After tea, we were delighted with In Their Words, a play in the form of a panel of critics on Jane Austen and her work. Among those present were Sir Walter Scott, Caroline Austen, Mary Bridges, and Charlotte Bronte. Our own Judith Umbach wrote this play after a recent visit to England where she was set on obtaining a British Library card. In order to do this, she needed to create a research question. Her question became "What were the contemporary reviews on Jane Austen." She used this research as the basis of her play.

Each reviewer discussed all six of AustenŐs novels. Sir Walter was most impressed by AustenŐs "sketches of spirit and originality". Caroline Austen presented varied opinions on AustenŐs work by her own family members, including JaneŐs own belief that Pride and Prejudice was "light, and bright, and sparkling". Bridges mentioned AustenŐs remarkable talent for observation, and Charlotte Bronte condemned Austen for her perfect absence of the passions. Finally, we were graced with the presence of Jane Austen herself who thanked her critics and opened the floor to questions. It was, altogether, the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon in November.

Prior to our main speaker, Catherine Gardner, Regional Coordinator, recommended a new collection of essays from the U of A press entitled Jane Austen and Company by Bruce and Nora Stovel. Kathleen announced that Sprigged Muslin will start up again and welcomes new members to our dance group. Helen Gardner announced Jane Austen's Birthday tea on January 21. We will celebrate with a Murder Mystery Game, Murder of a Matchmaker, written by Samantha Adkins. Tickets are now on sale for $20 and are selling quickly.

After tea and refreshments and a chance to chat, Emma Spooner shared her work, Cultivating Sense from the Cult of Sensibility: The Influence of Frances Burney and Maria Edgeworth in Sense and Sensibility, which she will present at this year's AGM in Texas. Jane Austen was not the first female author to satirize social expectations for female behavior and exemplify rational thinking in women. Emma Spooner, who has a Master's degree in English from the University of Calgary, compared Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility to Burney's Cecilia and Edgeworth's Belinda. Austen said of these books that "the greatest powers of the mind are displayed". She examined the way Burney's Cecilia and Edgeworth's Belinda deal with the feminine ideal of sensibility in the late eighteenth-century and how these works may have influenced Austen in her portrayals of Elinor and Marianne. All three women were pioneers of a more realistic fiction, in contrast to the popular sentimental fiction of their time.

The first speaker was Dr. Diana Patterson, an associate professor of English at Mount Royal University who instructed us in the history of Josiah Wedgwood, the evolution of porcelain in England and the rise of the popular willow pattern. She noted that Wedgewood china would be the type found in most of Austen's books.

Next we had a lovely 'lenten' tea of brownies and gingerbread hosted by the Barton's. Finally, Michelle Agopsowicz, who has a Masters of Social Work, imparted her research on charity in Austen's work and times. We learned of the importance of two classes of poor Đ the deserving and undeserving. Such classes may still hold in our views of social services today. Michelle shared several Austen quotations which revealed the importance of charity as a theme in her works. Thanks to Michelle's generosity, her presentation is available in pdf.

Portland Vase, about 1790, made by Josiah Wedgwood for the Duke of Portland

On 16th September, 1813, Jane Austen wrote a letter to her sister Cassandra, in which she noted a visit with her brother and a niece to Wedgwood's in London: "We then went to Wedgwoods where my brother and Fanny chose a Dinner Set, I believe the pattern is a small Lozenge in purple, between Lines of narrow Gold; - and it is to have the Crest." The dinner set was owned by Jane Austen's brother, Edward Austen, and as Jane was a frequent guest at her brother's house in Chawton she must have seen, used and eaten from these dishes many times. (Reference)

Amber Adams fascinated a standing-room only audience with her presentation of books from Jane Austen's time. Making use of her personal book collection, Amber showed us books from the mid-17th century to the mid-18th century. Her friendly amanuensis, Laine Simpson, carefully displayed these old, well-worn documents. The book list ranged from volumes that Jane Austen's father might have known to books written by and about people in Jane Austen's world. Some of these are referred to in Jane’s writing; some she may have seen in her father’s library; she may have been familiar with some of the plays. These books were available at the time from booksellers, grocers and pedlars. Widely dispersed and used ephemeral material helped us understand terms used in the novels, such as buying a book in boards.

Amber Adams is a former librarian at the Queen's University of Belfast and current editor of Brontë Studies.

Carrying the weight of international rivalry with the Dutch and the cachet of royal approval, the growing of pineapples in cool and cloudy England was an alluring challenge for many of the landed gentry during the Regency. Why did Jane Austen select the pinery as the appropriate part of the garden for General Tilney to highlight?

How else could he impress Catherine Morland and his wealthy neighbours except by cultivating the most expensive fad of his generation? First brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus, pineapples quickly became a symbol of wealth and trendiness.

Shannon Campbell of JASNA Edmonton, a botanist with an interest in the history of horticulture, agriculture, and climatology, is one of the few people who could address the rise of the pineapple. After her presentation to us on Apples and Apple-blossom Time (Wherein Jane Austen's Reputation for Meticulous Observation is Vindicated), we were full of expectations - all fulfilled and more! Shannon will be continuing her presentation at the Portland JASNA AGM.

For even more literary explorations, two invited speakers addressed our group.

• Catherine Spencer related her persistent efforts in writing a novel, Good Intentions. inspired by Jane Austen and finding an agent willing to help her publish a work true to the tone and morals of the age. The audience was supportive and discussed publishing options.

• Amy Stafford delighted us with her analysis of the bad girls in Jane Austen's novels. Fools, Flirts and Floozies was an illustrated romp through the questionable morals and brains of many secondary characters, with a few nods to some heroines.
  

  Jane's Life - 2009 November 21

  Margaret invited us to the January birthday tea and requested everyone to sign-up as a volunteer.

  Judith conducted a tour of this website, with its new pages and information. Also, we were introduced to some great sites for Janeites.

  We learned about Jane Austen and Her Family, and several members reviewed biographies of Jane Austen, both old and new.

  

  

• On 2009 September 19 Margaret, Emma and Randi led a discussion on the many marriage proposals in the novels (successful and unsuccessful) that Jane refers to but doesn’t actually include in her novels. We wrote and acted out what we imagined was said by whom to whom.

• On 2009 March 14 Judith Umbach and Deirdre Harris entertained members with stories of their trip through Winchester, Chawton and Bath. Their DVD and photo show brought back memories for some and inspired others to plan a trip to see the Jane Austen sites. Following the presentation, everyone contributed their own stories and tips for travel.

  

• On 2008 November 15, member Bob Stamp proposed that Jane Austen chose 'Hanoverian' names for LOUISA Musgrove (Persuasion), CAROLINE Bingley (Pride and Prejudice), AUGUSTA Elton (Emma), and Mary (a.k.a. AMELIA) Crawford in Mansfield Park. These less-than-stellar characters are clearly rivals of the 'English' named heroines -- ANNE Elliott, ELIZABETH Bennett, EMMA Woodhouse and FANNY Price, respectively - - rivals for the attention and affections of the male heroes in these four novels. The talk concluded with a lively question and answer session.
  

  Also at our November meeting, Catherine Gardner shared her enjoyment of many sessions at the Chicago 2008 AGM. To find out more, link to the conference site.

• On 2008 September 20 we enjoyed two speakers.

  What Would Darcy Drive?
  Beatrice Nearey unravelled the mysteries of horse-drawn travel in Jane Austen's time, enlightening us about the differences between coaches, Barouche-Landaus, gigs, curricles - more than just carriages!

  On Teapots
  Everyone was a tea-lover when Jeanne Worton told us about the pot that tea was steeped in. Jeanne is the president of the Edmonton JASNA Region and an avid teapot collector since 1985. She has approximately 200 teapots.

• On 2008 May 10 Dr. David Oakleaf, Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of Calgary, entertained us with his theme of sexual pursuit in Jane Austen. The discussion questioned the balance of sexual pursuit and the desire for economic well-being.

• On 2008 March 15 we discussed the Pride and Prejudice movies and the shows on PBS. A lively discussion concentrated on the many interpretations of Elizabeth Bennett's evening with the Bingley family and Mr Darcy.

• In 2007 November, member Tom Barton took us on a tour of Derbyshire.

• In 2007 October some of us attended the gala ball at the JASNA Annual Conference, held in Vancouver, B.C.
  

• In 2007 September, author Phyllis Ferguson astonished us with her talk on the range of autism in Pride and Prejudice.