I found out that Juliet McMaster was the external examiner for my former supervisor, and she referred to me as her "granddaughter" by extension, which I thought was very sweet. What a small world!
On October 28th 2017, the monthly meeting for the Jane Austen Society of North America-- Edmonton Region took place at United on Whyte 7909-82 Avenue. The community gathers every 4th Saturday of every month and they feature guest lectures on Jane Austen and her works by academics, writers, and community members. Very nice refreshments were also provided courtesy of Vicky! Last month, Dr. Nora Stovel delivered a talk entitled, “Modernizing Jane Austen: the HarperCollins project,” which, I sadly, could not attend.
Yesterday, Dr. Juliet McMaster, who founded JASNA-Edmonton region, delivered a compelling lecture entitled “The Child Author as Mother of the Novelist: From the Juvenilia to the Novels,” in which she made the case for understanding the importance of how themes of courtship in Austen’s Juvenilia get carried forward and magnified in the novels. The manuscript has been sent for publication with Persuasions On-Line and I can’t wait to read it--to really digest it. This was the first time ever that I’d seen Dr. McMaster present, though, I have read many of her works. I'd always wanted to meet her, especially after having completed one of my MAs on a manga adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility, but by the time I came to study at the University of Alberta, Dr. McMaster had already retired! I thought that I would never get a chance to meet her, so being able to listen to her present and talk to her was like a dream come true! The delivery of her presentation was so incredible! She had such a great sense of humor and really knew how to draw a crowd. It was like a performance. There is much to learn from her.
Juliet McMaster in white attire.
In addition to her talk on Jane Austen’s Juvenilia, Dr. McMaster also gave a fencing demonstration as part of her book promotion, Blades Against the Dark. Her demonstration was also quite impressive! She then gave a short reading from the novel. I wish the day wouldn’t end! Being surrounded by so many accomplished, intelligent and influential women, I felt so inspired and motivated!
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