Recently I had the pleasure of spending the day with “clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation” at the JASNA Pittsburgh chapter 2015 Austen festival: On the Road with Jane Austen: Travel, Translation and Transformation.
It started with a viewing of Bride and Prejudice at the Hollywood Theater. I had seen it once before, but I liked it better this time around. Perhaps it was the company. Or maybe you just can’t go wrong with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on the big screen.
At the Pittsburgh JA Festival. No life without wife! #jasnapgh2015 pic.twitter.com/HDEGp7l0pJ
— Margaret C. Sullivan (@mcsullivan) March 20, 2015
The next morning, we put on our thinking bonnets (well, the more dedicated among us) for some interesting talks. My favorite was by Dr. Janine Barchas on the hidden and not-so-hidden references Austen slipped into Emma, her only novel not to feature a changing setting or travel by the heroine, to connect Highbury to the larger British Empire.
I also signed some copies of Boots & Backpacks – thanks to Jane Austen Books for letting me hang around their table!
Finally, there was a ball! Seeing the awesome Regency fashions made me feel like quite the slacker. The photos and videos I took during the day I’m sharing below (under a Creative Commons Attribution license).
