Jane Austen's Books & Adaptations discussion
JA Yearly Challenge
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Zuzana's Challenge Log 2025
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Start Date:
Duration: 1 Year
Level: (view spoiler)
Current Total = X Points, 4/6 Categories + bonuses 2/3
I. Original: 2 points per book 6 points
📕 The Beautifull Cassandra: The Beautiful Cassandra by Jane Austen
📕 Emma by Jane Austen
📕 Love and Freindship, and Other Early Works by Jane Austen
II. Sequels & Re-tellings: 1 point per book
III. Setting: 1 point per book 1900+, 2 points per book pre-1900, 1 point per movie, 2 points per TV series
IV. Plain Facts: 3 points per book, 1 point per documentary 19 points
📗 Notes on Emma by Barbara Hayley
📗 Jane Austen's Families by June Sturrock
📗 Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend by Rebecca Romney
📗 As If!: The Oral History of Clueless as told by Amy Heckerling and the Cast and Crew by Jen Chaney
📗 The Gorgeous Georgians by Terry Deary
📗 The Georgian Gentleman by Michael Brander
📺 Pride&Prejudice: Having a Ball (2013 TV Documentary) (documentary focused mostly on dancing, etiquette, music and food of the Regency era as displayed in Pride and Prejudice)
V. Spell-it-out: 1 point per book 10 points
M: Michelle Obama: Becoming
R: Rinzler, J.W. : The Making of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
K: Kde kvete tráva by Han Kang
N: A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken
I: The Inspector General by Nikolai Gogol
G: George Orwell’s 1984: An Audible Original adaptation by Joe White
H: Han Kang: Vegetariánka
T: The Truce at Bakura by Kathy Tyers
L: Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno
E: Euphoria by Lily King
Y:
VI. Adaptations: 1 point per movie or radio play, 2 points per TV/ web series 13 points
📺 Miss Austen (2025 TV Series) - Director: Aisling Walsh, Cast: Keeley Hawes, Jessica Hynes (based on Jane Austen's life)
📺 Emma (1967 Spanish TV Series) - Director: Manuel Aguado, Cast: Lola Cardona, Arturo López (adaptation of Emma)
🎬 Emma. (2020 Movie) - Director: Autumn de Wilde, Cast - Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn (adaptation of Emma)
🎬 Fire Island (2022 Movie) - Director: Andrew Ahn, Cast: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang (based on Pride and Prejudice)
💻 Emma Approved (2014 Web Series) - Writer/Director: Bernie Su, Cast: Joanna Sotomura, Brent Bailey (based on Emma)
💻 Emma Agenda (2018 Web Series) - Creator/Director: Jules Pigott, Cast: Selis Maria Vargas (based on Emma)
🎬 Clueless (1995 Movie) - Writer/Director: Amy Heckeling, Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd (based on Emma)
📺 Jane Austen Regrets (2007 TV Movie) - Director: Jeremy Lovering, Cast: Olivia Williams (based on Jane Austen's life)
🎭 Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel (Innocence and Indolence) - a complete recording of one of the improvised comedy shows "in the style of the wondrous and witty Jane Austen". (an improvised stage performance based on Jane Austen's "vibes")
BONUS Category:
VII. Jane Austen's Library: 2 point per book, +1 bonus point if author or book mentioned or quoted by JA 9 points
📘 The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (mentioned in Love and Freindship)
📘 Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (quoted in Persuasion)
📘 The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith (mentioned in Emma)
VIII. Jane Austen's Pianoforte: 1 point per CD/album, 2 points per concert, 3 points per opera 6 points
💿 Sense and Sensibility (OST) by Patrick Doyle
💿 Emma (Original Televison Soundtrack) by Samuel Sim
💿 Emma (Original Soundstage Recording) by Paul Gordon
💿💿 Johann Baptist Cramer: Cramer - 84 Etudes in 4 Books & 60 Etudes for Piano
💿 Thomas Moore's Irish Melodies
IX. Jane Austen's Literary Successors: (only female authors!) 2 points per book
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watched:
📺 Miss Austen (2025 BBC Miniseries) – 4/4 episodes (2/23/25) – ⭐⭐½
I can appreciate the effort that went into this series, but it didn’t quite work for me. I binge-watched all four episodes, and it felt overwhelmingly bleak, with a framing story that came across as forced and overly dramatic. That said, I did enjoy the performances of both actresses playing younger and older Cassandra (Keeley Hawes and Synnove Karlsen).
Unfortunately, the story itself didn’t leave me in awe. The characterizations felt lacking, and the overwhelming focus on pathos overshadowed any sense of humor or levity. Instead of balance, the series leaned heavily into tearjerker moments. I expected more from BBC.
listened to The Thing About Austen Podcast:
🎧 Ep101: The Thing About Lizzy's Pin-Money 2/15/25 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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The Emma Agenda Webseries (60 episodes) ⭐⭐
https://youtu.be/HVMYjwzdsMw?si=N9NwN...
"The Emma Agenda" is a modern adaptation of "Emma" by Jane Austen, created by Quip Modest Productions.
Emma Woodhouse - Selis Maria Vargas
Harriet Smith - Jillian Hite
Jordan Knightley - Angela Carbone
Jules Pigott - Writer, Director
Rebecca Shoptaw - Cinematographer
Nicole Mericle - Logo Design
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Jane Austen Society of North America: A Close Look at Austen's Genius: A Visit with John Mullan | Episode 19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BbTg...
"Happy 2025! This year marks Jane Austen's 250th birthday, and we are delighted to kick off the celebration with professor and author John Mullan as our guest. This month we delve into passages from the four novels published during Austen's lifetime and discuss what the details reveal about her genius as a writer. Join us for this fascinating and insightful episode (and get a sneak peek at one of our plenary speakers for JASNA's 2025 AGM in Baltimore)!"
Die Buch: Courtship, Puzzles & Detective Novels: John Mullan on "Emma" by Jane Austen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUjr3...
"On the feminist book podcast "Die Buch", John Mullan talks to Julia Ritter about Jane Austen's "Emma". They discuss what makes it such a fascinating courtship novel, if Jane Austen would have written a good detective novel and quiz each other on utterances from Austen's characters. "
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Emma (1967) – Spanish TV Series - 5 episodes 6/2/-6/3/25
- Director: Manuel Aguado
- Cast: Lola Cardona, Arturo López
This adaptation struggles on several fronts: the hair and makeup are unfortunate, the costumes feel off, and the plot takes some noticeable liberties. Iconic scenes are missing—no strawberries, no Box Hill, and no “Badly done, Emma!” moment. Instead, we get a rather mild rebuke from Mr. Knightley, who gently scolds Emma for simultaneously matchmaking and flirting with Frank, causing confusion all around.
The Jane–Frank subplot is pushed almost entirely into the background, with many clues about their relationship only revealed after the secret engagement comes to light. Surprisingly, much of the novel’s signature wit and humor is lost in translation.
Casting-wise, most of the actresses appear too old for their roles. Curiously, of the group including Emma, Augusta, Jane, and Harriet, Mrs. Elton is by far the most youthful and striking. Mr. Knightley, meanwhile, is portrayed as overly cheerful—always smiling, never seeming to take much seriously.
One of the few elements I appreciated was the portrayal of Mr. Woodhouse. He’s shown as truly old and frail, which helps explain why everyone is so indulgent toward him and highlights Emma’s deep devotion to her father.
Overall impression: Meh.
Watched on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVeYC...
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watched
Fire Island (2022 Movie) 6/1/25
Cast: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Margaret Cho, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Matt Rogers, Tomas Matos, Torian Miller, Nick Adams, Zane Phillips
Directed by: Andrew Ahn
Screenplay: Joel Kim Booster
"A group of queer best friends gather in Fire Island Pines for their annual week of love and laughter, but a sudden change of events might make this their last summer in gay paradise."
I thought it was a clever, fun, rom-comey adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I will def re-watch in the future.
Just a note, I would have switched the actors portraying Lizzie/Noah and Jane/Howie. I like Bowen Yang, but I believe that the part of sarcastic wise-cracking Noah would have suited him better.
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A Celebration of Jane Austen - The 92nd Street Y, New York 6/6/25
https://youtu.be/NBnso9Oe_VU?si=UxPbf...
Join a group of celebrated writers and critics — including Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan, bestselling novelist Kevin Kwan, Helen Fielding, acclaimed memoirist Vivian Gornick, and The New Yorker’s Alexandra Schwartz, and actors Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola — for a reading and conversation about Jane Austen, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of her birth.
“What genius, what integrity it must have required in face of all that criticism, in the midst of that purely patriarchal society, to hold fast to the thing as [she] saw it without shrinking,” writes Virginia Woolf, in A Room of One’s Own, of Jane Austen. More than anything, Austen wrote with wit, elegance, and extraordinary emotional truthfulness about the lives of women; their friendships, their desires, and their complex inner worlds. Her novels — Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion, and others — are “as nearly flawless as any fiction could be” (Eudora Welty), her characters vivid, complex, and alive, spawning countless adaptations and incalculable influence on popular and literary culture in the centuries after her death.
In a special reading and conversation on the 250th anniversary of her birth, hear a group of extraordinary contemporary writers on Austen’s legacy — how she has remained in the cultural bloodstream for so long, her influence on their own work, and much more.
The conversation was recorded on March 27th, 2025, at The 92nd Street Y, New York.
This was a dud. First 20 minutes - a total waste of time. Vivian Gornick constantly giving vibes she doesn't like Jane Austen that much. Her takes were sometimes really bizarre and the rest of the guests weren't as confident as to argue with her - so sometimes her false or at least un-supported claims remained awkwardly unchallenged. I was pleasantly surprised by Helen Fielding, despite going in and presenting herself as a "regular" JA fan, she at least timidly pushed back against Vivian. 25 minutes in the moderator woke up a little and presented her own ideas, that were by far the most interesting from the whole bunch. This was awkward and Jane deserved better.
This is the comment I left below the video: "Just 20 minutes in, and I’m finding this discussion quite disappointing. It seems that some participants only have a very surface-level understanding of Austen’s work, and unfortunately, the moderator isn’t stepping in to question some of the misinformation or more questionable claims.
It would have made a huge difference to have at least one Jane Austen scholar involved - someone who could gently but clearly offer insight and correct inaccuracies with examples from the novels. Someone like John Mullan would’ve been an excellent choice: knowledgeable, articulate, and likely able to steer the conversation thoughtfully without making it feel confrontational. Or if you want to keep the panel more female, go and ask somebody from JASNA - that would make a world of difference.
EDIT: The moderator did try to step up, just after the 20-minute mark. Her opinions were the most interesting and well-informed from the bunch. I would have liked to listen to HER the entire hour."
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Annual Lecture 2022 at Jane Austen's House https://youtu.be/Ct6RhY3fyEk?si=EfOUv...
Jane Austen's House Ambassadors for 2020-21, playwright Laura Wade and actor Samuel West, join highly acclaimed Austen expert Professor Kathryn Sutherland for a stimulating discussion of Jane Austen’s works, from a dramatist’s point of view. Gathered around the Dining Room table at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, they discuss the question, “What makes a good Jane Austen adaptation?”
This year’s Carpenter lecture takes the form of a relaxed and lively conversation, filmed on location at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton and released online for you to view from the comfort of your own home.
Pull up a chair and enjoy this delightful, in-depth exploration of Jane Austen – from the adaptations of popular works that she wrote herself as a teenager, to recent film adaptations of her work – from Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park to Clueless and Bride and Prejudice!
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Karen Joy Fowler talk on "Emma" and Austen's Hidden Gothics https://youtu.be/u9c3q3vpEVc?si=rsMqz...
Author Karen Joy Fowler ("The Jane Austen Book Club") gave a presentation to the Jane Austen Society of North America, Southwest Region, and guests on September 26, 2020 on the topic of "Emma" and Austen's Hidden Gothics.
Frankly, it was "meh". Nothing new or thought-provoking, not presented in a particularly interesting way.
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Jane Austen's Families by June Sturrock
7 thematical essays on family dynamics in JA novels. Ienjoyed reading it.
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watched
Emma. (2020 Movie)
I really enjoyed it. It's highly stylized. All of the humor is destilled from the text and exagerated. It's definitely a choice that might not be to everyone's liking, but it's a choice done by somebody who knows and loves the book.
Emma is a bit meaner, Mr Knightley a bit more weepy, Mr Elton a bit more slimey, Miss Bates a bit more silly and pathetic and so on. But despite the changes it's still Emma. The costumes are lovely. The cinematography is scrumptious. The setting, the props, color palettes all is carefully selected to please the senses. BTW Donwell Abbey in this adaptation is a seat of at least an earl.
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HistFest: 250 Years of Jane Austen with Amber Butchart, John Mullan and Rebecca Rideal (YouTube video, 1 h 15min)
This event, originally titled '250 Years of Jane Austen', took place on 27 April 2025. The information below is correct as of the publication date.
Renowned for their witty social commentary and clear-eyed depictions of love and marriage, Jane Austen’s novels continue to be read, studied, adapted, imitated and worshipped all over the world. To mark the 250th anniversary of the writer’s birth, this special event celebrated her life and legacy, as well as the iconic Regency fashions of her day.
With fashion historian Amber Butchart, Austen scholar Professor John Mullan and historian, author and HistFest director Rebecca Rideal.
https://youtu.be/T9lBx9IlIjU?si=tQWH7...
Very interesting discussion. Both guests had really interesting things to say. John Mullan is enthusiastic about JA as always, and Amber Butchart's makes Georgian and Regency fashion really intriguing.
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The Badness Of King George IV (YouTube, 1 h 15 min)
Using an imaginative blend of drama and documentary, The Badness Of King George IV tells the story of Britain's most unpopular and out-of-touch monarch. Using contemporary sources, the programme pictures a dying, drug-addled King as he relives key events from his colourful life, haunted by the words of his critics. It traces the journey of King George IV from high life to low life, as he defined Regency taste and style but grew to be despised by his subjects.
https://youtu.be/6MngtL_cqlg?si=2zwB1...
Not worth the time. A bizarre artsy reenactment, strangely bloated and could have conveyed much more information if done in another way. The best part was when the historians were speaking. Not recommended.
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The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1774 - 1st English translation in 1779) - mentioned by Austen in Love and Freindship.
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Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend by Rebecca Romney
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The World of Jane Austen Conversation Puzzle (500 pieces)
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Clueless (1995 Movie)
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As If!: The Oral History of Clueless as told by Amy Heckerling and the Cast and Crew by Jen Chaney
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Sense and Sensibility (OST) by Patrick Doyle
Emma (Original Televison Soundtrack) by Samuel Sim
Emma (Original Soundstage Recording) by Paul Gordon
In honor of Jane Fairfax, I listened to the music that came with the mysterious gift of a Broadwood pianoforte: Johann Baptist Cramer's Etudes and Thomas Moore's Irish Melodies.
[John Broadwood and Sons 1814]Emma - vol. 2, Chapter 10:
"He [Frank Churchill] took some music from a chair near the pianoforte, and turning to Emma, said,
“Here is something quite new to me. Do you know it?—Cramer.—And here are a new set of Irish melodies. That, from such a quarter, one might expect. This was all sent with the instrument. Very thoughtful of Colonel Campbell, was not it?—He knew Miss Fairfax could have no music here. I honour that part of the attention particularly; it shews it to have been so thoroughly from the heart. Nothing hastily done; nothing incomplete. True affection only could have prompted it.”"
What an impudent dog Frank is! 😉
Johann Baptist Cramer: Cramer - 84 Etudes in 4 Books & 60 Etudes for Piano
Johann Baptist Cramer (1771-1858) - English pianist, composer and music publisher of German origin
Cramer was one of the most renowned piano performers of his day. ... He wrote a number of sonatas and other pieces for piano, and other compositions, of which his Études are best known, having appeared in numerous editions. They are still considered standard didactic works for piano students."
source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_...
If you want a little taste, try these two etudes, they're both under 2 minutes.
My favorite: No. 30 in C Minor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAiKd...
This one you might find familiar - it's the intro music to The Thing About Austen Podcast: No. 24 in G Major - https://youtu.be/LUXV38PNR-g?si=b4lbV...
Thomas Moore's Irish Melodies
Thomas Moore (1779–1852) - Irish writer and musician
"...[Thomas Moore] responded to an invitation from James Power and William Power, who ran a music publishing firm in Dublin, to set a collection of Irish airs in direct emulation of George Thomson's collections of Scottish and Irish music. It was also agreed from the outset that the musical arrangements would be by Sir John Stevenson, organist and master of the choristers at St Patrick's cathedral. ... By June 1807 Moore had once again returned to Ireland, where he completed the first and second numbers of the Irish melodies: these were published in April and August 1808 in London and Dublin by James and William Power. Moore would continue to issue settings until 1834, by which time he had reached his tenth volume.
Reviews of the early volumes were few, although the success which they enjoyed was immediate. Moore himself was gratified by the enthusiasm of friends (Byron was enraptured by the early volumes),...
Moore himself was by 1841 in no doubt that, of everything he had written, the Irish melodies would be ‘the only work of my pen, as I very sincerely believe, whose fame (thanks to the sweet music in which it is embalmed) may boast a chance of prolonging its existence to a day much beyond our own’ (Letters)."
source: Dictionary of Irish Biography https://www.dib.ie/biography/moore-th...
Here's a couple of YouTube links if you want a little taste of the music:
Tis the Last Rose of Summer - https://youtu.be/NWtOs1NYWCo?si=Vv1HM...
Sounds familiar? It should. It's the song Anya Taylor Joy sang in the 2020 Emma movie. I'm sure it's an Easter egg for Austen book readers.
This one is lovely and quite well-known, too. The Minstrel Boy - https://youtu.be/puMvaFKoijQ?si=RG4xX...
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Miss Austen Regrets
Pride & Prejudice: Having a Ball
Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel (Innocence and Indolence) - a complete recording of one of the improvised comedy shows "in the style of the wondrous and witty Jane Austen".
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Gorgeous Georgians | Learn about the Georgians | Horrible Histories
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbgOk...
The Four King Georges | Learn about British Monarchs | Horrible Histories
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPqB7...
read
The Gorgeous Georgians Gorgeous Georgians | Learn about the Georgians | Horrible Histories
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Emma, Vol. II Chapter 9
"...Then the baked apples came home, Mrs. Wallis sent them by her boy; they are extremely civil and obliging to us, the Wallises, always—I have heard some people say that Mrs. Wallis can be uncivil and give a very rude answer, but we have never known any thing but the greatest attention from them. And it cannot be for the value of our custom now, for what is our consumption of bread, you know?
...
And when I brought out the baked apples from the closet, and hoped our friends would be so very obliging as to take some, ‘Oh!’ said he directly, ‘there is nothing in the way of fruit half so good, and these are the finest-looking home-baked apples I ever saw in my life.’ That, you know, was so very.... And I am sure, by his manner, it was no compliment. Indeed they are very delightful apples, and Mrs. Wallis does them full justice—only we do not have them baked more than twice, and Mr. Woodhouse made us promise to have them done three times—but Miss Woodhouse will be so good as not to mention it. The apples themselves are the very finest sort for baking, beyond a doubt; all from Donwell—some of Mr. Knightley’s most liberal supply. ..."
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Brander in his book covers the time period between 1714 and 1830. He divides the life of a typical Georgian gentleman into ten thematic chapters:
1/ Birth, Childhood and Upbringing
2/ School, University and Grand Tour
3/ Clothing, Fashion and Taste
4/ Cooking, Eating and Drinking
5/ Health, Disease and Treatment
6/ Religion, Fears and Tribulations
7/ Morals, Diversions and Frolics
8/ Travel, Inns and Hazards
9/ Sport, Wagers and Duels
10/ Royal gentlemen, Rogues and Others
Brander relies heavily on contemporary sources (diaries, letters, and memoirs) to bring this world to life. Among these, he draws most deeply from lesser-known works: the Purefoy Letters, John Knyveton’s diaries (which are controversial), Colonel John Byng’s travel journals through England and Wales, and François de La Rochefoucauld’s 1784 impressions of England as a curious French aristocrat.
Henry Purefoy, of Shalstone Manor (1697 - 1762) stands in for a typical obscure country gentleman. Many of his family letters have been preserved which together with their bills, provide a revealing picture of the early part of the century. The 'Purefoy Letters', a detailed catalogue of the everyday lives of the inhabitants of the Shalstone village and surrounding area as seen through the eyes of Elizabeth Purefoy and her bachelor son Henry during the period 1735-1753, were published in 1973.
"Henry Purefoy's letters to tradesmen were a curious mixture of business, gossip, friendliness, cajolery and hauteur perhaps because he lived his entire life under the domination of the powerful personality of his mother." His "extraordinarily erratic spelling" adds to the charm and amusement.
A little taste, from Henry Purefoy's letter ordering clothes for himself and his mother from his tailor in London, Mr John Boys (or Boyce - Henry changes his spelling of the name throughout the letter):
"...The Gold laced wastcoat you made mee last year has done you no credit in the making, it gapes so intolerably before at the bottom when I button it at ye wastbone of my breetches & everybody takes notice of it. As to my size I am partly the same bignesse as I was when in Town last, but you made the last cloths a little too straight....
My mother's & my service & respect waits on you & Mrs Boyce & I am Your humble servt. H.P.
P.S. I desire I may have my cloaths as soon as possible & send your Bill with them & a letter by the post so that they may not lie at ye Carriers."
John Knyveton (1729 - 1809)
John Knyveton's personal diaries portraying his naval career of a surgeon, his medical studies and his later career of a physician, are heavily quoted throughout Brander's book. It came to light in 2013 that they are most likely not authentic. There are three volumes of the Diaries of John Knyveton edited by Ernest Gray, published between 1937 and 1946, that are apparently based on the life of Thomas Denman (1733 – 1815), although they do not state this. The first volume has inaccuracies with regards to dates for some events but a quick analysis of the two later volumes reveals that Denman and Knyveton are the same person. Although some of the dates are incorrect, there are fewer inaccuracies than in the first volume. Thomas Denman was an English physician. After a career in naval medicine he made a considerable amount of money in midwifery.
John Byng, 5th Viscount Torrington (1743 – 1813), previously styled The Hon. John Byng for most of his lifetime (until 1812), was a British aristocrat and celebrated 18th-century diarist. Byng's fifteen extant diaries, covering the years 1781–94, describe his travels on horseback throughout England and Wales during twelve summers.
François XIII de La Rochefoucauld, 8th Duke of La Rochefoucauld (1765 – 1848) was a French aristocrat and writer.
Brander used excerpts from his travel memoir Mélanges sur l’Angleterre which has twice been translated into English: first in 1933 as A Frenchman in England, 1784 (translated by S.C. Roberts); and subsequently as A Frenchman's Year in Suffolk, 1784 (translated by Norman Scarfe).
Other sources peppered throughout include diaries or letters by more famous figures: Lord Chesterfield, Horace Walpole, George Selwyn, Thomas Creevey, C. F. Greville, James Boswell, Fanny Burney, and others.
I enjoyed the book as a series of vivid snapshots of Georgian gentlemen’s everyday experiences. If you’re seeking sweeping analysis, this isn’t it. But as a social history mosaic, The Georgian Gentleman offers genuine insight and color.
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Emma, Vol. II, Chapter 9:
Harriet and Emma are talking about Miss Fairfax's performance at the Cole's party:
"...Mr. Frank Churchill talked a great deal about your taste, and that he valued taste much more than execution.”
“Ah! but Jane Fairfax has them both, Harriet.”
“Are you sure? I saw she had execution, but I did not know she had any taste. Nobody talked about it. And I hate Italian singing.—There is no understanding a word of it. Besides, if she does play so very well, you know, it is no more than she is obliged to do, because she will have to teach..."
By “Italian singing,” Harriet refers to arias from Italian operas, the sort of music Jane Fairfax likely performed at the Coles' party. According to David Shapard (The Annotated Emma), arias from Italian operas made up a substantial portion of public concert programs in the period. Italian music was considered more prestigious than the English, Scottish, or Irish folk songs popular among amateur musicians and was regarded as a marker of refined taste.
I really enjoy opera. And last JAJ I did a bit of a "research" into opera in Jane Austen's England. I was interested whether Austen had access to opera music, sang any arias, or attended any performances. It's a really fascinating topic.
Anyway, in London, Italian opera was performed exclusively at the King’s Theatre in the Haymarket, the capital’s primary venue for Italian opera during Austen’s time. Other major theatres like Drury Lane and Covent Garden staged operas in English or featured spoken plays with incidental music. Despite the prominence of the King's Theatre, it was not always quick to premiere what we now consider the major works. For example, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, which debuted in Prague in 1787, was not staged in London until 1817. Le nozze di Figaro, first performed in Vienna in 1786, only reached the London stage in 1812. However, arias from these operas were heard in London much earlier, performed as individual pieces in concerts and musical gatherings.
I believe that Jane Fairfax, living with the Campbells in London, would have had access to these performances. While the King’s Theatre was known for its somewhat exclusive audience, it is entirely plausible that the Campbells (upper-middle class and cultured) took Jane to see fully staged operas. Even if she did not attend full productions, she almost certainly heard Italian arias performed in concert settings, which often featured selections from fashionable operas of the day. I believe that Jane as musically talented as she was must have really enjoyed such performances.
I listened to Teresa Berganza – Eighteenth-Century Portraits on Spotify. (CD 1 - Mozart, CD 2 - Gluck, Pergolesi, Handel, Paisiello, Cherubini, Haydn). This is a very nice selection of 18th century mezzo-soprano arias.
Want a little taste? Listen to this Mozart aria: Voi che sapete from Le Nozze di Figaro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu-JR...
Sounds familiar? It's the song sung by Elizabeth Bennet at Pemberley in the 1995 P&P (Elizabeth sang it in English though.)
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Ep3: The Thing About Regency Scrabble
Ep10: The Thing About Box Hill
Ep14: The Thing About Emma's Unfinished Artwork with guest Georgie Castilla
Ep16: The Thing About Harriet's Riddle Book with guest Dr. Lynn Festa
Ep19: The Thing About London Air with guest Dr. Rena Jones
Ep32: The Thing About Jane's Irish Melodies
Ep41: The Thing About Harriet's Treasure Box with guest Damianne Scott
Ep47: The Thing About Depictions of Roma in Emma with guest Amanda-Rae Prescott
Ep60: The Thing About Frank's Haircut
Ep70: The Thing About the Irish Car Party
Ep71: The Thing About Cramer with guest Dr. Karali Hunter
Ep76: The Thing About Harriet's Sore Throat with guest Dr. Rena Jones
Ep87: The Thing About Emma's Portrait of Harriet with guest Georgie Castilla
Ep92: The Thing About Mr. Knightley's Strawberries
Ep103: The Thing About Elegant Extracts
Ep108: The Thing About the Barouche-Landau
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The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe 8/19/25
Le Morte D'arthur by Thomas Malory 8/27/25
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole 8/29/25
William Henry Pyne (1769 - 1843) - The Castle of Udolpho
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As You Like It by William Shakespeare 8/12/25
played and finished 2 Jane Austen inspired PC Games:
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen's Estate Affairs
assembled 1000-piece The Pride and Puzzlement jigsaw puzzle
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Interesting info:
Female authoresses in JA's extended family:
- Cassandra Turner, Lady Hawke: Julia de Gramont, by lady H****. (1788) - JA cousin, once removed
- Cassandra Leigh Cook: Battleridge: An Historical Tale, Founded on Facts (1799) - "by a Lady of Quality"
(both through Cassandra Leigh, JA's mother)
Jane Austen's Books & Adaptations
Books mentioned in this topic
Wild for Austen: A Rebellious, Subversive, and Untamed Jane (other topics)Battleridge: An Historical Tale, Founded on Facts (other topics)
Julia de Gramont, by lady H****. (other topics)
Uproar!: Satire, Scandal & Printmakers in Georgian London (other topics)
Le Morte D'arthur (other topics)
More...
Books/Movies/TV Shows I want to tackle this year:
🎬 Northanger Abbey (1986 TV movie)
📺 Mansfield Park (1983 Mini-Series)
📻 Pride and Prejudice (Dramatized by L.A. Theatre Works 2009)
📻 Pride and Prejudice (Dramatized by L.A. Theatre Works 2014)
📚 Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin
🎧 The Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern by Robert Morrison
? L.A. Theatre Works Presents Pride and Prejudice