The Incomparable Jane Austen

 by Victoria Hinshaw

As a lover of Jane Austen, I regret I could not attend the Morgan Library’s exhibition that just closed in New York City. I know several people who saw it and all of them were mesmerized by the display of letters and a manuscript in Jane’s hand.

But in this age of the internet, we are fortunate to have wonderful resources right on our computer screens. So I encourage you to go to the Morgan site and feast your eyes on the films and exhibits available there. You won’t be disappointed.

Below you see Jane’s Chawton Cottage in Hampshire as it appeared in May 2009, with its scaffolding. Substantial renovations were finished last year, 200 years since Jane Austen, Cassandra and their mother moved to the house. Jane Austen lived here for the last years of her life. Scholars seem to agree that she did her finest work here, both writing full novels and refining previous versions for publication. Visit Chawton Cottage here. One of the additions since I last visited a year ago is the reopened kitchen in which Jane helped to prepare breakfast. Now I have to go back.

Chawton Cottage

One of my favorite “pictures” of Jane is below, where she is portrayed as going Hollywood. It is probably apocryphal, but a story has circulated of the Hollywood studio CEO, who, upon reading a script based on Austen, said, “What else will she write for us?”

Hollywood Jane
The Jane Austen Society of North America is thirty years old. Its current President, Marsha Huff, is a delightful friend and excellent keeper of the flame. JASNA’s next AGM, the annual meeting at which we talk nothing but Jane Austen for three days, will be held in Portland, OR, on the last weekend of October, 2010.
JASNA President Marsha Huff
Marsha and I are part of the JASNA Wisconsin chapter; we have many more excellent and accomplished members about whom I will be writing soon, right here at Number One London.
Finally, I want to include a lovely picture used by the Morgan Library for their exhibit. This is exactly how I think Jane Austen must have looked.
I know this is exactly how I look when I am at my writing table.  You too????