Jane Austen Evensong, Winchester Cathedral, May 1

Winchester Cathedral’s Canon Precentor Michael St John-Channell preparing for tomorrow’s Jane Austen Evensong with the Rev George Austen’s own Bible (normally kept at St Nicholas Church, Steventon). Austen family descendents will be attending the service on 1st May, including female relatives. At Jane’s funeral only four were in attendance, all men.

30th April 2010. A special service to mark Jane Austen’s burial at Winchester Cathedral will feature her father’s 200-year-old bible.

The bible dates from 1793 and was used by the Rev George Austen while he served in his Hampshire parish. Readings will be taken from the bible during the service.

It is intended that the May 1 event, which is to celebrate the opening of the Cathedral’s
Jane Austen exhibition, will also redress the fact that only four people were at her funeral and none were women.

The celebration will see some of her descendents attending and taking part in the Evensong service. (Usually celebrated in the late afternoon or evening. Most often the service is rendered chorally). Jane remained very close to Hampshire throughout her life and the celebration at the Cathedral reflects her life story. Family from her close friend Mrs Lefroy will also be at the Cathedral for the service.

“This Evensong is the perfect celebration of the opening of our exhibition and Jane’s life,” comments Charlotte Barnaville of Winchester Cathedral. “By bringing her family descendents and supporters to her graveside, and reading from her father’s bible, we are making a wonderful connection with the past and recognizing just how influential Jane’s contribution to our literary history continues to be.”

The family will be invited to process to Jane Austen’s grave in the Cathedral at the end of the service and be given the opportunity to pay their respects to one of Hampshire’s and the UK’s most famous daughters.

Jane Austen Pen and Ink Set

This beautiful writing set is distinctive and comes from the Jane Austen Centre in Bath.

Mrs Darcy vs The Aliens: Funny Trailer

Mrs. Darcy vs. The Aliens is now on Facebook as well. Click here to join the group.

And click here to read this sequel to Pride and Prejudice with a twist.

Jane Austen in Rome

Lady Bertram and Captain Wentworth? No, way!
Tom Bertram and Jane Fairfax? She always pick a bad boy!
Mr. Collins and Mr. Elliot? What a duo!
Mr. Bingley! When you became so serious and accomplished?



Posted by Raquel Sallaberry, Jane Austen em Português

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

This week's question is merely one of preference. Which actress, to your mind, best represents Lady Russel in Persuasion? Lady Russel is Anne Elliot's surrogate mother and the person to whom she turns to for advice.


She was the best friend to Anne's beloved but deceased mother. A woman of birth and independent means, Lady Russell dispenses advise to the Elliots, most especially Anne. In the instance of Captain Wentworth, she advised Anne not to marry the penniless captain. Seven years after turning him down, Anne has come to regret her decision to follow Lady Russell's counsel, for the Captain has made his way in the world and become rich. Most importantly, she has never ceased to love him. She has come to understand that Lady Russell, while well-meaning, gave her bad advice.

Which actress do you like best in the role of Lady Russell? Alice Krige in the 2007 adaptation of Persuasion? (Top photo)

Or Susan Fleetwood in 1995's Persuasion?

It's a tough call, but I think you will have an opinion.

pollcode.com free polls

Best Lady Russell in Film

Alice Krige, 2007 Persuasion Susan Fleetwood, 1995 Persuasion

Book Giveaway: Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict

Gentle readers. The paperback version of Laurie Viera Rigler's Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict is out. Who can resist the striking blue and purple cover? Readers who live in the US and Canada are eligible to win. All you need to do is leave a comment. Here is the topic: You meet a Regency miss who has mysteriously appeared in your living room. She is all discombobulated and upset at her situation, and doesn't know where she is or how to get back. What's the first thing you will teach her to help her live in the 21st century?

The contest is open until mid day May 8, EST US. The winner will be announced in the afternoon of May 8.

• My review of the book sits at this link.

Follow Friday: Jane Austen and Friends

Jane Austen and Friends (Movie Gowns) is a website, not a blog, and it is chock full of images of gowns in Jane Austen movie adaptations. The site is still under construction, (Emma 2009 is missing, as are Sense and Sensibility 2007 and all the Mansfield Parks, and the pre-1990's movies) but as it exists, Jane Austen and Friends supplies a ton of visual information. Check it out and stay for a while. It's a great reference.

A few of the costumes for Isabella Thorpe, Carey Mulligan, Northanger Abbey 2007

Jane Austen in Bath

Seen on the blogosphere, a nice post about Jane Austen in the City of Bath. Click here to read the post on The Quillcards Blog.

Image is from the site.

Pride and Prejudice Film Mistakes

Usually I am so absorbed watching a film that I fail to catch any but the most egregious mistakes. But some people are ever vigilant. This list of movie mistakes notes that 16 were made during the filming of Pride and Prejudice. Here is the link to the site.

Here is one of the observations:

"Continuity: In the scene at Pemberley when Darcy gets ready to dive into the pond, notice that in one shot, he is looking at the pond, the next shot shows him stepping down, and the third shot (right before he dives) shows him looking at the pond again - in the exact same place as the first shot, as if he never took the step down."

I can't see what this critic is talking about. Can you? Or do I need new glasses. After watching the first 4o seconds of the film clip, do you agree or disagree with the above statement?

Mr. Collins and Me

I love Mr. Collins. Yes! I love him quite as much as Mr. Bennet.

I once had another blog about books called The Residence of the Gods. I placed advertisements on it, not just for Google, but also for other companies. One of these was an American Company that I prefer not mention by name. Our association was simple, but our preliminary exchanges required some clarification and our letters and e-mails were more numerous than usual in this type of business.

The first e-mail I received was signed by a certain J. Collins. I need not say of whom I immediately thought!

I replied in my best English: “Dear Mr. Collins ...”

The next e-mail Mr. Collins sent was less formal and signed with just a “J”. So I answered to “J”. But in my next message I could not restrain myself and I went back to writing: “Dear Mr. Collins,” which I used until our last correspondence.

I am sure that my dear Mr. J. Collins has never received so many formal letters conducting business over the internet. Poor dear. What he must have thought of me! A crazy Lady (de Brazil) from the Tropics.

David Bamber, my favourite Mr. Collins, in Pride and Prejudice, 1995

Posted by Raquel Sallaberry, Jane Austen em Português

Truth or Fact? Sense and Sensibility

Did Greg Wise date Kate Winslet while they were filming Sense and Sensibility and before he married Emma Thompson?

Vote here, then check the facts.

Did Greg Wise date Kate Winslet while they were filming Sense and Sensibility?
	Yes
	No
pollcode.com free polls

Read the article in this link.

Jane Austen Movie Fashion Throwdown

Lady Catherine de Bourgh was an unpleasant, opinionated, imperious and grand old dame. Whose wardrobe best matches her character?

This purply puce gown with tight bodice and low neckline presents a formidable front. It is slightly old-fashioned, but elegant, and more like a court gown than a dinner dress. Judi Dench, Pride and Prejudice 2005.

This Lady Catherine wears a fashionable carriage outfit with a pelisse trimmed with fur and a hat festooned with ostrich plumes. The outfit reeks of class to anyone Lady Catherine might have encountered on her journey to Longbourn. Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Pride and Prejudice 1995.

The spencer jacket with a militaristic sash draped over one shoulder is quite fashionable. This Lady Catherine holds a walking stick and uses it to great effect. Judy Parfitt, Pride and Prejudice 1980.

The dress is all wrong, of course, for it belongs to the mid-19th century. But this Lady Catherine, swathed from head-to-toe and side-to-very-considerable-side (mutton sleeves, wide hooped skirt), presents a striking black figure. Any ordinary person would quail when confronted with so much blackness, but not our Elizabeth. Edna Mae Oliver, Pride and Prejudice 1940.

Whose Lady Catherine wardrobe most matches the character?
	Judi Dench, P and P 2005
	Barbara Leigh-Hunt, P and P 1995
	Judy Parfitt, P and P 1980
	Edna Mae Oliver, P and P 1940
pollcode.com free polls

Pride and Prejudice Bloopers

Found on Jennifer Ehle fan blog: this fun video. My only comment - it is too short!

Los Angeles Time Festival of Books Slated at UCLA on April 24 and 25th

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is a weekend event that celebrates the joy and magic of books, reading and literacy. This year it will take place April 24-25 at the UCLA campus. One of the authors who will be making a special speaking appearance is Susannah Carson, the editor of A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen.

Susannah will be speaking on the panel “Writing on Writers”, which will take place April 25th at 10:30 AM. Those who attend will find out more about Susannah’s process in putting this book together, and what insights she gained into Jane Austen’s enduring popularity.

• Jane Austen's World Review of A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen
• Interview with Susannah Carson on Jane Austen's World

Follow Friday: Edwardian Promenade

The Edwardian Era (1901-1914) was almost as short as the Regency Era (1811-1820). One of my favorite blogs, Edwardian Promenade, covers this fascinating time with excellent posts and sound research and insights. I love reading about events that occurred almost a century after Jane Austen's era and envy the photographs. So many scientific advances were made, yet so many customs remained the same. If you haven't visited this fascinating blog for a while, Evangelineh has changed its design, but not its content.

Follow her on Twitter as well.

Jane Austen Miniatures

These Jane Austen objects are amazingly small and realistic. Find a bonnet and writing desk no bigger than your fingers at Honey and Bee, where they can be special ordered. The tiny books are made of leather and archival paper. The scale is 1:12. View more items atAusten Inspiration.

Lucy Steele Comes Clean about Sense and Sensibility

Remember Lucy Steele in 1996's Sense and Sensibility? As played by Imogen Stubbs, she was a conniving mean spirited b--tch, er, witch. Imogen is currently playing Anna in The Glass Menagerie at the Cambridge Arts Theatre. In a recent interview, she fondly recalled playing as Lucy opposite Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson:

“It was a terrific cast, it was a bit like the Harry Potters, you know. On the whole British actors are lovely so it’s always a good atmosphere.

“Ang Lee was gorgeous and Emma Thompson, along with Judi Dench, is up there with the nicest women in the history of the universe. And I knew Hugh anyway because his mum was a great friend of my mum’s, and we grew up in Chiswick together.”

Surely another plus when working on a good old British period drama are the costumes. However Imogen found she’d been a little left out when it came to dress rehearsals – and the less said about her bonnet, the better.

“I had rather silly costumes. It looked as though I had a bucket on my head! Initially I was blonde and we started like that but I looked too much like I was related to Kate (Winslet) and Emma. We were all too blondy, so I had to go dark. So I had this silly little mean wig and a bucket on my head and no make-up – I looked slightly piggy.”

Imogen went on to say about Lucy: "Everyone thinks, ‘oh, awful little Lucy’, because everyone loves the two main girls, but Lucy’s a survivor – almost more like Becky Sharpe in Vanity Fair.

“I’ve played a lot of heroines but I think villains are a lot more fun." - Cambridge News Co.UK

Elizabeth Bennet's Feelings Had Undergone a Material Change

Interested reader,

Sometimes few words are needed for a post. I love when artists interpret Jane Austen's work with the same sense of fun and irreverence as her juvenile self had towards the literature she read in her day. Enjoy Palnk's drawings. This post was first published in "Jane Austen em Português" with kind permission from Palnk. (Click on images for details.)

• More Palnk's drawing: Austen Girls and Elizabeth Bennet.
• Palnk's site on Deviant Art

Posted by Raquel Sallaberry, Jane Austen em Portugues

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

This week's poll concerns reading scenes or scenes involving a book in Jane Austen movie sequel adaptations. Which are your favorite scenes involving a book/reading?

Jemima Rooper as Amanda Price loves to read Pride and Prejudice. Before long, Lizzie Bennet steps inside her bathroom and she finds herself living inside the book. When Mr. Darcy (Elliot Cowan) reads Pride and Prejudice, he mistakenly thinks that Amanda revealed private information. Angered, he tears the book up and tosses it in a fountain.

In The Jane Austen Book Club, Prudie Drummond (Emily Blunt) convinces her husband Dean (Marc Blucas) to read Persuasion. He not only loves the book, but the story brings the couple closer and helps to mend their troubled marriage.

Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is an expert shopper in Clueless, loosely based on Emma, and one would never confuse her for a book worm. Her Mr. Knightley, Josh (played by Paul Rudd) is a serious law student in college. The snappy dialog makes watching the film a treat. CHER: Hey, granola breath, you got something on your chin. JOSH: I'm growing a goatee. CHER: Oh, that's good. You don't want to be the last one at the coffee house without chin pubes.

pollcode.com free polls

Favorite movie scene involving a book or reading

Lost in Austen The Jane Austen Book Club Clueless

How To Make a Regency Outfit: The Chemise and Corset

In continuing our quest to help you create your own regency outfit, we must consider one of the undergarments, the chemise. The chemise was relative short, not quite reaching the knees, as you can see in the gown of the woman in the 1797 Parisian scene above.

This link leads to step by step instructions on how to sew three types of chemises and a corset.

Not a seamstress? You can order some fine chemises and corsets at this Etsy site.

Follow Friday: Joanna Waugh Regency Customs and Holidays

This week's Friday Follow takes us to romance writer Joanna Waugh's Regency site. Her last post was written a few weeks ago on Mothering Sunday. If you are at work, reduce your volume, for Joanna also features beautiful music.

The blog is part of a larger website, informative website that holds regency resources.

Listen to Emma, Part 1 on BBC iPlayer

One hour of Emma on your iPod with Eve Best and Robert Bathurst. How delightful. Click on this link to go to BBC iPlayer. A series of commercials will pop up before the radio program begins. Enjoy Part One.

This broadcast is available until tomorrow, April 9th.

Robert Bathurst in the recent Emma

Jane Austen Today Wordle

Have you ever tried making a word cloud with Wordle? I placed the url of this blog in the gallery and it came up with this combination of words. Wordle is a fun tool for teachers; a great way to teach online skills to older students, and an excellent graphic for the cover of a notebook or logo for a workshop. There are so many uses for this fun site. Click here or type in http://www.wordle.net/.



This word cloud is made with words from one of the letters Jane wrote to her sister Cassandra in 1798

Book Giveaway: Fashion in the Time of Jane Austen

Jane Austen's World is hosting a book give away of Fashion in the Time of Jane Austen by Sarah Jane Downing.

Please click here to enter! I am collecting a wonderful number of Jane Austen quotes, which I shall share with readers over the months. It is fun to read which quotes are meaningful to readers.

The winner will be chosen on April 19th.

My favorite Jane Austen quote is from Persuasion: " A lady without a family was the very best preserver of furniture in the world."

Vic

Mr. Collins Proposes to Lizzie

Mr. Collins' proposal to Lizzie shall always remain one of my favorite scenes in both book and film:

Jane Austen Hero Notebook on Etsy

This handmade notebook is an homage to Colonel Brandon. Nade by Raquel Sallaberry, our new guest blogger, the notebook he notebooks are totally handmade: sewing the leaves, collages and assemblages of the covers with the fabric – all done by me. Small imperfections are the product of the manual work, which makes copies uniques. Color may differ slightly from your screen.

You may prefer the Captain Wentworth Notebook, which features the "You pierce my soul" letter that he wrote to Anne Elliot.

Vic for Racquel Sallaberry, Jane Austen em Portugues

Jane Austen Movie Fashion Throwdown: Bonnets

Today is Easter, a time for celebration and family, and wearing hats and bonnets. Which bonnet is your favorite? I chose the three that have always caught my eye.

Front view (above), Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet at Rosings. And (below) back view.

Kate Winslet as Marianne, Sense and Sensibility, 1996

Carey Mulligan, Isabella Thorpe in Northanger Abbey 2007. Front view (top) and side view (bottom).

Which bonnet do you prefer?
	Jennifer Ehle, 1995 Elizabeth Bennet
	Kate Winslet, 1996 Marianne Dashwood
	Carey Mulligan, 2007 Isabella Thorpe
pollcode.com free polls

Interview with Nancy Butler, Writer of the Comic Sense and Sensibility

Last year, Marvel Comics published a number of issues of Pride and Prejudice, which were such a success that it sat on the New York Times Graphic Novel Best Seller list for 13 weeks. Nancy Butler, the brains behind the graphic version of that novel, has adapted Sense and Sensibility for a similar treatment. The first of five S&S comics will be available for purchase at this site on May 10.

Vanetta Rogers of Newsarama interviewed Ms. Butler, who talked about the experience of condensing the book:

Austen tells you that Elinor falls in love with Edward without you reading any of their dialogue until, like, page 300. So she tells you that Mrs. Dashwood observes Elinor and feels that she has formed an attraction to him.

So, since I'm doing this as a comic book, I can't use prose to tell what's going on. I can't just have a comic filled with artwork and captions telling you how the characters are feeling. So I've had to invent – especially in this first issue – I've had to invent scenes that I thought were in keeping with the flow of the story, but do not occur in the book except as an author's description."

• Click here to read the rest of the interview.
• Sense and Sensibility #2 will be in stores on June 3

Follow Friday: The Georgian Index

The Georgian Index is a web site, not a blog, and it doesn't look pretty. It was designed in the early days of web design when choices for backgrounds, images, and fonts were limited, and the last update was made in 2006. But the site contains a wealth of information that is still fresh and usable. When you scroll to the bottom, you will find an index of topics listed in alphabetical order. Here are a few tidbits of information:

Bingley Danced the two Second and the two Fifth Dances with Jane: The couples in an English Country Dance generally formed what was known as a "longwise set for as many as will" by standing side-by-side in two facing lines with all the male dancers on one side and all the female dancers on the other side. The "longwise" dance formation suited the space in a long narrow public assembly room.

The Regency Fete: A long table for two hundred of the most honored guests was set up in the Gothic conservatory designed by Thomas Hopper. The vault of the conservatory was hung with lanterns and an illuminated crown with the letters GR hung above the Regent's chair.

Servant Bells: In the living areas, a piece of tapestry ribbon disguised the bell pull. A copper wire, covered by the piece of tapestry, ending with a brass loop hung from the wall. A tug on the brass loop carried the tug along the copper bell wire to a spring at the other end with a bell mounted on it. When the spring in the lower servant area of the house vibrated from a pull on the wire, a bell would ring. The bells were usually mounted on the wall of the hall outside the kitchens.

For those of you who are inclined to spend a few hours exploring, enjoy!

Making a Regency Outfit: The Bonnet

Ever wonder how Regency Bonnets are made? This video clip from The Oregon Regency Society offers a step by step process. What a great way to start the weekend before Easter!

• Additional hints are placed on their site.
• A 2010 Bonnet Workshop will be given on May 2
• Check out the materials list in this PDF document