By Katharine Armbrester
Photos by Kelsea Schafer
Once a year, beautifully dressed ladies and gentlemen descend upon the Homewood Public Library. The participating guests and patrons are eager to attend an annual ball inspired by England’s Regency Era. As gowns in every color flutter in the evening breeze and whirl on the dance floor, everyone enjoys a night of revelry, refreshments and impassioned conversation about Jane Austen and her beloved novels.
For more than 25 years, the Jane Austen Society of Alabama has gathered together devoted readers of the classic British author.
The spirited group of Austen fans who dance the night away at the library are often referred to as “Janeites,” and most of the attendees are members of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA), which was co-founded in 1979 by Joan Austen-Leigh, a descendant of the author. The non-profit organization today boasts more than 5,000 members and 81 regional groups across the continent.
The Alabama chapter, or region, was founded in 1998 by Dr. Mary Jane Curry, author of the recently published “Jane Austen on Nature: The Novels as Pastoral Literature.” At the time, Alabama was one of the few states without a region, and interest in Austen’s writing skyrocketed when the miniseries “Pride and Prejudice” aired on PBS in 1995.
Curry connected with several Tuscaloosa natives after attending the annual members-only general meeting of JASNA in New Orleans, and she was elected the first head of the Alabama region, known as a regional coordinator. Early meetings took place at the historic University Club in Tuscaloosa and then at The Country Club of Birmingham.
From the beginning, Curry and her fellow founding members set a high bar for future gatherings, and she fondly remembers a country club meeting that featured a performance of piano music from the Regency period.
“Among the many memorable programs over the years was former ‘Birmingham News’ editor William Crowe’s talk on the entire publication history of Austen’s novels,” Curry says, later adding, “with details about publishing houses, legal agreements, Austen’s income from sales and readers’ and critics’ responses.”
In recent years, distinguished scholars such as Dr. Christine Colón of Wheaton College, Dr. Margaret Payne from Freed-Hardeman University and Dr. Peter Graham of Virginia Tech presented topics as varied as the depictions of single women and young heroines on the verge of adulthood in Austen’s novels, the influence of Lord Byron on her characters and the treatment of slavery in her novel, “Mansfield Park.”
“Austen fans are serious about their favorite author,” Curry says. “So, they read the biographies and background history as well as her novels several times over.”
In her office as regional coordinator, Renee Gainer presides over the group’s meetings and often suggests topics for discussion. For last year’s Yuletide celebration, she led a fascinating discussion on the unusual origins of various Christmas traditions. Members also learned the holiday was celebrated very differently in Austen’s time.
An Anglophile with a love for Austen’s fiction, Gainer found kindred spirits when she learned of the Alabama region of JASNA and its enthusiastic participants.
“I wanted to be a part of a group of people who enjoyed Jane Austen as much as I do,” she says. “After my first meeting, I knew that I had found a niche that I’d been looking for.”
Leslie West, the head of library services, says that since the first Regency Ball took place in 2017, it has become one of the best-loved annual events by both the Homewood Library patrons and staff, who enjoy having “a blast in the past.”
“The event is charming, almost like stepping back in time,” she says. “I love to see the various costumes participants wear. All of them are just beautiful, and the dancing is just regal.”
In recent years, members and curious Homewood citizens have met at the library in the weeks beforehand to practice the intricate Regency dances for the ball, and the result is always an impressive sight, even with the occasional misstep.
There has been an astonishing variety of memorable presentations in the 28 years of the society, and the meetings alternately take place at the Homewood Library and in members’ homes. The Janeites enjoy the novelty of visiting local members and their hospitality, and the centrality of the library is also appreciated.
Along with the eagerly awaited Regency Ball, other annual events include two elaborate luncheons, which present more opportunities for dressing in costume (including the bonnets and the occasional dashing uniform).
Every spring or summer, the Janeites travel to Greensboro to visit the antebellum home of University of Alabama instructor, Ian Crawford. In 2024, the presentation topic was on English common law and its influence on the United States Constitution, and it included a gripping reenactment of a real trial from the Regency Era.
In December, the Christmas luncheon also serves as a celebration of Austen’s birthday on Dec. 16, and this year marks the 250th anniversary of her birth. Members make an effort to bring a savory or dessert from the Regency Era: William Crowe’s Prince Regent’s Punch, salmagundi salad and a mouthwatering, layered cake called trifle are uncontested crowd pleasers.
For a past Valentine’s Day program, a presentation on the cads, rakes and ungentlemanly gentlemen in Austen’s fiction led to a lively debate and laughs when Mr. Darcy — the hero of “Pride and Prejudice” — was included, due to his haughtiness.
In 2024, the erudite teenage daughter of a Samford University professor led a spirited discussion of “Pride and Prejudice” and made sure to bring along the elegant fan that completed her costume at the Regency ball earlier that year.
Every year, the group of “Janeites” grows, demonstrating that people of all ages and walks of life find something in Austen’s novels that speaks to them, and the events hosted by the chapter offer something for everyone.
To join the Alabama group, an application must be submitted on the Jane Austen Society of North America’s website. There are multiple memberships available, and student membership is free until the end of 2025, with individual annual memberships beginning at $30.
Along with the quarterly printed newsletter and the annual journal, “Persuasions,” members are invited to attend the annual general meeting, a three-day conference hosted in a different city every year and which features Austen scholars and often actors from film and television adaptations.
JASNA has proved a magnet for lovers of English literature, and Curry believes that members find joy not only in exchanging insights into Austen’s fiction, but also in having deep conversations about her literary influences, such as Shakespeare.
Gainer is happy to list just a few of the benefits of joining the Alabama region of JASNA.
“We offer the chance to deep dive into the world of Jane Austen and to socialize,” she says. “We are a fun group of people and are very inclusive to people on all levels of knowledge on Jane Austen.”
The chapter owes much of the success of the annual ball to the cooperation of the Homewood Library and its staff. In turn, West and her fellow librarians relish the opportunity to observe the intricate Regency dances and costumed participants.
“For a couple of hours, you are in a kinder, gentler place,” she says. “Enjoying the dances, having tea and delicious refreshments, dressing in your best Regency finery brings the magic and romance of Jane Austen to you in this chaotic world.”
The curious can request to join the Jane Austen Society of Alabama’s Facebook group, in order to find information about joining JASNA and attending future meetings. The next Regency ball will take place in the spring 2026, and the Alabama Janeites look forward to welcoming new members, watching (and critiquing) new adaptations of Austen’s novels and much more dancing.
