Austen hasn’t delighted them long enough

“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other half,” wrote Jane Austen, and her observation couldn’t be more appropriate than when applied to the members of the Jane Austen Society of North America. The group brings together Austen enthusiasts from all walks of life to discuss and celebrate the genius of one of England’s most renowned 18th century novelists.

It may seem an unlikely pastime, but the group has been together since 1979 and includes more than 4,000 members in the United States and Canada. In Maine alone, 57 Janeites meet several times a year to read Austen’s writings, to discuss current research and to toast the beloved “Aunt Jane” and, of course, the Queen.

An annual meeting, which generally focuses on one novel, provides the members with a weekend of events, including discussions, films, guest speakers, meals and business meetings. This year’s meeting will take place Aug. 18 and 19 at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine and concentrate on the novel “Sense and Sensibility.”

Robert Hunting, national board member and head of the Maine chapter, says the meetings are fun and less academic than might be expected.

“Jane Austen people are nice people,” said Hunting, a retired University of Maine professor of English. “We get elevator operators, waiters and a sprinkling of academics, and we cover a good deal of ground at our meetings.”

Although her fans may well be nice people, it seems that Austen had a bit of a mean streak that her biographer, John Halperin, calls “nasty.” Hunting, however, prefers the word “acidic.”

“The old notion of dear sweet Aunt Jane…is not being wiped out but considerably modified,” said Hunting. “She’s a dear, but not always sweet.”

In October, the national conference will meet in Washington where Janeites will convene to learn 18th- and 19th century card games and dances, or examine the architecture, manners, humor, religion, romances, dress and education of Austen’s life and times.

It’s likely that the participants may come away saying, “It was a delightful visit — perfect, in being much too