JASP 2026: Interview with Linda Troost and Sayre Greenfield, Adaptations Panelists
- Delicia Johnson
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
In anticipation of JASP 2026, we’re interviewing our esteemed staff and speakers. This year’s four-day symposium, JASP 2026: Pride, Prejudice, and the Pursuit of Happiness will take place June 11-14, 2026, in historic Greensburg, PA, the new JASP location for the foreseeable future. We will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by exploring topics that connect Austen's Pride and Prejudice to the revolutionary context in which it was written. Activities include workshops, small-group discussions, and lectures from renowned Austen scholars. And of course, our Regency Ball is an event not to be missed!
Our final interviewees are Linda Troost and Sayre Greenfield, two of our adaptations panelists at JASP 2026.
Linda Troost is a professor of English at Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, where she teaches courses in British literature, Jane Austen, fantasy literature, and professional writing. She edited the six-volume series Eighteenth-Century Women: Studies in their Lives, Work, and Culture.
Sayre Greenfield is a professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, where he teaches courses in early British literature, the history of the English language, Jane Austen, fantasy literature, and digital studies. He is the author of The Ends of Allegory, and co-editor of Birds in Eighteenth-Century Literature: Reason, Emotion, and Ornithology.
Linda and Sayre are co-editors of Jane Austen in Hollywood, the book that established the field of Austen adaptation studies.
What will your presentation be about?
Sayre: 'Transformations of Pride and Prejudice on the World Stage'. So how does one translate Austen's novel to ballet in the US, Bulgaria, and Japan?
What inspired this topic?
Linda: We were asked to do a piece for the Oxford Handbook on Jane Austen on the topic of Global Austen, and we came across a whole lot of transmedia adaptations other than film. Wow! A gold mine of things we had no idea existed from around the world.
Sayre: We have yet to climb out of that very capacious rabbit hole, as the roles Austen can take get curiouser and curiouser.
What do you love most about Pride and Prejudice?
Linda: Oh, Austen's scathing description of characters in one mere sentence. And Darcy's first proposal is so splendidly awful you are grateful she doesn't give you all the words he says. But you can figure it out.
Sayre: There are too many exquisite scenes to choose among, but I think the plotting of the novel is particularly brilliant as Austen explores stupid mistakes that highly intelligent people can make.
Why do you think Pride and Prejudice continues to resonate with audiences? How do adaptations contribute to the novel's longevity in the public consciousness?
Linda: It's funny and it's romantic. It's got everything. Adaptations keep her name in the front of everyone's mind, but they also bring in new readers, one who would read a manga or stream a movie but not pick up a "classic"--until they get hooked, of course.
Sayre: By focusing so much on the mental attributes of her characters, Austen in P&P allows resonances with a huge variety of different cultures.
What do you hope attendees gain from your presentation?
Linda: Exposure to some adaptations they did not even know existed.
Sayre: A sense of how truly global and how flexible Austen's configurations of characters can be, as they are adapted to different cultures and various media.
Which JASP activity are you most looking forward to and why?
Linda: The ball. We love English country dancing. And we look forward to meals with friends old and new.
Sayre: The ball, if I can find a suitable valet to tie a decent cravat.
Why should people support JASP?
Linda: It bring together fans, teachers, and scholars.
Sayre: In the modern day, it is hard to find subjects that people share, so that we can have actual conversations. Austen provides such a subject, not too vast at its core, yet with endless variations to explore and debate, and JASP provides a great chance for such conversations.
Since 2013, our annual, award-winning symposium has attracted lovers of Jane Austen from all walks of life. Attendees spend four days in person with fellow scholars and fans to explore one topic or novel in greater depth for an unforgettable experience. Your donations help keep pricing as low as possible.
