News Releases

A movie about a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman will be the next installment in the Austen Film Series in the Welty Garden. Becoming Jane stars Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, and Maggie Smith and will screen on Friday, September 29, at 7 p.m.

“This film gives us an opportunity to look at similarities in the lives of Jane Austen and Eudora Welty,” said Carolyn Brown, a biographer of Welty and state coordinator of the Jane Austen Society of North America. “Both women’s parents fostered a love of reading in their daughters, and both Austen and Welty began writing at very young ages.”

Brown will lead a brief discussion before the screening. “Welty and Austen shared a fantastic sense of humor and were keen observers of their times,” Brown said. “Through their writing they continue to inspire deep and lasting connections with contemporary readers.”

The Eudora Welty House and Garden and JASNA-MS are partnering with Crossroads Film Society on the series. The Austen Film Series in the Welty Garden is free of charge thanks to a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council.

For Becoming Jane, the garden will open at 5 p.m., the program will begin at 6:30, and the movie will start at dark—about 7 p.m. The series will conclude on October 20 with Love and Friendship. No reservations are necessary. In the event of inclement weather, the films will be shown across the street at Belhaven University.

“Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy these adaptations of the works of one of Welty’s favorite writers,” said Bridget Edwards, director of the Eudora Welty House and Garden.

For more information on the film series email info@eudoraweltyhouse.com or call 601-353-7762.

The Eudora Welty House and Garden interprets the life of the internationally acclaimed author. Tours are by reservation Tuesday through Friday and the second Saturday of each month. The house is located at 1119 Pinehurst Street in Jackson and is operated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.