The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and The Jane Austen Society of North America—North Carolina
June 15 to 18, 2017
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This summer more than 100 people, including Austen fans, established scholars, graduate students, K-12 teachers, and aspiring authors, will have the opportunity to hear expert speakers and participate in discussion groups on Austen’s last completed novel, Persuasion. Attendees will also partake in an English tea, dance at a Regency-style ball, attend Austen-inspired theatricals, and visit special exhibits tailored to the conference.
They will be attending the fifth-annual Jane Austen Summer Program from June 15 to 18, 2017 to explore this year’s chosen theme: “200 Years of Persuasion.” The events will take place at the Hampton Inn in Carrboro, NC and at various locations on the UNC-CH campus in Chapel Hill, NC.
The discussions will consider Austen’s last completed novel Persuasion in its historical context as well as its afterlives in fiction and film. “This year we are so pleased that Jocelyn Harris, a Persuasion expert and a delightful individual, is coming from New Zealand to join us as a keynote speaker,” says Inger Brodey, co-director of the program with James Thompson. “We will also have a naval historian guide us through the mostly off-stage military dimension of the novel.”
Participants old and new praise the program’s accessibility, innovation, and community-building. “Last year’s conference on Mansfield Park was my first experience of JASP—and now I’m hooked!,” says Vicky Brandt. “It’s a wonderful idea to open up an academic conference to the interested public: everyone should be able to experience the loving inquiry that is the heart of scholarship. All the presentations were enlightening; the small group discussions lively and insightful; the Saturday evening Regency ball almost as beautiful to watch as the ones we see on film. In short, I can think of no better way to describe it than with Austen’s own words: ‘the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation.’” Attendees express special appreciation for the cultural and historical knowledge exchanged at the program. Patrick McGraw states, “Over four days, I learned more about Austen’s novel than I ever imagined I could. I cannot wait to return to UNC-Chapel Hill this coming summer to explore Persuasion.”
For more program information, to see comments and photos from previous programs, or to register, please visit the program’s website janeaustensummer.org/ or follow the program on facebook.com/janeaustensummer or via Twitter, @JASPhotline. You may also contact us at [email protected].
Elementary and secondary school teachers are encouraged to visit the website for information on available scholarships and continuing education credits.
(This post was made available by Carlie Wetzel, UNC-CH)