The weekend was topped off Sunday by a delightfully ironic discussion of Jane Austen's men by Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist Carol Shields and her daughter, Ann Giardini, at the Virginia Museum of Art. After the talk, members toured a literally dazzling exhibit of treasures made by Peter Carl Faberge for the Russian Imperial family and other wealthy patrons. Those who arrived early took advantage of a variety of tours of the city and the Richmond area. Within walking distance of the conference hotel were the Virginia State Capital, the White House of the Confederacy and the historic Wickham House. Women get into trouble with this.
Women suffer when they are in love, but traditionally have no outlet.
The fact that romance and marriage weren't entirely linked in Jane Austen's time is shown by the fact that love stories always end at the point of the wedding, Dr. Tracy said. On Friday evening, members heard Virginia author George Holbert Tucker and British author Irene Collins. Mr. Southam, who is credited with identifying Jane Austen's Sir Charles Grandison as a play she authored rather than a transcription of the book, described how the mystery of the manuscript was solved. While at Oxford University in the 1950s, he came across a reference to the play in a book by Constance Hill. But authorities such as R.W. Chapman and Lord David Cecil had no knowledge of it and Mr. Southam dropped his enquiries.