As the gondola pulled away from the Grand Canal, and out into the wide lagoon, the waves began to toss and the shifting, sun-filled clouds made dappled reflections on the silvery sea. The ancient buildings with their delicate tracery silhouetted against the magnificent expanse of sky and shining water, merged into a series of exquisite …
“I believe we will be quite comfortable here, and the dampness need not be a concern,” Elizabeth told her husband after an inspection of their fantastical and antique “new” quarters at the Palazzo Moncenigo. “These crumbling palaces on the Grand Canal have such a ruinous beauty, there is a strange enchantment about them.” “I always …
In early December, I had the joy of a trip to Venice. Naturally, I tried to relate my experiences and sights to Jane Austen (as one would do). In her day, wealthy young men were often sent on a Grand Tour, which generally included Italy; and her own brother Edward was one of these travelers. …
In Thanksgiving week, it is natural to think about turkey; and it is equally natural for Austen Variations members to think about turkey in Jane Austen’s life and writing. We need not wonder, however, whether she ate turkey, or liked it; for it is known that she did both. There are symptoms of turkey enthusiasm …
As a long time member of JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America), I’ve been to many of their annual conferences, held in different parts of the country every October. The one that took place in Huntington Beach, California, last weekend, was one of the best ever. I live about an hour’s drive north of …
Sir Walter Elliot stood in one of his two fine adjoining drawing-rooms in Bath, minutely examining his elegant figure in a long pier-glass mirror. It was placed between two ornamented windows, so that the daylight might best reveal the morning condition and texture of his complexion. At the moment he was occupied in examining the …
The sad day is come: the day when people all over the world cannot help but give a thought to Jane Austen, who died two hundred years ago. Tributes there will be in plenty; a few dissenters may proudly squawk that they never read her because they have better things to do. (Their loss.) Most …
In the year eight, Captain Wentworth had returned from his cruise on the Asp, several thousand pounds richer than he had left; and beyond expression happy to be reunited with his dear wife Anne, who had spent the intervening months ashore with his sister. Mrs. Croft was settled in rented quarters at Taunton for those …
When I heard that JASNA, the Jane Austen Society of New York, was having an April conference in Saratoga Springs, NY, called “Spas and Spies”, I knew that was one I wanted to attend. I love the Hudson Valley, so beautiful and history-filled, and riding alongside the river on Amtrak is a joy. Knowing that Abigail …
“The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la, Breathe promise of merry sunshine — As we merrily dance and we sing, tra-la We welcome the hope that they bring, tra-la Of a summer of roses and wine…” I’ve always loved that tongue-in-cheek tribute to springtime from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado”, but as it …
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