The Burney Society honours Frances Burney d'Arblay (1752-1840), a woman who recorded everything from Johnsonian wit to George III's fits, from Evelina's entrance into the world to Napoleon's last stand. Her acute observations about her family, friends, and 18th-century society show us how much, and how little, life and literature have changed in two centuries. Her works played an essential role in the development of the novel and made writing women respectable. Her four novels--Evelina, Cecilia, Camilla, and The Wanderer--influenced and inspired a generation of writers, led by Jane Austen, who repaid her predecessor with a tribute in Northanger Abbey. Burney's father suppressed all but one of her plays in her lifetime, but since the plays were first published as a collection in 1995, her ability as a playwright can now be appreciated. As we read her novels and diaries, we find ourselves drawn into her life, which spanned five reigns. We understand her, suffer with her (her account of a mastectomy without anaesthesia made medical history) and rejoice with her. Her powers of expression and observation make it seem as if she herself has stepped off the page and into the present. For all these reasons, The Burney Society was founded in New Orleans by Paula Stepankowsky, Lucy Magruder, and Dr. Jacqueline Reid-Walsh. Membership now numbers about 120 in Great Britain, the United States, Canada, and Australia. The purpose of the society is to promote the study and appreciation of Burney's works and of the life and times of her and her family. Membership in the Burney Society is available for $30 (U.S.) annually in the United States and Canada, and £12 annually in Great Britain. The dues year runs from June 13 to June 13, in honour of Frances Burney d'Arblay's birthday. Membership includes subscriptions to The Burney Letter, the semi-annual newsletter of the society, as well as to The Burney Journal, the society's annual literary journal. To request membership information, or to notify the society of a change in address: The United States and Canada: Alex Pitofsky 3621 - 9th ST Drive NE Hickory, NC 28601 USA Great Britain: David and Janet Tregear 36 Henty Gardens Chichester, West Sussex PO19 3DL England Officers President Paula L. Stepankowsky Vice President/Vice President for Canada Stewart J. Cooke Vice President for Great Britain Kate Chisholm North American Secretary/Treasurer Alex Pitofsky British Secretary/Treasurer David and Janet Tregear Editor, The Burney Letter Lorna J. Clark Editors, The Burney Journal Stewart Cooke Marilyn Francus Alex Pitofsky Members-at-Large Joan Drexler Patrons Canada Jan Fergus Juliet McMaster Peter Sabor Lars Troide Great Britain Jean Bowden Charles Burney Kate Chisholm United States Mary Margaret Benson Rachel Brownstein Margaret Anne Doody Conrad Harper Ruth Iglehart Ruth Perry

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