Juliette Wells on Jane Austen’s "Mansfield Park"

Literary scholar Juliette Wells will discuss Jane Austen’s complex tale of social class and morality, now in a collectible Deluxe Edition celebrating the 250th anniversary of the author’s birth.

Shy and penniless Fanny Price is brought up on her uncle Sir Thomas Bertram’s estate, Mansfield Park, as an act of charity. Sir Thomas also owns land— and benefits from the labor of enslaved people— in the Caribbean colony of Antigua. Fanny is miserable until her kind cousin Edmund Bertram takes her under his wing. Having secretly fallen in love with him, Fanny suffers severely when his head is turned by the captivating Mary Crawford. Fanny’s quiet fortitude makes Mansfield Park one of Austen’s most psychologically astute novels.

About the Speaker:

Juliette Wells, professor of literary studies at Goucher College, is the author of three acclaimed books about Jane Austen's historic readers and fans, most recently A New Jane Austen: How Americans Brought Us the World's Greatest Novelist. For Penguin Classics, she edited Austen's Persuasion and Emma. She is guest co-curator of the Morgan Library & Museum's A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250 exhibition, which runs from June 6 to September 14, 2025.

About the Program:

• Doors will open to registered attendees at 2 pm.
• A local bookseller will be on-site and have books available for purchase.
• Free parking vouchers are available to program attendees who park at the Franklin Street Garage (15 W. Franklin Street). Ask Pratt event staff for your parking voucher prior to or after the program.
• There is no registration required for virtual attendance, simply visit the Enoch Pratt Free Library's Facebook or Youtube page.

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