Cost and Registration Information
Early Registration Price (by February 10): $200
Regular Price (after February 10): $220
Seminar Description
In observance of the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen, we will read the two of her novels that were published posthumously. Northanger Abbey, the first novel completed by Austen though it was only published years later, is about the dangers of confusing fiction with reality. Persuasion, her final work, is a richly textured tale of romantic second chances, social change, and human integrity. As the “bookends” of Austen’s career, these two novels can give readers a deeper appreciation of her timeless genius. Six sessions.
Jeffrey Nigro is a Research Associate and Adjunct Lecturer at the Art Institute of Chicago. He currently serves as Program Director for the Jane Austen Society of North America-Greater Chicago Region.
Materials List
Required:
- Note: For each novel, the instructor has recommended an edition. However, any participant that already owns an edition of either or both of the novels can use those instead.
- Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey. Oxford World Classics (edition includes Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watson and Sanditon) James Kinsley and John Davie, eds., Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0199535545
- Jane Austen, Persuasion. Norton Critical Edition: Patricia Meyer Spacks, ed., 2nd ed., W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. ISBN-13 #: 978-0393911534
- A course pack of additional materials, compiled by the instructor and distributed during the first class, for which there will be a nominal fee.
First Readings:
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Please read excerpts from The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (approx. 20 pages total). You will receive a link to a document with these excerpts upon registration.
This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about our registration procedures.