Monday, December 16, 2013

Happy Austenmas!


First, a very happy "Austenmas" (as Lisa Brown calls Jane Austen's birthday, December 16) to you all! And a very happy birthday to Our Authoress, who at age 238 is riding higher than ever in our and the world's esteem. (Above, a photo of a quilt Jane Austen and other family members made.)

Second, here's the link to the national JASNA organization's Austenmas gift to the world: Volume 34.1 of Persuasions On-Line, JASNA's electronic journal.  This link always goes “live” at midnight on Dec. 16. The issue includes papers on Pride and Prejudice from JASNA's 2013 Annual General Meeting in Minneapolis, as well as a very lively "Miscellany" section (which even includes a paper on the YouTube sensation The Lizzie Bennet Diaries)!

Third, here's a supplement to a recent communication: In addition to the two English Country Dance events already held in our Region this month, the Syracuse Country Dancers will be hosting an English Country Dance at the United Church of Fayetteville (310 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville) on Saturday, Dec. 21, 8-11 pm. Carmen Giunta will be calling. Music by Baa and the Shepherds: Barbara Seppeler, piano, Lee and Julian Shepherd, violin and cello, with a guest appearance by Ruth Thomson, Celtic harp. Thanks to Lee Shepherd for the information. (Note, by the way, that information about events hosted by ECD groups in three Upstate cities--Syracuse, Rochester, and Binghamton--can always be obtained by clicking on the appropriate links in the “Links” column on the right side of this blog.)

Finally, JASNA Syracuse’s first meeting of 2014 will be the Candlemas meeting, held in the Sargent Room of the Liverpool Public Library (310 Tulip St., Liverpool) on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 2 pm. Taking our lead from the old Monty Python sketch called “The Argument Clinic,” we’re going to hold an “Argument Clinic” on Mansfield Park, JA’s most controversial novel (which is celebrating its bicentennial in 2014). Love Fanny Price or hate her? Want to take Mary Crawford out to dinner or hang her out to dry?  We’ll shake off the midwinter blahs even further by having a book swap. Details about the swap, and about subsequent 2014 meetings, will be given in the new year.