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Monthly Archives: July 2007

Adventures in Packing

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I’m beginning to feel like the girl in this Mary Cassatt painting–any minute now I’ll just collapse in a frustrated heap! On Tuesday, I’m leaving for the RWA conference in Dallas. So today that means one thing–packing. I am not a good packer. I have an aunt who travels to Europe and Asia a lot, she can take one little bag with 5 black and white jersey separates, 1 pair of shoes, and 2 scarves and look like Grace Kelly for a month or more. Not me. Even a casual family vacation seems to involve vast quantities of clothes and shoes, not to mention books. Hey, I never know what I want to read when I get there (a romance, a mystery, a biography?), and I want to be prepared! Plus they can serve as ballast in the bottom of my suitcase (I’ve been researching 16th century ships lately, you see).

Conferences are twice as hard. There are day outfits and evening outfits, each requiring shoes and bags and jewelry. My Regency-style gown for the Beau Monde Soiree (plus gloves, reticule, fan!). Shawls, because the air conditioning always seems set on ‘glacial’ at the hotel. Promo stuff, like books and cover flats (maybe I need a big sign saying Buy My New Book, Out in August! Please, I Beg You! Too over the top?). Makeup (my everyday makeup consists of a little concealer, lipgloss, and mascara, but conferences require enough products to see a diva through La Traviata, it seems). Zit cream–Very Important. Who wants to meet their editor with a huge pimple on their nose? A little notebook to jot down interesting gossip, er, very useful tips for Improving My Craft. And–I know I’m forgetting something.

Last night I made a ‘clothing chart’ with each day’s activities and what I plan to wear. Then I pulled everything from my closet and drawers and piled it all up in the middle of the bedroom floor. This morning, I woke up from an exceedingly pleasant dream (I was going to the Oscars with Orlando, and had these fabulous Louboutin shoes…) to find that everything had not miraculously leapt into the suitcase overnight. In fact, the cats had most unhelpfully slept on the pile, requiring a great deal of laundry and de-fuzzing.
It will all come together in the end, at least it usually does. In the meantime, I made a list of Things I Will Remember to Do at Conference:

1) Have fun, learn a lot, meet new people

2) Don’t squeal TOO loudly when first seeing friends in the lobby

3) Bring my cell phone charger (otherwise how can I find my friends to squeal at them?)

4) Drink plenty of water

5) Don’t talk about what a Terrible Person Agent/Editor Whatsit is in the public elevator. Not that I would, of course, but said Agent/Editor would be bound to be in that selfsame elevator
if I did (which I would not)

6) Act like–no, try to act like a Grown Up Author
Now, I have to go sit on my suitcase and try to get it to close. If you’re in Dallas next week, come look for us! Diane, Janet, and I will be there. Cosmos all around!
And when you get home, be sure and sign up for the Risky Regencies newsletter at riskies@yahoo.com! All the conference gossip will be there (or some, anyway…)
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Friday Pill

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Oh, shoot, not only do I have NOTHING today, but I also have had a smidge-y bit of panic attack today, rendering me even more incoherent.

Of course I wonder what would’ve happened to our Regency woman who had that kind of day–she wasn’t supposed to ever be out of sorts, so what do you think she did when she felt rotten?

-Claim it was her womanly time, only she probably just had to nod her head and blink significantly, and everyone would understand. And scurry away, as if it were catching.

-Claim she had loads of letters to write to her bestest girlfriend (who just happens to be the daughter of a Marquis or something), so she’d be holed up in her room all day.

-Insist she had to finish some Very Important needlework.

-Tear her gown, then retire to her room until it was repaired.

-Encourage the men of the house to go out hunting.

-Attend to her dropsical aunt, maybe putting some cotton into her ears to avoid hearing too much.

What can you suggest our antisocial heroine could do?

Megan

Remember, sign up for the Risky Regencies newsletter at riskies@yahoo.com for very social news!
(Thanks to Pemberley.com for the Cruikshank picture!)

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Sarah Siddons

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Another Regency birthday to celebrate–that of Sarah Siddons, considered one of the greatest actresses of her time, who was born July 5, 1755 in Brecon, South Wales (in the Shoulder of Mutton public house). She was born into the business; her father Roger Kemble owned a small traveling theater company. When she fell in love with a fellow actor, William Siddons, her family objected and sent her off to work as a maid, where apparently her employers enjoyed her dramatic reading aloud. But they relented, and Sarah and William married.

She first played London at the age of 20, but failed to impress audiences–possibly because it was too soon after the birth of her third child. After touring the provinces she returned, and became the undisputed diva of Drury Lane–the Queen of Tragedy (or the Queen of Rant as the caricaturists would call her). During her performances, the audience would weep and sometimes faint.

She gave readings to the Royal Family and elocution lessons to their children, and she was the first woman to play Hamlet. After a twenty year reign on the London stage, she gave her farewell performance in 1812 in one of her signature roles, Lady Macbeth.

I find the theater of the Regency period fascinating; if ever I have the privilege of time travel I am definitely going to attend the play and the opera.

What would you do on your time travel trip?

Sign up for the Riskies newsletter at riskies@yahoo.com with NEWSLETTER in the subject line. Every month we will make you weep and faint (but in a good sort of way).

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Happy 4th of July!

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When I realized my blog day was also the 4th, of course I had to think about the Regency connection. Then I remembered reading somewhere that the stress of the American revolution (along with problems with France and liberal opposition at home) contributed to the breakdown of George III’s health and sanity. His final lapse, of course, resulted in Prinny acting as Regent between 1809-1820.

But actually I have to fess up and admit that linking America’s founding fathers’ actions to the Regency (and its romance subgenre) is pretty far-fetched. Though some scholars in the past have made attempts to psychoanalyse George III, most experts now attribute his mental breakdown to porphyria, a hereditary disease which in extreme form can cause insanity. Recent analysis of the king’s hair indicates his condition was worsened by traces of arsenic in the James’ powder with which he was dosed.

Back to Independence Day. I enjoy it but have to confess it isn’t a particularly special holiday for me. My grandparents and parents came from Lithuania, fleeing communist oppression, and they taught me to appreciate what is great about this country. But they never were really hooked in with American holidays and traditions. Also, I have relatives in Lithuania, Italy, Finland, Canada and Australia, so even besides my galloping Anglophilia, I have ties to other countries besides the U.S.A.

I still think of myself as patriotic. I vote, I sometimes write letters to government officials, I volunteer in my community and I’m trying to raise my children to be good citizens. But I don’t have any family tradition of an annual 4th of July barbecue. I don’t mind if other people swathe themselves head to toe in flag images (anything that makes you happy!) but it’s just not me.

My family and I will celebrate in our own way. Last year at the request of my children I made a red, white and blue dessert with vanilla ice cream, raspberries and blueberries. Apparently this is now a “tradition”. Easy enough, I’ll do it again!

After dinner, weather permitting, we might go to the fireworks show at a local park. It won’t hurt us to listen to the 1812 overture again. Good bombastic fun and well-suited for fireworks, after all. Though I wonder how many people listening know it was composed to celebrate Russia’s victory over Napoleon and includes the Marseillaise, the French national anthem?

So how about you? Do you celebrate Independence Day and how? And can anyone explain how the 1812 Overture became a staple for the occasion?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

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JANE AUSTEN MOVIE CLUB: Persuasion (1995)

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Welcome to the first meeting of the JANE AUSTEN MOVIE CLUB!

The first Tuesday of each month, we’ll be discussing a different Jane Austen film or TV adaptation.

This month: the 1995 version of PERSUASION.

If you’ve ever seen it, please join in the discussion!

As this is our first meeting, I’ll start by saying a few words about how this will work.

After gathering suggestions, I’ll announce each forthcoming selection a month ahead of time.

On the day of the meeting, I’ll put useful and pertinent info in my post to help the discussion (such as cast lists, etc, so we don’t have to go searching for names.)

I may also suggest topics to discuss — but if I do, these will just be suggestions! So please, discuss whatever aspects you wish.

So: this month’s film: 1995’s PERSUASION.

Tidbit: although this was shown first as a television movie in the UK, it was released in movie theatres in the US.

MOVIE DETAILS (courtesy imdb.com):

Director: Roger Michell

Screenwriter: Nick Dear

CAST:

Anne Elliot: Amanda Root

Wentworth: Ciaran Hinds

Tidbit: Ciaran Hinds played Rochester in the 1997 Jane Eyre

Lady Russell: Susan Fleetwood

Sir Walter: Corin Redgrave

Elizabeth Elliot: Phoebe Nicholls

Mrs. Clay: Felicity Dean


Mary Musgrove: Sophie Thompson

Tidbit: Sophie Thompson had a role in another Austen adaptation — she played Miss Bates in the Gwyneth Paltrow version of Emma. She is also the sister of Emma Thompson, who played Elinor (and wrote the screenplay) for the 1995 Sense and Sensibility

Charles Musgrove: Simon Russell Beale

Louisa Musgrove: Emma Roberts

Henrietta Musgrove: Victoria Hamilton

Mrs. Musgrove: Judy Cornwell

Mr. Musgrove: Roger Hammond

Captain Harville: Robert Glenister

Captain Benwick: Richard McCabe

Tidbit: Actor Richard McCabe had a role in Notting Hill, also directed by Roger Michell

Mrs. Harville: Sally George

Admiral Croft: John Woodvine

Mrs. Croft: Fiona Shaw

Mr. Elliot: Samuel West

Tidbit: Samuel West also appeared in one installment of the recent Hornblower series, as St. John Rivers in the 1996 Jane Eyre, and as the poet Southey in the 2000 film Pandaemonium

Nurse Rook: Jane Wood

Mrs. Smith: Helen Schlesinger

As I said before, please discuss any aspect of the movie that you wish!

But if you don’t know where to start, here are a few ideas:

Did any of the actors seem to you to be perfect for their roles?

Did you think any of the actors were miscast?

If you’ve read the book, what did you think of the screenplay? Did you think any of the characters were changed in a way that weakened the story? Did you think the right things were cut or shortened?

If you haven’t read the book, did you find the movie easy to follow? Was it confusing in places? Could you keep all the characters straight?

How did the low lighting in nighttime scenes work for you?

How about the long wordless passages?

Overall, how well did you like the movie?

Anyway, those are just a few questions that may spark answers! Answer any or none, answer other questions, or pose your own.

And one more question: do you have a suggestion for what adaptation we should discuss at the next meeting of the Jane Austen Movie Club, which will meet the first Tuesday of August?

Cara
Cara King, author of My Lady Gamester, and Austen movie nut

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