What Matters in Jane Austen?
As part of our celebrations of the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, we’re excited to have acclaimed author, broadcaster, journalist and professor, John Mullan, join us for a lecture on ‘What Matters in Jane Austen?’
He’ll share insight that takes a closer look at some of the more well-loved themes of Austen’s works and answer questions such as:
What are the right and wrong ways to propose marriage? Why is it dangerous to go to the seaside? What makes characters blush? Why is the weather important? Who is the only married woman in Austen’s novels to call her husband by his first name?
The answers to these questions will reveal the brilliant intricacy of Austen’s fiction, and the revolutionary ways in which she allowed readers to understand the motivations of her characters.
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John Mullan is Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London and the author of What Matters in Jane Austen? (Bloomsbury, 2012). His other books include How Novels Work (2006) and, most recently, The Artful Dickens (2020). He is also a broadcaster and journalist, writing on contemporary fiction for the Guardian, and in 2009 was one of the judges for the Man Booker Prize. He published a new edition of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility for Oxford World’s Classics in 2017 and a new World’s Classics edition of Emma in 2022.
The Programme
6:30 PM: Screening Room Bar Opens
7:00 PM: Talk on...
8:00 PM: Q & A
8.30PM: Conclude
If you need to book an accessible seat, please get in touch directly at events@heckfieldplace.com and we'd be delighted to assist.
