November 8, 2009
Sanditon is one of Jane Austen's unfinished novels. Reading it was a new experience for the girls and mothers.
During the discussion the girls shared what they hoped would be the real ending of the story.
Ending with a tea is always a fun part of the meetings. Some of the girls enjoyed making Regency-style foods for our teas.
Experimenting with hairstyles...
The Bradley family spent a day at the Huntington in San Marino, California.
Jeanne's design in buying year passes to the Huntington was to have a beautiful and inspiring place to regularly go for the girls to write.
Above -- the mausoleum.
The Japanese Gardens.
They each went off singly to explore, but Jeanne occasionally ran across her daughters and took pictures. The girls drew and wrote in their Journals of Discovery.
Jeanne sneaked up behind her daughter while she drew her favorite Greek goddess, Artemis.
She listened to a book on tape while she drew.
Another candid shot as Jeanne's daughter spent a quiet time reading in a garden.
Bust of Shakespeare in the Shakespearean garden.
Drawing a picture of Shakespeare.
One of Jeanne's discovery on a garden trail.
Everyone read "Frankenstein" in October. They chose to read Mary Shelley's work because she wrote close Jane Austen's time period. They had just studied Classical architecture, and as often happens in EPIC Adventures, thematic serendipity occurs -- the full title of the book is "Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus!
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They also enjoyed reading Frankenstein in the appropriate month of October!
One family added some extra Frankenstein/Halloween flavor.
Though, in truth, the girls learned that Frankenstein wasn't at all scary, as the TV or movie versions portray.
Regency England was enamored by Neo-classicism - from the discoveries in Pompeii the English adopted hairstyles, clothing and architecture. After a study of Classical architecture we visited the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California. It was modeled after a Roman country house in Herculaneum, a town near Pompeii.
After the group picture, the girls split up with their Journals of Discovery to explore the Villa on their own.
The family room offered a hands-on experience with shadow theater and pottery.
Above: The inner peristyle.
Painted walls of the outer peristyle.
More of the outer peristyle.
Jeanne and her daughters.
The loggia.
The girls enjoyed making drawings of the statues and taking notes in their Journals of Discovery.
The next day, within individual families, the girls and mothers shared their discoveries.
The Pickwick Portfolio is our monthly, or so, society newsletter. The name is taken from the society that Louisa May Alcott wrote about in her novel, Little Women. (We showed the Little Women movie clip of the Pickwick Society, at our opening day of the Adventure, while explaining what their own Pickwick Portfolio would be like).
Above - Template for the Pickwick Portfolio
Between society meetings, society members write articles and advertisements for the Regency (Jane Austen's time), and Victorian (Charles Dickens' time), editions of the Pickwick Portfolio. The PP is written and edited entirely by the students.
Each of the girls will have had the chance to be editor for the Pickwick Portfolio.
Each editor receives articles, advertisements, etc. along with photos of engravings or paintings to illustrate the newsletter, from each society member, who uses her pen name (chosen during the Literary Academy), when writing articles.
The editor compiles the articles and even adds her own quotes and anecdotes along with her own articles. She then prints the portfolio and hands out individual copies at our society meetings.
Each member eagerly awaits reading our Pickwick Portfolio, and seeing her name in print!
October 12, 2009
Literary Meeting -- Pride and Prejudice
Here are the front and back of one girl's Grammar stage bookmark. The Logic and Rhetoric stage bookmarks provide provocative questions which forced each reader to discover her own thoughts about each book. This proved to be much more than just a book discussion, but a time to delve deeply into the heart of each book and person. Of course students were given the options to share or not to share opinions. Mothers only shared opinions at the end of our discussions in order to give each girl time to express ideas.
Every society meeting ends in a 'tea' where we eat a dainty lunch and sample various herbal teas.
"Jane Austen" visited The Jane Austen/Charles Dickens Literary Society's Literary Academy Graduation.
The girls strike an artistic pose before "Jane Austen" arrived.
"Jane Austen" with shawl in the center of the photo.
Academy members sat under a sprawling, ancient tree in a garden when Miss Austen arrived. After being introduced, she told about her writing and her life, and answered questions.
She congratulated the graduates while awarding quill pens, graduation certificates, and Jane Austen silhouette bookplates to each new society members.
The bookplates were wrapped in parchment and decorated with a ribboned cameo.
The girls peruse the bookshelves at The Huntington Bookstore.
The girls visit the Samuel Johnson exhibition at The Huntington.
Samuel Johnson was Jane Austen's mentor.
G. certainly is dramatic!
The gazebo in the rose garden at The Huntington.
The Bradley girls have a private photo shoot after the Opening Day festivities.
H. in a proper Regency portrait.
H. wrote in her new Journal of Discovery.
H. and G. posed in their Regency dresses.
G. pondered in the garden.
G. writes in her Journal of Discovery
G. prepared to paint her Adventure Mindmap.
H. painting her Adventure Mindmap.
G. It's amazing how much a dress can transform a girl into another time, another setting.
The name plate on the front door beckoned guests to enter.
Decorations befit the occasion.
Mothers welcomed the new prospects to the first day of the Literary Academy, a two-week, rigorous preparation course. Students must fulfill the requirements before they are granted entrance into the Jane Austen - Charles Dickens Literary Society.
Jeanne and Tammy modeled their costumes.
Jeanne explained what the adventure will hold, and gave instructions for the work of the next two weeks in the Literary Academy.
The girls listened attentively and, of course, used their best society manners!
The girls posed below with the results of a writing structure exercise.
A set of Journals of Discovery, styled to match the Adventure. (Below)
Jeanne gave an inspiring presentation about Journals of Discovery and shared many samples.
Jeanne shared HER Journals of Discovery as well as those of her daughters, Heather and Giselle. Their volumes are massive and many times multiple for each year and each EPIC Adventure.
The group then headed into the dining room for their special refreshments.
The girls each brought a china cup and saucer and mothers all contributed beautiful serving utensils and treats. They had English scones and clotted cream accompanied by herb teas.
English scones made by Suzanne Manutai.
The table was then cleared and Jeanne instructed the girls in the use of watercolors. Each girl brought her own personal, portable set (part of the materials they received on the first day of the Adventure within their own homes.
The girls prepare to practice mixing colors.
The girls, and mothers, will use these skills in their Journals of Discovery as they decorate pages for their entries. They usually create some sort of cloth bag to carry their paints, pencils and Journals of Discovery with them on Being-There Experiences.
A pause for focused observation, thought and recording in words or picture is a common occurrence in nature, at museums and other places that they visit.
The art lesson was completed and everyone moved back into the living room for the closing activities.
Tammy Prara created a delightful test to discover what type of reading personality each girl possessed. The girls answered the questions and tallied up their answers. The answer key revealed their reading personality type. Tammy read the characteristics and inclinations of each type of reader. Everyone enjoyed listening to see if they were indeed like their type!
What a fun and light-hearted activity!
Each of the girls signed the document indicating their presence and commitment to accomplish the requirements to graduate from the Literary Academy and join the Jane Austen - Charles Dickens Literary Society.
Then everyone gathered for photos!
Mothers and daughters, a beautiful and accomplished group!
