All In Good Taste / January 2006
Austen Evenings
Jane Austen wrote only six novels in her short life, but her well loved, socially astute comedies of manners are still widely read, taught in universities and schools, serve as the premise for feature films.
From January through May, Kanawha County Public Library will host a discussion group for adults led by Carolyn Sturgeon, an English teacher at West Virginia State University to discuss Austen’s books and view clips from numerous movies that have been based upon them. Meetings will be held on Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the John V. Ray Room of the Main Library, 123 Capitol Street in Charleston. Registration is not required, but copies of the books are limited.
On January 26, discussion will cover “Pride and Prejudice”. Beloved by women for almost 200 years, “Pride and Prejudice” explores love, duty and expectations in a story so timeless it has been revisited in popular films several times. February 23 will be about “Emma”, the story of a well-intentioned, but unsuccessful matchmaker. Emma has been portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Beckinsale in traditional treatments and by Alicia Silverstone in “Clueless,” a contemporary version of the tale.
March 16 will be a discussion of “Mansfield Park” and “Northanger Abbey”. “Mansfield Park,” Austen’s darkest work, features Fanny Price, a meek outsider in the elegant home of her aunt and uncle.
“Northanger Abbey,” Austen’s poke at a day-dreaming, romantic young girl’s fantasies, is set in Bath with themes of folly and love in a Gothic tale of murder and loss.
On April 27, the group will discuss “Sense and Sensibility”, about two sisters as different as they can be. Elinor, driven by her sense of duty and morality, and Marianne, a hapless romantic, struggle as their lives change and change again. May 25 will be a discussion of “Persuasion”, Austen’s last book, a dark tale of heartbreak, love, lust, tragedy and satisfaction.
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