To celebrate 200 years of Jane Austen and her most famous novel “Pride and Prejudice,” the Collaborative Education, Leadership and Innovation in the Arts (CELIA) team will be hosting a bicentennial conference Oct. 10, 11 and 12.
The bicentennial will feature attractions such as a theatrical performance, a tea party, student research displays and will end with a Regency Ball. Professors and scholars from around the world will also be in attendance to exchange thoughts and ideas on Austen’s works.
Wright State students can acquire tickets for the conference in the Creative Arts Center free of charge, but must pay admission for the Regency Ball at Memorial Hall in Dayton.
Wright State English professor and event coordinator Crystal Lake spoke about Austen and her impact on the English literary canon.
“Austen is one of the great writers in history,” said Lake. “And you can see her influence on almost every major writer since her.”
“I think Austen inspired a lasting taste in novel-readers for finely-wrought realism and sly, biting satire,” Lake said.
Barry Milligan, another English professor at WSU, commended Austen’s work as well.
“[Austen] arguably paved the way for novels that treat smaller domestic worlds rather than larger, more grandiose ones,” Milligan said.
When asked about his go-to Austen novel, Milligan said, "'Pride and Prejudice,' but each time I read through all her novels I have a new appreciation for a different one. Last time it was 'Mansfield Park,' which is probably her least characteristic but also her most interestingly experimental.”
Pride and Prejudice: The Bicentennial, a glimpse into Austen’s world and her literature, will begin Oct. 10. The Regency Ball, with optional period attire, will conclude the event on Oct. 12. For more information, including ticket pricing and event registrations, visit CELIA’s website at http://www.wright.edu/celia/events/pride-prejudice-the-bicentennial.
