The Love of Jane Austen

Our Registration is Now Open!

Get your tickets early because they sell fast!

My dear Gentle Jane Austen Friends,

Our 2027 Fest is fast approaching. Be sure to mark your calendars February 12, 13, 14, 2027. Our theme this year is; The Love of Jane Austen. Mount Dora welcomes you!

In our 7th year we are maintaining many of our popular activities such as Afternoon Regency Tea on Saturday, Regency Bonnet Making workshop, Stained Glass workshop, Lawn Bowling, and others, but have added some new workshops such as Hand Embroidery, Needle Point, and Paper Quilling. All in keeping with our tag, “A Foot in the 21st Century and a Toe in the Regency Era”

Our volunteer policy is that you receive free registration for the day you volunteer for a minimum of 2 hours. Check the website and click on volunteer. And thank you for your help!

Our speakers this year are Syrie James and Dr. Kathleen Anderson. Ms. James talks are entitled Bringing Jane Austen to Life on Page and Stage and Jane Austen’s First Love. And Dr. Kathleen Anderson’s talks are Jane Austen’s Love Interests and Opposites or Kindred Spirits.

We are excited to announce that Stageworks, a professional theater company in Tampa, is going to share their production of Jane Austen in 89 Minutes. It is a delightful comedy review of all six novels in 89 minutes. It is written by Syrie James, one of our speakers this year, and she will share with us how she came about to write the play through her talk Bringing Jane Austen to Life on Page and Stage.

The Regency Ball this year (yes we are having a Ball) will be held in a brand new facility here in Mount Dora – the Nathaniel Bell Community Center. We are the first gathering of its kind here in this new facility. Again, we ask that you wear ballet type shoes – no heels as the room is carpeted. This is for your safety as well as the safety of the carpet.

Our Registration this year includes our Speakers, Goodie Bag, Stetson Symphony Concert, Fan Language presentation, Gathering Place (the Pavilion in the Park is open for meeting up with others, resting, playing games or puzzles, unless a workshop is being held). The Market Place is always open for your convenience. And, of course as always, proceeds go towards scholarships.

We are excited about our 7th Annual event. Registration is open. We hope you can join us for The Love of Jane Austen.

Janefully,
Margaret Jane Andersen
President, Jane Austen Fest

Scholarships for Women

British novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817) wrote only six novels and died in 1817 at the age of 41. Yet, novelists on both sides of the pond, from Mark Twain to Kipling, could not let her pass quietly. Twain was fond of detesting Austen both in writing and speech, marveling that Austen had been allowed to die a natural death rather than face execution for her literary crimes. Kipling, however, greatly admired Austen’s work. The most famous line in his short story, The Janeites, reads There’s no one to touch Jane when you’re in a tight place.

Today her works continue to inspire debate and critique from scholarly circles to online blogs and her life continues to be explored by modern authors.

In addition to inspiring a thirst for knowledge about all things Regency, Austen has done more to inspire reproduction Regency era clothing and accessories in our century than any other author of her time. The Jane Austen Society continue to grow in membership. Their events, conferences and local chapters in both the US and abroad offer a wide range of content for serious “Janeites” as well as for those looking to simply take a step back in time for the sake of amusement and escape.

Austen’s Regency era tales of life and love brim with psychologically complex and multi-layered heroines who do not bow to the mores of their era. Add Austen’s brilliant irony to this mix and you have endless fascination and discovery for readers. Her books transcend time and geographical boundaries, allowing for adapted – and sometimes unusual – story lines in our modern books, movies and television.

Does Jane Austen remain culturally relevant today? Indeed, for as has been said, While the rules of life and love have changed since the Regency era, the game itself has not.

If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.
Jane Austen

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