The World of Jane Austen at BRLSI

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Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution are celebrating 250 years since Jane Austen’s birth with six evening talks, an all-day symposium and a guided walking tour around Bath.

Trials & Tribulations with Rachel Bynoth - Mon 12 May, 7:30pm
The 18th century ball was a dynamic space, a social whirl of dancing, cards, talking… and judgement. This talk will focus on many of the hidden trials and tribulations that women needed to navigate to survive an 18th century ball. The Bath marriage market was not just a matter of suitors, balls & proposals.

A German Play in Mansfield Park with Sabine Purshouse - Thu 15 May, 7:30pm
Jane Austen’s work is widely read and enjoyed in German-speaking countries. Mansfield Park features the play Lovers’ Vows which was an actual play originally written in German. This illustrated talk compares the original German play with its English translation and considers how it complements the themes of love, marriage, social position and moral integrity in Mansfield Park.

Edmund Burke: A Gentleman, Statesman & Scholar with Andreas Wasmuht - Fri 23 May, 7:30pm
Edmund Burke, an Anglo-Irish statesman and philosopher, proposed that the cultivation of virtues and the development of manners provided the possibility of moral stability in society and a just state, all of which set the scene for the Regency sense and sensibility.

What About War in Jane Austen's Novels? with Kathryn Sutherland - Mon 26 May, 7:30pm
The popular view is that public events are largely absent in Jane Austen’s novels, even though Austen (1775-1817) and Napoleon (1769-1821) were near contemporaries. Many of her communications were from far-flung theatres of war, but Austen is truly a novelist of the home front. Why don’t we notice the war in her novels?

Fanny Burney: Jane Austen's Favourite Writer? with Marie-Louise Luxemburg - Wed 28 May, 7:30pm
Although Jane Austen and Frances Burney, the celebrated author of Evelina and Cecilia, were contemporaries, their worlds were far apart. This talk will discuss Burney’s life and work, and whether she influenced Austen’s writing.

Letters in the Age of Jane Austen with Robert Morrison - Thu 29 May, 7:30 pm
Letter writing in Jane Austen’s day was the only viable alternative to face-to-face communication. It was a meaningful literary form that Austen frequently exploited in her novels. Her personal letters are remarkable for their wit, social commentary and insights into her own works and bring us as close as possible to hearing her talk.

The World of Jane Austen: all-day symposium - Sat 24 May at 10:30 am – 4:30 pm BST
A full day of talks & discussion, including 'Publishing & reading in Austen’s time', 'Fashion & Jane Austen' and 'Art inspired by Jane Austen'.

Mayor's Guides Walk: An Introduction to Jane Austen - Tue 27 May, 10:30am
A two-hour guided walk with something for everyone! The walk, led by Bath’s Mayor’s Guides will lead you around Bath and introduce you to Jane, her family and her characters’ time here during the Regency Period, leaving you to ask “How can anyone be tired of Bath?”

The six evening talks can be booked in one go as a series with a discount – get six talks for the price of five!

Learn more about Jane Austen's Bath Austen 250 celebrations in the city