2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen, and “Austen at 250” conferences, lectures series, documentaries, and tours will take place throughout the year and around the world. This course examines Austen’s six published novels, as well as the novels of some of her major female contemporaries, including Charlotte Dacre, Maria Edgeworth, and Mary Shelley. We will assess the cultural restraints that these women both challenged and exploited, as well as their distinctive responses to issues ranging from romance, taste, and domesticity to class, sexuality, and imperialism.
