Author Archives:

About sarahemsley

I’m a writer and editor, with a particular interest in the novels of Jane Austen and Edith Wharton.

Jane Austen’s Birthday in Halifax

Posted on November 18, 2011

Celebrate Jane Austen’s birthday with us in Halifax!  December 16th is her 236th birthday, and members of the Nova Scotia Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America will meet for lunch at The Carleton on Argyle Street at … Continue reading →

Posted in JASNA, Nova Scotia History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Austen’s “Beautifull Cassandra”

Posted on October 28, 2011

Juliet McMaster reads Jane Austen’s story “The Beautifull Cassandra” to a group of children in this video on the University of Alberta Faculty of Arts website.  McMaster’s beautifully illustrated edition of the story, in which she imagines Cassandra and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Jane Austen for Kids | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Elizabeth Bennet and Anne Shirley

Posted on September 12, 2011

During a holiday in Prince Edward Island last month, I thought more about ways of introducing Jane Austen to children, not because my daughter and I were reading Austen, but because we were completely absorbed in the literary world of … Continue reading →

Posted in Jane Austen for Kids, L.M. Montgomery | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Jane Austen for All Ages

Posted on July 30, 2011

What’s the ideal age to start reading Jane Austen?  I don’t know the answer to this, though I’ve heard lots of people say they discovered her at the age of twelve.  It took me much longer–I read Pride and Prejudice … Continue reading →

Posted in Jane Austen for Kids | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Tea in June

Posted on May 28, 2011

I’m looking forward to tea with members of the Jane Austen Society of North America three times in the month of June.  The first is a strawberry tea at which we’ll discuss links between Austen’s novels and Oscar Wilde’s play … Continue reading →

Posted in JASNA | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sense and Sensibility in Truro

Posted on April 13, 2011

***CHANGE OF PLANS: The Palliser Hotel has closed, so the next JASNA NS meeting will be brunch at Seasons in the Atlantica Hotel in Halifax, this coming Sunday, May 15th, at 11:30am.*** The Nova Scotia Region of the Jane Austen … Continue reading →

Posted in JASNA | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pride and Prejudice in Halifax

Posted on March 7, 2011

The Saint Mary’s University Drama Society is putting on a production of Pride and Prejudice this month.  Performances are March 17-20 at 7:30pm.  Click here for more details.

Posted in Jane Austen, Nova Scotia | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Austen and Wharton on Sunday

Posted on March 2, 2011

This Sunday, March 6th, I’ll be speaking on Jane Austen and Edith Wharton at a meeting of the Nova Scotia Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America.  It starts at 2:30pm; please email me (semsley at gmail dot … Continue reading →

Posted in Edith Wharton, Jane Austen, My Lectures | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Inspiration from Jane Austen

Posted on January 13, 2011

Have you ever searched the online concordance to Jane Austen’s novels for an apt, pithy quotation to write on a special occasion card?  I’ve tried this a few times, coming away disappointed each time because it’s so difficult to pin … Continue reading →

Posted in Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotations, Jane Austen's Letters | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tribute to Brian Southam

Posted on December 9, 2010

Brian Southam, author of Jane Austen and the Navy (2000) and many other books on Austen, died on October 7, 2010. A little more than five years ago, he visited Nova Scotia and spoke about Austen’s naval brothers, Charles and … Continue reading →

Posted in Jane Austen, Nova Scotia | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment