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Archive for August, 2007

Seen on the Blogosphere: Jane Austen Musicals

Posted in Music review on August 19, 2007|


Rounds enjoy a wonderful tradition in music. One of my favorites is “Row, row, row your boat.” My most recent favorite round is the information going around the blogosphere about Jane Austen musicals. Here then are a few items of interest.

  • Jane’s Austen’s Emma Becomes a Musical, San Francisco Chronicle: Pride and Prejudice, the musical is mentioned at the end of this article: In Mill Valley, composer-lyricist Rita Abrams and author Josie Brown have put “Pride and Prejudice” to music and are using their Web site, http://www.prideandprejudicemusical.com, to attract a theatrical producer. The complete song available this week is Changing World, when Jane falls ill and must stay at Netherfield. The song is sung by Bingley and Jane, who are falling in love, and Darcy, who is bewitched by Elizabeth’s fine eyes, and Elizabeth, who is hopeful for Jane. It’s a lovely tune, full of the pathos of falling in love with a little fear and trepidation.



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Becoming Jane

Posted in Movie review on August 17, 2007|

This weekend I am going to see Becoming Jane, which has finally come to our city. In my small Janeite group people are skeptical about the film. “What are the chances that Hollywood’s take on her life will be accurate?” asked one. “I don’t see how they can make an entire movie about a minor youthful romance,” said another. “I didn’t like that last (2005) interpretation of Pride and Prejudice,” remarked a third, “so I don’t hold out much hope that this movie will be any better.”

“Anne Hathaway?”” I asked, my artist’s sensibilities slightly ruffled and offended at this mismatch of visual cues. Seeing Anne’s dramatic, gorgeous features disguised as Jane Austen, and watching her romp about the country side like a frisky young filly and making moon eyes at the actor playing Tom Lefroy in previews, well, it all seems anachronistic to me. In fact, to my eyes, watching Anne as Jane is like watching a parrot disguising itself as a thrush. Both birds are beautiful in entirely different ways.

I like my Jane Austen just as she is, thank you, no more and no less. In fact, I rather like the quiet, mysterious side of her and I don’t need to see her life glammed up by Hollywood types whose main mission in creating a film is the bottom line. So I will see this movie with some trepidation.

Nevertheless, I’ll try to see Becoming Jane with open eyes, since so many people are reporting that they like it and because it has garnered a number of good reviews, but something deep inside tells me to remember as I watch, “It’s only a movie.” As for my review of Becoming Jane, don’t expect to see it soon. I intend to see the film twice and will take my time digesting what I have seen before writing my opinion.


Links to Becoming Jane

Did you intend to jump onto the Becoming Jane bandwagon, only to have stumbled across my quiet site? Here are some important links:

  • Becoming Jane Fansite: An unabashed fan site of the film that contains an enormous amount of information about the movie and actors, and speculations about Jane’s romance with Tom.

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Fabrics in the Regency Era

Posted in jane austen, tagged on August 16, 2007| 3 Comments »

I recall seeing Princess Charlotte’s wedding dress years ago at the Museum of London. I couldn’t take my eyes off this exquisite creation made of white silk net and silver embroidery. The details were breathtaking, and I could only imagine the number of hours that seamstresses spent toiling over this wondrous dress. The dress fabric was an exception, made for royalty. (Find more details about the dress and wedding here.)

Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra could choose from any number of bolts of fabrics from their milliners and mantua makers. Some of the more expensive cloths were dyed and handpainted, such as the silk fabric above. It was hand painted in the 1700s, made into a dress, then unpicked and remade into a dress in the 1820’s. The custom of reusing fabrics was not uncommon. This child’s dress was remade from an adult gown. The pattern is obviously too big for the tiny dress to begin with.

This white muslin fabric with embroidered spangles would have shimmered wonderfully at a ball in candlelight. One can imagine the sparkles glittering as the wearer moved about the room.

We know that white muslins were popular during this era, and that silks were used for evening gowns. But what other fabrics were popular during Jane Austen’ time? To learn more about Regency fabrics, find a detailed study and samples on Jessamyn’s Regency Costume Companion.

Read my other post: Seen Over the Ether: Fabrics and Fashion

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The Royal Academy at Somerset House

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged on August 15, 2007| 1 Comment »

During Jane Austen’s time, a trip to London would have most likely included a visit to the great painting exhibitions of the Royal Academy. This august selection of painters, sculptors, and architects moved from their location in Pall Mall to Somerset House in 1768. Sir Joshua Reynolds, the first president, presided over forty members.

View of Somerset House from the Thames

The steep curved Nelson Steps in Somerset House took visitors up to the Great Room, a domed area roughly 53 x 43 feet and 32 feet high, where the oil paintings were hung.

Rowlandson, whose satiric illustration of the Nelson Steps was shown on a previous post on this blog, drew a crowd “Viewing Art” in the illustration above. The exhibits increased from 547 paintings and sculptures in 1781, to1,037 in 1801, and 1,165 in 1821. Eventually the paintings were hung from floor to ceiling, and according to the order of “importance,” the best were hung nearest the midline of the room.

The purchase of catalogues became mandatory in 1761 in order to view an Academy exhibition. Their cost was one shilling, which would prevent a certain class of visitors from attending academy shows. As with today’s audio and visual museum guides, these catalogues would direct museum goers to certain paintings and sculptures, thereby directing the movement of the crowd.

Dr. Samuel Johnson noted in his diary about the first pre-exhibition banquet: The Exhibition! how will you do either to see or not to see? The Exhibition is eminently splendid. There is contour and keeping and grace and expression, and all the varieties of artificial excellence.

The apartments were truly very noble. The pictures for the sake of the skylight are at the top of the house: there we dined and I sat over against the Archbishop of York.

The Academy moved to new quarters in Trafalgar Square, and the last academy exhibition at Somerset House was held in 1836.

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Jane Austen’s Visits to Sydney Gardens

Posted in Bath, tagged , , on August 12, 2007|

There is to be a grand gala on Tuesday evening in Sydney Gardens, a concert, with illuminations and fireworks. To the latter Elizabeth and I look forward with pleasure, and even the concert will have more than its usual charm for me, as the gardens are large enough for me to get pretty well beyond the reach of its sound. In the morning Lady Willoughby is to present the colours to some corps, or Yeomanry, or other, in the Crescent, and that such festivities may have a proper commencement, we think of going to . . .- Jane Austen to Cassandra, June 2, 1799 on a visit to Bath

A Fair, Sydney Gardens, circa 1830 (Note how supper boxes flanking the hotel are used as stalls)

Last night we were in Sydney Gardens again, as there was a repetition of the gala which went off so ill on the 4th. We did not go till nine, and then were in very good time for the fireworks, which were really beautiful, and surpassing my expectation; the illuminations, too, were very, pretty. The weather was as favourable as it was otherwise a fortnight ago. – Jane to Cassandra, June 11, 1799 on a visit to Bath

Foot bridge, Sydney Gardens

There was a very long list of arrivals here in the newspaper yesterday, so that we need not immediately dread absolute solitude; and there is a public breakfast in Sydney Gardens every morning, so that we shall not be wholly starved. – Jane Austen to Cassandra, May 17, 1799 on a visit to Bath

 

Rear View of the Sydney Hotel in Sydney Gardens. The hotel was designed and built by Charles Harcourt Masters in 1795-6. Note the music stands in the first floor semi-circular balcony. The central space below it was reserved for firework displays Rows of supper boxes are arranged on either side of the building. Inside the three-story hotel are rooms for drinking tea and coffee and playing cards, as well as a ballroom. Refreshments were available throughout the day.

Two years after Jane wrote the above quote, in the summer of 1801, the Austen family moved to No. 4 Sydney Place in one of fourteen identical houses at the far end of Pulteney Street. Before leaving Steventon, Jane wrote, “It would be very pleasant to be near the Sydney Gardens. We could go into the labyrinth every day.”

Drawing Room in 4 Sydney Place

It was not a particularly fine house, but it had graceful Georgian proportions, large enough to contain a double drawing-room on the first floor, a dining-room and study below and bedrooms above. The house was redecorated for them while they went on holiday, and refurnished to suit their taste and income, which was about £600, or £35,000 in today’s money. They could afford three servants and an annual holiday by the sea. Nigel Nicholson, Jane Austen in Bath, The Spectator, 2003

Canal in Sydney Gardens, the second biggest pleasure gardens in England

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