Jane Austen and the Future of the Humanities

Two of the truths most universally acknowledged over the past fifty years are the enduring popularity of Jane Austen and the persistent proclamations of a "crisis of the humanities." I am creating a series of public-engagement projects that leverage the popularity, versatility, and malleable authority of Jane Austen to communicate the importance of the humanities to diverse public audiences, including a podcast, a documentary film, and a public-facing monograph. On this site, I will share excerpts from the interviews I conduct over the next few years with scholars, artists, writers, and activists. I will be compiling a feature-length documentary film that will premiere at the end of this process. Throughout this process, I will also be releasing podcast episodes in conjunction with the 250th anniversary of Austen's birth.