This year marks the 250th birthday of Jane Austen, the beloved British novelist whose stories have been retold through countless television shows, plays and movies.
And though we鈥檙e an ocean away, Ohioans will celebrate her legacy this weekend. The Heritage Village Museum and Educational Center outside of Cincinnati is hosting this weekend鈥檚 Jane Austen Festival.
鈥�She has this enduring legacy because all of her books are classics,鈥� said Bethany Jewell, marketing coordinator with the historical center. 鈥淭here are just so many different themes that she touches upon in her novels that are really still relevant today.鈥�
The festival is expected to attract people from more than 35 states and several countries. There will be presentations on nearly every facet of Austen鈥檚 fiction: from the 鈥淯ndressing Mr. Darcy鈥� workshop, which will educate on men鈥檚 period clothing, to a lecture on Austen鈥檚 portrayal of aging.
The event will delve into the Regency Era that Austen lived through and depicted in her novels. The festival will offer dance troupes, horseback riding, duels and, of course, a ball.
鈥淓verything you need to really feel like you are living in Jane Austen's world,鈥� Jewell said.
Global influence
During Austen鈥檚 time, her now-famous six novels weren鈥檛 widely acclaimed. She was published anonymously and only earned a small portion of sales from her books. It wasn鈥檛 until after she died that her reputation began to grow globally.
Now, her widely read works like 鈥淧ride and Prejudice鈥� and 鈥淪ense and Sensibility鈥� have garnered fans from across the globe and inspired international conferences and associations.
Last fall, Cleveland hosted the Jane Austen Society North America (JASNA) conference, attracting more than 600 鈥淛ane-ites鈥� to the northeast Ohio city.
Ohio has its own JASNA branch, which hosts balls and reading groups to honor the author.
鈥淧eople are just romanticized by the era and just enjoy learning about it and connecting with it,鈥� Jewell said.
A Regency Era revival
Regardless of whether you鈥檙e a fan of 鈥淓mma鈥� or 鈥淢ansfield Park鈥�, or whether you prefer Colin Firth or Matthew McFayden鈥檚 portrayal of Mr. Darcy, Jewell said all can agree that Austen鈥檚 stories have staying power.
鈥淭hey all speak to the human experience. There's themes of love and romance. The same reason that a lot of people love to watch Hallmark movies 鈥� they just kind of give them that warm feeling 鈥� Austen has that same way that she touches her readers,鈥� she said.
As series like 鈥淏ridgerton鈥� continue to draw inspiration from Austen and bring modern spins on her stories, Jewell said attention to Austen only continues to grow.
She hopes the festival brings more people to wonder about what life was like in Ohio during the same time period and to explore the real history behind the fiction.