Regency fashion was our theme this year and Stephanie, Angel, Amber and Rita were our models.
Regency era hat
Mrs. Fitzilliam Darcy
More fashions.
We enjoyed ourselves at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta this past Sunday, December 11, 2011. The food and tea were wonderful. People came from as far east as Athens and as far north as the Tennessee line. Everyone brought holiday foods and several varieties of tea.
REGENCY FASHIONS
Stephanie, President of the Georgia Regency Society, professional seamstress extraordinaire and veteran of many historical reenactments and other events gave a presentation on the history of the regency and on many of the styles in that era. Then she taught us some of the steps to making our own 'kits.'
JANE AUSTEN FAN FICTION (JAFF)
One of the most important rules in the entertainment fields is to always leave the audience wanting more. Unfortunately, Jane Austen ended up being very, very good in this respect. Six books are just not enough! Over the past few decades, dozens of authors have attempted to fill in this wretched chasm.
We passed around a copy of the recently published Fitzwilliam Ebenezer Darcy, which has been described as a cross between Pride & Prejudice and A Christmas Carol. This JAFF book was written by JASNA-Atlanta member Barbara Tiller Cole.
Another JAFF work discussed was Death Comes to Pemberley, a murder mystery set six years after Lizzy and Fitzwilliam settle down to their cozy little estate. It was written by British mystery novelist, P.D. James.
LINDA'S PERFORMANCE
We were delighted with Linda's one-person skit that she performed for us. It too is a type of Jane Austen fan fiction. The book Persuasion is still on everyone's mind after seeing Emory's production of it last month. It's Austen's shortest or second shortest novel and there are a few gaps that everyone always wonders about. Linda's performance consisted of three characters reading letters they have written to three other characters to help fill in those blanks.
The first was a letter from Anne Elliot's mom, written in her final months to her daughter. She encouraged Anne to marry for love but also to pay attention to the counsel that Lady Russell might give. The second letter was from Mrs. Smith to Anne in which she described her life in the West Indies in better days. It was a letter about loss in the past. The third letter was from Mrs. Clay to Mr. Elliot in which she paints a glorious picture of life that they would have together if he would join her in London. It was a letter about gain in the future. The whole performance was very entertaining and much enjoyed by all.
JANE AUSTEN BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION 2012
Everyone enjoyed the library setting. The general consensus was that we should meet here again next year unless something better comes up by mid-year. If our numbers should swell, beyond 50, we could move into the church's large ballroom. A tentative date of Saturday, December 15, 2012, has been selected. Please pencil it in on your calendars!
