Events Calendar
Our calendar features a wide range of in-person and online programs, including talks, exhibits, tours, discussions, and more. We also highlight events of interest from the broader Jane Austen and Regency world. All event times reflect the organizers’ local time zones. JASNA regional events are additionally listed on the main JASNA web site.
To submit an event for the calendar, kindly email news@jasnanorcal.org.
JASNA NorCal Presents: January Reading Group: Jane Austen and the Creation of Modern Fiction by Collins Hemingway
January 12, 2027 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm PST
We’re thrilled to kick off our 2027 reading group with a special selection, authored by friend of JASNA Collins Hemingway: Jane Austen and the Creation of Modern Fiction!
About the book:
Jane Austen’s creative process has been largely unexamined. This book explores her development as a writer: what she adapted from tradition for her needs; what she learned novel to novel; how she used that learning in future works; and how her ultimate mastery of fiction changed the course of English literature. Jane Austen overcame the limitations of early fiction by pivoting from superficial adventures to the psychological studies that have defined the novel since. Her creativity and technique grew as she wrestled with pragmatic writing issues. This evaluation of Austen’s creative process brings into focus the strengths and weaknesses of her six novels. Each is examined in its use of major fictional techniques–description, scene-building, point of view, and psychological development–to reveal unique literary attributes. The result is a revealing analysis of how world-class fiction is built from the ground up.
Stay tuned for the rest of the selections for 2027 reading group meetings: We’ll announce these at the gala!