Event—Adult Education

Jane Austen and the Rise of the English Novel

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The English novel developed from travel narratives, adventure tales, as well as Gothic and sentimental fiction to reach the realism of Jane Austen.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, with a preface by George Saintsbury and illustrations by Hugh Thomson. 1894. Call number: Wing ZP 845 .T383

Class Description

The English novel developed from travel narratives, adventure tales, as well as Gothic and sentimental fiction to reach the realism of Jane Austen. The class will focus on selected Austen’s novels, from her early parody of popular romances in Northanger Abbey to her late satire of British society in Persuasion.

We will also look at the enduring popularity and afterlife of Jane Austen’s oeuvre and current “Austenmania” with its plethora of film adaptations, sequels, and parodies.

Elzbieta Foeller-Pituch is the Assistant Director of the Chabraja Center for Historical Studies at Northwestern University, where she also teaches literature classes.

Materials List

Required:

  • Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey. Oxford World’s Classics, 2008. ISBN: 978-0199535545
  • Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice. Dover Thrift, 1995. ISBN: 978-0486284736
  • Jane Austen, Persuasion. Vintage Classics, 2007. ISBN: 9780307386854

First Reading:

  • For our first meeting please read Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

Cost and Registration

This class is full, but you can still register for the waitlist on Learning Stream.

Three sessions, $140 ($126 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

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