Japan Office

James Gillray, satirical cartoon entitled Country Concert or an evening’s entertainment, 1798
Credit: Oxford, Bodleian Library, John Johnson Collection, Concert bills folder 2 (52)

Head of the Humanities Division at the University of Oxford, Professor Karen O’Brien, will be giving a lecture on Tuesday 5 September on the theme of Jane Austen and the English Art of Hospitality. In the lecture Professor O’Brien will explain the conventions and etiquette of visits in Austen’s time, and explore the ways in which being a courteous and good guest and host are fundamental to understanding Austen’s conception of social order and individual moral behaviour. For Austen, the Art of Hospitality is a fundamental part of the art of living well, and one from which we can all learn today.

Jane Austen died on 18 July 1817. To mark the 200th anniversary of her death, the Bodleian Library are holding a major exhibition about the writer, and the Bank of England has decided to feature her on the new £10 banknotes which will come into circulation from September. We are very pleased to be holding this lecture by our new Head of Humanities in this important year celebrating Jane Austen’s life.

Professor O’Brien is a professor in the Faculty of English at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on the Enlightenment and eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature.  She has written and broadcasted extensively on the historical writing and fiction of the period. She became Head of the Humanities Division in September 2016.

Tuesday 5 September 2017
19:00 – 20:00
Lecture
UF Hall, Sanbancho UF Building 1F, 6-3 Sanbancho, Chiyoda ku, Tokyo
Map to lecture venue

20:10 – 21:30
Reception
Salud, 1F, 3-10 Sanbancho, Chiyoda ku, Tokyo JPY3,500 (payable on the door)
Map to the reception venue

Make your booking here