Online Event: Female Friendship in Literary Lives
Event Details
‘Friendship is certainly the finest balm’ – Northanger Abbey On the eve of International Women’s Day, join four literary houses – Jane Austen’s House, Chawton House,
Event Details
‘Friendship is certainly the finest balm’ – Northanger Abbey
On the eve of International Women’s Day, join four literary houses – Jane Austen’s House, Chawton House, Elizabeth Gaskell’s House and the BrontĂ« Parsonage Museum – in an evening celebrating female friendships. Weâll be looking at the influence these relationships had on the works and in the lives of some of Britainâs most loved writers.
Jane Austenâs House: Jane Austen & Madam Lefroy
One of Jane Austenâs dearest friends was her Hampshire neighbour, Mrs Anne Lefroy. Although she was 26 years older than Jane and mother to six children, Mrs Lefroy and Jane shared many interests including writing, literature and poetry, which they discussed avidly.
In this section weâll get to know Mrs Lefroy, who was a fascinating figure in her own right â a published poet, society hostess, school mistress and nurse, she personally administered smallpox vaccines to her Hampshire neighbours every winter. After her tragic death in 1804, Jane Austen commemorated her âBeloved friendâ in a heartfelt poem, that weâll also share.
Elizabeth Gaskellâs House: Elizabeth Gaskell & Eliza Fox
Elizabeth Gaskell found strong female friendship with the fabulously named Eliza âTottieâ Fox. Tottie was an artist and educationalist who enjoyed Elizabethâs intimate, funny letters and encouraged her to join early feminist campaigns.
Dr Diane Duffy reveals the close friendship that supported Elizabeth through her many literary and personal challenges.
BrontĂ« Parsonage Museum: âThreeâs a charmâ – Charlotte, Mary and Ellen
Charlotteâs most important and most enduring friendships were also her first â Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor, who she met at Roe Head School.
In this section weâll look at how important these friendships were, to both Charlotteâs life then and what we know about her life now.
Chawton House: Mary Wollstonecraft and Amelia Opie
In the Spring of 1796, 26-year old Amelia Alderson (later Opie) met feminist philosopher and writer Mary Wollstonecraft. In the year of their friendship before Wollstonecraftâs life was tragically cut short after the birth of her second daughter, they exchanged letters – of which a few survive – and developed a close friendship, commenting on one anotherâs work, discussing events in Revolutionary France, and sharing information about mutual friends including the writers Mary Hays and Elizabeth Inchbald.
In this section we explore the relationship between these two extraordinary women, and the ways that Wollstonecraftâs ideas lived on in the work of Opie, who became a prolific novelist and activist later in life.
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Details:
Date: Thursday 7 March
Time: 8 – 9.30pm GMT
Location: This event will take place online. Join us from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: ÂŁ6
 This event will take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join the tour in the run up to the event.Â
 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum.Â
 Timings are given in UK time (GMT) â please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time.Â
đč This event will be recorded for ticket holders to watch again later.
Time
7th March 2024 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm(GMT+01:00)
Price
ÂŁ6
Location
Online