Sense and Sensibility and Fix-It Fic
with Margaret H. Willison
Monday Nights
8-10pm ET on Zoom
February 26th-April 8th, 2024
Course description
This seven-week virtual class is for people looking to engage deeply and playfully with Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Led by Margaret H. Willison, Not Sorry’s resident Austen specialist, participants will read the novel over the course of six weeks and use the text to spark creative experimentation and collective self-reflection.
While Sense and Sensibility is considered a charming and satisfying love story, on closer examination, it is a much more ambivalent text. Are its romantic heroes genuinely compelling? Are its dual protagonists, Elinor and Marianne, depicted with equal depth and compassion? Does it deliver all the satisfaction its reputation as a sparkling romantic comedy promises, or does it deny us the comfort of a resolutely happy ending? These questions arise so insistently when reading Sense and Sensibility because all the different versions of the story feel so attainable. It would take a lot of changes to make Anna Karenina into a happy story, but the addition of a couple small scenes to Sense and Sensibility could make it as ironic as Thackeray’s Vanity Fair or as romantic as, well, the Emma Thompson-scripted and starring 1995 movie adaptation.
That’s where the fan fiction practice of “fix-it fics” comes into play. In this type of fan fiction, writers set out not to reinvent the texts they love, but instead to fix specific issues they perceive in their source text. Fix-it fics can change things as small as plot holes or inconsistent characterization, or as large as bringing a favorite character back from the dead, or giving the hero a new love interest. This is how participants in this class will approach Sense & Sensibility.
Each week as students read the assigned section, they will think about the version of the story they most wish to see, and rewrite or reimagine scenes to steer the narrative towards that end. Led by Margaret, they will also consider how this reframing practice can be applied to the stories they tell about themselves and to themselves in everyday life. For inspiration and guidance, participants in this class will also read Emma Thompson’s screenplay and filming diary from the aforementioned 1995 film adaptation of the novel. If you think you loved Thompson before reading this filming diary, you’ve got a whole new level of obsession coming for you.
The overview
Dates: Monday nights on Zoom from 8-10pm ET, February 26th - April 8th, 2024, plus an optional group viewing of Sense and Sensibility (Lee, 1995).
Tuition: Sliding scale as follows:
full price: $350
can’t quite afford full price: $300
full price + contribution to scholarship funds for class: $400
Scholarships: We will be offering a range of partial scholarships for this course, which you can apply for through this form.
Recording: Classes will be recorded for later viewing, but the course is best experienced if you attend each session live.
What you’ll need for this class:
Access to an unabridged copy of Sense and Sensibility (free online versions are absolutely fine).
A copy of Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay & Diaries by Emma Thompson.
Pre-requisites: Participants should be familiar with the plot of Sense & Sensibility. It’s okay if this is your first time reading the book, but you’ll want to have viewed an adaptation at least. No other knowledge of Jane Austen’s work is needed.
Class size: There is no cap on the number of people who can take this class, so its size will correspond to demand, and could be large. However, it is carefully designed to create opportunities for individual connection no matter how large the course is.
Registration Details: As soon as you buy your ticket, you will receive an email from programs@notsorryproductions.com confirming your spot and sharing the Zoom link for the class. Please add this email address to your contacts to prevent the messages from being marked as spam.
Questions? Email our team at programs@notsorryproductions.com with any questions!
More Info
Each class will consist of: opening remarks from Margaret, plus a mix of small group discussion time, writing time, and large group discussion. No prior knowledge of Austen’s other work is required to participate in this class, but familiarity with the plot of Sense & Sensibility will help. As we’ll be playing around with the story, knowing its original shape will be important. But deep familiarity with the text is not required– if you’ve only watched film adaptations, but never read the book, this class will actually be a great opportunity to do so.
Faculty bio
Margaret H. Willison - Instructor - she/her
Based in Boston, where she grew up, Margaret has a B.A. in English and History from Kenyon College, a Masters in Library Science from Simmons University, and a profound enthusiasm for 19th century British everything. You may know her from her work with Not Sorry, as a regular fourth chair on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, or simply because her ability to make friends and influence people is definitely on the mutant superpower, maybe-she-was-bitten-by-a-radioactive-social-butterfly level and cannot easily be contained. She loves mixing cocktails, dispensing on-call shopping advice to anyone in need, and attending concerts in the greater Boston area wherein any kind of woman plays any kind of guitar.
You can find her writing at twobossydames.substack.com.
Courtney Brown - Facilitator - she/her
Courtney serves as Projects Coordinator for Not Sorry. Born in Louisiana and currently residing in the DFW area of Texas, Courtney received her BS in Secondary English Education at Louisiana State University Shreveport and taught ninth grade literature for five years before becoming full-time caretaker to her two kids.
She super enjoys visiting her local library with her daughter and son, hiking in the Rocky Mountains, planning meals with an excess of condiment options, and testing craft cocktails her husband makes for their regularly scheduled neighborhood gatherings.