STRONG WOMEN AND DR JOHNSON with John Wiltshire

Dr Johnson, probably the most famous author of the 18th century, was, unusually for a man of his time, a vigorous champion and friend of women writers and intellectuals. This talk illustrates his quite different friendships with two very interesting female novelists, Charlotte Lucas and Fanny Burney.

John Wiltshire is Adjunct Professor at La Trobe University. He is the author of four books about Jane Austen, and has edited Mansfield Park for the authoritative Cambridge edition. His most recent books are The Cinematic Jane Austen (2009) and The Making of Dr Johnson (2009). He contributed the chapter on ‘Women Writers’ to Samuel Johnson in Context, Cambridge University Press (2012).

Edward Burney (1760-1848), portrait of Fanny Burney, 1782-4, engraving on paper