Charlotte Brontë famously grumbles that there is “no open country – no fresh air” in Jane Austen’s fiction. Is there any truth in this allegation? And would it even matter if Austen were primarily a novelist of the drawing-room rather than the windswept moor?

This talk will pose these questions in relation to Austen’s last full-length work of fiction, Persuasion, an autumnal novel whose subtle evocations of the natural world resonate with the Romantic poetry of Wordsworth and Keats.

Michael Greaney is Professor in English Literature at Lancaster University, where his research focuses on nineteenth-century British fiction, and where he teaches a third-year option on Austen’s six major novels. He has published articles on Austen and community, Austen and friendship, and Austen and death, and his most recent book is entitled An A-Z of Jane Austen (2022).

Details:
Date: Sunday 21 September
Time: 1.45pm – 2.45pm
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £15

🏠 This event does not include House admission. Please purchase admission separately or use your Annual Pass if you wish to explore the House.

 This event is part of our Persuasion Festival, running from 12 – 21 September 2025