Third annual Austen program celebrates "Emma"

Two hundred years ago, Jane Austen wrote, “It's such a happiness when good people get together,” in her fifth book, “Emma.” 

Now, for the third year in a row, good people will do just that to celebrate Austen’s works in the Jane Austen Summer Program, held June 18 to June 21 at UNC Friday Center. 

From symposiums to feasting like Austen to The Dutchess of Richmond Regency Ball, the 4-day program will be focused on “Emma at 200.” 

“I think that it’s a total immersion experience,” said three-time attendee and Cary resident Linda Fineman. “You can go here and there to talks and lecture that you enjoy, but it’s such an opportunity to spend four days — and it’s really jam-packed full of activities, they really keep you busy from dawn to dusk.”  

One of the newest activities this year is a trip to Ayr Mount in Hillsborough, a historical plantation home built in 1815 that event organizers are calling "An Outing to Box Hill," in reference to "Emma." 

Fineman is a 20-year member of the Jane Austen Society of North Carolina, which meets in Raleigh. 

However, the participants come from across all backgrounds to unite for a common interest — Jane Austen.

“This really is something that’s open to everyone,” said Ph.D. student Suzanna Geiser,who is helping to promote the event. “It’s not just an academic conference — it really is for anyone who loves Austen.”

Fineman mirrored the sentiment, describing it as one of her favorite aspects about the program.

“I think that’s what everyone seemed to be amazed by, that they got this just right, that it’s such a comfortable mix of academics and Jane Austen fanatics or people who are studying literature,” she said. “Everyone seems to at ease with each other, and that’s really nice — often I have no idea if I’m talking whether they are scholars in the area or just long time fans and avid readers of her work.”

Edward Davis, a former Slavic and Eastern European cataloguer for UNC who retired a year and a half ago, is just one of the attendees who unexpectedly gained a new passion while attending the conference. 

A fan of English literature, Davis went to the conference for Austen, but kept coming back for the English country dancing, which spans in style from 1650 to 1820. He now helps attendees to learn the moves during the instruction period in preparation for the ball. 

“I learned about the dancing, first of all, from watching the Jane Austen movies,” he said. “It’s one of the most fun things I’ve ever done in my life, and my wife and I love it.”

From dancing to dining 19th century style to dashing to panels on “Emma” in modern film adaptations, one thing unites the event — the love for Austen and her writing. 

“It’s hard to put your finger on what’s so interesting about her, but the writing is so superb, so subtle, so psychologically complex and humorous that it really does grab you after a while,” said Davis.

“You’re just bitten by the bug, so to speak, and that’s what happened to me when I read her first novel.”

arts@dailytarheel.com