EPISODES - The Thing About Austen

The Thing About Austen

Ep48: The Thing About the Meryton Assembly

8/30/2022

It's dancing time! This week we are covering the origins of public assemblies before taking a look at the Meryton assembly scene in Pride and Prejudice. If you have ever wished your bestie would just let you sit one out, this episode is for you.

Select Sources:

Castelow, Ellen. “Assembly Rooms.” Historic UK. Accessed August 7, 2022. https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Assembly-Rooms/.
Chamber, Ephriam. Cyclopedia: Or, an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. London, 1728.
Girouard, Mark. The English Town: A History of Urban Life. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1990. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_English_Town/ny2HA2-ZHpEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=assemblies.
Kingsbury, Pamela D. “Assembly Rooms.” In Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T004633.
Ray, Joan Klingel. “Do Elizabeth and Darcy Really Improve ‘on Acquaintance’?” Persuasions 35 (2013): 34–49.
Richardson, Kristen. The Season: A Social History of the Debutante. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2020. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Season_A_Social_History_of_the_Debut/WPuKDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.

Ep42: The Thing About Lady Catherine's Chimney-piece

6/23/2022

Mr. Collins is here, and he is ready to enumerate the many fine qualities of all the furnishings at Rosings Park. No really, sit down. This could take awhile. This episode we're all about Lady Catherine's very fancy chimney-piece. If you have ever been given a dubious compliment involving a small summer breakfast parlour, this episode is for you.

Selected Sources:

Baker, Malcolm. “Public Images for Private Spaces? The Place of Sculpture in the Georgian Domestic Interior.” Journal of Design History 20, no. 4 (January 1, 2007): 309–23. https://doi.org/10.1093/jdh/epm030.
Burton, Neil, and Lucy Porten. Georgian Chimneypieces. London: The Georgian Group, 2000.
Chambers, Sir William. “Of Chimney Pieces.” In A Treatise on the Decorative Part of Civil Architecture, 4th ed., vol. 2: 377–83. London: Priestley and Weale, 1825. https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Treatise_on_the_Decorative_Part_of_Civ/WJ4aAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.
Gunnis, Rupert. Dictionary of British Sculptors: 1660-1851. London: Abbey Library, 1957.
“John Nost II (d. 1729) - Chimneypiece.” Accessed June 14, 2022. https://www.rct.uk/collection/1080/chimneypiece-0.
Laing, Alastair. “The Eighteenth-Century English Chimneypiece.” Studies in the History of Art 25 (1989): 241–54.
Pevsner, Nikolaus. “The Architectural Setting of Jane Austen’s Novels.” Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 31, no. 1 (January 1, 1968): 404–22. https://doi.org/10.2307/750649.

Ep36: The Thing About Regency Theatre with Guest Lauren Wethers

4/28/2022

Raise the curtain! Guest Lauren Wethers is here this week to provide us with an introduction to attending the theatre in Austen's time. We also chat a bit about Bridgerton, so mild spoiler warnings for season one. If you have ever wanted to be on stage, this episode is for you.

Thank you so much to Lauren for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Twitter @LaurenWethers. You can learn more about the Reclaiming Jane podcast at www.ReclaimingJanePod.com and follow them on Twitter and Instagram @ReclaimingJane.

Ep30: The Thing About Lydia's Trip to Brighton

3/3/2022

Why exactly was Lydia Bennet so eager to visit Brighton and why was Elizabeth so right to be concerned? Brighton was the playground of the wealthy and free-wheeling in Austen's time, and we're here to give you the tour. If you have ever wanted to vacation with royalty, this episode is for you.

Selected episode sources

Cannon, John, and Robert Crowcroft. “Brighton.” In A Dictionary of British History. Oxford University Press. Accessed February 25, 2022. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780191758027.001.0001/acref-9780191758027-e-508.
Dinkel, J. “The Royal Pavilion.” Historic England. Accessed February 25, 2022. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1380680.
Imms, Adrian. “History of the Barracks That Came and Went.” The Argus, October 4, 2016. https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/14781207.history-of-the-barracks-that-came-and-went/.
Le Faye, Deirdre. Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2002.
Morrison, Robert. The Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Bryon Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern. New York: Norton, 2019.
Sakula, Alex. “Doctor Brighton: Richard Russell and the Sea Water Cure.” Journal of Medical Biography 3, no. 1 (February 1995): 30–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/096777209500300105.
Royal Pavilion. “Short History of the Pavilion.” Accessed February 25, 2022. https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/royalpavilion/history/short-history-of-the-royal-pavilion/.
Weis, Heather. “‘Brighton Possesses All the Requisites ... for Either Amusement or Dissipation’: Frivolity in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.” Pride and Prejudice: The Bicentennial, October 10, 2013. https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/celia_pride/preconference/posters/5.

EP27: The Thing About Austen and Romance with guest Bea Hodges-Koch

2/13/2022

Valentine's Day is around the corner, so this week we're bringing you a special episode on Jane Austen and romance with our guest Bea Hodges-Koch of The Ripped Bodice bookstore. We cover everything from Austen's influence on historical romance to just why Pride and Prejudice makes us swoon, plus some trope talk in-between. Thank you so much to Bea for joining us for this episode! You can find her online @BeaHodgesKoch on Instagram and at www.TheRippedBodiceLA.com.

EP24: The Thing About Fordyce's Sermons

1/20/2022

Mr. Collins is preparing to read aloud to all of us, and the chosen volume is Fordyce's Sermons. We discuss the rise and fall of Fordyce's popularity, and take a look at how Austen's reference to Fordyce in Pride and Prejudice serves as both cultural commentary and comedy.

Selected episode sources

Collins, Irene. Jane Austen and the Clergy. London: Hambledon Press, 2002.
Ford, Susan Allen. “Mr. Collins Interrupted: Reading Fordyce’s Sermons with Pride and Prejudice.” Persuasions On-Line34, no. 1 (2013). https://jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol34no1/ford.html.
Grundy, Isobel. “Jane Austen and Literary Traditions.” In The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen, edited by Edward Copeland and Juliet McMaster, 2nd ed., 189–210. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Harris, Muriel. “‘Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers.’” In A Tutor’s Guide: Helping Writers One to One, edited by Bennett A. Rafoth, 2nd ed., 24–34. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 2005.
The British Library. “Sermons to Young Women.” Accessed January 28, 2022. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/sermons-to-young-women.
Sprayberry, Marie A. “Fanny Price as Fordyce’s Ideal Woman? And Why?” Persuasions On-Line 35, no. 1 (2014). https://jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol35no1/sprayberry.html.
Vickery, Amanda. The Gentleman’s Daughter: Women’s Lives in Georgian England. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2003.
Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and A Vindication of the Rights of Men. Edited by Janet M. Todd. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2008.
Worsley, Lucy. Jane Austen at Home. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2017.
Yeazell, Ruth Bernard. Fictions of Modesty: Women and Courtship in the English Novel. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.

EP21: The Thing About Christmas at Pemberley

12/15/2021

You have been cordially invited to Christmas at Pemberley! The Darcys have welcomed us to their home for the festive season, and we are here to walk you through the experience. If you have ever reached your hand into a flaming bowl of raisins, this episode is for you.

Selected episode sources

Brown, Ellen F. “A Brief History of the Holiday Card.” JSTOR Daily, December 20, 2015. https://daily.jstor.org/history-christmas-card-holiday-card/.
Davidson, Hilary. “A Jane Austen Christmas.” Yale University Press London Blog (blog), December 11, 2019. https://yalebooksblog.co.uk/2019/12/11/jane-austen-christmas/.
Gannon, John. “Fowl Play: Why A Christmas Carol Meant Our Goose Was Cooked.” The Conversation. Accessed January 28, 2022. http://theconversation.com/fowl-play-why-a-christmas-carol-meant-our-goose-was-cooked-35613.
Gaunt, Peter. “An Expert Explains… The Myth That Cromwell Abolished Christmas.” University of Chester, December 13, 2018. https://www1.chester.ac.uk/news/expert-explains%E2%80%A6-myth-cromwell-abolished-christmas.
Girouard, Mark. Life in the English Country House: A Social and Architectural History. New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Press, 1994.
Mortimer, Ian. Time Traveller’s Guide to Regency Britain. London: Bodley Head, 2021.
Vogler, Pen. Dinner with Mr Darcy: Recipes Inspired by the Novels and Letters of Jane Austen. London: Cico Books, 2020.

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.

EP07: 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.

EP06: The Thing About Darcy's Pen

10/3/2021

This week we come to you live from Caroline Bingley's Pen Mending Emporium, where all your pens will be mended with utmost care and attention to detail. At least if your name is Fitzwilliam Darcy, that is. If you ever attempted to flirt over office supplies, this episode is for you. And for the extra observant listener — we had a bit of a technical difficulty, so The Thing About Rushworth's Divorce had to be postponed. Coming soon!

Selected Sources:
Blake, Erin. “Uncut, Unopened, Untrimmed, Uh-Oh.” Blog. The Collation, August 23, 2016. https://collation.folger.edu/2016/08/uncut-unopened-untrimmed-uh-oh/.
Jane Austen Centre. “Cutting a Quill Pen.” Accessed January 28, 2022. https://janeausten.co.uk/blogs/hands-on-crafts/cutting-a-quill-pen.
Hurford, Robert. “Handwriting in the Time of Jane Austen.” Persuasions On-Line 30, no. 1 (2009). https://jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol30no1/hurford.html.