Saturday pick: Libraries in Jane Austen’s time
What would Jane do? She’d likely take a brisk walk to the Woodward Park Library at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, for a lecture titled “You Can Get a Parasol at Whitby’s: Circulating Libraries in Jane Austen’s Time.” The talk features Claire Bellanti, a librarian and scholar who is a past president of the Jane Austen Society of North America. The event also serves as the quarterly meeting of the Central California region of the society.
Here’s more detail from the group:
Circulating Libraries of the 18th and early 19th centuries were an important source of books to Jane Austen and her contemporaries, as well as a strong influence on her writing. The illustrated talk addresses how these libraries developed and functioned as well as how they are used in Jane Austen’s novels. Light refreshments will be served and there will be a meet-and-greet with Ms. Bellanti after the presentation, where attendees can find out more about the Jane Austen Society of North America.
The discussion is open to the public and free of charge.