1

The Wire, Volume 28, Number 2 Summer 2015

2015 “I have got some pleasant news for you, which I am eager to communicate.”

Jane Austen Society

of North America

Wisconsin Region The Wire, Volume 28, Number 1 Spring 2016

“I have got some pleasant news for you, which I am eager to communicate.”

Jane Austen Society

of North America

Wisconsin Region

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: What do we think?

The decidedly unconventional Austen

adaptation Pride and Prejudice and

Zombies opened in movie theaters in February. We asked Wisconsin JASNA members to give us their opinions, and three took us up on the invitation. Their reviews follow.

Pleasantly surprised

By Tara Jordan

“It is a truth universally acknowl-edged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.” Thus starts Pride and Prejudice

and Zombies, a unique film adaptation

of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

that was released in February. I at-tended a pre-showing of the film and was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. Like any zombie movie, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

has no shortage of the walking dead, action scenes, and cringe-worthy moments, but woven throughout the film is the tale of courtship and love that Austen fans will find very familiar.

In this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, England

is engaged in an ongoing battle with zombies. Our favorite characters are all there some minor altera-tions; on top of being a rich and arrogant landowner, Mr. Darcy is also a renowned zombie hunter, and the Bennett sisters, in addition to being the daugh-ters of a country gentleman, are proficient in martial

arts. I had no idea of what to expect as I have not read the book the movie is based on. However, the minute I saw the Bennet sisters armed and ready to fight the un-dead at the Meryton ball, I was sold. It is refreshing to get a new and different take on a story that has been retold and adapted many times, though this premise may at first sound a bit absurd. Even if you are not a fan of zombies I think you can find something to like in this movie. The costumes do not disappoint, there are a few good laughs (actor Matt Smith played Mr. Collins brilliantly), and it is always fun to revisit Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s story. My one com-plaint would be that Mr. Darcy, played by Sam Riley, did not blow me away, but I have to keep re-

minding myself that they can’t all be Colin Firth. If you are looking for something fun to watch, give this movie a try and come find me at the next JASNA event and let me know if you liked it or hated it.

If you have a sense of humor ...

By Valerie Kimble On Dec. 12, 2015, the University of Wisconsin-

Madison’s Union South Marquee Theater hosted a free preview of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

2

That the movie obviously didn’t follow the story of Jane Austen’s beloved novel was not surprising. What is surprising is that it didn’t follow the story of the novel of the same name either. Some of the more colorful action scenes and characters I enjoyed in the PPZ book weren’t included. A heads-up for zombie fans: Zombies are not the center of the movie, so if you are thinking this is go-ing to be a non-stop zombie slaughter, seek out some-thing else. For the record, the zombies are the fast-moving kind as opposed to the slow-moving ones.

Jane Austen’s dialogue from the original story is the basis, and the story revolves around Darcy and Eliza-beth. Janeites will find themselves saying the dialogue right along with the characters on screen (not out loud, of course — Janeites are never deliberately rude in a public place). The film also makes gentle fun of the more recent Pride and Prejudice adaptations. (Wet-shirt Dar-cy, anyone?). For fun, you can make a game of looking for the different references to previous P&P film and tel-evision versions. I know I did. The filmmakers did their best to approximate Regency society.

For those fearing that the movie would be too terribly frightening and/or gory, there wasn’t anything that I thought was too graphic, but there are the ever-present jump scares. And there is zombie slaughter, so take that for what you will.

Would I recommend this film? Sure, if you have a sense of humor about your favorite Pride and Prejudice

film. If you are easily scared or offended, wait until it comes out on Blu-Ray so you can fast forward to the dancing and conversations.

Inferior to book’s zombies By Shannon O’Connell

After having recently read the PP & Z book by Seth

Grahame-Smith, I eagerly awaited the movie adapta-

tion. The book presented a whimsical, intelligent take on the original novel. Grahame-Smith used the zombie plague to help justify plot points. Charlotte Lucas mar-ries Mr Collins after being stricken by the plague (clearly she was out of her senses!) Darcy separates Jane and Bingley on suspicion that Jane is infected by the undead whilst on her fateful first journey to Netherfield on horseback. (A watchful friend, indeed!) And, in a glori-ous twist of fate, Wickham is crippled by Darcy after he patches up the hasty elopement with Lydia, and spends the remainder of his days severely incapacitated. The book is a delightful distraction, pleasing to Austen lovers looking for a fanciful new take on the story we all love .

It is with this hopeful backdrop that I paint my utter disappointment at the movie adaptation. Where do I start? The plot is hurried at the expense of gratuitous zombie gore and the possibility of a sequel. Key charac-ters are simply left out (Georgiana Darcy, Col. Fitzwill-iam), and the romance fails to build between the some-what sinister Darcy (played by Sam Riley) and the lively Eliza Bennet (Lily James). The director cut their dance at Netherfield Hall in favor of extra battle scenes (not present in the book), and the entire trip to Pemberley. Costumes, cinematography and acting all get a B- at best. Lena Headey is poorly cast as Lady Catherine, whose character is grossly manipulated at the prospect of a sequel. When Mrs Bennet is sitting at the right hand of Lady Catherine at Rosings Park, one knows things have gone very wrong indeed.

Bright spots include Lily James, who has captured our heroine’s’ spirit and is a fierce zombie-slaying warri-or, indeed. Mr Collins (played by Matt Smith) provides some much needed levity to the movie’s dystopian, zombie-ridden England.

My summarizing recommendation is to skip the mov-ie, consider the book for a vacation read, and pray the dismal movie reviews prevent a sequel.

The Butterfly Gardens of Wisconsin, located in Appleton.

Box Hill picnic to be July 9 This year’s annual Box Hill picnic will

be held at the Butterfly Gardens of Wis-

consin on Saturday, July 9. The Butter-

fly Gardens are located at N2250 W-47

in Appleton and feature a butterfly

house and butterfly maze. Admission is

$5.25 at the door. This is a bring-your-

own-lunch picnic; if you able, please

bring a dish or side to share. We will

meet at 11:30 for lunch, after which we

will receive a guided tour and have the

opportunity to explore the property. If

you are interested in attending the Box

Hill picnic please email Tara Jordan at

jordtas7@yahoo.com to indicate your

interest and if you can bring a dish to

share.

3

While Wisconsin Region’s members are fairly active in their participation, there still is room for improve-ment. Our numbers have stayed approximately the same, in the 160 range, for over ten years. We have gained a book group in the Northeastern quadrant of the state, and I applaud Tracy Rysavy for her efforts. See Tracy’s report on page 5. Madison’s book group, which meets Sunday afternoons, is going strong and has a core group of individuals who trade off hosting in their homes. Milwaukee’s book group attendance can fall as low as 6 or 7 but sometimes swells to nearly 20. Madi-son and Milwaukee’s groups will be choosing their books for the next year at their May meetings. Why not come just for that discussion? We welcome new faces and would love to hear your input! The Milwaukee group will meet at Vicky Hinshaw’s home on Tuesday, May 10, at 7 p.m. We’re reading an account of Water-loo for discussion: Georgette Heyer’s An Infamous Army.

At last year’s AGM in Louisville we had a record number of Wisconsin attendees; more than 30 found their way to this venue. Did you see our photo in JASNA News? We had great fun. Won’t you join us at the AGM in Washington, DC, Oct. 21-23? Registration is expected to open in May. Keep watching your email for news. The convention hotel is the J.W. Marriott, near the White House, close to the National Mall, Lafa-yette Square, and other historic sites. If you have not toured Washington in a while, now is your chance not only to attend the AGM but to see America’s capital and all its attractions. My favorites include the Smith-sonian Museums, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Georgetown area.

Emma is the theme of this year’s AGM. 2016 is the bicentennial of the publication of Emma, and the theme

is “Emma at 200: No One But Herself.” AGM-goers will recognize Jane Austen’s reported statement, “I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like,” as well as Emma Woodhouse’s famous real-ization that “Mr. Knightley must marry no one but her-self!”

With the final episode of Downton Abbey having aired

on March 6, we are now at a loss as to what to watch on Sunday nights! For six years, I know I was glued to my TV and even turned down social engagements for the appointed hour. We will miss our weekly visits to the great house of Lord Grantham, Lady Cora, Carson and Mrs. Hughes, Lady Mary and Master George, Lady Edith, Anna and Mr. Bates. Not to mention the Dowa-

ger Countess (Maggie Smith). They are all favorites.

It’s reported that Downton Abbey creator Julian Fel-

lowes is working on The Gilded Age, a story of America

and its post-Civil War days and its robber barons. In Fel-lowes’ words, “It was an extraordinary society and did-n’t last all that long. It really got going around about 1880 and was over by the end of the 1920s ... certainly by the Second World War. You had this curious almost civil war between the East Coast aristocracy, most of whom were descended from the sons of the gentry of England and Holland, and these new families – the Van-derbilts, the Jay Goulds, the Whitneys and so on.” Fel-lowes has also produced an adaptation of Anthony Trol-lope’s work Doctor Thorne, now airing in Britain. If

Downton Abbey is any indication, we can look forward to

quality programs.

A film version of Jane Austen’s unfinished nov-el Sanditon is to begin production this summer. Charlotte

Rampling stars as Lady Denham in a screenplay by Brit-ish playwright Simon Reade. Jim O’Hanlon, who di-rected the 2009 BBC production of Emma, will direct the

movie. Love and Friendship, a feature film based on Jane

Austen’s early novel Lady Susan is to be released in thea-

ters on May 13. Kate Beckinsale stars as Austen’s bad-girl heroine, Lady Susan Vernon, with Chloe Sevigny and Stephen Fry in supporting roles.

Jane Austen’s works continue to entertain us!

by

Judy

Beine

Wisconsin’s Janeites are a loyal, involved group

4

Madison report

By Liz Philosophos Cooper Madison’s Book Group met on Sunday, Feb. 7 to

discuss Dr. Thorne by Anthony Trollope at Kathy

Egstad’s home and found much to talk about. Trollope’s 200th birthday last year was celebrated with renewed interest in one of England’s most-read 19th-century nov-elist, after Jane Austen of course. With 47 novels to pick from, we chose one of the six Barchester novels.

Julian Fellowes adapted Dr. Thorne into the three-part

miniseries currently airing in England. Fellowes said: “Doctor Thorne is a wonderful example of Trollope’s gift

for understanding the tangles we humans get into. He is sharply observant, critical and merciful in equal measure and, above all, highly entertaining. With the cast we have assembled, I am confident we can bring all of these qualities to the screen.” Look for this miniseries to air on PBS later this year.

The New Yorker ran a piece last May titled “Trollope

Trending: Why he’s still the novelist of the way we live now.” The article makes the point that novels of man-ners, like Thackeray, die as their manners age. In Trol-lope we see the social forces — the permanent appetite for power and prestige — that make manners happen. These forces change much less, so despite the dated sub-jects, Trollope’s novels do not date.

Trollope turns objects and subjects upside down and invites his readers to examine them. Adam Gopnik made this comparison in The New Yorker, “The move-

ment for gay marriage is almost a textbook case of Trol-lope’s idea of how political reform happens: an impossi-ble idea becomes possible, then becomes necessary, and then all but a handful of diehards accept its inevi-tability. The job of those trying to bring about change is not to hector it into an agenda of neces-sary but to move it into the realm of plausible. Once something is plausi-ble in a semi-democratic society, it has a natural momentum toward be-coming real.”

Gopnik surmised that if Trollope were alive to-day, he would be in Brus-sels writing comedies about the European Par-liament. No doubt in light of recent events, those comedies would be laced with tragedy.

Milwaukee report By Kathleen O’Brien

The Milwaukee Book Group met at the Central Li-brary on Jan. 16 to discuss Emma and Alexander

McCall Smith’s updating of it. Fourteen of us had a live-ly discussion of many things, including the necessity for using chicken feet—and maybe a leek—in chicken soup; the idea that rank, rather than class was the issue in Em-ma; the groundbreaking technique of free indirect dis-course, and a suggestion that Emma was a worn-out caregiver. And lots more. Oh, yes, we learned the differ-ence between a rector and a vicar.

We did not give much attention to Alexander McCall

Milwaukee book group members stand by the treat table at the Central Library.

5

Smith’s Emma, and several of the group had not read it.

We all had problems with a governess staying on for so long, or even existing, actually. The nude painting of Harriet was a reach, and like the other updates I’ve read, it tries too hard to mirror everything that happens in the original book. Mr. Woodhouse was a scientist and nutritionist (or something) and had made a lot of money at it. That I could believe. The movie Clueless

seems to be a more believable updating. We enjoyed delicious snacks, and had such a good

time that there were suggestions that we meet more of-ten, which is probably impossible.

Northeast Wisconsin report By Tracy Rysavy

The new N.E.W. JASNA Book Club held our second meet-

ing in January in Appleton, where we discussed Joan Ai-

ken’s Jane Fairfax.

Aiken was a prolific English author who penned six Jane

Austen sequels before her death in 2004.

Jane Fairfax is a retelling of Austen’s Emma, rather than a

sequel, which shifts the focus away from Emma Woodhouse

to her gifted but reserved foil. It begins with a robust detailing

of Jane’s childhood, shining a light on her early life with Miss

Bates and the elderly Mrs. Bates, as well as the years during

which she was taken in and educated by the Dixon family.

The backstory has Aiken reimagining exactly why Jane Fair-

fax and Emma aren’t great friends. The final third of the book

takes place during the timeline in Emma, giving more insight

into Jane and Frank Churchill’s courtship—and finally an-

swering the eternal question, “What does she see in him?”

Our group agreed that of all the Jane Austen spinoffs we’d

collectively read, Aiken’s Jane Fairfax is among the best: Ai-

ken neatly captures Austen’s wit and style, and her story

seamlessly meshes with the events in Emma. She picks up the

scraps that Austen dropped about Jane Fairfax’s life before

the character enters the scene in Emma and deftly weaves

them into a wonderful and revealing tale of this somewhat

enigmatic character.

Austen famously once said of Emma Woodhouse before

writing her story, “I am going to take a heroine whom no one

but myself will much like.” And while some readers have

been put off by Emma’s social elitism and heavy-handed

matchmaking, others love her despite her flaws and cheer her

growth by the end of the novel. Indeed, our book club group

was divided among the two camps. Some of us who like Em-

ma Woodhouse felt that perhaps Aiken made her too disa-

greeable. But those of us who don’t count Emma among our

favorite Austen heroines didn’t seem to have an issue.

Our overall consensus: we all enjoyed Jane Fair-

fax immensely and highly recommend it to anyone who likes

Jane Austen spinoffs.

Our next meeting will be Sunday, April 17 at noon at the

Cheesecake Heaven Restaurant in Green Bay. We will be

discussing two books: The Unexpected Miss Bennet by Patrice

Sarath and The Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Pamela Mingle. Both

are about what's next for Pride and Prejudice’s Mary Bennet.

If you’d like to join our book club group, please email Tracy

Fernandez Rysavy at tracyrysavy@gmail.com.

Please remember to send Vicki Teal events for the

Wisconsin web site--www.jasnawi.org. We wel-

come any kind of Austen event that is happening in

the area. Vicki's email is vtl@chorus.net.

Also, we can share all kinds of Austen-related tidbits

on our Facebook page, facebook.com/

jasnawisconsin.

Please send news and notes for The Wire to editor

David Lewellen, davidlewellen@gmail.com

Don’t forget to check the

Wisconsin Region

website sometimes!

http://jasnawi.org/

For questions on membership,

please call 1-800-836-3911 or

email the U.S./international

membership secretary, Carole

Stokes, at

carolestokes@cableone.net.

Veronica Jaeger, membership

coordinator for the Wisconsin re-

gion, should also be notified of

any changes.

Veronica can be reached

at vjaeger711@aol.com

6

Membership Report As of the end of February 2016, Wisconsin Region has 166

members. Nine of these are not residents of Wisconsin but

have chosen us as a secondary region. (One may be secondary

to two other regions. For instance, if you wish to follow the

Greater Chicago Region or the Minnesota Region, you may.)

Of the total membership, 52 are life members. They never

need worry about being up to date with their membership!

The membership year begins Sept. 1 and ends Aug. 31. For

questions about membership or change of address, phone or

email, please call 1-800-836-3911 or email the US/

International Membership Secretary, Carole Stokes,

carolestokes@cableone.net, or Veronica Jaeger, Membership

Coordinator for Wisconsin Region. Vjaeger711@aol.com

Online Austen pen pal club launches JASNA-WI member Christina Lucchesi has recently

launched the Jane Austen Pen Pal Club. The site was created

out of a love for Austen, for writing and for connection

through letters. To learn more or to become a member, visit

www.janeaustenpenpalclub.com.

Hinshaw teaches on Emma, houses Wisconsin Region member Victo-

ria Hinshaw, will be teaching at the

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

at UWM. The course is: “Jane

Austen and Emma After 200

Years” and will run Mon-

days, May 2, 9, 16 at the Hefter

Center on Lake Drive at Hartford

Avenue.

Vicky will also teach an Osher

course in the fall on “English

Country Houses to Downton Ab-

bey and Beyond.” Visiting English

country houses has been a favorite pastime for centuries.

Frommanor houses to lavish palaces, these houses have been

centers of social and political power, the focus of local eco-

nomic activity, repositories of treasured artworks, origins of

agricultural progress, and sources of cultural and historical

material. But as the series Downton Abbey so clearly por-

trayed, by the 20th century, the lifestyle of the aristocracy,

supported by legions of servants and the deference of a rigid

class system, broke down. In this five-session class, we will

consider representative country houses, learn how they devel-

oped, and discuss their future. Oct. 31,

Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28, 2016, at the Hefter Center.

Member Mary Jane Carter dies at 86 JASNA member Mary Jane Carter of Racine died on Dec.

26th at age 86 at Wheaton Franciscan Hospital in Racine fol-

lowing a stroke. She taught

English and speech and dra-

ma, and directed plays at

the high school and college

levels and also directed and

acted in academic, commu-

nity and professional theatre

venues for many years in

New York, New England

and the Midwest. In 2005

she married Colin J. R.

Carter of Racine, whom she

met while working at the

Racine Theatre Guild. Those wishing to remember Mary Jane

in a special way may direct memorials to Audubon Society,

the International Crane Foundation or the Nature Conservan-

cy, or visit sturinofuneralhome.com

Spring luncheon features Austen scholar Joyce Kerr Tarpley will speak at the annual spring luncheon

at Maple Bluff Country Club in

Madison on April 9, on the topic

of “Manhood and Happiness in

Emma: Choosing a Wife,

Choosing a Life, and Learning

the Language of Marriage.”

Tarpley teaches English at

Mountain View Community

College in Dallas. She is an au-

thor of a book on Mansfield Park

(Catholic U. Press, 2010), and

has written articles on Austen

published in Renascence journal and Persuasions. She was a

breakout speaker at the 2011 AGM, and has given talks on

Austen for the North Texas JASNA and for local libraries.

She has taught a seminar on the novelist at the Dallas Insti-

tute of Humanities and Culture and has conducted a Liberty

Fund conference Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice.

7

By Kim Wilson

It may have been frigid in Wisconsin on Feb. 27, but at

“A Day with Jane Austen” in Phoenix, Ariz., sun and tem-

peratures in the 80s prevailed. I usually visit my mother and

her husband in February or March, and this year, by happy

coincidence, my visit coincided with the JASNA-Greater

Phoenix Region’s annual “Day with Jane Austen,” a mini-

festival featuring breakfast, lectures, fashion demonstrations,

an elegant tea luncheon, sumptuous raffle baskets to benefit

Chawton House Library, and a splendid Regency Ball to end

the day.

JASNA member Joe Hesley began by explaining the his-

tory of the cravat, then did his best to teach us how to tie two

styles of cravats, which we tried with varying degrees of suc-

cess. I now have infinitely greater respect for the cravats I see

in the movies! I produced what I thought was a respectably

tied cravat, but I’m sure that Beau Brummel would have re-

fused to be in the same room with me.

I then spoke on the subject of “Tea with Jane Austen,”

discussing the history of tea in Great Britain, Jane Austen as

an avid tea lover, and the uses of tea in her novels. Stephanie

Barron, the author of the award-winning and much-loved

Jane Austen mysteries, spoke about researching and writing

her series (which features Jane Austen as a keen, successful,

and amusing sleuth) and her newest book, Jane and the Water-

loo Map. In the novel, the thirteenth in the series, Jane stum-

bles across a body in the library of the Prince Regent’s Carl-

ton House, sending her on a hunt for treasure and the killer.

Diane Gorham, the Regional Coordinator, gave the final

presentation of the day, dressing and undressing the obliging

Shawn Gorham to show what the well-dressed Regency gen-

tleman wore during the day and the evening. Diane, a talent-

ed costumer, made all of her “Mr. Knightley’s” elegant

clothes, from drawers to pantaloons to waistcoats to evening

dress.

I was so impressed with the energy, knowledge, and talent

of the local members, especially Paula Heil, the special events

coordinator, who made much of the magic happen. Also pre-

sent were Devoney Looser, a professor at ASU who is well

known in JASNA circles, and two former national JASNA

presidents, Iris Lutz (who belongs to the Greater Phoenix

region) and Joan Ray (who was visiting from Colorado). We

danced the evening away at “Mr. Weston’s Ball,” with the

dances called (patiently!—for those of us with two left feet)

by JASNA member Peg Hesley. Thanks to JASNA-Greater

Phoenix for inviting me to participate in such a lovely event.

If only I could attend such a Jane Austen festival every

month!

Sun and Austen make for fine day in Phoenix

Speakers and guests at the Phoenix Day with Jane Austen included (from left) Kim Wilson, Iris Lutz, Joan Ray, Devoney

Looser, Jane Austen, Stephanie Barron, Diane DeVita Gorham, and Paula Heil.

8

Author of re-imagined Pride and Prejudice

to speak at MPL Friends luncheon

By Marsha Huff When The Austen Project, published by HarperCol-

lins, invited “authors of global significance” to reimag-ine Jane Austen’s six novels, they chose New York Times

best-selling writer Curtis Sittenfeld for Pride and Preju-

dice. Her retelling is called Eligible. Sittenfeld will talk

about her novel at Friends of the Milwaukee Public Li-brary’s Spring Literary Luncheon on Tuesday, May 3, at the Wisconsin Club, 900 W. Wisconsin Ave. The Wisconsin Region’s own Shannon O’Connell, who is

on the Friends of MPL board, will introduce Sittenfeld. In a starred review, Booklist said that Eligible is “a delightful romp

not only for Austen devotees but also for lovers of romantic comedies and sly satire. ... Best-selling Sitten-feld plus Jane Austen? What more could mainstream fiction readers ask for?” Publishers Weekly said, “Sittenfeld adeptly updates and channels Austen’s narrative voice—the book is full of smart observa-

tions on gender and money.” Curtis Sittenfeld is also the author of Prep, a tale set

in a Massachusetts prep school; The Man of My Dreams,

a coming-of-age novel and examination of romantic love; and American Wife, a fictional story loosely based

on the life of first lady Laura Bush. At the luncheon, Sittenfeld will talk about Eligible

and sign hardback copies, which all guests will receive.

Reservations are $60 for Friends of MPL members and $70 for nonmembers. Entrée choices are warm apple craisin chicken or vegetable Wellington. A special champagne cocktail called the Mr. Darcy will be offered at the bar for $7.50. For reservations: email Friends@mpl.org; or call 414-286-8720; or visit this link.

Dog mystery carries echoes of Emma

By Kathleen

O’Brien Susan Co-

nant is the author of dog lovers’ mys-teries. Brute Strength is her latest, and apparently not her

best. I couldn’t tell, because it’s the only one I’ve read. Our human heroine is Holly Winter, who is heavily

involved with malamutes. She is a Jane Austen fan, and strikes up a friendship—much too fast, in my opinion—with a new neighbor, Vanessa, who has a malamute, and who also likes Jane. Vanessa’s father is a valetudi-narian who takes liquid supplements and medications, which provides a poisoner with good opportunities. Holly also tries her hand at matchmaking, and is wrong about many things.

There are other Emma-like things, perhaps coinci-dentally. In some ways this is more like Emma than an

intentional update, perhaps because there is no need to follow the plot. I enjoyed it more for the dogs—malamutes and golden retrievers—than for the mystery or the echoes of Emma.

Book

Reviews

If only … Wisconsin member

Gina Taucher shared

with us these faux-

Regency magazine

covers from the San

Diego Region’s Au-

gust newsletter.