April 14: Gothic Horror Buffet

We'll be meeting Sunday, April 14, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at a private home for a set of mini-book club discussions. 

In the spirit of this year's Annual General Meeting theme of Northanger Abbey (at which our own Roger Moore, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Science and Principal Senior Lecturer in English at Vanderbilt, will be a plenary speaker), we're choosing the three most well-known titles among the ten mentioned in the book: Ann Radcliffe's The Italian and The Mysteries of Udolpho and Matthew Lewis's The Monk. 

Please choose one to read and be ready to discuss. If you'd like to read one of the other seven, feel free to do so--and be ready to give us all a little report. 

These three famous titles (The Italian, The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Monk) are all in print; they are also easily accessible as free electronic titles. In addition to your public library, try sites like Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org), Google Books (books.google.com), and Hathi Trust (hathitrust.org), and YouTube for audio versions.

Valancourt Books, a small press in Richmond, has reissued those other seven titles in their "Horrid Novels" series; they are available in paperback or electronic editions. (You can find all ten of the titles in many editions, both print and electronic, at online and brick-and-mortar retailers as well as the public library.)

Please contact janeaustenmidtn@gmail.com for location details. Attendees are encouraged to bring a tea-time to share; beverages will be provided.

ROAD TRIP!

Thanks to all who attended our first event --
join us June 7-8, 2019 for our
2019 event in Holly Springs, MS!

A Joint JASNA Meeting: 

Middle Tennessee Region 
and Mississippi Region

Saturday, June 10, 2017, in Oxford, MS

2017 schedule follows

May Day

"Do you want me to answer truthfully, or like a lady's maid?"

Dede Clements will host our Sunday, May 7 meeting, from 2 to 4 pm. The afternoon will reveal secrets and wisdom found in The Duties of a Lady's Maid; with Directions for Conduct and Numerous Receipts for the Toilette, recently published in a facsimile edition by Chawton House Press after the 1825 original. 

This how-to is divided into two sections: the duties of Behavior (good temper, economy, diligence, correct speaking), and the duties of Knowledge and Art (dressing for success, hair-styling, cosmetics, figure-enhancing, use and abuse of soap).

Please bring a treat to share. For directions, contact janeaustenmidtn@gmail.com.

Meeting Notes

The Region celebrated "A Regency Christmas" at the festive home of Judy Isaac. Andrea Hearn led an audience-participation afternoon of holiday customs concerning decorations, food, and amusements, followed by a spirited game of Christmas-themed "Who Am I?". The meeting culminated with a moving birthday toast by Pat McGraw, referencing an 1808 Austen poem: "Which one of us here today will ever forget Jane Austen, 'a friend and ornament of human kind'?" 

Ready for the sherry toast!

Fran Hardie

We are deeply saddened at the passing of longtime JASNA member and chapter founder Dr. Frances Isley Hardie. Fran, who received her Ph.D. in Russian Literature from Vanderbilt, worked at Vanderbilt University Libraries from 1968-1991, retiring as head of collections and acquisitions. An intrepid traveller who visited many Austen sites, Fran will be remembered by us fondly not only for her chapter leadership but for her dazzling smile, which warmly greeted new guests and old friends at our gatherings. Chapter members Paula Covington and Susie Russenberger spoke eloquently at a memorial service of a dear friend, bibliophile, and adventurer.

“Happiness is not a goal...it's a by-product of a life well lived” (Eleanor Roosevelt).

Read more about this "woman of mystery" in Vanderbilt magazine.

'Tis the Season

We'll be celebrating our dear writer's birth (December 16 -- she's a Sagittarius!) during our holiday gathering on Sunday, December 4, from 2 to 4 pm at the home of Judy Isaac. The program includes a presentation about Christmas customs, games and music of the Regency area, and of course treats and a toast.

Members are encouraged to bring savories or sweets to share. We're also accepting donations of winter clothing for Room in the Inn.

For more details and directions, email janeaustenmidtn@gmail.com.

Fall Meeting: October 9 at MBA

At the next JASNA Middle Tennessee meeting, set for Sunday, October 9, our own Bridget McAdam will offer a presentation on disability in the Regency, addressing the "excluded and forgotten" members of the community (including the Austen family's second child, George). Bridget first shared her work on this overlooked subject during a session at the 2015 AGM, and you'll be impressed with her scholarship and passion.

We'll gather on the campus of Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA), in the Gibbs Room, from 2 to 4 p.m.

The Gibbs Room is located in the Davis Art Building (a long, colonnaded building on the south side of the main Sloane Quadrangle quad). It's close to the gym, which is on the Vine Street side of MBA. (The football stadium is on the Wilson Avenue side of campus). There is free parking alongside the gym and beside the Massey Junior School (again, on the side of Vine Street Christian Church).

Please reply at your earliest convenience to janeaustenmidtn@gmail.com. Guests are welcome; members should bring a tea-time treat to share.

And a friendly reminder: If you have not recently done so, please take a moment to renew--or begin!--your membership with the national JASNA organization. Check out JASNA's new online Member Portal to take care of business in a flash.