliant essay entitled "Jane Austen and the Traditions of Comic Aggression." Beginning with a summary of Trilling's and Watt's conclusions, this talk will offer additional reasons why Austen has continued to be the most popular English novelist or successive generations of readers. What were the distinctive features of Jane Austen's art, and where did they come from?
After the break, we will conduct a Quote Contest and of course continue the discussion about “why we read Jane”. In the beginnings of this region these contests where held to discover the perfect saying that could be placed on a mug. This year we are hoping to produce a custom reusable grocery tote. Why advertise for the market or other companies when we could be spreading the word of Austen? Please come prepared to throw your favorite quote (perhaps about food or shopping) into the voting ring!
If there is time after the program, there will be a brief planning meeting to continue working on the remaining year’s events and regional business. There is parking in the Library lot (no time limits) and unpermitted street parking on Alameda De Las Pulgas and on the side streets.
Cordially,
The Planning Committee
JASNA NorCal
A couple of months ago, I finally finished reading "Sir Charles Grandison" (1753-54) by Samuel Richardson. I can truly say that I have lived with these characters for the better part of 10 months, off and on--perhaps the only way to get through this lengthy book.Sir Walter Scott wrote about this novel that "... a venerable old lady, whom we well knew, when in advanced age she became subject to drowsy fits, chose to hear Sir Charles Grandison read to her as she sat in her elbow-chair, in preference to any other work, "because," said she, "should I drop asleep in course of the reading, I am sure when I awake, I shall have lost none of the story, but shall find the party, where I left them, conversing in the cedar-parlour."" That pretty much says it all. There is very little plot in "Sir Charles," which recounts the virtuous exploits and good deeds of its titular hero, all in the form of letters, and comes to over 1600 pages (the original edition was published in seven volumes).
Richardson, after the success of his masterpiece "Clarissa" (1748), had no intention of writing another novel, but he was so disgusted by the success of Henry Fielding's "Tom Jones," whose hero Richardson considered to be morally flawed, that he set out to write a novel that centered on his vision of a good man, a man who would embody all the English, Anglican virtues of the mid-18th century.
To me, the best aspect of "Sir Charles" is the social domestic comedy that Richardson developed in this novel and that was such an influence on Austen. The novel's main comic character is Sir Charles's younger sister Charlotte. Charlotte is outspoken, witty, irreverent--a bit of a brat--but also warmhearted and honest; she is constantly getting in trouble with her brother, who is always reprimanding her. Charlotte is a delight and the book so badly needs her.
Richardson was a master at getting the "voice" of his characters; you would know which character was writing which letter just by the tone of that letter, the incidents described therein aside. This character delineation was something that Austen would take and do even better, even though she rejected the epistolary style early on in her writing.
The main conflict in the plot consists of Sir Charles's divided love between the English Harriet Byron and the Italian (and devoutly Catholic) Lady Clementina della Porretta. Indeed, Lady Clementina is so devoutly Catholic that her love for the Anglican Sir Charles drives her to madness, scenes of which are written by Richardson with full-throttled pathos.
Harriet Byron, who starts the novel promisingly as a sort of Elizabeth Bennett prototype, loses her spirit when she meets Sir Charles--who rescues her from an attempted abduction--and falls in love with him; after that, Harriet becomes one of Sir Charles's many devoted admirers. So, the conflict in the plot is really no conflict, because we know, in the end, that Sir Charles will end up with Harriet.
So am I sorry I read this enormous tome? No, I'm glad I read it. It gave me a greater and detailed insight into the manners and mores of mid-18th century England and insight into what influenced Austen in her writing.
Would I read "Sir Charles" again? Honestly, once was enough for one lifetime.
Hello, Rachel. Welcome to the group!We read "Evelina" as part of the Miss Jane Austen's Book Club a year ago. I had read it as a teenager and enjoyed re-reading it many years later; I especially liked Burney's descriptions of 1770's London.
Have you read her other novels? ("Evelina" is the only one I've read so far.) Her journals and letters are also highly rated.
Thank you for letting us know about your Jane Austen novel. Sounds very interesting. I'll check out the blog site.
Today is the birthday (January 22, 1788) of George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, one of Britain's greatest poets. To celebrate the day, I have posted, under Photos, several portraits of Byron and a painting inspired by his "The Bride of Abydos."Often described as the most flamboyant and notorious of the major Romantics, Byron was both celebrated and castigated in life for his aristocratic excesses, including huge debt, numerous love affairs with more than one gender, rumors of a scandalous liaison with his half-sister, and self-imposed exile.
His most famous works are the lengthy narrative poems "Don Juan" and "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage," and the short poem "She Walks in Beauty."
I have posted an updated flyer for the book club, with upcoming events. Please see Photos to access the flyer.
I have posted the list of poetry selections to be discussed at our next meeting, March 8. Please see Photos to access the list.Most of the selections are in the "Penguin Book of Romantic Poetry," but a few, as noted at the end of the list, are available either on-line (at Project Gutenberg) or in other anthologies.
Also, please feel free to explore other poems in the Penguin anthology and pick one to share with your fellow book-club members at the meeting in March.
"The truth is that every true admirer of the novels cherishes the happy thought that he alone--reading between the lines--has become the secret friend of the author."(Katherine Mansfield, "The Athenaeum," December 3, 1920.)
This article is available for free if you access JSTOR through a participating institution (your public library, for instance):http://www.jstor.org/discover/515480?...
In Austen's "Emma," Jane Fairfax plays this song on the newly delivered pianoforte at the Bates', in company with Frank Churchill and Emma Woodhouse. Here is the text of the song.ROBIN ADAIR
by Lady Caroline Keppel (c. 1734–1769)
WHAT ’S this dull town to me?
Robin ’s not near,—
He whom I wished to see,
Wished for to hear;
Where ’s all the joy and mirth
Made life a heaven on earth,
O, they ’re all fled with thee,
Robin Adair!
What made the assembly shine?
Robin Adair:
What made the ball so fine?
Robin was there:
What, when the play was o’er,
What made my heart so sore?
O, it was parting with
Robin Adair!
But now thou art far from me,
Robin Adair;
But now I never see
Robin Adair;
Yet him I loved so well
Still in my heart shall dwell;
O, I can ne’er forget
Robin Adair!
Welcome on shore again,
Robin Adair!
Welcome once more again,
Robin Adair!
I feel thy trembling hand;
Tears in thy eyelids stand,
To greet thy native land,
Robin Adair!
Long I ne’er saw thee, love,
Robin Adair;
Still I prayed for thee, love,
Robin Adair;
When thou wert far at sea,
Many made love to me,
But still I thought on thee,
Robin Adair.
Come to my heart again,
Robin Adair;
Never to part again,
Robin Adair;
And if thou still art true,
I will be constant too,
And will wed none but you,
Robin Adair!
A couple of reviews, one from the Guardian, the other from the New York Times:http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014...
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/boo...
Recipes from the Austen novels and from the Austen household:http://www.brainpickings.org/index.ph...
Samuel Beckett: Now I am reading the divine Jane. I think she has much to teach me.
