Will the real Jane Austen please stand up?
The little we know about Jane Austen’s life comes from a small number of primary sources: About 160 surviving letters, likely a small fraction of her personal correspondence; a handful of family papers and reminiscences, some compiled long after her death; the stray remarks of an acquaintance or two whose impressions happened to be preserved; and two authenticated portraits (plus another three or four that are disputed), one of which doesn’t even show her face.
The dearth of hard information about Austen’s biography has left plenty of room for interpretation and speculation, including extrapolations—some more plausible than others—from her novels. In some ways, the less verifiable information exists, the greater the opportunities for speculation!
To begin JASNA-New Jersey’s celebration of Austen’s 250th birthday, please join us for a Zoom discussion of three Austen biopics:
* The Real Jane Austen (2002), a BBC biographical film that combines documentary and fictional elements. (Watch on YouTube.)
* Becoming Jane (2007), a star-studded feature film focusing on Austen’s youthful romance with Tom Lefroy. (Available for rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Google Play.)
* Miss Austen Regrets (2007), a BBC/PBS film about an Austen approaching middle age. (Available for rent on Amazon Prime and Britbox.)
Our conversation will take place on Saturday, January 18, at 2 pm (US Eastern). To get the Zoom link, please register here.
Jane Austen Society of North America - New Jersey Region 