Category: Sense And Sensibility (novel)

Ep105: The Thing About Marianne's Music with guest Dr. Elizabeth Weybright

5/21/2025

Marianne has a lot of feelings, and what better way of expressing them than through her music? Dr. Elizabeth "Elly" Weybright joins us for this episode to discuss Marianne as a musician and the ways in which Marianne's musicianship is central to her character. We also get into a bit of Austen's own history of piano ownership and music playing.

If you have ever cried on your piano after a bad break-up, this episode is for you.

Thank you so much to Elly for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Twitter @EllyWeybright.

EP94: The Thing About Anne Steele's Beaux

7/25/2024

Transcript

Anne Steele has one thing on her mind, and she would like to tell you all about it. No, really. ALL about it. This episode we take a look at Miss Steele's favorite topic of discussion and try to answer the all important question: where are all the smart beaux? If you have ever wondered where you can find all the beaux, smart or otherwise, this episode is for you.

Selected Sources

Grose, Francis. 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Project Gutenberg. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5402/pg5402-images.html.
Hall, Lynda A. Women and “Value” in Jane Austen’s Novels: Settling, Speculating and Superfluity. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.
Heydt-Stevenson, Jillian. “Bejeweling the Clandestine Body/Bawdy: The Miniature Spaces of Sense and Sensibility.” In Austen’s Unbecoming Conjunctions: Subversive Laughter, Embodied History, by Jillian Heydt-Stevenson, 29–67. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-09853-5_2.
Lauber, John. “Jane Austen’s Fools.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 14, no. 4 (1974): 511–24. https://doi.org/10.2307/449750.
Nigro, Jeffrey, and William Phillips. “A Revolution in Masculine Style: How Beau Brummell Changed Jane Austen’s World.” Persuasions On-Line 36, no. 1 (2015). https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol36no1/nigro-phillips/.
Rytting, Jenny Rebecca. “The Other Siblings in Sense and Sensibility.” Persuasions 44 (2022): 122–32.
West, William. Tavern Anecdotes, and Reminiscences of the Origin of Signs, Coffee-Houses, &c: Intended as a Lounge-Book for Citizens and Their Country Cousins. S & D.A. Forbes, no. 29 Gold-Street, 1830.

Ep86: The Thing About Brandon and Willoughby's Appointment

3/28/2024

Colonel Brandon and Willoughby are about to meet by appointment, and their seconds are ready with all the necessary administrative details. Which leads us to ask the question, could this meeting have been an email? Join us this episode as we break down the details of the duel in Sense and Sensibility.

Selected Sources

A Late Captain in the Army. General Rules and Instructions for All Seconds in Duels. Whitehaven: John Ware, 1793.
Banks, Stephen. “Killing with Courtesy: The English Duelist, 1785-1845.” Journal of British Studies 47, no. 3 (2008): 528–58.
Barrington, Jonah, and George A. Birmingham. Recollections of Jonah Barrington. Dublin: Talbot Press, 1918. http://archive.org/details/recollectionsofj00barriala.
Barrington, Sir Jonah. Personal Sketches of His Own Times. H. Colburn, 1827.
Brewton, Vince. “‘He to Defend: I to Punish’: Silence and the Duel In Sense and Sensibility.” Persuasions, no. 23 (2001): 78–89.
Erickson, Carolly. Our Tempestuous Day: A History of Regency England. First Harper Paperback. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2011.
Fullerton, Susannah. “The Many Duels of Sense and Sensibility.” Persuasions 44 (2022): 146–57.
Holland, Barbara. Gentlemen’s Blood: A History of Dueling from Swords at Dawn to Pistols at Dusk. New York: Bloomsbury, 2003.
McCalman, Iain, Jon Mee, Gillian Russell, Clara Tuite, Kate Fullagar, and Patsy Hardy, eds. “Duelling.” In An Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199245437.001.0001/acref-9780199245437-e-197.
McMaster, Juliet. “Good Punishes Bad? The Duels in Sense and Sensibility.” Persuasions On-Line 32, no. 1 (2011). https://www.jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol32no1/mcmaster.html.
Mortimer, Ian. The Time Traveler’s Guide to Regency Britain: A Handbook for Visitors to 1789-1830. New York ; London: Pegasus Books, 2023.
Murray, Venetia. An Elegant Madness: High Society in Regency England. New York: Penguin, 2000.

EP84: The Thing About Annuities

2/28/2024

Transcript

Fanny Dashwood is offering up her services as a financial advisor and actuary, and John Dashwood is ready to be advised. This episode we break down the feckless fiduciary fraternalism of one Mr. John Dashwood, specifically as it relates to annuities.

Selected Source:

Annuity - Oxford Reference.” Accessed February 6, 2024. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198600800.001.0001/acref-9780198600800-e-46?rskey=NISyah&result=12.
Clery, Emma Juliet. Jane Austen: The Banker’s Sister. London: Bb. Biteback, 2017.
Kopf, Edwin W. “The Early History of the Annuity,” n.d.
Skwire, Daniel D. “Actuarial Issues in the Novels of Jane Austen.” North American Actuarial Journal 1, no. 1 (January 1997): 74–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/10920277.1997.10595593.
Smith, Phoebe A. “‘Sense and Sensibility’ and ‘The Lady’s Law’: The Failure of Benevolent Paternalism.” CEA Critic 55, no. 3 (1993): 3–25.

Ep74: The Thing About Marianne's Washing

9/7/2023

Miss Steele has questions about Marianne's washing, and we are here to answer them. This episode we air some dirty laundry and get into the sudsy specifics of how Jane Austen and her contemporaries went about obtaining clean clothes in an era before washers and dryers.

Selected Sources

Austen, Jane. “Autograph Memorandum of Personal Accounts, [1807 Dec.],” December 1807. The Morgan Library and Museum. https://www.themorgan.org/literary-historical/81561.
Blank, Antje. “Dress.” In Jane Austen in Context, edited by Janet Todd, 234–51. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316036525.020.
Collier, Mary. “From The Woman’s Labor. An Epistle to Mr Stephen Duck.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52290/the-womans-labor-an-epistle-to-mr-stephen-duck.
Davidson, Hilary. Dress in the Age of Jane Austen: Regency Fashion. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019.
Dyer, Jenny. “Georgian Washerwomen: Tales of the Tub from the Long Eighteenth Century.” Continuity and Change 36, no. 1 (May 2021): 89–110. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0268416021000072.
Styles, John. The Dress of the People: Everyday Fashion in Eighteenth-Century England. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007.

Ep73: The Thing About Willoughby's Pointers with guest Dr. Stephanie Howard-Smith

8/19/2023

Pointers were considered an elite dog in Austen's time, so it makes sense that someone like Willoughby would own them (also, having cute dogs is possibly the only nice thing we can say about Willoughby). This episode we welcome back Dr. Stephanie Howard-Smith for more 18th-century dog talk. We cover everything from the care and feeding of pointers to trends in 18th-century game hunting. Sir John heartily approves. If you have ever been quite literally swept off your feet by a man with two pointers playing round him, this episode is for you. Thank you so much to Stephanie for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Twitter @SAHowardSmith.

Ep62: The Thing About Lucy's Filigree

2/28/2023

Lucy and Elinor are about to have a tense, coded conversation, and a bit of filigree work is the perfect accompaniment. This episode we're talking about the art of filigree, and the role that it plays in Lucy and Elinor's companionable confrontation.

Selected Sources:

Battisson, Clair. “‘Natural Born Quillers’ - Conservation of Paper Quills on the Sarah Siddons Plaque Frames.” Victoria and Albert Museum’s Conservation Journal, April 1998. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journals/conservation-journal/issue-27/natural-born-quillers-conservation-of-paper-quills-on-the-sarah-siddons-plaque-frames/.
Bethe, Monika. “Submerged Symbols in Jane Austen.” Kobe College Studies 24, no. 2 (December 1977): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.18878/00000682.
Heydt-Stevenson, Jillian. “Bejeweling the Clandestine Body/Bawdy: The Miniature Spaces of Sense and Sensibility.” In Austen’s Unbecoming Conjunctions: Subversive Laughter, Embodied History, 29–67. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Austen_s_Unbecoming_Conjunctions/F_8YDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.
The New Lady’s Magazine: Or, Polite and Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex: Entirely Devoted to Their Use and Amusement. Vol. 1. London: Alex Hogg, 1786. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_New_Lady_s_Magazine/RHlPAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=filigree&pg=PA529&printsec=frontcover.

Ep58: The Thing About Sir John's Club

1/18/2023

Boodle's and Brooks's and White's, oh my! Gentlemen's clubs were a large part of the elite social landscape in Austen's time, and we're here to give you a look inside these exclusive gatherings.
If you have ever wanted to be in the room where it happens, this episode is for you.

Select Sources

Capdeville, Valérie. “The Ambivalent Identity of Eighteenth-Century London Clubs as a Prelude to Victorian Clublife.” Cahiers Victoriens et Édouardiens, no. 81 Printemps (September 6, 2015). https://doi.org/10.4000/cve.1976.
Heath, Sidney. Exeter. London: Blackie and Son Limited, 1912. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/24635/24635-h/24635-h.htm.
Marsh, Charles. The Clubs of London; With Anecdotes of Their Members, Sketches of Character, and Conversations. Vol. 1. London: Henry Colburn, 1828.
Milne-Smith, Amy. “Coffeehouses to Clubhouses: Understanding the Gentlemen’s Clubs of London.” In London Clubland, by Amy Milne-Smith, 17–34. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137002082_2 .
Morrison, Robert. The Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Bryon Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern. New York: Norton, 2019.
Murray, Venetia. An Elegant Madness: High Society in Regency England. New York: Viking, 1999.
Rendell, Jane. The Pursuit of Pleasure: Gender, Space & Architecture in Regency London. London: Athlone Press, 2002.
Tomalin, Claire. Jane Austen: A Life. London: Viking, 1997.

Ep56: The Thing About Robert Ferrars' Toothpick-case

12/10/2022

We're out running errands with Elinor Dashwood, which means we are headed to Gray’s in Sackville Street. There's a gentleman there inspecting all the toothpick-cases, and Elinor is not impressed. This episode we are taking a closer look at Robert Ferrars, Elinor's future brother-in-law and a man with exacting taste in dental hygiene accessories.

Selected Sources:

Adkins, Roy, and Lesley Adkins. Jane Austen’s England. New York: Viking, 2013.
Comyn, Sarah. “‘Bringing Her Business Forward’: Jane Austen and Political Economy.” In The Routledge Companion to Jane Austen, by Edited by Cheryl A. Wilson and Maria H. Frawley, 193–204, 1st ed. New York: Routledge, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429398155-15-18.
Dadlez, E. M. “Form Affects Content: Reading Jane Austen.” Philosophy and Literature 32, no. 2 (2008): 315–29. https://doi.org/10.1353/phl.0.0024.
Graber, Maura J. What Have We Here?: The Etiquette and Essentials of Lives Onced Lived, from the Georgian Era through the Gilded Age and Beyond…, 2021.
Miller, D. A. Jane Austen, or, The Secret of Style. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2003.
White, Laura M. “From Jewelled Toothpick-Cases to Blue Nankin Boots: Austen, Consumerist Culture, and Narrative.” In The Routledge Companion to Jane Austen, edited by Cheryl A. Wilson and Maria H. Frawley, 180–92. New York, NY: Routledge, 2021.

Ep46: The Thing About Queen Mab

8/11/2022

They say you should never look a gift horse in the mouth, but we're here to do just that. This episode we're investigating Willoughby's attempted equine offering, including a discussion of finances and the implied social significance of such a gift, as well as breaking down the meaning behind the name Queen Mab.

Selected Sources

Adkins, Roy, and Lesley Adkins. Jane Austen’s England: Daily Life in the Georgian and Regency Periods. New York: Penguin Books, 2014.
Doody, Margaret Anne. “Introduction.” In Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen, vii–xl. edited by James Kinsley, New ed. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Jones, Christine A. “On Fairy Tales, Their Sensitive Characters, and the Sensible Readers They Create.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature 25, no. 1 (2006): 13–30.
Ottman, Jill. “‘A Woman Never Looks Better than on Horseback.’” Persuasions On-Line 36, no. 1 (2015). https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol36no1/ottman/.
Pool, Daniel. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist; the Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England. New York: Touchstone, 2007.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Edited by Barbara Mowat, Paul Westine, Michael Poston, and Rebecca Niles. The Folger Shakespeare. Washington, DC: Folger Shakespeare Library. Accessed August 6, 2022. https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works/romeo-and-juliet/.
Vickery, Amanda. The Gentleman’s Daughter: Women’s Lives in Georgian England. New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Press, 2003.
Wilwerding, Lauren. “Amatory Gifts in Sense and Sensibility.” Persuasions 37 (2015): 208–17.

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