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The Thing About Austen

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Ep104: The Thing About The Crescent

5/9/2025

 
Transcript
Henry Tilney has mysteriously disappeared, and Catherine will not rest until she finds him. Next up in her investigation? The Crescent. Join us as we cover the history and architecture of this notable landmark.

If you have ever been desperately hoping to casually bump into someone, this episode is for you. 

Thank you to PBS for sponsoring this episode! Miss Austen will be released on Masterpiece on May 4, 9pm/8c.

Selected Sources
  • Edwards, Anne-Marie. In the Steps of Jane Austen. Madison, Wis: Jones Books, 2003.
  • Egan, Pierce. Walks Through Bath, Describing Everything Worthy of Interest. Bath: Sherwood, Neely and Jones, 1819.
  • Forsyth, Michael. Bath. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003.
  • Haddon, John. Bath. London: Batsford, 1973.
  • Lane, Maggie. A Charming Place: Bath in the Life and Times of Jane Austen. Bath: Millstream Books, 1988.
  • ———. Jane Austen’s England. London: Hale, 1996.
  • Lowndes, William. The Royal Crescent in Bath: A Fragment of English Life. Bristol: Redcliffe Press, 1981. http://archive.org/details/royalcrescentinb0000lown.​

Ep100: The Thing About Jane Austen's House with guest Lizzie Dunford

1/22/2025

 
Transcript
Happy 100! To celebrate this auspicious occasion, we are thrilled to share our conversation with Lizzie Dunford, Director of Jane Austen’s House. We chat about Austen's time living in Chawton, as well as the incredible work that Jane Austen's House is doing to promote and preserve Austen’s legacy as an author and storyteller.

Thank you so much to Lizzie for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Instagram @lizzie_dunford_writes. You can learn more about Jane Austen's house and find links to all their socials at https://janeaustens.house.

Ep98: The Thing About Northanger Abbey's Bell System

10/25/2024

 
Transcript
THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE. And the person calling is General Tilney. For this year's spooky season episode, we're talking about the bell system at Northanger Abbey.
If you have ever wondered for whom the bell pulls, this episode is for you. 

Selected sources
  • “Amalgamated Society of Whitesmiths, Domestic Engineers and General Pipe Fitters and Predecessors.” Accessed October 5, 2024. https://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/AMW.
  • Cassell. Cassell’s Household Guide: Being a Complete Encyclopaedia of Domestic and Social Economy and Forming a Guide to Every Department of Practical Life. Vol. 1. London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, 1869. http://archive.org/details/cassellshousehol01londuoft.
  • Dredge, Sarah. “‘Was There a Servant . . . Who Did Not Know the Whole Story before the End of the Day?’ Upside-Down Points of View in Austen.” Persuasions On-Line 40, no. 2 (2020). https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/volume-40-no-2/dredge/.
  • Girouard, Mark. Life in the English Country House: A Social and Architectural History. New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Press, 1994.
  • Knight, John I. Mechanics Magazine. Knight, 1825.
  • Loudon, J. C. An Encyclopaedia of Cottage, Farm and Villa Architecture and Furniture. London: Longman, 1833.
  • Palmer, Marilyn, and Ian West. “Communications: Bells and Telephones.” In Technology in the Country House, 131–49. Swindon: Historic England, 2016.
  • Sambrook, Pamela A. The Country House Servant. The History Press, 2002.
  • Stone, Lawrence, and Jeanne C. Fawtier Stone. An Open Elite?: England, 1540-1880. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984. http://archive.org/details/openeliteengland00ston.

EP97: The Thing About Molland's

10/5/2024

 
Transcript
Anne is in Bath, and surprise, surprise, so is Captain Wentworth. Everyone has fortuitously converged at Molland's, and we're here to break down the momentous occasion. If you have ever run into your ex at the confectionery shop, this episode is for you.
​
Selected Sources
  • “2-22, MILSOM STREET, Non Civil Parish - 1395729 | Historic England.” Accessed September 6, 2024. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1395729.
  • Anstey, Christopher. The New Bath Guide: Or, Memoirs of the B-N-R-D Family. in a Series of Poetical Epistles. London: C. Whittingham, 1800.
  • Day, Ivan. “The Art of Confectionery,” 1997. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=4a8725733d012539cdf505e69d9f16bf07d2a388.
  • Fawcett, Trevor. Bath Commercialis’d: Shops, Trades and Market at the 18th-Century Spa. Bath: RUTON, 2002.
  • ———. Bath Entertain’d: Amusements, Recreations and Gambling at the 18th-Century Spa. Bath: RUTON, 1998.
  • ———. “Eighteenth-Century Shops and the Luxury Trade.” In Bath History, Vol. III, 49–75. Bath: Sutton Publishing, 1990. https://www.historyofbath.org.
  • Holloway, Sally. “The Foods of Love? Food Gifts, Courtship and Emotions in Long Eighteenth-Century England.” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, November 20, 2023, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0080440123000270.
  • John Cam Hobhouse, Baron Broughton. The Wonders of a Week at Bath: In a Doggerel Address to the Hon. T. S----, from F. T.----, Esq. of That City. London: J. Cawthorn, 1811.
  • Piozzi, Hester Lynch. The Piozzi Letters: 1817-1821. Edited by Edward A. Bloom and Lillian D Bloom. University of Delaware Press, 1989.
  • Stobart, Jon. Sugar and Spice: Grocers and Groceries in Provincial England, 1650-1830. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
  • Todd, Janet M. Jane Austen in Context. Cambridge University Press, 2005.
  • Visit Bath. “A Brief History of Milsom Street,” September 1, 2023. https://visitbath.co.uk/blog/read/2023/09/a-brief-history-of-milsom-street-b231.​

EP82: The Thing About Astley's

1/11/2024

 
Transcript
Come one, come all! Step right up and witness amazing feats on horseback! This episode we're headed to Astley's Amphitheatre where Harriet Smith and Robert Martin are getting nice and cozy. If you have ever found romance at the circus, this is the episode for you. 

Selected Sources:
  • “9 (Vol. 1) | Reconstructing Early Circus.” Accessed December 14, 2023. https://dhil.lib.sfu.ca/circus/clipping/287.
  • Austen, Jane. Selected Letters. Edited by Vivien Jones. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
  • Booth, Michael R. “Astley’s Amphitheatre.” In The Companion to Theatre and Performance. Oxford University Press, 2010. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199574193.001.0001/acref-9780199574193-e-218.
  • Burke, Helen. “Jacobin Revolutionary Theatre and the Early Circus: Astley’s Dublin Amphitheatre in the 1790s.” Theatre Research International 31, no. 1 (March 2006): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0307883305001847.
  • Byrne, Paula Jayne. “Jane Austen and the Theatre.” Doctoral Dissertation, University of Liverpool, 2000. https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3175545/1/DX215839.pdf.
  • Frost, Thomas. Circus Life and Circus Celebrities. Tinsley Bros., 1875.
  • Hall, Monica. A Visitor’s Guide to Georgian England. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword, 2017.
  • HathiTrust. “Astley’s System of Equestrian Education: Exhibiting the Beauties and Defects of the Horse, with Serious and Important Observations on His General Excellence, ...” Accessed December 7, 2023. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mmet.ark:/13960/t16m3rz2w?urlappend=%3Bseq=9.
  • Kwint, Marius. “Astley, Philip (1742–1814), Equestrian Performer and Circus Proprietor.” In Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/821.
  • Lybeck, Eleanor. All on Show: The Circus in Irish Literature and Culture. Cork, Ireland: Cork university press, 2019.
  • Mattfeld, Monica. Becoming Centaur: Eighteenth-Century Masculinity and English Horsemanship. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2017.
  • Victoria and Albert Museum. “The Story of Circus · V&A.” Accessed December 14, 2023. https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-story-of-circus.
  • Ward, Steve. Father of the Modern Circus “Billy Buttons”: The Life & Times of Philip Astley. Great Britain: Pen & Sword History, 2018.
​

EP80: The Thing About the Pump-Room

11/30/2023

 
There's nothing like a refreshing drink of mineral water under the watchful gaze of Beau Nash to get your day off to the right start. This episode we're headed to the pump-room in Bath to partake of the finest water on offer. And we promise that we actually do wash our glasses. Please exit on the left, and don't forget to tip your pumper.

Also, we have merch! Check out www.redbubble.com/people/aboutausten/shop to see the current offerings. 

Selected Source
  • Eighteenth-Century Political Participation & Electoral Culture. “Bath: Constituency (Borough).” ECPPEC. Accessed November 18, 2023. ecppec.ncl.ac.uk/case-study-constituencies/bath/.
  • Haddon, John. Bath. London: Batsford, 1973.
  • Historic England. “Grand Pump Room, Non Civil Parish - 1394019.” Accessed November 18, 2023. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1394019.
  • Lane, Maggie. A Charming Place: Bath in the Life and Times of Jane Austen. Bath: Millstream Books, 1988.
  • ———. Jane Austen’s England. London: Hale, 1996.
  • Lynch, Deidre. “Notes.” In Persuasion, by Jane Austen, edited by James Kinsley. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
  • Murray, Venetia. An Elegant Madness: High Society in Regency England. New York: Penguin, 2000.
  • Nicolson, Nigel. The World of Jane Austen. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1991.
  • Savage, J. The Original Bath Guide, Considerably Enlarged and Improved, Comprehending Every Species of Information That Can Be Required by the Visitor and Inhabitant, Etc. J. Savage; Meyler & Son, 1811.
  • The Historic & Local New Bath Guide: Forming a Complete Pocket History of Bath (with a Map). J. Browne, 1802.
  • The Improved Bath Guide; Or, Picture of Bath and Its Environs. Wood & Cunningham, 1809.
  • Thicknesse, Philip. The Valetudinarians Bath Guide: Or, the Means of Obtaining Long Life and Health. 2nd ed. London: Dodsley, Brown, Pratt, and Clinch, 1780.

Ep77: The Thing About the Longbourn Entail

10/19/2023

 
Was it Mr. Bennet in the library with the entail? Or was it Mr. Collins in the dining room with the strict settlement? Mrs. Bennet is on the case, but regardless of her findings, she is not happy. Grab your Clue notepad and join us as we delve into 18th-century property and inheritance law and get into the specifics of the Longbourn entail.

​Selected Sources
  • Appel, Peter A. ““A Funhouse Mirror of Law: The Entailment in Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’.” Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law 41, no. 3 (2013): 612–36.
  • Buck, Andrew R. “Entail.” In An Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age. Oxford University Press, 1999. www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199245437.001.0001/acref-9780199245437-e-223.
  • ———. “Primogeniture.” In An Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age. Oxford University Press, 1999. www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199245437.001.0001/acref-9780199245437-e-564.
  • Collins, Maureen B. “The Law of Jane: Legal Issues in Austen’s Life and Novels.” Persuasions On-Line 38, no. 1 (2017). www.jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol38no1/collins/.
  • Grover, Christine. “Pride, Prejudice, and the Threat to Edward Knight’s Inheritance.” Persuasions On-Line 35, no. 1 (2014) .www.jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol35no1/grover.html? 
  • Le Faye, Deirdre. Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels. London: Frances Lincoln, 2003.
  • Macpherson, Sandra. “Rent to Own; or, What’s Entailed in Pride and Prejudice.” Representations 82, no. 1 (2003): 1–23. doi.org/10.1525/rep.2003.82.1.1.
  • Mahony, Stephen. Wealth or Poverty: Jane Austen’s Novels Explored. London: Robert Hale, 2015.
  • Treitel, G.H. “Jane Austen and the Law.” Law Quarterly Review 100, no. 4 (October 1984): 549–86.

Ep72: The Thing About St. James's Palace

7/27/2023

 
Sir William Lucas has been to St. James's Palace, and he wants to make sure that everyone knows about it. This episode we get into the particulars of Sir William's knighthood and stop by his favorite spot for a ball. If you have ever danced the minuet under the watchful gaze of a monarch, this episode is for you.

Selected Sources
  • ​Greig, Hannah. The Beau Monde: Fashionable Society in Georgian London. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
  • Kielmansegge, Friedrich graf von. Diary of a Journey to England in the Years 1761-1762. Translated by Countess of Kielmansegge. London: Longmans, Green and Company, 1902. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Diary_of_a_Journey_to_England_in_the_Yea/NKgMAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.
  • Lamb, Charles. A Book Explaining the Ranks and Dignities of British Society Intended Chiefly for the Instruction of Young Persons. London: Tabart and Co., 1809. https://www.google.com/books/edition/a_book_explaining_the_ranks_and_dignitle/9sETAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.
  • “Royal Residences: St James’s Palace.” Accessed July 11, 2023. https://www.royal.uk/royal-residences-st-jamess-palace.
  • Stafford, Fiona J. “Introduction and Notes.” In Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, edited by James Kinsley. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
  • Thompson, Allison. “Dancing at St. James’s.” Persuasions On-Line 33, no. 1 (Winter 2012). https://jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol33no1/thompson.html?
  • Walford, Edward. Old and New London: A Narrative of Its History, Its People, and Its Places. Vol. 4. London: Cassell, Petter, & Galpin, 1873. http://archive.org/details/oldnewlondonnarr04thor.

Ep70: The Thing About the Irish Car Party

7/5/2023

 
There's nothing like a summer day at Box Hill. Nothing more awkward, that is. This episode we're jaunting forth with our friends from Highbury for an expedition sure to be uncomfortable for all involved. Along the way, we'll learn about the Irish car party mentioned by Miss Bates.

Selected Sources
  • Bilton, William. The Angler in Ireland: Or An Englishman’s Ramble Through Connaught and Munster, During the Summer of 1833. Vol. 1. 2 vols. London: R. Bentley, 1834. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Angler_in_Ireland/J_EPAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.
  • Collins, Peter. “Bianconi System.” In The Oxford Companion to Irish History, edited by S. J. Connolly. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780199234837.013.0144.
  • Cooper of Beccles, Edwin W. A Gentleman Driving Tandem to a Jaunting Car. c 1820. Oil on canvas, 20 1/8 × 25 7/8 inches. https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:41292.
  • Edgeworth, Maria. Castle Rackrent. London: Macmillan and Co., 1895. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1424/1424-h/1424-h.htm.
  • Hall, Anna Maria, and Samuel Carter Hall. Hall’s Ireland: Mr & Mrs Hall’s Tour of 1840 (1984 Edn.). Edited by Michael Scott. Vol. 2, 1841. http://www.ricorso.net/rx/library/authors/writers/Hall_AM.htm.
  • “The Jaunting Car.” The Dublin Penny Journal 1, no. 3 (July 14, 1832): 20–21.
  • Walker’s Hibernian Magazine, Or, Compendium of Entertaining Knowledge. “Domestic Intelligence.” July 1789.
  • Willich, Anthony Florian Madinger. The Domestic Encyclopaedia. Vol. 2. Philadelphia: William Young Birch and Abraham Small, 1803. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Domestic_Encyclopaedia_CAR_FIR/lug-AAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.
  • Wordsworth, Dorothy. Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland A.D. 1803. Project Gutenberg. Accessed June 14, 2023. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/28880/28880-h/28880-h.htm.​

Ep59: The Thing about the Bath Assembly Rooms

1/21/2023

 
Catherine Morland has arrived in Bath, and she is ready to be introduced to a man with a keen knowledge of muslin. This episode we explore both the Upper and Lower Assembly Rooms, including breaking down the role of the Master of Ceremonies, aka Bath's best matchmaker.

Selected Sources
  • Berg, Maxine. Luxury and Pleasure in Eighteenth-Century Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.
  • Byrne, Paula. “‘The Unmeaning Luxuries of Bath’: Urban Pleasures in Jane Austen’s World.” Persuasions 26 (2004): 13–26.
  • Chambers, Ephraim. Cyclopedia: Or, an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. Vol. 1. London, 1728.
  • Kingsbury, Pamela D. “Assembly Rooms.” In Oxford Art Online, by Pamela D. Kingsbury. Oxford University Press, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T004633.
  • Lane, Maggie. A Charming Place: Bath in the Life and Times of Jane Austen. Bath: Millstream Books, 1988.
  • New Bath Guide or Useful Pocket Companion for All Persons Residing at or Resorting to This Ancient City. Bath: R. Cruttwell, 1791. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_New_Bath_Guide_Or_Useful_Pocket_Comp/y65ayAEACAAJ?hl=en.
  • Stabler, Jane. “Cities.” In Jane Austen in Context, edited by Janet Todd, 204–14. Cambridge University Press, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316036525.020.
  • Thompson, Allison. “The Rules of the Assembly: Dancing at Bath and Other Spas in the Eighteenth Century.” Persuasions On-Line 31, no. 1 (2010). https://www.jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol31no1/thompson.html.
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