Episode 07: The Thing About Spinsters

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.