Jane Austen Futurelearn and the University of Southampton

I love Jane Austen. So when I came across a website from FutureLearn, I was compelled to dive in to the offering it had to read more about her. The University of Southampton has an on line educational course about Jane. It’s free and a nice way to spend the time. When I first signed up, I needed to identify where I live so everyone could see the worldwide appeal. There are also forums to add your comments about each specific subject matter. Of course, the first question was why you were joining the course. My simple answer was because “l love Jane Austen.”  Of course, the scholars and long winded participants added pages for their rationale - I was once told I was parsimonious by my Marquette university masters program nursing mentor. She was right. Short, and to the point. I’m not one for philosophy and detailed conversations about things that aren’t practical. Another section asked your opinion of Emily Bronte’s criticism of Jane’s work. My answer was “everyone has an opinion - but I’d rather be friends with Jane” compared to some ten page thesis. Anyway, it’s interesting to navigate the site and learn about things that pique our interest. Thank goodness for the internet - especially given our conditions today. I wonder what Jane would have thought?