About the Reading Jane Austen Through The Lens of Faith course

Jane Austen had a deep, though very private, Christian faith. Reading her novels through the lens of faith can uncover many riches.

This course will explore the context of Jane Austen’s Christian faith and enable us to reflect on how our own faith can both inform and be informed by reading her writings.

We will look in depth at Jane Austen’s life and the nature of her faith within the context of her time on Friday evening. Saturday morning sessions will focus on Pride and Prejudice with Mansfield Park on Saturday afternoon. On Saturday evening there will be an optional screening of the 1995 BBC Persuasion starring Amanda Root and Ciarán Hinds.

There will be two shorter sessions on Sunday morning (on Persuasion and Jane Austen’s prayers) to allow those who wish to attend Salisbury Cathedral’s 10.30am service to do so.

About the Course Leader
The Revd Paula Hollingsworth is the author of The Spirituality of Jane Austen (Lion Hudson 2017). She has long had a love of literature and developed her interest in the relationship between novels and spirituality during her MA in Christian Spirituality at Sarum College. She is an Anglican priest, ordained in 1994 among the first cohort of women priests in the Church of England. She teaches and gives talks on Jane Austen and is Chaplain at St Paul’s Cathedral, London.

Details

Dates & Times

18 - 20 Nov 2022

6:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Course code

2689

What our students say

Clergy Study Breaks

The opportunity for clergy to get away occasionally from their own context, to have an overnight stay in the beautiful setting of Sarum College and all that the Salisbury Cathedral Close offers is hugely valuable. All the clergy I have suggested who have spent 24hrs at Sarum College have benefit greatly from the experienced mentoring where they can talk, reflect, think, plan and pray.

The support and encouragement they receive is excellent and has a positive on their on going ministry. This is something the Diocese of Rochester encourages and supports financially in preparation for their clergy preparing for Extended Ministerial Development Leave (Sabbatical).

— Canon Christopher Dench, Diocese of Rochester Director of Formation and Ministry

Retreats and Private Stays

When I arrived, exhausted and sensitive, I was grateful not to be asked by Reception were I came from, whether I had had a good journey etc. That was the kind of hospitality I needed: a non-intrusive welcome that was found in ancient cultures and still survives in some societies today, where the host asks questions about a stranger and his journey only when the visitor has rested and been given food and drink.

— guest on a private stay

Biblical Study Breaks

I just found it very refreshing – as a leader of a church I don’t get as many opportunities to step out and do courses (my fault, not the church!) and so I loved it. I think it was run really well online – which is a difficult medium to work with.

Pádraig Ó Tuama (pictured) was outstanding in his balance of getting us to engage and sharing his learning. Also the quick availability of resources provided by Sarum College Librarian Jayne Downey was excellent.

— course participant, Story Theology: Narrative Approaches to Scripture

Reading Jane Austen Through The Lens of Faith