Happy New Year

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JaneAustensHouseMuseum

Christmas

 

JaneAustenCentreBath

Happy Birthday, Jane! Jane Austen Day

December 16 has been declared as Jane Austen Day by the Jane Austen Centre to mark the birthday of celebrated English author Jane Austen.

The seventh child and second daughter of Cassandra and George Austen, Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, England. Jane's parents were well-respected community members. Her father served as the Oxford-educated rector for a nearby Anglican parish. The family was close and the children grew up in an environment that stressed learning and creative thinking. When Jane was young, she and her siblings were encouraged to read from their father's extensive library. The children also authored and put on plays and charades. people/jane-austen

8 Life Lessons The Great Author Taught: /jane-austen-birthday

Thirty one Austen bloggers, authors and literature enthusiasts are joining forces for an Austen Birthday Soiree. Organized by Katherine Cox of November’s Autumn & Maria Grazia of My Jane Austen Book Club, the daylong blog hop will feature a post in celebration of Jane Austen, her life, her novels and the era in which she lived at each of the 31 blogs!
And, what birthday would not be complete without presents, and there will be gifts for Jane – and the visitors of the blogs. Read more: austenprose/join-the-birthday-soiree-for-jane-austen

Jane Austen letter

 

Austenprose - A Jane Austen Blog

 

The recent news of a previously unseen Jane Austen letter is misleading. Written in 1799 and sent to her sister Cassandra, it is listed in Deidre Le Faye's JANE AUSTEN'S LETTERS, Oxford University Press (1995) as number 17 and on p. 366 with the note: Provenance. Bequeathed by CEA (Cassandra Elizabeth Austen) to Fanny, Lady Knatchbull, in 1845; inherited by Lord Brabourne 1882; probably in the Puttick & Simpson sale of 26-8 June 1893; Mrs. Hester Forbes-Julian (1861-1934)' be...queathed by her to the Torquay Natural History Society and rediscovered in in their archives 1989. It may not have been on view to the public, but Austen scholars have studied it and it is not a newly discovered or previously unseen letter.

Chawton Library

Chawton House Library

 

 



At Home with Jane Austen, by Kim Wilson – A Review

Read all on: Austenprose

Have been a Kim Wilson fan since reading her books In the Garden with Jane Austen and Tea with Jane Austen. Her latest work At Home with Jane Austen, a luscious coffee table book, promises a virtual tour of the places Austen called home. Some of these homes were permanent residences and others were temporary: the sites of visits to wealthy relatives or seaside holidays with her family.

Though Jane changed her residence many times, family and home remained the emotional center of her life. She expressed her love of home in her work, creating heroes and heroines who also cherish the idea of home.,

At Home with Jane Austen packs first and foremost visual appeal. The 120 full-color illustrations are not the handful that Janeites have come to expect when Austen’s life is discussed. Historical illustrations provide a time machine into the life and customs of Georgian England while high-quality professional photography conveys a feeling of intimacy with the places Austen lived, worked, and visited. The photographs of Chawton Cottage are especially evocative, enabling the viewer to imagine real life, Austen’s life, while she lived there. The Chawton chapter also includes one of my favorite images: a watercolor of the cottage that was probably done by Austen’s niece Anna:

Today is the second Sunday of Advent, and to mark the gradual approach of Christmas we are highlighting a Christmas treat the Georgians would have made and enjoyed during this festive period of the year.

Chawton House Library

 

Aside from baking and eating various delicious cakes, biscuits and pies, the Georgians had a love and taste for savoury treats as well. One of their favourites would have been mincemeat pies; these pies were not sweet as our modern mince pies are, but they were prepared with... meat. A recipe for mincemeat pies can be found in the Knight Family Cookbook where the main ingredient is calf’s or cow’s tongue to which assorted fruits, dried fruits, and candied peel are added. You can try this savour predecessor of our modern mince pies this coming Saturday at Georgian Christmas, where it will be one of many appetizing treats. If you want to know more about the traditions of Georgian Christmas you can read the blog by our interns Hazel Bary-Scott and Amy Clarke here: http://www.chawtonhouse.org/….
On the website you can also find more information on the activities at Chawton House Library during the Georgian Christmas at 13 December 2014. We hope to welcome you to our seasonal celebration in Georgian style!

Chawton cottage by night