Jane Austen Fans Host Saturday Box Hill Picnic

If Box Hill is as real to you as Floods Hill, and the summer reading dilemma isn’t which six novels to read, but in which order, you might just be a Janeite. You can join other Janeites this Saturday for a Box Hill Picnic at 12 noon, Monmouth Battlefield in Freehold. Bring food, perhaps a chair, and your favorite passage from an Austen novel. 

Locally, Austen’s books remain popular at the library and bookstores; at least three South Orange and Maplewood-based book groups have Austen on the summer agenda. 

The Jane Austen Society of North America has 65 regional groups across the United States and Canada. Local Austen fans belong or attend events at two, the Central New Jersey and the Metropolitan New York societies.

The New Jersey group meets about six times each year, according to Meredith Barnes, Regional Coordinator for the Central NJ chapter.  “Some of our meetings are about the different writings of Jane Austen, other meetings focus on other aspects of her world,” explains Barnes. “We celebrate Jane Austen's Birthday in December, and we try to have a ‘field trip’ out to a historic home or museum with a topical exhibit,” adds Barnes.

 “In addition we have a newsletter and a website, which is updated frequently with fun information about JA’s life and times, our events and news, as well as the events and news of our national affiliate and our sister regions in NY and PA.”

 A signature event of the Austen year is the annual Box Hill Picnic, which will be held at the Battle of Monmouth grounds on August 13.

As a refresher, Barnes explains that the Box Hill picnic is an important episode in Emma. In the novel, the characters go to Donwell Abbey, the estate of Mr. Knightley to pick strawberries. The next day they gather together to have a picnic.”

Picnicking became very popular in the nineteenth century; nonetheless, the excursion in Emma is not a success. Away from their accustomed drawing and dining rooms, tension grows among the guests until main character Emma is publicly rude to the elderly Miss Bates. Mr. Knightley later scolds her, and Emma considers her behavior with regret.

“Our version is slightly different,” explains Barnes.  “At our picnic meeting, we usually share something from the novel that we enjoy or will start a discussion. We eat our lunches and have dessert. It is a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Some chapters have actually gone strawberry picking while others have a more formal tea to celebrate the occasion.”

While Emma is a favorite around town, Barnes says, “If our chapter had to pick one book as our favorite, it would be Pride and Prejudice. All of our conversations somehow end up talking about P&P. As for me, I like Persuasion as my favorite book. It is about a second chance at love for the heroine.”

If you can’t do lunch with Jane Austen herself, a local Janeite just might fill the bill. Box Hill picnic, anyone?

For more information on joining or attending the picnic, click www.cnjjasna.org to sign up for an e-newsletter. Readers can also contact centraljerseyJASNA@yahoo.com.