Emma’s always a critic, but it’s time to turn the tables on her! Join JASNA-NJ on October 5th at 2:00pm EST for a discussion of scholarly criticism on Emma.
Is Emma a conservative book or a radical one? Does it chastise female overreaching, or shine a light on male sexual and economic predation? And who’s the villain of the novel? Would it be Mr. Woodhouse—or even Mr. Knightley?
We’ll be wrestling with these questions at the next meeting of JASNA’s New Jersey region, as we discuss four scholarly takes on Emma, the Austen novel we’re focusing on this year. The meeting will take place over Zoom on Saturday, October 5, at 2 pm (US Eastern). Attendance is free, but please register here.
Three of the pieces we plan to discuss aren’t available online, but we will provide PDFs upon request. To access PDFs of the articles please email the region.
The discussion materials are:
PDFs:
1. Marilyn Butler, “Emma,” from Jane Austen and the War of Ideas, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1975), pp. 250-274.
2. Richard Jenkyns, “The Prisoner of Hartfield,” from A Fine Brush on Ivory: An Appreciation of Jane Austen, New York: Oxford University Press, 2004, pp. 151-74.
3. Helena Kelly, “Gruel,” from Jane Austen, the Secret Radical, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2016, pp. 197-235.
Online:
4. Celia A. Easton, “ ‘The Encouragement I Received’: Emma and the Language of Sexual Assault,” Persuasions On-Line 37:1 (Winter 2016). https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol37no1/easton/
Jane Austen Society of North America - New Jersey Region 