Category: Special Episode

Ep71: The Thing About Cramer with guest Dr. Karali Hunter

7/14/2023

Jane Fairfax has received a mystery piano, along with some new music, and Frank Churchill is here to tell Emma all about it. In this episode, we break down the reference to Cramer in Emma. We also chat with Dr. Karali Hunter who stops by to trace the development of the étude from Cramer to Chopin, as well as talk to us about the process of recording our new intro and outro music.

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Thank you so much to Karali for joining us for this episode and for recording our new music, Cramer's étude, No. 21! You can learn more about her and her work at www.karalihunter.com, www.hammerandstrings.com, and www.salonnieres.org.

Ep54: The Thing About The Monk

11/9/2022

It's almost Halloween and what could be scarier than being trapped in conversation with John Thorpe? This episode we are taking a look at The Monk and discussing Thorpe's taste in literature. If you have ever been to a bad book club meeting, this episode is for you.

Selected Sources:

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. “From Review of the Monk by Matthew Lewis.” In The Norton Anthology of English Literature. D: The Romantic Period, edited by Jack Stillinger and Deidre Lynch, 8. ed., 602–6. New York: Norton, 2006.
Groom, Nick. “Introduction.” In The Monk, by M. G. Lewis, vii–xxxviii. edited by Howard Anderson. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/6mrQCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1.
MacLachlan, Christopher. “Introduction.” In The Monk, by Matthew Lewis, vii-xxv. Penguin Classics. London: Penguin Books, 1998.
Peck, Louis F. A Life of Matthew G. Lewis: Harvard University Press, 1961. https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674423855.
“The Monk by Matthew Lewis.” The British Library. Accessed October 21, 2022. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-monk-by-matthew-lewis.

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.

EP22: The Thing About Regency Birthdays

1/20/2022

Happy birthday, Jane! It's Jane Austen's birthday, and we're marking the occasion with an episode on Regency birthday celebrations. If you have ever had countless fans celebrate your 246th birthday, this episode is especially for 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.
Burns, Maggie. “Jane Austen and Birthdays.” Persuasions 28 (2006): 233–37.
Pinsker, Joe. “The Strange Origins of American Birthday Celebrations.” The Atlantic, November 2, 2021. https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/11/history-birthday-celebrations/620585/.
Stice, Joel. “The Real Reason We Put Candles On A Birthday Cake.” Mashed.com, August 19, 2019. https://www.mashed.com/162731/the-real-reason-we-put-candles-on-a-birthday-cake/.
Jane Austen Centre. “The Breeching Ceremony of a Young Boy and His Rite of Passage.” Accessed January 28, 2022. https://janeausten.co.uk/blogs/fashion-for-children/breeching-ceremony-young-boy-rite-passage.
Tieken-Boon Van Ostade, Ingrid. “Birthday Letters from Jane Austen.” OUP (blog), December 16, 2015. https://blog.oup.com/2015/12/birthday-letters-jane-austen/.

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.

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