Austen Essay collection published Open Access

I was fortunate enough to attend a few lectures given by Nora Bartlett as an undergraduate, a little before her passing in 2016. A truly inspiring speaker, the moment that sticks in my mind- for some reason- is her beginning a lecture on Northanger Abbey by letting us all know that she had seen the movie Pride over the weekend, and that it behoved us all to watch it, because it was wonderful- she was, of course, correct. A charismatic, beloved academic, her loss from oesophageal cancer at the age of only sixty-seven was felt throughout the University of St Andrews School of English community.

After her passing, her husband, historian Robert Bartlett, set about gathering up her papers on Austen for publication. With minimal intervention from himself and editor Professor Jane Stabler, Jane Austen: Reflections of a Reader, was published this past week, and is available open access to readers on the OpenBook website. Inside, readers can find insightful contributions to the field of Austen studies, and anyone with a passing interest in the academic study of Austen is invited to share in Bartlett's lifelong love of the great author.

In this blog, Bartlett's editor Prof. Jane Stabler shares her thoughts on the collection, showing us what Austen has to offer us for life in the time of COVID-19. I highly recommend it.

Remember, you can explore a wonderful range of Jane Austen literature at The Jane Austen Online Gift Shop.