Pride, Prejudice, and Prose: Exploring Jane Austen’s England

About the Study Leader

Claudia L. Johnson *81, Murray Professor of English Literature

Claudia L. Johnson *81 joined the faculty at Princeton in 1994 and was Chair of the English Department from 2004-2012. She specializes in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century literature, with a particular emphasis on the novel.

In addition to eighteenth-century courses, she teaches courses on gothic fiction, sentimentality and melodrama, the history of prose style, film adaptations of novels into film, detective fiction, Samuel Johnson, and, of course, Jane Austen. In addition, she has strong research interests in eighteenth-century music and culture, in the idea of voice, in letterpress printing, in Yiddish story, in the American Songbook of the 1930’s and 1940s, and in international modernism.

Johnson’s Jane Austen’s Cults and Cultures (Chicago, 2012) won the Christian Gauss Award in 2013. More recently she has published a deluxe edition of Jane Austen’s The Beautifull Cassandra (Princeton, 2018) in collaboration with artist Leon Steinmetz, and 30 Great Myths about Jane Austen (Blackwell, 2020) in collaboration with Clara Tuite. Her other books include The Blackwell Companion to Jane Austen, ed. with Clara Tuite (Blackwell, 2005), The Cambridge Companion to Mary Wollstonecraft (Cambridge, 2002), Equivocal Beings: Politics, Gender and Sentimentality in the 1790s (Chicago, 1995), which won an Honorable Mention for the MLA Lowell Prize, and Jane Austen: Women, Politics, and the Novel (Chicago, 1988). In addition she is keenly interested in textual scholarship, and has prepared editions of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey and (with Susan Wolfson) Pride and Prejudice. Her research has been supported by major fellowships such as the NEH and the Guggenheim.

At present Johnson is working on the Regency diarist Anne Lister and on women and the invention of international modernism.

Take a look at the most recent edition of the Princeton Journeys magazine to see Claudia L. Johnson highlighted our “Star Treatment” story.

About the Journey

Calling all Jane Austen fans: Celebrate this remarkable novelist’s 250th birthday in the south of England, exploring the places associated with her life and work alongside preeminent Jane Austen scholar Claudia L. Johnson *81. Begin our exclusively-designed journey in historic Windsor on the River Thames, then travel to Chawton, where Jane Austen spent the last eight years of her life. Visit Jane Austen’s House Museum, where she wrote and revised six of her globally beloved novels.

Stay six nights at the five-star Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel, a short walk from the historic Roman Baths. In this UNESCO World Heritage-designated town, take a Jane Austen-themed walking tour and visit the Jane Austen Centre, featuring a delightful “Tea with Mr. Darcy.” Over the coming days, explore the stunning architecture of Wilton House and Bowood House, filming locations for Jane Austen film and TV adaptations, and stroll amid their acres of beautiful parkland. In Lyme Regis, where Persuasion is partially set, follow in Austen’s footsteps at the famous breakwater and Lyme Bay.

End the journey in Winchester with its awe-inspiring cathedral and visit to Jane Austen’s tomb. Along the way, discover some of the south of England’s iconic sights, including Salisbury Cathedral, which boasts the tallest spire in Britain, and the charming streets of medieval Castle Combe, dubbed one of the most beautiful villages in England.

Space on this tour will not last. Reserve your place today!

Accommodation

Macdonald Windsor Hotel Windsor, UK
Spend two nights at the Macdonald Windsor Hotel situated in the heart of historic Windsor, opposite the famous Windsor Castle. The property’s classic interiors, with a contemporary edge, fit perfectly with the Georgian elegance of this townhouse hotel. The luxury bedrooms are individually designed, and the hotel also offers a stylish bar and restaurant.

Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel Bath, UK
Your home for six nights, the five-star Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Bath, just a 15- to 20-minute walk to the historic Roman Baths. The elegant hotel features a spa with multiple pools, beautifully landscaped gardens, and an award-winning restaurant.

Reservations

Reservations
Please register online or contact the Princeton Journeys team at journeys@princeton.edu / 609.258.8686 with questions.

Trip Details

Dates

June 05 - June 14, 2025
Activity Level

Moderate
Cost

$6,995 per person, double occupancy; $8,495 per person, single occupancy
Deposit

$1,000 per person
Contact

journeys@princeton.edu
609-258-8686