Regency Fun and Fanfare: A Workshop on Jane Austen and the Art of the Conversation Fan

Discover the fascinating history and artistry of Regency-era conversations fans in this interactive workshop led by Dr. Leigh-Michil George. Delve into the Clark Library’s collection as we examine items that help us better understand Austen and her fiction, including a beautifully crafted conversation fan—The New Paris Conversation Fan for 1802—unravelling its secrets and hidden messages. Learn about Regency charades, a word game that will put your wit to the test. Get your creative juices flowing during our hands-on activity, where we will decorate fans with charades inspired by Jane Austen’s novels. Join us for this fun-filled journey exploring the charm and revelry of Austen’s world. Space is limited to 20 participants.

Leigh-Michil George teaches in the English department at Geffen Academy at UCLA. Her research has been supported by UCLA’s William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, Oxford University, the Huntington Library, and the Lewis Walpole Library. Leigh-Michil’s writing has been published in Eighteenth-Century Fiction, The Rambling, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Her book project, Regency Noir: Romance and Race in Austenland, examines Jane Austen’s Sanditon and Regency romance-inspired narratives, like Shondaland’s Bridgerton, within the context of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century studies scholarship on the Black Atlantic archive.

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Image: The new Paris conversation fan for 1802. [London]: Pubd. by the proprietor, No. 42 Pall Mall, April 27th, 1802. Clark Library Rare Book Stacks GV1493 .N53 1802 *