In Pursuit of Virtue: A Vindication of Reason and Sensibility in Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft
By Melissa Deneufbourg (Re: Search, Undergrad Criticism Journal, 2016)
Argues that Sense and Sensibility draws upon Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, showing a critique of women’s under‐education, and situates reason & sensibility as central to women’s agency.
Social Criticism in Jane Austen’s Persuasion
By May Witwit & Maysoon Taher Muhi
Looks at how Persuasion critiques the British class system through realistic portrayal & irony.
An Examination of Austen As A Discrete Feminist in Persuasion By Madhurabashini (ILN Journal) Examines Persuasion, arguing that Austen uses subtle references to gender roles & gives her female characters more agency than often assumed.
The Theme Analysis in Pride and Prejudice Happy Anastasia Usman, Musfira Mahmud, Srifani Simbuka A thematic analysis of Pride and Prejudice, focusing on love, arrogance, pride, prejudice etc., with intrinsic literary approach.
By Ruiqi Qiao
Compares two Chinese translations of Pride and Prejudice, from feminist translation theory perspective: how themes of gender & women’s self-growth are expressed.
Jane Austen Resources & Black/POC Historical Figures in Regency England
1. Jane Austen Manuscripts & Primary Sources • Jane Austen’s Fiction Manuscripts (Oxford & King’s College London) https://www.janeausten.ac.uk/ • Jane Austen Collection — Goucher College https://janeausten.goucher.edu/ • Primary Sources — Jane Austen’s World (Emory University Libraries) https://guides.libraries.emory.edu/main/JaneAusten • Lady Susan Online Exhibit — University of Michigan https://apps.lib.umich.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/jane-austen-bicentennial • George Holbert Tucker Collection — William & Mary Libraries https://scrcguides.libraries.wm.edu/repositories/2/resources/134 • The Austen Family Music Books https://sites.google.com/site/janeaustensmusic/austen-family-music-books • Letters of Jane Austen (digitized/transcribed) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42078
2. Major Jane Austen Societies & Their Resources • JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America) https://jasna.org • JASNA — Publications (Persuasions & Persuasions Online) https://jasna.org/publications • JASNA — Resources & Links https://jasna.org/info/links.html • JASNA Southwest Region — Resource List https://jasnasw.org • Jane Austen Society (UK) https://janeaustensociety.org.uk • International Societies: o Jane Austen Society of Australia: ? https://www.jasa.net.au o Jane Austen Society of India: ? https://www.facebook.com/JaneAustenFansIndia/
3. Library & University Research Guides • University of Pittsburgh — Helpful Databases and Websites https://pitt.libguides.com/janeausten • Claremont Colleges Library — Research Guide https://libguides.libraries.claremont.edu/janeausten • University of Oklahoma — Austen in the 21st Century https://guides.ou.edu/austen • Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford — Literature & Legacy https://www.lmh.ox.ac.uk/jane-austen-literature-and-legacy • University of St Andrews — PhD Thesis: Finishing The Watsons https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/18892
4. Austen Museums & Places • Jane Austen Centre (Bath) https://janeausten.co.uk • Jane Austen’s House Museum (Chawton) https://janeaustens.house • Chawton House Library (Women Writers Archive) https://chawtonhouse.org • Jane Austen Walking Tour (Bath) https://visitbath.co.uk (search “Jane Austen walking tour”) • Jane Austen House Virtual Tour https://janeaustens.house/online-exhibition/virtual-tour-of-jane-austens-house/ • Austen Churches https://jasna.org/austen/more-on-jane-austens-life/churches/austen-churches-reading-list/
5. Digital Humanities, Text Analysis, and E-Texts • Austen Said: Patterns of Diction https://austen.unl.edu • Molland’s — Complete E-texts of Austen’s Novels http://www.mollands.net • 18th-Century Common https://www.18thcenturycommon.org • What Jane Saw — 1796 & 1813 London Exhibitions https://www.whatjanesaw.org • “Write Like Jane Austen” — Thesaurus / Style Tool https://www.write-like-jane.com • Searchable Jane Austen (Texts, Letters, Criticism) https://www.searchableausten.org
6. General Jane Austen Portals • JaneAusten.org https://www.janeausten.org • Jane Austen on the Web (curated resource lists) https://libguides.library.ohio.edu/austen/websites • JASNA Publications https://jasna.org/publications-2/ • JASNA Resources & Links https://jasna.org/austen/resource-links/
7. Historical Context, Themes, & Interpretive Resources • Historical Context for Pride and Prejudice https://pitt.libguides.com/c.php?g=377464&p=2555014 • Jane Austen & Time — Scholarly Essays https://www.cambridge.org/core/search?q=Jane+Austen+%26+Time • Opinions of Mansfield Park Collected by Austen https://pitt.libguides.com/c.php?g=377464&p=2912033 • Austen in Pop Culture & Screen Adaptations https://jasna.org/austen/screen/
8. Communities, Blogs, & Fan Scholarship • The Republic of Pemberley https://pemberley.com • Jane Austen’s World (blog + archive) https://janeaustensworld.com • Jane Austen Variations (retellings, scholarship, discussions) https://www.janeaustenvariations.com
9. Prominent Historical Figures of Color / Black People in Regency England • Reclaiming Jane — Black aristocracy, Dido Belle https://reclaimingjanepod.com/blog • English Heritage — Black Britons Historical Context https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/black-history/ • Black in Bristol https://www.discoveringbristol.org.uk/slavery/routes/places-involved/bristol/population/ • Black People in 18th Century Britain https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/portchester-castle/history-and-stories/black-people-in-late-18th-century-britain/ • Black Aristocrats https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210429-race-royalty-and-the-black-aristocrats • Children of Color Accounts in 18th c. London https://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2015/03/cast-across-sea-18th-c-children-born-in.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Kirkpatrick
Notable Individuals • Dido Elizabeth Belle (c.1761–1804) — Mixed-race daughter of Sir John Lindsay, raised in Lord Mansfield’s household. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/search?searchTerm=dido%20elizabeth%20belle https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/blog/blog-posts/belle-happened-dido-film-ended/ • Olaudah Equiano (c.1745–1797) — Formerly enslaved African, abolitionist, author of The Interesting Narrative. https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,olaudah-equiano&tab=LibraryCatalog& • Ignatius Sancho (c.1729–1780) — Composer, writer, abolitionist. https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,ignatius-sancho&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress& https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw286261/Ignatius-Sancho • Francis Barber (1745–1801) — Servant and heir of Samuel Johnson. bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma990010614830109251&context=L&vid=44BL_INST=BLL01&lang=en&search_scope https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp152134/francis-barber • Mary Prince (c.1788–1833) — Escaped slavery, abolitionist. https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Mary%20prince&tab=LibraryCatalog • Pero Jones (c.1750s–1798) — Enslaved man, Bristol, Pinney household. https://www.discoveringbristol.org.uk/slavery/learning-journeys/john-pinney/pero/ • Fanny Coker (c.1760s–?) — Free Black woman, servant in Bristol. https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/stories/fanny-coker/ daughtersofigbowoman.wordpress.com/2017/12/01/african-maidservant-of-the-georgian-house-bristol-fanny-coker-born-250-years-ago-is-honoured-in-a-moving-artist-memorial-tribute-at-greenbank-cemetery-bristol/ • John Rippon (c.1730s–?) — Black servant in London. https://hampshirearchivesandlocalstudies.wordpress.com/2022/10/15/black-history-month/ • Sake Dean Mahomed (1759–1851) — Indian entrepreneur, curry house, “shampooing” massage. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gqee4pwl5o https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/discovery/history-stories/sake-dean-mahomed-brighton-resident-and-regency-entrepreneur/ • The Lascars (South Asian sailors) — Indian/Bengal sailors in British ports. https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The%20Lascars&tab=LibraryCatalog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cxwuGsBN5c https://southasianheritage.org.uk/royal-british-legion/the-lascars-seafaring-roots-of-modern-britain/ • Black Soldiers & Drummers — Boys in regiments near Austen’s family. https://www.historycalroots.com/the-last-black-drummer-john-charles-of-the-32nd-foot-1808-1845/ https://germanhistory-intersections.org/en/germanness/ghis:image-265 https://www.qrhmuseum.com/distinguished-in-action-the-black-soldiers-of-the-4th-dragoons-1715-1842 • Queen Charlotte (1744–1818) — Wife of George III, debated African ancestry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkq439AY0SI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_of_Mecklenburg-Strelitz https://time.com/5381773/queen-charlotte-african-ancestry/ https://www.historyextra.com/period/georgian/queen-charlotte-mecklenburg-strelitz-life-wife-george-iii-regency-who/
10. Fictional Representation • Miss Lambe (Sanditon) — Wealthy mixed-race heiress from the West Indies in Austen’s unfinished novel. https://janeaustensworld.com/2020/01/20/miss-lambe-and-the-black-experience-in-georgian-england-episode-3-sanditon-review/ https://janeaustensworld.com/2021/03/29/women-of-colour-in-literature-of-jane-austens-england/
11. Visual & Cultural Representation • Historical Engravings (Black individuals in Britain) www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/black-history/