To mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, Humanities at Hertog invites alumni to a summer reading series devoted to her five major novels. These monthly, community-led seminars offer a chance to read and reflect together on Austen’s enduring wit, subtlety, and social insight.

We begin in June with Pride and Prejudice, Austen’s most beloved novel—a sharp, spirited comedy of manners that blends romantic tension with a clear-eyed critique of class and convention. We then turn to Mansfield Park, a quieter, more austere novel that explores moral complexity through the steady gaze of Fanny Price. July brings Persuasion, an elegant meditation on memory, regret, and the enduring possibility of renewal. In August, we read Sense and Sensibility, a double portrait of two sisters—Elinor and Marianne—whose temperaments illuminate the age-old tension between reason and emotion. We conclude in September with Emma, Austen’s sunniest and slyest novel, a study in misjudgment, self-knowledge, and unexpected happiness.

Each session will be guided by Hertog staff and alumni moderators, with discussion unfolding in small groups. A shared Slack channel will support ongoing conversation and occasional diversions—polls, film debates, and watch parties—as we move through the season.

Image: Vincent Van Gogh, Undergrowth with Two Figures, 1890

Mary Elizabeth Halper delivers a lecture, On Written Speech

Faculty

Mary Elizabeth Halper

Mary Elizabeth Halper is Dean of the Humanities at Hertog program and a tutor at St. John’s College, Annapolis. Previously, she was Associate Director of the Hertog Foundation. She graduated with B.A.s in Philosophy and Classics from the University of Dallas and has since been devoted to liberal education in various forms.

Preview the Syllabus by Week/Session

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