Central and Western New York Region: Jane Austen and Thrift

Jane Austen and Thrift

Join the Central and Western New York Region as longtime member A. Marie Sprayberry gives a presentation on "JaneAusten and Thrift". This is an appropriate topic as we approach Earth Day and as many of us are looking for ways to practice thrift.

After a quick discussion of terms (Austen herself used "economy" in the sense of "domestic economy" much more often than "thrift"), the first part of the presentation will be a description of "Thrifty Living at Chawton Cottage." Austen, her mother, her sister, and their friend Martha Lloyd lived at the cottage on a combined income of between £450 and £500 a year, and they did so in ways we can admire today. 

The second part will be an open discussion of thrift (economy) as practiced by Jane Austen's characters. Which characters were good "domestic economists" (whether they were poor or well off), which were spendthrifts, and which were cheapskates? Help us decide!