Yours Faithfully, Amanda

Jane & Charlotte:   Finding Common Ground in Hartford By: Amanda Forker Jane Austen lived from 1775 until 1817 whilst Charlotte Brontë was born in 1816 and died in 1851; they were near contemporaries with only the latter author having knowledge of the prior. Now, however, in 2020, we lucky Connecticutians have the unique opportunity to see fresh theatrical adaptations (written by talented, female playwrights) of both Jane & Charlotte’s most famous works: Pride & Prejudice and Jane Eyre , respectively. I am one of those lucky Connecticutians who has seen both....and I hope that you will be, too. If you consider yourself to be a ‘Janeite,’ Brontë Fan, or even a general literature/history buff, then you may be aware that Charlotte Brontë was no fan of Jane Austen’s. That being said, it is this authoress’s opinion that Charlotte’s dislike was cemented when friend and literary critic, G.H. Lewes, compared ‘Jane Eyre’ to ‘Pride & Prejudice.’ It was impli...

February 16, 2019 Dear Jane, As it two days after Valentine's Day, I must discuss something with you of the utmost importance. I do not wish to play the blame game, Jane, but you must admit that you gave me (and all your gentle readers) some very unrealistic expectations about love when you wrote characters like Captain Wentworth, Mr. Darcy & Mr. Knightley (and the lesser-talked-about, Admiral Croft. He was a true gentleman, Jane, who clearly valued his remarkable wife!). But do not fret for I forgive you, dear friend! We are most fortunate to have your novels to turn to both when love is in the air and when it is not. Of course, that is not to say you were a writer of mere love stories. I am a firm believer (as are most, I should hope) that your novels are some of the greatest works of fiction ever written. However, as it is the month of love, I shall share my favorite romantic moment from Persuasion: Captain Wentworth's letter. "I can listen no longer in silenc...

September 19, 2015 Dear Jane, I dare say that you will not believe the fantastic week that I have had unless I give you a thoroughly precise account of it. (Do not let yourself become too excited for I have not yet fallen love with a modern day Mr. Darcy, but it is still exciting news!) I hardly know where to begin! (How often is it that I start a letter with so much glee? I must endeavor to have a happier tone in my letters if this such an uncommon occurrence.) ... The three dots above indicate a lapse in time in which instead of writing, I walked to the local washer woman (or rather, the laundromat) and dropped off (or rather, did myself) my clothes to be cleaned. This is my least favorite errand to complete as I am now very weary and have no desire to do anything else for the remainder of the day. That being said, I shall do my best to continue this correspondence. Where was I? Oh yes...my adventures. I shall go day by day so that I can be sure that I do not leave a single...

June 16, 2015 Dear Jane, I regret to inform you that this letter is delivered to you from my renewed place in the "real world." I am both happy and disappointed to report that the 'Miss Nelson is Missing' tour formally came to an end on the twelfth of June in the Year of our Lord, two-thousand and fifteen, on a Friday.  Between the two of us, Jane, I do not believe we would have been able to continue much longer anyways, as our van was slowly (or rather, rapidly) breaking down. Along with not being able to shut the back door from the inside and lack of air circulation (to name just a couple of things), we also lost a tire. It was the beginning of June and we were just beginning our journey to Massachusetts. After sitting for quite a long time in traffic, we were were finally driving through Connecticut, when suddenly, one of our back tires blew out and gave us a terrible fright! (Naturally, it was also pouring rain.) Anyway, we had to quickly pull off the road, ...

March 12, 2015 Dear Jane, It is with great displeasure that I now write to you as an old maid...pray, let me explain my meaning. The last time I wrote to you I was a young and vivacious twenty-five year old whereas now I am an old, spinster-like twenty-six year old. Where has the time gone? What prospects have I to look forward to?! If I am being truly honest with myself, my prospects are no different from what they were when I was twenty-five (last week), so I shall find it within myself to "keep it together." My only solace is that I am not a financial burdern on my parents (as poor Charlotte Lucas from Pride & Prejudice  feared she was at this age) and I am not at the point where my only chance for happiness is marrying a man like the daft and dreadful, Mr. Collins. Now there is some silver lining, Jane. North Carolina Blizzard- View from the Van Anyway, life here has continued on as normal whilst I have been performing in "Miss Nelson is Missing....

September 2, 2014 Dear Jane, Today marks the one year anniversary of  the first time I penned a (public) letter to you! I must confess that if I had not moved to New York City (one year and one day ago), I do not think that I would have begun this delightful venture, so I am very pleased that I did in fact move last September. It is wonderful to be able to read through all of my adventures from this past year and I am quite proud that I have been able to continue my correspondence with you (for we have already established how very lazy of a creature I can be at times).  Coincidentally, Jane, I arrived back in New York City from Springboro, Ohio on the same day that I moved last year (the first of September). Unfortunately, it is just as hot if not more so than it was on this day last year when I wrote to you for the first time. I know that it was in fact just as hot last year because I posted a picture about how it was so horridly humid  out that I could stick a lea...

July 22, 2014 Dear Jane, I have kept my promise to write to you anew and I imagine that you would be quite proud, for both you and I may acknowledge how unlikely it was that I would follow through with this venture so quickly after my last letter . I write to you today as I sit on a sensible, plastic, picnic table located in the kitchen of the housing facility graciously provided to myself and six additional actors on the grounds of LaComedia Dinner Theatre in the great state of Ohio. Below you will find a photo of the handsome cast of Mary Poppins and our friend Chris from the previous cast in housing. From left to right: Chris, Ashley, Myself, Dan, Layne, Levi, Nico & Meg If I may be candid with you, Jane, you would find my situation this summer quite interesting, and I expect that you would write the wittiest of narratives that would perfectly describe each location and character involved. Seeing as you are not here to assist me, however, I shall attempt ...