A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM LAUGHING WITH LIZZIE

Sophie Andrews

Thank you very much Maria Grazia for allowing me to visit your blog today, My Jane Austen Book Club, to make my very special announcement! 

In fact, rather than making my own announcement, I am going to let the wonderful Caroline Jane Knight, Jane Austen's 5th great niece, tell you all!

  

"It is inspiring to see the positive influence Jane has on people’s lives today.     They say life is about what you leave behind and I couldn’t be more proud of Great Aunt Jane’s legacy, my inspiration for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation.     As Jane’s popularity continues to grow, I wanted to extend her legacy by harnessing the global passion for Austen to improve literacy rates.    Literacy is the key to self-improvement and unlocking potential.    Reading and writing are essential skills for anyone who wants to understand, enjoy and influence the world around them.

Caroline Jane Knight

The foundation raises money to help create CONFIDENT READERS and PROUD WRITERS by providing FREE books and writing materials to communities in need around the world, in honour of Jane.     We are a volunteer organisation with all monies raised spent on literacy resources and fundraising activity.   We are currently raising funds to provide literacy resources for the displaced children of Syria, delivered on the ground by UNICEF.

I only joined Facebook a year ago and was amazed to discover a world of Austen, involving Janeites from around the world, enthusiastically and vibrantly celebrating and discussing all aspects of Jane’s life and works.      With over 7000 websites and social media profiles associated with Jane, there is a never ending stream of content to keep even the most ardent Janeite engaged.    

JANE LARK, THE THEATRE JANE AUSTEN ATTENDED IN BATH - THE ILLICIT LOVE OF A COURTESAN BLOG TOUR

The author Jane Lark, included a Theatre Scene in her debut novel The Illicit Love of a Courtesan, and shares with us the research she undertook of a Georgian theatre which Jane Austen attended in Bath

The Theatre Royal in Bath was opened on 27^th October 1750 but at the time it had no boxes. When it opened the space was simply a stage and the audience watched from a sloped floor which rose by roughly seven feet from the front of the Theatre to the back.

The elite who visited Bath must have still thought the then new Theatre a bit less than genteel in comparison to the venues they frequented in London. They could not reserve a space nor escape the local less well born who might attend. But still they managed to engineer an improvement to their theatre visit. They would send their servants to theirearly and have them stand in a space and then arrive once the play had started. Of course that meant disturbance for everyone else as people forced a path through the crowd to get in and their servants then forced back through the crowd to get out. And let’s remember there were probably at least two dozen or more aristocrats or gently born patrons reserving spaces.

THROWING THE PERFECT AUSTEN-THEMED HEN PARTY

(by guest blogger Marcela De Vivo)

Shannon Hale’s popular novel, Austenland, was recently adapted into a movie--the story features a woman who goes to an exclusive, Austen-themed resort in search of a husband.  But what if you’ve already found your Mr. Darcy/Mr. Knightley/Captain Wentworth/Mr. Tilney?  Well, then you’ll just have to hold a Jane Austen-approved hen party.  After all, what better way to celebrate the famed author (who is soon to grace the £10 note)?

Make it a costume party

What better way to celebrate Jane Austen than to wear those decadently beautiful Regency-era gowns?  We’ve all drooled over the beautiful cap sleeves in Emma, the crisp white muslins in Pride and Prejudice, and the at-times comical bonnets in Sense and Sensibility.  Luckily, Regency wear is among some of the easiest to make--well, it’s no walk in the park, but it’s still much easier than creating a fully-embellished Elizabethan gown!  And if you’re not quite the type to pick up a needle and thread, check out Etsy--it’s full of beautiful empire-waisted gowns that even Caroline Bingley would approve of.

Eat Jane Austen-approved food

While British cuisine isn’t exactly lauded the world over, you can still have a little fun with some Regency era food.  Apparently, Jane Austen herself created an ice cream recipe--plus, she accompanied it with the quote, “I shall eat ice and drink French wine, and be above vulgar economy”.  For real devotees, author Pen Vogler has created a recipe book--enticingly titled, Dinner With Mr. Darcy.  She was able to adapt many of the recipes from a book of recipes written by Martha Lloyd, a close friend of Jane’s.

THE 2013 JANE AUSTEN FESTIVAL - AUTHOR TERI WILSON'S JOURNAL & PICTURES - PART II

The Jane Austen Festival Fayre - The Fayre was held upstairs at the Guildhall. Simply standing in that gloriously beautiful ballroom was worth the small price of admission (2 pounds). But beyond the beauty of the surroundings was a host of opportunities to relive the magic of the Regency Era. There were hats, gloves, bonnets, clothes and yes...even Regency facial hair for sale. I got my fortune told by an old-fashioned fortune teller who read my palm and did a card reading with tiny, numberless cards. There was a silhouette artist there, too, cutting gorgeous black silhouettes. And in the center of everything was a dance demonstration. We had the opportunity to see many different traditional Regency dances, all performed in authentic costume to live music.

 

The last event I attended was a discussion called Into the Shadows: The Darker Side of Jane Austen's Bath. This lecture was given by David Lassman and Terence James, authors of The Regency Detective. It was very informative, and provided a glimpse into parts of Bath that our beloved Jane likely knew little about.

THE 2013 JANE AUSTEN FESTIVAL - AUTHOR TERI WILSON'S JOURNAL & PICTURES - PART I

The first day of the 2013 Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England, kicked off with the Jane Austen Festival Grand Regency Costumed Promenade. This traditional event always marks the official opening of the festival. Beginning at the Royal Crescent Lawn, 600 people dressed in Regency costume walked through the streets of Bath, ending at the Parade Gardens near Bath Abbey. The costumes were incredible and ranged from traditional men's and women's Regency attire, to red coats and navy officers. Led by the town crier and drums, participants walked a 90-minute route through the heart of Bath.

AURORA'S JOURNAL FROM THE JANE AUSTEN FESTIVAL IN BATH

I  invited Aurora Berkestam Drysén  to be our special reporter from Bath during The Jane Austen Festival. She accepted to be our eyes and  ears there during the week of the celebrations. Read her journal and admire her great pictures. Doesn't she really fit the role of an Austen heroine?

Promenaders walking along Milsom Street  

For many of today’s Janeites around the world stepping into a Jane Austen novel, transporting themselves back to the time when she lived, dressing in the style of clothes she would have been familiar with (and which we are too, thanks to the countless television adaptations and movies we’ve watched!), conversing or gossiping with other girls in bonnets and dancing at balls, is something we dream of. To my knowledge it is, unfortunately, not possible to really step into the pages of a novel (or else I believe I would have done that a long time ago!), but there are things you can do to at least get as close to it as possible. And for me the Jane Austen Festival in Bath has proven to be such a thing.

The annual Jane Austen Festival in Bath in England is famous amongst Janeites, and every year it attracts hundreds of visitors from near and far, all with one thing in common, a love for this great author and her work. For some 7 to 9 days the city of Bath is filled with people running around in Regency clothes, attending events that range from walking tours and costume talks to musical soirees and grand balls.

I have had the great pleasure and privilege to be able to attend this wonderful event four years in a row now. I have written a little journal here of what it was like this year, to share with anyone who wishes to go but was not able to do so (and for anyone else who feels like reading it too of course).

13^th of September, 2012 – at home in Sweden

It’s the evening before I leave for Bath, the bags are finally packed and everything made ready. As always it is a struggle to fit everything I need into the, for this occasion, far too small bags! Airlines with their luggage restrictions show NO respect for people who want to travel with bonnets, hats, ball gowns, thick woolen coats and all the other essentials of a Regency lady’s wardrobe!

PICTURES FROM BATH - GUEST BLOGGER MONICA CARDINALE

My friend Monica Cardinale, Italian but living in Amsterdam, was lucky enough to be in Bath for the Festival. She accepted to share her shots with all of us here at My Jane Austen Book Club. Thanks a lot, Monica! 

Hello everyone! I visited Bath for the first time last weekend and was so lucky to be able to experience the Jane Austen Festival atmosphere in town: the people gathering in Queen Square before the start of the Regency Costume Promenade, the activities at the Guildhall (where the Festival Fayre was held) and Regency "appearances" throughout the town.

Here are some pictures that hopefully will give you a feel of this very special event.

People gathering at Queen Square

VISITING BATH & LYME REGIS

Bath - The Crescent

Bath - One does not love a place the less for having suffered in it

On my tour of England from north to south last year (HERE) I couldn’t complete my Jane Austen pilgrimage, since my friends and I were following more than one trail (Richard III, movie locations, literature, abbeys and cathedrals) and each of us had put her own special goals on our common schedule. This is why we decided we would complete my Austen tour this year  visiting the South – West region of the Island and  starting from Somerset (we landed in Bristol),  more precisely  from Bath.

Me at the Roman Baths

The most common opinion on the years Jane Austen spent in Bath wants them unhappy and unproductive.

Jane arrived in Bath with Cassandra and her parents in 1800, after her father had unexpectedly announced his desire to retire from the ministry. Young Jane must have been really depressed if not shocked, though Bath was not and is not an unpleasant place .

Those (1800- 1809) are the years of The Watsons, which she left unfinished, of Harris Bigg-Wither’s proposal (her only marriage proposal for what we know), which she rejected, but those are tragically and especially the years when her father died and left Jane, her mother and her sister doomed to live on the financial contributions of the Austen men.

MEET BECCA HEMMINGS, JANE AUSTEN CENTRE ONLINE GIFTSHOP MANAGER - INTERVIEW + GREAT GIVEAWAY!

Becca Hemmings, Online Giftshop Manager for The Jane Austen Centre in Bath, is my guest today with an interesting interview and a lovely Austenesque giveaway. Read through her answers to my questions, discover more about her job and her love for Jane Austen, leave your comments and e-mail address to enter the giveaway contest. For more details about the gift and the giveaway, check at the end of this post. 

Thanks for accepting answering some questions for My Jane Austen Book Club, Becca. Welcome!

My first curiosity is … What is living and working in such a lovely place as Bath like?

Thanks for having me! Last year I moved from Bath to London, but still work on the site remotely. I loved Bath for the 7 years that I lived there, and didn’t leave with ‘such happy feelings of escape’ as Jane did. Bath was a great as you always feel like you are on holiday; even walking to work through the golden buildings was a pleasure. However, I must confress I love London with its incredible history and culture!

How do you like working at the Jane Austen Centre, instead?

The Jane Austen Centre is wonderful, the staff are like family to me and, despite being in London, I still see them often.

What kind of people visit you  and where are they from?

People visit our online shop from literally all around the world! It just shows that there are Austen fans everywhere. Our low Worldwide postage means we can send our Austen treats at a good price.

Did you already love Jane Austen before starting working there, or did it come as a result later on?

I already loved Austen, which is why I was so thrilled when I got the job at the centre! My mam introduced me to her; we watched the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice together every Sunday. I was 12 and read the book straight after the series ended.

Is Jane more part of your professional life, or is she someone like … an old friend to you?

Austen is part of both, really. I have to ensure I am always supplying Austen fans with affordable, good quality gifts - which means being quite professional. At the same time she is my favourite author.

What is it that you most admire in her?

Her wit. I would love to have come up with some of her comebacks!

What is your favourite Austen novel?

This has to be Pride and Prejudice, as it was my ‘first love’. Though Persuasion comes very close as it is so romantic, but then Emma is so funny. Ah it is hard to choose!

Most charming Austen  hero?

Most charming has to be Mr Knightley. I think he is wonderful. Everyone would love him on first aqquantience (unlike Mr Darcy I suppose!)

And what about the heroine  you most sympathize with?

Definitley Anne Elliot - it must have been awful for her to have been persuaded against marrying her true love, then never forgetting him or forgiving herself. Can you imagine how hard those first few chapters would have been for her? Dear me!

What do you most like in JA’s world? 

The clothing is beautiful, and, so long as you were a lady of good fortune, the way of life would be bliss! 

Walks, sewing, reading, balls, how nice would that be?

We know that the years she spent  in Bath were not her best , but she chose to set part of Northanger Abbey and of Persuasion there. How much of her Bath can a Janeite visitor recognize nowadays?

I would say most of it! The main building are all still there; Camden Crescent, Westgate Buildings, Putney street. You can still walk along the paths of Anne and Catherine, as well as where Austen herself. When the Jane Austen Festival is on and hundreds of people dress up in Regency attire you could be in the Regency period.

And what are the places/sites which are unmissable for a Janeite?

The Jane Austen Centre (of course), 4 Sydney Place (where she wrote of seeing the fireworks in Sydeny Gardens) and St Swithin's Church, where her lovely father, George, was buried.

What is exactly your job at the Jane Austen Centre?

I run the online giftshop, which includes keeping the site up to date, sending out newsletters, posting on Twitter and Facebook and (my favourite) sourcing Austen goods that everyone would like.

So you never meet customers visiting the centre?

When I worked at the centre as a guide I would often meet with customers. It was really nice to hear positive feedback about the work we do and find out what they would like to see for sale online. Now I souly run the online giftshop.

What Austen related gifts are the most popular?

Definitley the ‘I Love Darcy’ range, the bags being the most popular. But we have a new contender - the ‘Keep Calm and Read Jane Austen’ tea towels are this month’s best seller - and we are going to extend this range in the next few months!

Where do you mostly send gadgets and books to? What countries in the world, I mean?

No.1 is here in UK, but USA is a very close second. Australia is third. We literally sell goods to Austen fans everywhere! Our low Worldwide Postage rates means everyone can enjoy a bit of Austen. Sometimes we have free worldwide postage weekends!

Have you got a very special item to recommend these days?

I would personally recommend the ‘Keep Calm and Read Jane Austen’ Tea towel - it is such a good price and excellent quality. I have mine framed so it looks like a canvas print! It always reminds me to pick up an Austen novel before I venture out into the modern world :-)

That’s all Becca. Thank you very much for being my guest. Good luck and great success with your job.

Thanks very much, I have enjoyed answering your questions!

GIVEAWAY

Becca Hemmings has granted the readers of My Jane Austen Book Club the chance to win a ‘Keep Calm and Read Jane Austen’ Tea towel . Have a look at the lovely gift  HERE, then leave your comment and your e-mail address in order to be entered in the giveaway contest. The name of the winner will be announced on March 23rd. This giveaway is open internationally.