Professor Pamela Buck Discusses Jane Austen's Mansfield Park at Westport Library on May 21

As a part of the Westport Library’s “A Year of Reading Jane Austen,” Sacred Heart University English professor Dr. Pamela Buck will lead a discussion of Mansfield Park on Saturday, May 21 at 2 p.m. in the Library’s McManus Room. The program, offered in partnership with the Jane Austen Society North America, CT Region, is free and open to the public.

Taken from the poverty of her parents' home, the book’s character Fanny Price is raised with her wealthy cousins in Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with only her cousin Edmund as an ally. While her uncle is gone, Mary Crawford and her brother Henry arrive, bringing with them flirtation and London glamour. As her female cousins vie for Henry's attention, and even Edmund falls for Mary's charms, only Fanny remains doubtful about the Crawfords' influence and finds herself more isolated than ever. A subtle examination of social position and moral integrity, Mansfield Park is one of Jane Austen's most profound works. Click here for a detailed guide compiled by Westport Library reference librarians.

Pamela Buck teaches British literature courses and a seminar entitled “Jane Austen's Guide to Dating.” Her research focuses on British Romantic women writers and material culture during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic period. Her most recent project examines material connections between East and West in global Romantic women's writing. She has an undergraduate degree from Wellesley College, a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from Tufts University.

The Westport Library is located at 20 Jesup Rd. in Westport, Conn. For more information, phone (203) 291-4800, or visit westportlibrary.org.