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NEWS RELEASE

JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA

June 22, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JASNA'S ANNUAL LITERARY LECTURE FOCUSES
ON SANDITON, ONE OF TWO UNFINISED AUSTEN NOVELS

METAIRIE, LA – Robin Runia, PhD, associate professor of English at Xavier University of Louisiana, will discuss Sanditon, at 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 8, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

This presentation serves as the annual meeting of the New Orleans chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America. This event is free of charge and is open to the public. There is no registration.

Sanditon focuses on England’s privileged classes and the deception, snobbery, and unexpected romances that occur in their world. When Charlotte Heywood accepts an invitation to visit the newly fashionable seaside resort of Sanditon, she is introduced to a full range of polite society, from reigning local dowager Lady Denham to her impoverished ward Clara, and from the handsome, feckless Sidney Parker to his amusing, if hypochondriac, sisters. A heroine whose clear-sighted common sense is often at war with romance, Charlotte cannot help observing around her both folly and passion in many guises.

Jane Austen (1775-1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels—Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion—which observe and critique the British gentry of the late eighteenth century. Her mastery of wit, irony, and social commentary made her a beloved and acclaimed author in her lifetime, a distinction she still enjoys today around the world.

Robin Runia specializes in British Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century. She received her doctoral degree in English in 2009 from the University of New Mexico, her master’s degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She serves as editor of Early Modern Feminisms, a book series from the University of Delaware Press. She has published articles exploring conceptions of gender, race, and the body in eighteenth-century literature and culture.

The New Orleans chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America is one of 81 local affiliates that plans and hosts local meetings and events—from discussions of Austen's novels to speaker events, workshops, and celebrations of Jane Austen's birthday.

For more information regarding this presentation, contact Chris Smith, Manager of Adult Programming for the library, at 504-889-8143 or wcsmith@jplibrary.net.

In accordance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Jefferson Parish shall not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs or activities. Library patrons that require auxiliary aids or devices or other reasonable accommodation under the ADA should submit requests to the ADA Coordinator at least 48 hours in advance or as soon as possible. A 72-hour notice is needed to request Certified ASL interpreters. ADA Coordinator / Office of Citizens with Disabilities, 1221 Elmwood Park Blvd., Suite 210 Jefferson, LA 70123; (504) 736-6086; ADA@jeffparish.net.

The Jefferson Parish Library system consists of 16 locations that stretch from the Lakeshore Branch on the edge of Lake Pontchartrain to the Grand Isle Branch just steps away from the Gulf of Mexico. The library system consists of two large regional libraries and seven branches on each side of the Mississippi River. The East Bank Regional Library (4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie) serves as library headquarters. For more information, contact the library at (504) 838-1100 or www.jefferson.lib.la.us.

For more information about Jefferson Parish, visit www.jeffparish.net. Residents can also receive regular updates by following the Parish on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@JeffParishGov) or by texting JPALERT or JPNOTICIAS to 888-777.

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Jefferson Parish Public Information Office

1221 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Suite 1002

Jefferson, LA 70123

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