Faculty of Arts and Humanities I University of Porto

Faculdade de Letras | Universidade do Porto

2-4 October 2025

Keynote Speakers 

John Mullan (University College London)

Fiona Stafford (University of Oxford)

On Jane Austen’s 250th anniversary we invite scholars/enthusiasts to join us at the University of Porto for a two-day celebration of both her literary genius and enduring legacy. As an inescapable figure in the English literary canon, and a popular cross-generational phenomenon, Jane Austen has always been the subject of the most diverse and innovative academic approaches. Scholars have explored various aspects of her work, from the ways in which her novels negotiate femininity (Cho 2006; Steiner 2012; Lints 2024) and subvert prevailing notions of masculinity during the Romantic era (Ailwood 2019; Woodworth 2024) to the deep psychological complexity of her characters (Mullan 2005). Additionally, research has examined Austen’s engagement with the medieval tradition of courtly love (Schubert 2023) and the significance of garden landscapes within her narratives (Bending 2024). Uncountable cinematographic and television adaptations, as well as retellings of Austen’s novels have catalyzed the development of studies concerning the intermediality of her work (Martin 2007; Cartmell 2010; Sutherland 2011; Pereira 2016; Ursa 2018). These varied lines of enquiry underscore the enduring relevance and complexity of Austen’s contributions to literature. Her works being products whose critical fortunes inevitably surpass the author’s own time and geography, it is the aim of this conference to foster new and thought-provoking (re)interpretations of the Austenian corpus – namely the novels that brought her fame – and the lenses through which it can be revisited in our day and age.