Jane Austen inspires Regency period club
Club plans tea parties; 50 girls join mailing list
Kat Timpf
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: News
Last semester, several young women watched a movie segment of "Pride and Prejudice" every week. This semester, these women are starting a club called "Cravats and Bluestockings: A Celebration of the Regency Era" to bask in the literature and history of Jane Austen's era, also known as the Regency period.
"I was going to make all of my friends Jane Austen dresses, and my friends were like, 'Let's start a club, let's get money,'" said freshman Rachael Erichsen, a club co-founder.
Approximately 50 girls, mostly freshmen, and five professors subscribe to the club's mailing list. Several more students and professors have also informally expressed interest.
The club plans biweekly meetings where they will discuss period history and literature, and weekly teas where the members serve tea and socialize with professors.
"I'm really excited about the teas," freshman Laura Talcott said. "Essentially, [we want to recreate] this pub atmosphere they had at Oxford, where students chat with their professors, only with tea, and it would have more of a tea time flavor."
English Lecturer Melinda vonSydow agreed to be the club's faculty advisor.
"I love Jane Austen. She's one of my favorites of all time," vonSydow said. "She's very funny, she does great social satire and has great characters."
Erichsen is excited about the club because she loves dressmaking.
"It's my passion, making clothes, turning two-dimensional cloth into three-dimensional clothing," Erichsen said. "It's what excites me the most."
Erichsen said she has just completed sewing a corset on the machine she keeps in her dorm room. The club members plan to wear Jane Austen-style dresses made by Erichsen while they serve tea to faculty.
Erichsen also uses her sewing skills to work on costumes for her theatre production class twice a week.
"She comes with a background in how to stitch, she is able to start projects a little more easily," said Bryan Simmons, costume designer. "When I get going, she can understand a lot faster. I think it's really nice."
The club plans to host a Regency ball.
Erichsen said she is excited about the club because the her interest in the Regency time period is a way she can connect with other Hillsdale students.
"Everyone here really loves the Austen era, and it's a way to connect with them."
Erichsen said. "It kind of helps because I'm a science major [so] I don't really have much in common [with other students.]"
"I was going to make all of my friends Jane Austen dresses, and my friends were like, 'Let's start a club, let's get money,'" said freshman Rachael Erichsen, a club co-founder.
Approximately 50 girls, mostly freshmen, and five professors subscribe to the club's mailing list. Several more students and professors have also informally expressed interest.
The club plans biweekly meetings where they will discuss period history and literature, and weekly teas where the members serve tea and socialize with professors.
"I'm really excited about the teas," freshman Laura Talcott said. "Essentially, [we want to recreate] this pub atmosphere they had at Oxford, where students chat with their professors, only with tea, and it would have more of a tea time flavor."
English Lecturer Melinda vonSydow agreed to be the club's faculty advisor.
"I love Jane Austen. She's one of my favorites of all time," vonSydow said. "She's very funny, she does great social satire and has great characters."
Erichsen is excited about the club because she loves dressmaking.
"It's my passion, making clothes, turning two-dimensional cloth into three-dimensional clothing," Erichsen said. "It's what excites me the most."
Erichsen said she has just completed sewing a corset on the machine she keeps in her dorm room. The club members plan to wear Jane Austen-style dresses made by Erichsen while they serve tea to faculty.
Erichsen also uses her sewing skills to work on costumes for her theatre production class twice a week.
"She comes with a background in how to stitch, she is able to start projects a little more easily," said Bryan Simmons, costume designer. "When I get going, she can understand a lot faster. I think it's really nice."
The club plans to host a Regency ball.
Erichsen said she is excited about the club because the her interest in the Regency time period is a way she can connect with other Hillsdale students.
"Everyone here really loves the Austen era, and it's a way to connect with them."
Erichsen said. "It kind of helps because I'm a science major [so] I don't really have much in common [with other students.]"
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