A few years ago, acclaimed actor, Colin Firth revealed he was meant to go naked for the famous lake scene in the TV series of Jane Austenโs most iconic novel, Pride and Prejudice.
On a TV chat show Colin told the audience โPeople talked about the scene where I proposed to the girl and all the rest of it. And I thought that must mean I’ve done a good acting job and then there was some attention about the shirt and now it’s just the shirt” he laughed.
On March 5 this year, the white shirt he wore into the lake sold for an eye-watering ๏ฟก20,000 reflecting the phenomena that became known as โDarcymaniaโ back in 1995.
The audience at Jane Austen: Her Life and Works at Narrabriโs Crossing Theatre tonight can expect to hear more of these wonderful anecdotes and have their love of superb literature fed or even ignited. Esteemed literary historian and lecturer, Susannah Fullerton, is delivering the special presentation about all things Jane Austen, acknowledging her as the writer who changed her life. For a quarter of a century she has been president of the Jane Austen Literary Society, which is the largest literary society in Australia.
โJane Austen is a superstar. She is probably the most talked about, written about woman writer in the world.โ
โMy favourite is Emma. I think itโs the greatest novel ever written but I love all six of them.โ
“And they are truly wonderful love stories, I think they are some of the best love stories ever written.โ
โI try to make it very clear to the men in the audience that sheโs not just a writer for women, sheโs a writer for everybody. More men should be reading her books. I think thereโs lots of lessons to be learned from them.โ
โEven though weโre not wearing Regency dresses and riding in carriages today, her books are still so relevant because her understanding of human nature is there on every page of her novels and that hasnโt changed in 200 years.โ
Jane Austen had a particular skill for analysing and communicating the essence of what makes people tick.
โShe looks at things that are still so relevant to us today, a young person finding a career, or coping with difficult and demanding parents, or finding that a friend is a bit of a false friend, or dealing with somebody whoโs incredibly bossy and demanding or coping with a person who never stops talking.โ
Susannahโs talks on classic novels are booked out months in advance at the Art Gallery of NSW. The waiting list for her international literary tours is years.
Elizabeth Campbell, Chair of ArtsNational Narrabri, is very excited to be welcoming Susannah Fullerton this week as one of seven magnificently illustrated arts talks ArtsNational have scheduled this year.
โAs a community based group with a love of the arts, people can come along and learn more about the arts in a friendly, inclusive environment.โ
Susannah Fullerton presents โJane Austen: her Life and Worksโ is on tonight, Monday 8 April 2024, at Cinema 1, The Crossing Theatre. Please arrive at 6.30 pm for 7 pm start, visitor tickets $35 at the door or $30 online from https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1196259
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