Jane Austen was born during the harsh winter of 1775. In her teens she yearned to write, an ambition nurtured by her father, the rector of an Anglican parish, and her sister, Cassandra. Austen’s writing style—precise, ironic, and deeply engaging—stands tall in literary history, as do her novels, among them, Pride and Prejudice and Emma. In this exhibition, which markes 250 years since her birth, artifacts from Austen’s home in Chawton, England, come from across the Atlantic to be presented alongside manuscripts, rare books, and artworks from the museum’s holdings. “It isn’t what we say or think that defines us,” the great lady wrote in Sense and Sensibility, “but what we do.” —Elena Clavarino