NEWS AND EVENTS
Confirmed speakers include: Linda Bree, Emma Clery, Deirdre Le Faye, Isobel Grundy, Claudia L. Johnson, Deidre Lynch, Juliet McMaster, Kathryn Sutherland, Janet Todd and John Wiltshire.
To celebrate the bicentenary of Austen’s arrival in the village, Chawton House Library invites proposals for papers on any and all aspects of her work for a conference to be held in the library and grounds. Since the 200th anniversary of Austen’s birth in 1975, there has been a wealth of criticism on her life and work. This conference is intended to provide an opportunity both to take stock of recent scholarship, and to frame new directions in Austen studies.
Proposals of 500 words for papers or panels should be sent for the attention of Dr Gillian Dow to the following address:
AustenConference2009cfp@chawton.net
The deadline for proposals is the 16th of January 2009.
300 people attended our first open day of the year which was a great success. The weather held for the visitors to enjoy Regency Dancing on the South Lawn. Another fantatastic display by our friends the Hampshire Regency Dancers. Long lining demonstrations with the Shire horses and readings of Pride & Prejudice in the Great Hall all made for a wonderful day for the visitors and staff alike.
We are getting much closer to our target with the Barn Appeal now after an extremely generous donation of £50,000 from the Linbury Trust taking the total raised so far to £111,500. We would particularly like to thank Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover KG for his interest in the project and all of the Trustees of the Linbury Trust for bringing us so much closer to our goal. We have a further £18,500 left to raise.
Chawton House estate has been restored to how it would have looked in Jane Austen's time.