Kelvin Smith Library will join worldwide events, festivals, exhibitions and performances in celebrating the 250th Birthday of Jane Austen, her enduring legacy and her continued impact on literature and culture. Allison McGreal, an MA candidate in English literature, instructs the Spring 2025 Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS) course, “Jane Austen: Then & Now,” which introduces students to the forms and processes of academic writing by exploring the literary context and pop-cultural legacy of Jane Austen’s works.
“As a reader, I love Jane Austen because she is an endlessly enjoyable and challenging writer. Austen’s commitment to writing novels that fully portray the inner complexity of women’s emotional and intellectual lives remains a radical act,” said McGreal. “Her writing not only portrays enjoyable stories of romantic love, but also challenges us to think deeply about social class, gender roles and human nature.”
Jane Austen’s works explore timeless and universal themes such as love, marriage, family dynamics and complex characters who reflect on the struggles of everyday life. Her novels have inspired countless adaptations, including films, TV series and modern retellings– which are a significant component of McGreal’s class.
“We study Austen in her political and social context as a woman writer of the early 19th century, whose literary innovations changed the history of the novel,” said McGreal. “However, we also examine Austen as a popular contemporary figure whose legacy has been shaped by generations of adaptations of her work.”
McGreal adds that by studying Austen as both a historical and contemporary figure, we honor her contributions to the history of the novel, while evaluating the continued relevance of her themes in our own time.
Rebecca Romney, rare book dealer and author of Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend, will visit Kelvin Smith Library for a special event on April 22, and invites us to discover more about the women writers who inspired Jane Austen. In her book and talk, Romney explores the lives of the women authors who influenced Austen’s ideas and inspired her acclaimed novels. She’ll tell us how these women’s works faded into obscurity and why they deserve to be recognized once more.
“By delving into the history of 18th-century novelists from Frances Burney to Ann Radcliffe, Romney not only illuminates their influence on Austen’s work but also champions these forgotten women as great novelists in their own right. Her passionate and timely criticism reminds us that intellectual curiosity is a valuable tool in the fight to uncover and preserve women’s history.”
Curated to accompany the event, Kelvin Smith Library features a special collections exhibition, Jane Austen’s Library, showcasing 18th and 19th century books and manuscripts drawn from the library’s extensive rare book collection. Visitors will have the opportunity to see early editions and other significant works from her theoretical library– what would likely have appeared on Jane Austen’s bookshelf.
Kelvin Smith Library is proud to be a part of the 250-year-long tradition of not only honoring Jane Austen’s past achievements but also recognizing her ongoing impact and influence in uncovering more about important women writers like herself.
Explore the special collections exhibit during regular operational hours and register to attend Romney’s talk either in person at Kelvin Smith Library or via livestream on Tuesday, April 22, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.