EPISODES - The Thing About Austen

The Thing About Austen

EP16-The Thing About Harriet's Riddle Book with guest Dr. Lynn Festa

10/24/2021

There's this very cool trend called acrostic and chill, and we're here to tell you all about it. This episode we're diving into Emma and taking a look at Harriet's riddle book with our guest, Dr. Lynn Festa. Will we uncover any salacious tidbits? Let's just say that Mr. Woodhouse might know a dirty joke or two. Consider yourself warned. Thank you so much to Lynn for joining us for this episode!

EP15 - The Thing About Austen Con with guest Sharmini Kumar

10/20/2021

We're so excited to be participating in this year's Austen Con, so we're breaking with our usual format to bring you this conversation with Sharmini Kumar, Artistic Director of 24 Carrot Productions, the organization behind Austen Con. We chat about the upcoming con, Bridgerton, adapting Austen, and even do a little Pride and Prejudice fan casting. Austen Con is Saturday the 6th of November 2021. Purchase your tickets at www.24carrotproductions.com. A virtual option is available! You can also follow Austen Con on Instagram @austencon.

Ep14 -The Thing About Emma's Unfinished Artwork with guest Georgie Castilla

10/20/2021

This week you get two episodes in one! In the first half we discuss Emma's unfinished artwork with Georgie Castilla of Duniath Comics. Then we chat with Georgie about his own work creating Austen inspired comics and learn more about his creative process. Thank you so much to Georgie for joining us for this discussion! You can find him online at www.duniathcomics.com and follow him on Instagram @duniathcomics.

EP 13 - The Thing About the Cobb

10/3/2021

Captain Wentworth is headed to Lyme Regis, so obviously we must tag along. Pack a pair of sturdy shoes and tie your bonnet strings on extra tight because this episode, we're out walking on the Cobb. If you have ever wished you had a wind machine to follow you around in real life, this episode is for you.

Selected episode sources

Bull, Richard. “Sea Defences - The Cobb Breakwater.” Lyme Regis Museum, March 11, 2015. https://www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk/sea-defences-cobb-breakwater/.
Lyme Regis Museum. “Enslaving People.” Accessed January 28, 2022. https://www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk/related-article/enslaving-people/.
The Independent. “Storm on the Cobb: Historic Harbour Defence Starts to Crack in Lyme Regis.” The Independent (London, England). February 13, 2014.

EP 12 - The Thing About Mary Crawford's Harp with guest Dr. Lidia Chang

10/3/2021

Mary Crawford is playing the harp over at the Mansfield Parsonage, and we've got front row seats to the hottest performance in town. If you have ever wondered about all those mornings Edmund spent listening to his "prime favourite," this episode is for you. Thank you so much to Dr. Lidia Chang for joining us for this discussion! You can find her online at www.lidiachang.com or follow her on Instagram @lidiaac.

EP 11 - The Thing About Steventon Rectory

10/3/2021

Although it no longer exists, Steventon Rectory was the birthplace of Jane Austen and where she lived for the first 25 years of her life. This week we travel back to Steventon Rectory and learn more about this place that was so formative to Austen's development. And most importantly, we dig up some excellent Austen potato content. This biographical episode was the result of multiple listener requests — we love hearing from you!

Selected episode sources:

Austen, Jane. Jane Austen’s Letters. Edited by Deirdre Le Faye. 4th ed. Oxford [England] ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
Austen-Leigh, James Edward. A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections. Edited by Kathryn Sutherland. Reiss. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
BBC News. “Unlocking Secrets from Jane Austen’s Steventon Home.” Accessed January 28, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-20678244.
Jane Austen Centre. “Jane Austen’s China and the Steventon Archaeological Dig.” Accessed January 28, 2022. https://janeausten.co.uk/blogs/jane-austen-life/jane-austens-china-and-the-steventon-archaeological-dig.
Le Faye, Deirdre. Jane Austen’s Country Life: Uncovering the Rural Backdrop to Her Life, Her Letters and Her Novels. London: Frances Lincoln Publisher, 2014.
Worsley, Lucy. Jane Austen at Home. First U.S. edition. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2017.

EP 10 - The Thing About Box Hill

10/3/2021

This episode we're all about Emma as we head out to Box Hill to take in the view. There's nothing like sublime landscape and awkward social tension to get your day off to a great start! If you have ever made it seem like you had a great time when the reality was a dumpster fire, this episode is for you.

Selected episode sources:

Bertelsen, Lars Kiel. “The Claude Glass: A Modern Metaphor Between Word and Image.” Word & Image 20, no. 3 (July 2004): 182–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/02666286.2004.10444015.
“Box Hill | National Trust.” Accessed September 07, 2021. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/box-hill.

EP 09 - The Thing About the Rushworths' Divorce with guest Dr. Ellen Campbell

10/3/2021

Sex! Scandal! This week we're headed to Mansfield Park where a matrimonial fracas is brewing. Actually, it happened in Twickenham, and it's already fully steeped. If you ever thought Jane Austen was just about polite tea parties, this episode is for you. A huge thanks to Dr. Ellen Campbell for joining us for this discussion, despite suffering from new semester laryngitis — thank you, Ellen! You can find her on Twitter @EllenCampbell.

EP 08 - The Thing About Sir Walter's Favorite Book

10/3/2021

We're deep in the nerdery weeds this week as we unpack the beginning of Persuasion and discuss Sir Walter's obsession with status and prestige and how that manifests in his love for his favorite book. If you've ever trawled LinkedIn looking for potential dates, this episode is for you.

Selected episode sources:

Debrett’s. “About Us,” May 30, 2021. https://debretts.com/about-us/.
The British Library. “Debrett’s Peerage.” The British Library. Accessed January 28, 2022. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/debretts-peerage.
Sutherland, Eileen. “The Rise and Fall of the House of Elliot.” Persuasions 15 (1993): 57–62.

EP 07 - The Thing About Spinsters

10/3/2021

While the word "spinster" never comes up in Austen's novels, the role of spinster or "old maid" is a frequent occurrence. This episode we're having a bit of etymological fun with the word spinster, in addition to digging into just why a woman might choose marrying Collins over remaining blissfully single. If you have ever been the lone singleton at the annual turkey curry buffet, this episode is for you. (Spinster does come up in the hilarious authorial demand prefacing Lesley Castle, but that's a story best saved for another episode.) Trigger warning for this episode: Brief mention of sexual assault around 13:50.

Selected episode sources:

St. Clair, Kassia. The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History. London: John Murray (Publishers), 2018.
Vickery, Amanda. The Gentleman’s Daughter: Women’s Lives in Georgian England. New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Press, 2003.
Worsley, Lucy. Jane Austen at Home. First U.S. edition. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2017.