This year marks the 250th birthday of Jane Austen, one of the most famous and best-loved English authors. Born on the eve of the American Revolution, Austen lived during the Regency, a time often associated with fancy dress and an elaborate social scene. It was also a period of war and political chaos.
Like other women, Austen was expected to secure her future by making an advantageous marriage. Instead, she pursued a career in writing. The six novels she completed give us a window into her era, with the realities of poverty, illness, war, and death rumbling through. More than two centuries later, her works continue to capture the modern imagination, leading to new adaptations and spin-offs for film, theater, and television every year.
Historian and author Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger leads a journey into Jane Austen’s world through the lens of her novels. Austen fans and history buffs alike gain insights into the author’s time through her works and their ongoing relevance in the modern world.
10–11 a.m. Georgian and Regency England: A Time of Change
The implications of Georgian rule on England and England’s place in the changing world of the 18th century and how Austen’s birth in 1775 positions her to grow up in a society questioning power and influence on a global and a personal scale.
11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. The Life of Jane Austen
Explore the life of an apparently typical family and their extraordinary experiences and how Jane and her siblings, especially her sister Cassandra, navigate society’s changing expectations for women trying to make their way in the world.
12:15–12:45 p.m. Break
12:45–1:45 p.m. The Stories and Novels of Jane Austen
Experience the Regency world through Austen’s six novels. Consider how details of Austen’s characters reflect the time and appreciate how she pokes fun at society’s expectations and uses humor to raise questions about the gentry and its place.
2–3 p.m. Jane Austen Then and Now
Trace the history of Austen’s popularity from the 18th century to today.
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