Jane Austen reading party in Barcelona to mark 250 years of author's birth

A reading party to honor English writer Jane Austen took place on Sunday morning in Barcelona with some 150 attendees, in order to mark the 250th anniversary of her birth.

Organized by Austral publisher, it entailed a discussion between art historian and influencer Helena Sotoca, and cultural manager and video essayist Alba Lafarga.

In addition to the talk, the event featured live music with string instruments and a lettering workshop.

During the event, the social critique and the modernity of Austen's characters was discussed, as well as her innovative ironic style and the "reasonable" love as opposed to marriages of convenience or love at first sight.

"Women could not play a role in the public space, and she not only had presence, but expressed criticism and talked about women's problems," said Sotoca, who added that she was "well ahead of her time."

For her, Austen used irony "as a way of including critique as a writer and as a woman, but more subtle, avoiding being blasted by society."

According to Sotoca, the English author was innovative because she "criticized marriages of convenience, but also passionate love," and she rather stood for love that consolidates little by little.

The other speaker, Lafarga, emphasized that Austen talks about everyday things rather than the epic narratives of those times. And she does it "with very strong feminine characters that still resonate now."

Both experts praised the fact that Austen managed to write six masterpieces without having a private room to write, and also said that the novels have inspired generations and the current literature, as well as modern characters such as Bridget Jones or those starring in Stephenie Meyer's 'Twilight'.

Sotoca and Lafarga highlighted several times that Jane Austen was ahead of her time, being 'protofeminist', with her characters willing to be independent, and they even called her "Marxist before Marx."

For them, works beyond the romantic part, 'Pride and prejudice' "is a critique of aristocracy and the values that prioritized appearance and a system not based on education or ethics."