Discovering Jane Austen Video Course

Jane Austen is a figure who fascinates people. The spinster aunt who was also a literary genius, the intellectual who is also a pop culture icon, the literary realist who eschewed sentimentalism yet her novels are beloved love stories. Perhaps you are a Janeite (an Austen fan) or are reading her work as part of a literature course. Whether you already love her work, are puzzled by it or just want to know more, this course is for you.

Following the success of my best selling English Literature., World Literature and Understanding Shakespeare courses, I decided to enter the world of Austen and discover the woman and her work. By the end of the course, you will be conversant with the literary trends of Austen’s time and how she responded to them and subverted them, her role as one of the instigators of literary realism, the historical and political context of her work in their own day and the movements which embrace her today and her ability to use free indirect speech to portray relatable characters.

For each text we examine there will be a publication background, synopsis, discussion of themes and criticism of the text plus questions to help you examine the text and your own response to it.

Texts covered:

· Lady Susan

· Lesley Castle

· Sense and Sensibility

· Pride and Prejudice

· Northanger Abbey

· Mansfield Park

· Emma

· Persuasion

· Sanditon

· The Watsons

· A Memoir of Jane Austen by James Edward Austen-Leigh

I am looking forward to joining you on this enthralling journey through the life, mind and times of a brilliant woman.