UIW Celebrates Jane Austen’s 250th Birthday

The UIW Department of English in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) offers a curriculum that welcomes students to “explore literature and the use of language around the world and across eras” (uiw.edu). Through the department’s efforts, students acquire essential skills that allow them to improve their communication, creativity, analyzation and more.

On Wednesday, Nov. 12, a celebration for the 250th birthday of 18th century novelist Jane Austen was hosted on the Broadway campus. This event was specially planned and coordinated by students from the Romantics class, taught by Associate Professor of English Dr. LuElla D’Amico. Having learned much about the career, life and legacy of Austen, the students wished to share their knowledge with the UIW community. Although Austen’s birthday is December 16, 1775, students planned the celebration in advance so they could celebrate before the upcoming holiday break.

“Throughout the Romantics course of the semester, our class has been learning about romanticism,” noted D’Amico upon opening the event. “Today’s event is a completely student-led project. My students have read Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, and I can tell they love her and her work.”

The students turned the Special Collections room in the Mabee Library into a tea party inspired by the Regency era. Each table was lined with linens, laces, teacups and flower vases. A spread of freshly baked pastries and teas was also made available for attendees to enjoy. Some guests even dressed in their best tea party attire to truly get into the spirit of the day’s celebration.

“There was a lot of effort that went into this,” shared Emily McClure, Romantics class student. “On behalf of the whole Romantics class, thank you all for taking time to be here. We hope to welcome you all and to share a little bit of Jane Austen and how we, as a class, have come to love her, especially how she applies to the world today.”

The students organized various events that honoring Austen, including an original Bingo game, film adaptation screening, excerpt analyzations and more. Each activity invited guests to embrace their admiration for the beloved author and get to know her better. Additionally, the students created a blog named “UIW Reads Jane Austen” to share reflections that “explore Austen’s enduring relevance and the spirit of Romantic inquiry.”

It was a day that unified generations of Jane Austen fans to recognize her lasting contributions to literature and influence throughout history.