Our Project 

• Use digital tools and access to primary resources/ archives to ask questions about the themes of and explore the context of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey
• Present what we have discovered effectively, accessibly, creatively and engagingly to “reading groups” in the Northfield community and at the symposium
• “De-mystify” Austen and debunk common myths associated with her and her work

My Role

• Use my experience with digital/ new media/ web design to help lead and facilitate the creation of digital materials
• Bring GreatCon background with critical reading and primary/ secondary source research into play, offer knowledge of texts from GreatCon that may aid in understanding the context of Austen’s writing

Interests

• The idea of judgement and the “voluntary spy” in historical context
• Social class, what defines an individual’s “desirability” and hierarchy, (financial gain or acquisition of property) how each is influenced by gender
• Gender roles and social/ economic discrimination against women- what is viewed as “virtuous” in men vs women
• The “male gaze” or lens through which women are evaluated
• The idea and role of the novel

Hopes

• Utilize my personal strengths in a manner that is invaluable to the group
• Develop and demonstrate skills with digital media and storytelling
• Contribute to the understanding and appreciation of Austen’s writing among interested (and maybe uninterested) groups