Either today (the 200th anniversary of the day Jane Austen received her author's copy--her "own Darling Child") or tomorrow (the 200th anniversary of the first advertisement), depending on your point of view, is Pride and Prejudice's Really Big Day. Huzzah! Huzzah!! Huzzah!!!
Both mainstream and less traditional media outlets are falling all over themselves to celebrate as well. Even such dedicated "link hunters" as JASNA New York Metro's Kerri Spennicchia and our own Lisa Brown are hard pressed to keep up with the rush! Below, I'm passing on a mere fraction of the ones unearthed by Kerri and Lisa (with thanks to them both):
Several of the blogs in our "Links" list at right, such as Jane Austen in Vermont, Jane Austen's World, and Austenonly, have also put up celebratory posts. And if all this isn't enough, just Google "Pride and Prejudice 200th anniversary," "Jane Austen," or "Austen power"--and then stand back and watch the flood of links!
A very important link to pass on for JASNA members is the one with information about this year's JASNA tour of England--which of course this year focuses on P&P. In addition to the by now customary visits to Steventon, Chawton, and Winchester, this year's tour will include destinations in Derbyshire, as well as a stop in Brighton! Here's the link to the tour info on the national JASNA website.
And finally, don't forget our celebration of "Pride and Prejudice: The Novel and the Films" at the Liverpool Public Library this coming Saturday, February 2, at 2 pm!
On Saturday, February 2, at 2 pm, JASNA Syracuse will continue the worldwide celebrations of Pride and Prejudice's 200th anniversary (Jane Austen's "own Darling Child" was first offered for sale on January 28, 1813) by discussing "Pride and Prejudice: The Novel and the Films." The meeting will take place in the Sargent Room of the Liverpool Public Library.
(In keeping with our custom of following the Regency calendar, this will be our Candlemas meeting--and, for once, the meeting lands on the feast day itself. To Jane Austen and her contemporaries, February 2 was the "cross-quarter day" of Candlemas, a/k/a the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin. Don't ask us how Groundhog Day got mixed up with this.)
We hope to begin by showing clips of Mr. Darcy's first proposal to Elizabeth Bennet from at least the four film versions of P&P shown in the photo: the 1940 movie with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier; the late 1970s BBC version with Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul (shown in the U.S. on Masterpiece Theatre in 1980); the 1995 BBC miniseries with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth; and the 2005 movie with Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadyen. We'll use these as the jumping-off points for considering how each version relates to the novel. How much of the novel's own dialogue and language does each film use? What liberties does each one take with language, setting, and plot? Do the liberties enhance the viewer's experience or detract from it?
(As you can see in the photo, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, the Official Spokescat of JASNA Syracuse, is deeply loyal to the text. But certain scenes may have become so embedded in our thoughts about P&P that, for better or worse, they're part of the P&P "experience." What do you think? Come and have your "share in the conversation"!)
The Liverpool Public Library is located at 310 Tulip St., Liverpool, NY
13088. The Sargent Room is the smaller of the library's two meeting
rooms (the Carman Community Room is the other). The library is easily
reached from both I-81 North (if you're coming from the south) and the
NY State Thruway:
From I-81, travel north from the junction
with I-690, follow the signs for the Liverpool exits (near Carousel
Center), and select the exit for NY Rt. 370 (Onondaga Lake Parkway).
Take 370 along Onondaga Lake into the village of Liverpool, and stay
on it as it angles slightly to the left and also becomes 2nd St. in
the village. The library is on the corner of Tulip St. and 2nd
St./370.
From the Thruway (from either direction), take Exit 38
(Liverpool/County Rt. 57). Travel south on 57 into the village, and
take a right on Tulip St. (57 curves left at just about this point).
Come down Tulip to 2nd St./370.
There is a small underground
parking garage (entrance on Tulip), and ample free on-street parking
is also available on Tulip and elsewhere. So we trust that your
coachmen will be agreeably accommodated--and we hope you'll join us on
the 2nd!
First, a very Happy New Year to all JASNA Syracuse Region members and other local friends of Jane Austen. As you can see, Action Jane holds the "key" to the New Year!
And today is January 6--Twelfth Night or the Feast of the Epiphany, which is the last of the official Twelve Days of Christmas (these are not the twelve days before Christmas, as Lisa Brown explained to us at the Colgate Inn on December 8!). Therefore, a very happy Twelfth Night to you as well.
We begin the New Year with several announcements of "coming attractions," both in JASNA regions elsewhere in the Northeast and here in Upstate New York. First, JASNA Pittsburgh will be holding its 2013 Jane Austen Festival, "CULT-ivating Jane," in Pittsburgh on March 15-16. Features will include a Friday night movie screening, speakers such as the authors Carrie Bebris and Kim Wilson, and a Regency ball! To learn more, go to this page of the JASNA Pittsburgh website.
Second, on July 26-28, JASNA Connecticut will be holding a weekend retreat called "Jane Austen Summer Camp" in Middletown, CT--"a full weekend of learning about Jane Austen's daily activities and pastimes." If you register by February 15, you will get the "early bird" registration rate. For more information, go to this website, which JASNA Connecticut has created for the event.
Finally, we're celebrating the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice (the publisher, Thomas Egerton, first advertised P&P for sale on January 28, 1813) in various ways here in Upstate. The JABC-CNY will be having a P&P afternoon, with a trivia game and door prizes, at the Colgate Bookstore this coming Saturday, January 12, at 2 pm. JASNA Rochester will be discussing the novel at its January meeting at the Pittsford Barnes & Noble on Saturday, January 19, at 1 pm.
And here in the Syracuse area, we'll be discussing "Pride and Prejudice: The Novel and the Films" at our Candlemas meeting at the Liverpool Public Library, 310 Tulip Street, Liverpool, on Saturday, February 2, at 2 pm. Questions to consider: Which is your favorite movie or TV adaptation of P&P? How does each version differ from the novel, and how is it similar? Do the differences enhance your enjoyment or detract from it? Come prepared for a lively exchange! We'll give more details about this meeting in the next post.
