Authors at Ashfield in February and March

Authors at Ashfield for February and March

 Thursday February 16 - 11am Level 6 Council Chambers - Jo Henwood Illustrated lecture: Icelandic sagas.
Arguably the first European novels, the Icelandic Sagas are a collection of purportedly-historical accounts of medieval Viking families, interweaving magic and murder, adventure and poetry throughout. They are a foundation of Icelandic culture amongst one of the most literature-loving countries in the world, and to this day you can start a good conversation there with questions like “What is your favourite Saga?”

Monday February 20 11am Level 6 Council Chambers - Collins Hemingway illustrated lecture: Beyond the Miniatures: the real world of Jane Austen.
Overview of the major issues of the day, which are either missing or carefully embedded/hidden in her novels. Political and labor history, war, science and technology—the developments that led to the Industrial Revolution—and the new entrepreneurs. The Long War with France helped drive labor and political unrest. Collins Hemingway is a lecturer visiting Australia from Oregon, USA and is speaking at the Jane Austen Society of Australia on another topic related to Jane Austen.

Thursday March 9 11am Level 6 Council Chambers - Joanna Penglase illustrated lecture: Fortunes lost and won: Georgette Heyer’s gamblers.

 Thursday March 16 11am Level 6 Council Chambers - Vasudha Chandra illustrated lecture: Prescription for Mr Dickens: 1 holiday stat.
What ailed Charles Dickens? What about some of his sickly and invalid characters? This talk delves into such diagnostic dilemmas and explores some of the treatments used in Dicken’s time.