Controversy has stalked Jane Austen’s letters ever since her death in 1817. The story of what happened to them over 200 years is as fascinating as what they had to say. By exploring their scope, reception and publication over the years, we can see how they have added to Austen’s ever-growing afterlife.

Learn about the attitudes to her correspondence exhibited by her family, admirers and scholars, and the connections between the surviving letters and her novels.

Ruth Williamson is based in Dunedin as an independent writer and commentator, and has belonged to the Jane Austen Society of Australia since 1997. She edits JASA’s newsletter for members, The Chronicle.
She has taken part in several JASA and Georgette Heyer Conferences, and also presented a paper at the Jane Austen Society of North America’s AGM in California in 2017. She contributed to The Joy of Jane, published by Lansdown Press to mark 200 years since the death of Jane Austen. She also has an essay included in Heyer Society, a new publication due for release late in 2018.

Tea and cake provided