The Life and Works of Jane Austen

Overview

Course No. 2448
Dive into the wit, wisdom, and world of Jane Austen.

Born in 1775 to England’s lower gentry, Jane Austen transformed her “ordinary” life into six literary masterpieces that continue to captivate readers centuries later. This 24-lecture course with Professor Devoney Looser explores Austen’s complete works – from Pride and Prejudice to her teenage writings – while vividly recreating the Regency world that shaped them. You’ll examine:

• The social dynamics, class structures, and historical events that influenced Austen’s writing
• The revolutionary nature of her novels’ heroines and themes
• Her lasting cultural impact and the truth behind “Austenmania”

Video Lectures

1. Entering Jane Austen’s World (31 min)
   Historical context essential for appreciating Austen’s impact.
2. Life and Letters: The Genuine Austen (28 min)
   Separating facts from fictions about Austen’s life.
3. Juvenilia: Austen’s Raucous Early Works (29 min)
   Exploring her surprisingly bold teenage writings.
4. Sense and Sensibility: Sisters United (31 min)
   Austen’s first published novel’s complex relationships.
5. Pride and Prejudice: Universal Truths (30 min)
   Why this beloved novel remains eternally popular.
6. Mansfield Park: Silence, Place, and Price (31 min)
   Examining Austen’s most controversial novel.
7. Emma: The Proper Use of Power (30 min)
   Why many consider this Austen’s masterpiece.
8. Northanger Abbey: Defending the Novel (31 min)
   Austen’s loving parody of gothic fiction.
9. Persuasion: A Second Bloom (28 min)
   Melancholy themes in Austen’s last completed work.
10. Regency Romance and Courtship (27 min)
    The realities behind Austen’s marriage plots.
11. Marriage and Family in Austen’s Era (29 min)
    Austen’s skeptical view of idealized matrimony.
12. Money, Inheritance, and All They Entail (28 min)
    Economic structures driving Austen’s plots.
13. Class and Courtesy in Regency Society (29 min)
    Decoding England’s strict social hierarchy.
14. British Life in Revolutionary Times (30 min)
    How political upheaval influenced Austen.
15. Clerks, Clergy, and Other Men’s Professions (31 min)
    Acceptable careers for gentlemen in Austen’s world.
16. The Accomplished Woman (29 min)
    Expectations versus reality for Regency women.
17. Luxury, Fashion, and Labor in the Regency (31 min)
    How dress reveals character and status.
18. Travel and Leisure in the Georgian Era (28 min)
    Social rules governing vacations and dances.
19. Health and Wellness in Austen’s England (31 min)
    Medical practices and illnesses in the novels.
20. After 1817: Austen’s Growing Posthumous Fame (30 min)
    The myths and realities of Austen’s legacy.
21. Lady Susan: Austen’s Merry Widow (27 min)
    Her scandalous, morally complex epistolary novella.
22. Sanditon and Austen’s Unfinished Fiction (29 min)
    Satirical themes in her last, incomplete work.
23. Austen’s Relations: From Family to Fandom (29 min)
    How Austen’s family nurtured her literary career.
24. Pop and Popularity: Austen’s Enduring Fame (29 min)
    Austen’s 20th/21st century cultural adaptations.