The Readers’ Club of Police DAV Public School, Jalandhar, hosted a symposium on the works of celebrated English novelist Jane Austen, focusing on four of her seminal novels: Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and Emma. The event brought together literature enthusiasts, and students to delve into Austen’s insightful portrayals of society, love, and personal growth.
The event aimed at analyzing Austen’s novels in the context of 19th-century English society.
The presenters crtiqued the themes, characters, plot in her works concluding it with an overview.
Participants also explored Austen’s relevance in contemporary times.
Niharika Gupta, the President of Readers’ club welcomed the audience and emphasized Austen’s astute observations on societal norms, gender roles, and class distinctions.
The event commenced with a floral welcome to the Principal Dr Rashmi Vij
Four groups in their presentation explored each novel:
The first group comprising Sumona Thakur and Yakshitaa, both from VIII-A, Jasmeet Kaur of VIII-G and Rishampreet Kaur XII exlpored the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’. They examined Elizabeth Bennet’s journey, the complexities of relationships, and Austen’s commentary on
social class.
GROUP-2 comprised of InayatVIII-A, Aarcha Mehta and Astha Verma, both from X-A and Divya VIII-A.
They focused on Austen’s most popular comic fiction
*Emma*: Discussions centered around Emma Woodhouse’s character development, matchmaking, and Austen’s exploration of friendship and social status.
Group-3 comprised of Swastika Gupta VIII-A, Kamakshi X-A, Hemal XI-B and Ausha Sharma XII-E. The group members
gave presentations on Jane Austen’s masterpiece
‘Northanger Abbey’ and analyzed Catherine Morland’s coming-of-age, Gothic fiction elements, and Austen’s satire of societal expectations.
Harshita of class X, Aditya Khehra VII-A, Randeep Kaur, and Manya Chauhan of XII C comprised of group-4.
They focused on
‘Mansfield Park’. They discussed Fanny Price’s transformation, morality, and Austen’s critique of colonialism.
The Presentation of each group was coordinated by group comperers namely, Shradha of XI, Sukhmani IX-D, Agam and Aarohi of IX-A
The Presentations
mainly focused on Austen’s use of irony and symbolism, Feminist perspectives in Austen’s novels and Austen’s influence on modern literature.
The symposium successfully achieved its objectives, providing a platform for engaging discussions, insightful analyses, and renewed appreciation for Austen’s works. Participants gained a deeper understanding of Austen’s literary contributions and relevance in contemporary society.
Principal Dr Rashmi Vij appreciated the endeavour of Readers’ Club and congratulated the team for organising the event successfully.
The event was organised under the mentorship of Mr Manoj Dutta, Ms Kanchan Sharma, Ms Preeti Khehra, Ms Jaspreet Boparai, Dr Neetu Vaid Sharma, Mr Ajayveer.
