Celebrating Jane Austen



Hepsie Roskelly will lead a public discussion on Monday, October 21 at 7 p.m. in the Virginia Dare Room in the Alumni House on the UNCG campus entitled "Loving Jane" about how participants are drawn to Austen, and what aspects of popular culture have attracted them, ranging from film and TV adaptations to parodies to zombie movies. Dr. Roskelly will engage the audience in assessing why they like Austen and how widely she has influenced our modern culture.  The program, sponsored through the generosity of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, is part of a series of programs celebrating the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice.

In February, the UNCG Theatre will present an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice by Joseph Hanreddy and J. R. Sullivan from the novel by Jane Austen and directed by John Gulley.  The play will be performed in UNCG's Taylor Theatre, 8 pm on February 14, 15, 21, 22; 2 pm on February 16 & 23; 7:30 pm February 18-20. Tickets are $15 for adults; $10 for children, seniors, students, groups of 10+; $7 UNCG students. To purchase tickets, call 336-334-4392 or go online at www.brownpapertickets.com.

The Greensboro Public Library is also participating in the celebration with a series of films and discussions as described below:

Film Screenings

• Pride and Prejudice (2005, 127 minutes, rated PG)
Tuesday, October 1 at 6:45 pm, Hemphill Branch
This glorious adaptation stars Keira Knightley. When Elizabeth Bennett meets the handsome Mr. Darcy, she believes he is the last man on earth she could ever marry. But as their lives become intertwined in an unexpected adventure, she finds herself captivated by the very person she swore to loathe for all eternity. It is a classic tale of love and misunderstanding that sparkles with romance, wit and emotional force.

• Sense and Sensibility (1995, 136 minutes, rated PG)
Saturday, October 12 at 2 pm, Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch
Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant star in this captivating romantic comedy. Sense and Sensibility tells of the Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor, and passionate Marianne, whose chances at marriage seem doomed by their family's sudden loss of fortune.

• Emma (1996, 121 minutes, rated PG)
Thursday, October 17 at 6:45 pm, Benjamin Branch
This delightfully fun and lighthearted comedy is based on Jane Austen's classic novel. Dazzling Gwyneth Paltrow shines as Emma- a mischievous young beauty who sets up her single friends. Funny thing is…she's not very good at it! So when Emma tries to find a man for Harriet, she makes a hilariously tangled mess of everyone's lives. Emma herself falls in love, finally freeing everyone from her outrageously misguided attempts at matchmaking

• Bride and Prejudice (2004, 112 minutes, rated PG-13)
Saturday, October 19 at 4 pm, Glenwood Branch
Bollywood modern musical retelling of Jane Austen's classic Pride And Prejudice is a hilariously entertaining tale of one girl's unlikely search for love! Sparks immediately fly as a love/hate relationship ignites between a small-town beauty (International star Aishwarya Rai) and a wealthy American who's visiting her modest Indian village! In a swirl of music, dance and comic misunderstandings, these opposites continue to attract and repel one another in a riotous romance. Love will eventually conquer all in this acclaimed treat from the director of Bend It Like Beckham, Gurinder Chadha.

An Afternoon of Jane Austen
Saturday, October 26 starting at 12 pm, Central Library
• 12 pm - Pride and Prejudice presentation by Dr. James Evans from UNC-G followed by book discussion
• 1: 30 pm – Film Screening: Pride and Prejudice (1940, 118 minutes )
Classic M-G-M adaptation of the novel starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier.
• 3:30 pm – Film Screening; Jane Austen’s Life (60 minutes)
The film looks at her birth, as one of seven children born to a country curate, how she lived and wrote, and her unfortunate early death. There's also a look at her relationships, notably with her elder brother (who assisted in the publication of her novels) and her sister Cassandra. A visit to the family's Chawton cottage home gives a nice image of the environment in which Austen found herself.
• 4:30 pm – Film Screening: Jane Austen’s Works (60 minutes)
Presents narrated excerpts of Austen's writing, as well as insight into her personal life, through letters (although Cassandra is said to have destroyed those letters with too personal an insight). What's most fascinating is the speculation and examination of the real-life people who inspired the now-classic heroes and heroines in Austen's novels.