Love and Longevity: 250 Years of Jane Austen



Overview

Many readers enjoy Austen's novels but can’t define the qualities that make them so special and enduring – Virginia Woolf observed that ‘of all great writers she is the most difficult to catch in the act of greatness’. This course will explore in depth aspects of Austen's style and techniques, and will give you a greater understanding of the novels' cultural and historical contexts, in order to help you become more critically perceptive readers of her work.

Through class discussion and a trip to Chawton, we will discover how Austen viewed her work within the evolving genre of the novel and how she developed her own distinctive narrative voice and method. We will also consider how changing conditions of printing and reading in Regency Britain created new audiences for her work.

In addition to studying the six principal novels, we will read a selection of Austen’s letters and juvenilia (including those held at the Bodleian Library in Oxford), and ‘Sanditon’, her final unfinished work of fiction. Seminars will focus on a range of themes, including the shifting dynamics of gender in Regency society, the significance of social rank, imperialism, economics and the rise of the female consumer, and female education.

This course is part of the Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) programme.

Programme details

Seminars

Participants are taught in small seminar groups of up to 10 students, and receive two one-on-one tutorials with their tutor. 

Sunday

Seminar 1: ‘Lady Susan’(included in the Oxford World’s Classics edition of Northanger Abbey): how to analyse an Austen novel - an introduction to Austen's language and style (narrative voice; dialogue; perspective).

Seminar 2: Northanger Abbey: the gothic novel and gothic readers; pastiche and parody.

Monday

Seminar 3: Sense & Sensibility: the epistolary novel; Romanticism and the literature of Sensibility.

Seminar 4: Austen’s letters in the Bodleian archives.

Tuesday

Seminar 5: Pride & Prejudice: marriage and property in Regency Britain; the courtship novel; subversion.

Seminar 6: Mansfield Park: imperialism; the importance of place and symbolism.

Wednesday

Visit to Chawton House in Hampshire.

Thursday

Seminar 9: Emma I: Austen’s play on the novel of education, or Bildungsroman, with a female protagonist.

Seminar 10: Emma II: puzzles and puns; irony and free indirect discourse.

Friday

Seminar 11: Persuasion: the individual in relation to gender and social expectations.

Seminar 12: ‘Sanditon’: is this a new departure for Austen; review and discussion of the course.

Programme timetable

The daily timetable will normally be as follows:

Saturday

14.00–16.30 - Registration

16.30–17.00 - Orientation meeting

17.00–17.30 - Classroom orientation for tutor and students

17.30–18.00 - Drinks reception

18.00–20.00 - Welcome dinner

Sunday – Friday

09.00–10.30 - Seminar

10.30–11.00 - Tea/coffee break

11.00–12.30 - Seminar

12.30–13.30 - Lunch

13.30–18.00 - Afternoons are free for tutorials, individual study, course-related field trips or exploring the many places of interest in and around Oxford.

18.00–19.00 - Dinner (there is a formal gala dinner every Friday to close each week of the programme).

A range of optional social events will be offered throughout the summer school. These are likely to include: a quiz night, visit to historic pubs in Oxford, visit to Christ Church for Evensong and after-dinner talks and discussions.

Fees

Description Costs
Fee Option 1 (Single en suite - inc. Tuition and Meals) £2170.00
Fee Option 2 (Double en suite - inc. Tuition and Meals) 1 person £2220.00
Fee Option 3 (Twin en suite - inc. Tuition and Meals) per person £1800.00
Fee Option 4 (No Accommodation - inc. Tuition, Lunch & Dinner) £1370.00

Funding

Concessionary rates are available on a non-residential basis for those that qualify, more information can be found here.

Unfortunately we do not offer any specific scholarships or funding opportunities for OUSSA programme, but you can visit our departmental funding webpage, where you may be able to find a particular source of funding that matches your requirements alongside meeting the funding criteria.

Payment

All fees are charged on a per week, per person basis.

Please be aware that all payments made via non-UK credit/debit cards and bank accounts are subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

Tuition and meals are included in the programme fee, with both residential and non-residential options available.

Course change administration fee: Please note that course transfers may be permitted in exceptional circumstances; however, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions, an administration fee of £50 will be charged.

Payment terms

  • If enrolling online: full payment by credit/debit card at the time of booking
  • If submitting an application form: full payment online by credit/debit card or via bank transfer within 30 days of invoice date

Cancellations and Refunds

1. Cancellation by you

Participants who wish to cancel must inform the Programme Administrator in writing: by email to oussa@conted.ox.ac.uk or by post to OUSSA, OUDCE, 1 Wellington Square, OXFORD, OX1 2JA, UK.

The following cancellation and refund policy applies in all cases:

  • Cancellation within 14 days of online enrolment / payment of fees – full refund of all fees paid.
  • Cancellations received up to and including 30 April 2025 – OUDCE will retain an administration fee of £100 per week booked; all other fees paid will be refunded.
  • Cancellations received between 1-31 May 2025 – OUDCE will retain 60% of the fees paid; the remaining 40% of fees paid will be refunded.
  • Cancellations received on and after 1 June 2025 - no refunds will be made.

2. Cancellation by us

Where there is good reason, OUDCE reserves the right to cancel a course by giving you notice in writing at any time before the course is due to start. In these cases, we will endeavour to offer a transfer to another available course if practical and acceptable to you, subject to payment or refund of any difference in the course fees. Alternatively, we will refund the course fees that you have already paid. If we cancel a course, our liability is limited to the fees that we have received from you; this means that we will not compensate you for any pre-booked travel costs or any other expenses incurred. The status of this course will be reviewed on 1 May 2025. If it is likely that the course may be cancelled, anyone affected will be notified by email within 7 days; if you have not heard from OUDCE by 8 May 2025, you should assume that your course will be running. You may wish to delay finalising your travel arrangements until after this date.

OUDCE reserves the right to cancel a course at short notice in exceptional circumstances that would prevent the course from being delivered e.g. tutor illness. In these rare instances, we will notify you as soon as possible and arrange a transfer to another available Oxford Experience course. If we cancel a course, our liability is limited to the fees that we have received from you; this means that we will not compensate you for any pre-booked travel costs or any other expenses incurred.

Where course fees have been paid in currencies other than pounds sterling, refunds will be subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

3. Travel insurance 

The Department cannot be held responsible for any costs you may incur in relation to travel or accommodation bookings as a result of a course cancellation, or if you are unable to attend the course for any other reason. You are advised to check cancellation policies carefully and to purchase travel insurance.

Tutor

Dr Charlotte Jones

Tutor

Charlotte Jones is a lecturer at St Hugh’s College, Oxford. Prior to this, she held a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at Queen Mary University of London, and taught at institutions including UCL, King’s College London and St Hilda’s College, Oxford. Her research focuses on the novel, philosophy and politics. She is the author of Realism, Form and Representation in the Edwardian Novel (OUP, 2021) and is currently at work on a new edition of Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent for Oxford World’s Classics, as well as a new book entitled Anarchist Aesthetics: Radical Politics and the Modern Novel.

Course aims

This course aims to familiarise you with some major works of fiction by Jane Austen, paying attention to their form and structure as well as their historical significance.

Teaching methods

The teaching methods used during this course may include:

  • Physical handouts
  • Seminars/group discussions
  • Student presentations
  • Video recordings

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be expected to understand:

  • The predominant themes and literary techniques of a range of Austen’s novels;
  • The ways in which Austen’s novels related to contemporaneous values and issues; and
  • The range of possible interpretations surround the set texts.

And students will be expected to have gained and/or developed the following skills:

  • General skills in the analysis of literature, including an appreciation of narrative structure, characterisation and imagery;
  • An ability to locate Austen’s novels within their relevant historical contexts; and an ability to find and assess varying interpretations of the novels.

Assessment methods

Participants are required to undertake preparatory reading and complete a pre-course assignment of 1,500 words. Although this does not count towards credit, it is seen as an important way of developing your ideas and is mandatory. The pre-course assignment is typically due in the first week of June.

You will be assessed during the summer school by either a 1,000 word written assignment or a presentation supported by individual documentation. To successfully gain credit (10 CATS points) students should attend all classes and complete the on-course assignment. Participants will attend two one-on-one tutorials with their tutor during the week.

OUSSA is an accredited summer school taught at undergraduate level; each one-week course carries 10 CATS (Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme) points at FHEQ (Framework for Higher Education Qualification) Level 4. Learn more about CATS points.

Certificate of Higher Education

Credit earned from OUSSA can be transferred towards our flexible Certificate of Higher Education.

Study when and where it suits you by gaining credit from short courses, including short online courses, weekly classes and OUSSA, and build your way to an Oxford University award. This part-time undergraduate programme lasts between two and four years depending on how intensively you want to study.  

Find out more about the Certificate of Higher Education.

Application

Most courses fill quickly so early registration is strongly recommended. If your preferred course is fully booked, you may wish to add yourself to the waiting list and the Programme Administrator will contact you should a place become available.

Please note, the programme is only open to those over the age of 18.

Single accommodation, double room for 1 person and non-residential places may be booked online by clicking on the “Book now” button in the “Course details” box at the top right-hand side of the course page.

Those requiring twin, double or accessible accommodation should complete an enrolment form as these rooms cannot be booked online. Please send the completed enrolment form to the email address below. Both the PDF and Word option of the form below are editable, so you can complete them online before saving and sending to us as an email attachment. You do not need to print and scan them. (Please use these forms only if you are making a twin or double booking for two people.)

Online enrolments require payment in full at the time of registering.

Those who do not wish to register online or who have specific requirements (eg an accessible bedroom) should contact the Programme Administrator directly at oussa@conted.ox.ac.uk or OUSSA, OUDCE, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA, UK.

Accommodation

More information about our accommodation can be found here.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support