Jane Austen & George Eliot by Edward Whitley.

Join us with Edward Whitley and his new book Jane Austen & George Eliot: The Lady & The Radical. An evening of literary discovery, lively discussion, and a celebration of two women who forever changed the story of English literature.

In October 1851, a chance encounter in a Piccadilly bookshop changed the course of literary history. There, a young scholar named Mary Ann Evans met the love of her life, critic George Lewes — a meeting that would set her on the path to becoming George Eliot, one of Victorian England’s most celebrated novelists.

Encouraged by Lewes and inspired by an unlikely literary predecessor the genteel and unfashionable Jane Austen. Eliot rose to become the radical, intellectually daring voice of her age. But what could these two women, so different in life and temperament, possibly share?

In this illuminating talk, Edward Whitley traces the subtle and surprising threads that connect Jane Austen and George Eliot, from their shared commitment to realism and social insight, to their pioneering belief in the value of a woman's perspective in a man’s literary world.

Drawing on letters, diaries, and the novels themselves, Whitley offers a fresh lens through which to see these two iconic writers — not as rivals across time, but as kindred spirits, each illuminating the other’s genius.

About the author:

Edward Whitley first became interested in the works of Jane Austen and George Eliot as an undergraduate at Oxford. His lifelong project has been to re-read and re-examine their novels in the context of each other. Edward’s previous books include The Graduates, a collection of interviews which was a Private Eye Book of the Year, and Gerald Durrell’s Army, a travelogue setting out the battle to save rare animals from extinction. This inspired him to launch the Whitley Awards, which fund wildlife conservation worldwide. In 2013, Edward was given the OBE for his work, and to mark the 30th anniversary of the Whitley Awards he was interviewed by Sir David Attenborough.

The event will start promptly at 7.00pm.

Tickets £8

Ticket plus book £20.00

Includes glass of wine/soft drink.

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Author talks are held in our basement which is fully accessible via a nearby lift. Please ask a member of staff who will accompany you.

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