You know you haven’t blogged in a long time when…
…WordPress has changed its dashboard and it takes a couple of minutes to figure out how to write a new post!
The zombies didn’t get me. I think I’m going through a period of burnout along with writer’s block and a bit of ADD that has me pursuing other interests. I miss blogging, though, and I miss my Gentle Readers. I will try to do better, and hope you will forgive me for yet another unscheduled hiatus.
Also the Minions have sent me beaucoup book reviews that have been sitting in my e-mail box! I’ll definitely post one of these tonight and more soon. They (both the Minions and the reviews) do not deserve such a fate.
We just had word from our Dutch correspondent Aad that De vier dochters Bennet*, a Dutch adaptation of Pride and Prejudice from 1961, will be broadcast tonight at 22.00 on Best 24. (21.00 in the UK) Aad says this station, which specializes in old TV programs, usually rebroadcasts these over the next couple of weeks, so it might not be a tragedy if you miss this. We would love a report from anyone who gets to see it!
P.S. More later…zombies have not gotten me yet, I swear.
*Wild guess…does this mean “The five Bennet daughters?”
Jane Austen Celebration at Ardmore Library Postponed
To anyone who was planning to come to the Jane Austen program today at Ardmore Library that was mentioned in GLWJ, it has been postponed due to impending winter weather. We have rescheduled the event for November 19, and I’ll still be giving the presentation. More details to come! I’m disappointed, and really kind of surprised that an event in October had to be cancelled for snow!!!
Guest Post: A Fine Naval Fervor in Jane Austen Made Me Do It by Laurel Ann Nattress
AustenBlog is delighted to host Laurel Ann Nattress, proprietor of the fabulous Austenprose and editor of the anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It, for a little tidbit about the anthology. The Editrix had her share in the conversation, er, anthology, as you will read below. LA and I have known each other for a really long time–we were reminiscing how long at the JASNA AGM last week!
Hi Mags, thanks for graciously inviting me here today on AustenBlog during my Grand Tour of the blogosphere in celebration of the release of my new Austen-inspired anthology, Jane Austen Made Me Do It. It is particularly gratifying to me since you were one of the first authors I reached out to contribute a short story and have been with me through the entire publication process. You have always been so incredibly supportive of me and my blog Austenprose, advising me on the technical geeky stuff, SEO, social media and all-around advice guru. I sincerely thank you. [Aww. --Ed.]
I was really intrigued when you told me that your inspiration for your story would be from two sources: Captain Frederick Marryat’s novel Peter Simple and Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Honestly I was expecting the further exploits from The Very Secret Diary of Henry Tilney, so this was a jolting surprise! After you explained that Peter Simple was an Age of Sail novel written by an English Royal Navy officer, it all started to make sense. I knew that in addition to our shared passion for our “dear Jane” that you were a huge Captain Horatio Hornblower fan who had studied naval history and lore from the era. I was astonished that you were able to pull a plot element out of Peter Simple about sailors receiving family letters and selling them to their shipmates for entertainment and then make the leap to creating your story, “Heard of You,” about the early career of Austen’s Captain Wentworth and Admiral Croft. I remember reading the first draft and shaking my head in amazement at how you pulled it all together. I was truly touched by the story and I hope that readers will be too. Read more…
Introducing IndieJane
We would like to introduce our Gentle Readers to a new website called IndieJane. Founded by authors Jessica Melendez and Nancy Kelley, the site is a community for readers and writers of independently-published books inspired by Jane Austen’s work. The site includes a blog, a message board with group reads of Austen’s novels, a chat room, and links to other sites.
We were delighted to contribute a guest post to the current celebration of Northanger Abbey: Making Love, the Henry Tilney Way. There also is a giveaway going on for lots of NA-related swag, including a couple of copies of There Must Be Murder. Last day to enter is October 31, so make haste! Also check out Emily C.A. Snyder’s hilarious guest post on How to Write Your Own Gothic Novel and a review of Emily’s fabulous NA sequel, Nachtsturm Castle. (Modesty protests, but practicality dictates that we post a link to the review of There Must Be Murder as well. Jane, we know, would approve.)
And do check out the rest of the site–there are lots of reviews and news and talk about the writing process.
REVIEW: Little Miss Austen: Pride and Prejudice by Jennifer Adams, Illustrations by Alison Oliver
Review by Alexa Adams
Until three months ago, a single obsession ruled my world. It Austen all day, all of the time. Then suddenly, in a single moment, dear Jane was demoted to my number two concern. My beautiful baby girl now dominates my life, and my Austen interests have necessarily suffered as a result. How apropos that Jennifer Adams’ new book, Little Miss Austen: Pride and Prejudice: A Counting Primer, should be released at just this time. I admit to feeling a bit skeptical when I first heard of the concept. I doubted that the spirit of Austen’s most famous novel could be captured in a manner accessible to children. How wrong I was! I cannot think of a more excessively diverting manner in which to introduce my daughter to Austen than through this sweet book. Read more…
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice cleans up at NYMF Awards!
We have shamefully neglected the recent sellout run of “Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice” at the New York Musical Theater Festival. We didn’t neglect it so much as to not see it, of course; we thoroughly enjoyed the performance we attended with a Janeite-heavy crowd. (The non-Janeite members of NYMF who attended–who obviously attend many of the festival’s performances–were shocked that there was a long line for admittance and that it was sold out!)
We are absolutely delighted to report that the play has won six NYMF Awards–more than any other play in this year’s festival!
The musical adaptation of the literary classic earned six Awards for Excellence, including for leading actress Donna Lynne Champlin (Sweeney Todd, James Joyce’s The Dead), as well as the Most Promising Musical Award and the Stage Entertainment Development Award. Baker and Jacobs collaborated on book, music and lyrics.
Ms. Champlin’s award was well-deserved. She was absolutely perfect as Jane Austen writing her masterpiece (and singing like an angel!). And many congratulations to the delightful Amanda Jacobs and Lindsay Warren Baker for taking this play to the big city and launching it so spectacularly. We couldn’t be more pleased–and are even more pleased that so many of our Janeite acquaintance got to see the play, which we’ve been raving about for years. Here’s to an even bigger launch!
Here’s a video with images from the NYMF play and a song from the demo.
Lizzy is Delightful
Here are two videos promoting the upcoming Jane Austen Day in Philadelphia next April. More details to come…right now you are just to be teazed by Miss Elizabeth Bennet. After all, “We can all plague and punish one another.”
Look for more videos featuring the Delightful Creature to come!
Getting Local With Jane
GLWJ is a regular feature (when we remember to post it) with upcoming local events of interest to Austen fans. If your hometown isn’t on the list, keep checking back; you never know when Jane will come to your town.
October 29, 2011 (that’s this Saturday!), Ardmore, Pennsylvania – At 2 p.m., there will be a Jane Austen Celebration at Ardmore Library, with speaker Margaret C. Sullivan (hey! that’s the Editrix!). I will be speaking about Chawton Cottage and Jane Austen’s life and writing there, with occasional digressions into other places she knew and where she lived. I’d love to meet AustenBlog readers there! Please pre-register for this event by calling the library at (610) 642-5187. ETA: The event has been postponed due to impending winter weather and rescheduled for November 19. More details to come!
Through November 12, 2011, Salisbury, Wiltshire – The Salisbury Playhouse presents Persuasion, a new adaptation of the novel by Tim Luscombe. Tickets are £12-20.
November 10-20, 2011, Atlanta, Georgia – Theater Emory presents a stage adaptation of Persuasion at the Mary Gray Munroe Theater. Tickets are $20, $6 for Emory students.
November 13, 2011, Waltham, Massachusetts – Gore Place, the historic estate in Waltham, will offer Jane Austen tours of the 1806 Governor Gore mansion at 1 and 3 p.m. From the press release: “This special themed tour brings the beautiful Regency Period home to life as a guide in period dress uses quotes from Austen’s novels and letters to describe country life in Austen’s time. With its marble halls, circular stair and soaring ceilings, the mansion is the perfect setting for this great event.” Admission is $14 adults, $10 members and children 5 to 12. “Capacity is limited and advanced tickets suggested. To order, call (781) 894-2798.” Also, attendees will receive 10% off tea at the Tea Leaf on Moody Street in Waltham (reservations required; call (781) 891-1900).
April 28, 2012, Philadelphia – Jane Austen Day presented by JASNA’s Eastern Pennsylvania Region. The theme is “Elizabeth Bennet: Delightful Creature.” More on this in another post!
More movies!
Hot off the presses…the producer of Scents and Sensibility just announced they have plans for a modern-set P&P. A Jane Austen Christmas movie, and modern-set JA TV series. Joan Ray’s plenary is beginning so more anon!
