Jane on Zoom

Those of us who live within striking distance of New York City have another five weeks in which to catch the Morgan Library & Museum’s much-praised exhibit “A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250.” (I’m planning to visit this weekend.) But if you can’t make it there in person, an online course starting next week offers another way to experience the show--with an expert guide.

Juliette Wells, the Goucher College professor of literary studies who co-curated the Morgan exhibit, is presenting a live-on-Zoom class about Austen’s life, work, and legacy. The course runs from noon to 1 pm (US Eastern) on three successive Wednesdays—August 13, 20, and 27--and costs $132, with a 20 percent discount for members of Roundtable, the online platform of New York’s 92^nd Street Y.

Judging from the course description, Wells will discuss many of the items included in the Morgan exhibit, among them Austen letters and manuscripts, first editions of her novels, and personal possessions like her topaz cross and turquoise ring. It won’t be quite like seeing those precious relics in physical space, but it might be the next best thing.