It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an arts center in possession of a literary gala date, must be in want of a novel to celebrate. So it is that on November 14 Lexington’s Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning will transform into a semblance of the Meryton Assembly Ball, Hertfordshire, England, circa 1800, to celebrate Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. 

The 13th annual Carnegie Classics gathering will be “an immersive celebration” of Austen’s Regency-era masterpiece, an extension of the Carnegie Center’s mission to provide lifelong learning through literary arts, according to executive director Jennifer Mattox. “We do it to encourage people to read a classic piece of literature and then come experience living in it.”

The annual affair was dreamed up by former executive director Neil Chethik as a way to do "a big event, something we had not tried before. To take a classic piece of literature and make it a showcase,” in Mattox’s words. The first, in 2012, was devoted to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and featured readings from the work, art inspired by it, and a facilitated discussion. 

But the concept really took off in its second year with a focus on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. “We realized the Carnegie Center building could actually be Gatsby’s mansion,” Mattox recalled. The staff found a vintage automobile to display in Gratz Park, beamed a green light from the Center’s entrance, and, when the party opened, discovered that guests were arriving in 1920s-style costumes. “From then on, consignment shops in Lexington actually started filling their stores knowing that people were coming to buy” based on the party theme each year. 

Other literary inspirations included Alice in Wonderland, The Little Prince, Catcher in the Rye, The Color Purple, and Murder on the Orient Express. “We have talked about Pride and Prejudice for years but said let’s do these others first so we can explore many genres,” Mattox said. “This year, it felt like it was time. People need an escape from our current world.”  

Pride and Prejudice, Austen’s second published work, dates to 1813 and has been adapted for stage and film many times, with variations ranging from Bridget Jones’s Diary to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. An updated miniseries based on the original novel begins streaming in December 2026. Carnegie marketing and communications director Sarabeth Brownrobie said this shindig coincides with a recent film version of Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility and the ongoing popularity of the television series, Bridgerton, which owes “pretty much everything” to Austen. 

Mattox, whose own writing has been influenced by Austen, notes that Pride and Prejudice has never gone out of print, the very definition of an enduring classic. She sees it as “an early piece of feminist writing: Elizabeth Bennet is a young woman who, despite every familial expectation that she marry for financial stability not only for herself but for her family, refuses to marry unless it is for love. She turns down two proposals. Not until she develops feelings for Mr. Darcy does she say yes.”

The British Regency era, in which Austen lived, broadly refers to the years between 1795 and 1837, and all six of her novels were published in the few years before or just after her 1817 death. Guests at the Classics event are encouraged to dress in Regency style — empire waist dresses for ladies and frock coats with vests for gentlemen — or in attire otherwise inspired by the book. Jan Isenhour, another former executive director, said, “It’s an immersive atmosphere, so guests get the feeling of what it would be like to live in the Regency period. Even if you don’t dress up you can think about what you might wear.”  “I’m here for the costumes!” Brownrobie added. “The staff have all been working on their outfits.” 

This year’s Carnegie Classics included an author-led talk about Regency Romances, a themed soiree at Lexington Tea & Brie, and a garden setting discussion of the book itself led by Mattox and Carnegie registrar Maggie Garrett. The celebration will culminate in a Regency Ball at which Jane Austen herself would feel at home. 

Regency architecture and interior design featured refined elements with the occasional playful embellishment. The Carnegie Center dates to 1906 rather than the early 19th century, but Mattox said it evokes a level of opulence appropriate to an Austen-era ball. “The first floor’s Jesse Stuart room is perfect as a Regency ballroom because of the hardwood floors and grand chandeliers,” Brownrobie said. Lexington Vintage Dance will perform reels and other period dances in the ballroom to live music provided by the Celtic band Keltricity. A DJ will take over later in the evening, allowing guests to “get their dance on.” A reception of light appetizers, signature cocktails and mocktails that further celebrate the book will be served. 

The party is designed to flow through the entire building. “Every room has a different theme,” said Brownrobie. “We will have an experience where guests may ‘take a turn about the room.’ There will be a Notes Station to write and deliver notes to people on the dance floor. The Carnegie staff are creating silhouettes of the fictional families to display in the gallery” and other book-inspired art works.  

Mattox said she loves the pop-up dance and theatrical performances staged in the historic building’s central nave. “Guests looking down from the skylight, becoming a part of the performance itself, is unlike any other art experience. You are right there. It’s fun to see how the people present become part of the play.” In addition to the dancers, there will be actors performing scenes from the book.

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!” says the character Caroline Bingley in the book. The planners of the Carnegie Classics Pride and Prejudice hope their gala offers guests their own Regency moment and encourages them to undertake a reading of the novel itself. 

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The Carnegie Classics Pride and Prejudice, 7–11 p.m., Saturday, November 14 at 251 West Short Street, Lexington. Open to those 18 and older. Tickets are $65 with an open bar or $45 alcohol-free and may be purchased at the door or in advance at Carnegiecenterlex.org 

Contributing writer Pamela Perlman is an attorney, author of the novel After the Race, and active member of the Lexington arts and literary communities.