What do dress materials, pineapples, femininity in male heroes, and Portland have in common? They’re all elements of the 2010 Jane Austen Society of North America AGM, which takes place over the Halloween weekend (October 29-31). The theme this year is “Jane Austen and the Abbey: Mystery, Mayhem and Muslin in Portland,” and is based around Austen’s 1817 novel Northanger Abbey.Jane Austen experienced an unexpected renaissance in popular culture last year with the publication of Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but “Janeites”as they’re colloquially knownhave been celebrating the author for decades. J.K. Rowling, best-selling author of the Harry Potter series, cites her as her favorite author.This passionate fanbase makes the annual general m meeting of the Jane Austen Society considerably more lively than you might expect. Oh, you’ll find plenty of scholarship on Austen, and particularly Northanger Abbey, including “Henry Tilney: Portrait of the Hero as Beta Male,” “Henry Tilney: Austen’s Feminized Hero,” and “The Mystique of the Pineapple: A Lure for General Tilney.” For those unacquainted with the novel, Henry Tilney is the romantic lead who steps in to rescue protagonist Catherine Morland form the unwanted advances of the brutish John Thorpe. General Tilney is Henry’s father, who invites Catherine to the titular abbey for a retreat. The book has been considered a parody of the Gothic novels of the time, while still maintaining Austen’s signature social criticism.For every academic lecture, though, there’s an amusing diversionreferred to as “fripperies” on the JASNA’s web site. These include a performance by the Wild Rose Garland Dancers, a “Milsom Street” Regency Emporium with period-style clothing and accessories, High Tea at the Heathman Hotel, a costume display, and a workshop for local high school writers. The highlight of the weekend, though, is the Bal Masque, the Saturday evening dance which mimics the English Country Dancing (ECD) seen in so many adaptations of Austen’s work.Each year the JASNA seems to outdo itself, so even if you aren’t signed up for this year’s festivities, fear not. The Jane Austen Societyand indeed, Jane Austen herselfaren’t planning on disappearing any time soon, and it’s never too early to start thinking about next year.

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