Welcome
“Stay with us and we will cure you.”
On the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen’s fourth novel, Mansfield Park, the Montréal Region invites you to Montréal to explore this most challenging—and rewarding— of Jane Austen’s novels.
It is rumoured that some JASNA members do not like Mansfield Park nor, indeed, its heroine, Fanny Price. We refuse to countenance such rumours! Rather, we believe that a weekend spent considering the contexts, conventions and controversies of this brilliant novel will soon alter such feelings for the better.
Mansfield Park was the first novel of Jane Austen’s maturity—the first novel that she wrote all-of-a-piece (after settling into life in Chawton in 1809) rather than rewriting earlier drafts. She began working on it while her third novel, the “light, bright & sparkling” Pride and Prejudice, was being prepared for publication. Soon after completing Mansfield Park, she began writing Emma. Understanding and appreciating Mansfield Park is central to understanding and appreciating Jane Austen: her world, her values, and her methods of literary composition.
But don’t worry—we plan to make this serious undertaking as delightful as possible! Our hotel will be comfortable and elegant, our city offers many pleasures, and for those of you who come early and stay late, we will provide some delightful excursions.So please plan to experience Mansfield Park in Montréal!
Elaine Bander
Coordinator, 2014 AGM
Email: jasna.montrealqc@gmail.com