Dr. Glynis Ridley, University of Louisville: "What's in a Name? Emma Woodhouse, Emma, Lady Hamilton, and a famous Regency love affair"
When Jane Austen named Emma Woodhouse, she did so in an England where society gossip was dominated by an Emma - Emma, Lady Hamilton - the wife of a British ambassador and the publicly acknowledged mistress of Britain's great naval hero, Admiral Lord Nelson. Lady Hamilton died in January 1815, instantly recognizable by the single name, "Emma". Can there be any similarities at all between a woman at the center of one of the great Regency love affairs and Austen's heroine?

Come join us in as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publication of Emma.