NEWS

UNC English professor to speak on Austen’s continuing popularity

By PATRICK HOGAN
UNC News Services

CHAPEL HILL -- Dr. James P. Thompson, English professor and department chair at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will discuss "The Enduring Appeal of Jane Austen" at the Allegheny County Library in Sparta on Aug. 12.

Thompson will explore why the novels of British author Jane Austen – including "Sense and Sensibility," "Pride and Prejudice" and "Emma" – continue to draw readers nearly two centuries after her death. His free public talk will begin at 6 p.m. at 122 N. Main St. Call 336-372-5573 for information. Reservations are not required.

Austen's work includes some of the few novels considered classics that continue to have a large popular readership. In recent years, movie adaptations of "Sense and Sensibility" and "Emma" have attracted more readers to the author’s works.

Thompson has studied 18th-century England since 1973, his freshman year at Brandeis University. He holds graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Florida. After a four-year apprenticeship at Georgia Tech, he came to North Carolina in 1982. He has written books on 18th-century drama and fiction and is writing his second book on Jane Austen.

The lecture was arranged by Carolina Speakers at UNC. The outreach program brings more than 90 faculty members to business, civic and community groups across the state. The speakers share their expertise on more than 150 topics, including 46 that focus on North Carolina and the South.

For more information or to schedule a Carolina Speaker, contact Sandy Roberts at 919-962-1993 or sandy_roberts@unc.edu, or visit the Carolina Speakers web site at www.unc.edu/depts/uncspeak.

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(Hogan, of Louisville, Ky., is a senior journalism and mass communication major at UNC. )

Contact: Sandy Roberts at 919-962-1993