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The Thing About Austen

By: The Thing About Austen
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  • Summary

  • The Thing About Austen is a podcast about Jane Austen's world — the people, objects, and culture that shape Austen's fiction. Come for the historical context and stay for the literary shenanigans. Think of us as your somewhat cheeky tour guides to the life and times of Jane Austen.
    © The Thing About Austen Podcast. Music "Studio per Il Pianoforte, Op. 30, No. 21 in G Major" by Johann Baptist Cramer. Performed and recorded by Karali Hunter. Used with permission of artist.
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Episodes
  • Episode 93: The Thing About Austen's Teenage Writings with guest Dr. Kathryn Sutherland

    Episode 93: The Thing About Austen's Teenage Writings with guest Dr. Kathryn Sutherland
    Jul 10 2024

    Jane Austen's early works, contained within three surviving notebooks, are funny, sharp, and brimming over with personality. This episode we are joined by Dr. Kathryn Sutherland, one of the editors of the Oxford World’s Classics edition of Austen’s Teenage Writings, to discuss the nature of these writings, the way they were consumed by her family audience, and their relationship to her later novels.

    Thank you so much to Kathryn for joining us for this episode! You can learn more about her and her work at https://www.english.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-kathryn-sutherland.

    You can find us online at https://www.thethingaboutausten.com and follow us on Instagram @TheThingAboutAusten and on Twitter @Austen_Things. You can also email us at TheThingAboutAusten@gmail.com.

    We have merch! Check out https://www.redbubble.com/people/aboutausten/shop to see the current offerings.
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    52 mins
  • Episode 92: The Thing About Mr. Knightley's Strawberries

    Episode 92: The Thing About Mr. Knightley's Strawberries
    Jun 18 2024

    The strawberries are ripe, so gather up your best bonnet and your beribboned basket and head on down to Knightley's U-Pick Farm. We've got all of your favorite strawberries, from the hautboy to the Chili to the white wood. This episode we visit Donwell Abbey to take a look at Mr. Knightley's very fine strawberry beds.

    You can find us online at https://www.thethingaboutausten.com and follow us on Instagram @TheThingAboutAusten and on Twitter @Austen_Things. You can also email us at TheThingAboutAusten@gmail.com.

    We have merch! Check out https://www.redbubble.com/people/aboutausten/shop to see the current offerings.
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    29 mins
  • Episode 91: The Thing About the Lakes

    Episode 91: The Thing About the Lakes
    Jun 4 2024

    Lizzy is headed to the Lake District with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. Or is she? This episode we get into the trip that didn't happen and discuss the picturesque splendors of the Lakes.

    If you have ever been curious about the ideal cow configuration (and you know you are), this episode is for you.

    You can find us online at https://www.thethingaboutausten.com and follow us on Instagram @TheThingAboutAusten and on Twitter @Austen_Things. You can also email us at TheThingAboutAusten@gmail.com.

    We have merch! Check out https://www.redbubble.com/people/aboutausten/shop to see the current offerings.
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    34 mins
Art World Literary History & Criticism
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Featured Article: We’re Booked—The Best Literature Podcasts for Every Bibliophile


Love everything books and literature? Of course, you do—that’s why you're here! Don’t worry, you’re in good company. If you're a book aficionado who loves chatting about literature with like-minded people, literature podcasts are the perfect addition to your listening lifestyle. There’s no shortage of great book podcast options to choose from. Here are just a few of the best literature podcasts, covering many different genres and styles of podcasting.

Featured Article We’re Booked The Best Literature Podcasts for Every Bibliophile

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Profile Image for holly buck

Lively and fresh!

Zan and Diane deliver the important and juicy stuff that help makes Jane Austen live on! What a gem! Thank you!

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enjoyable

relaxed discussion that goes deep without being stuffy at all
Unique topics related to all things Austen

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Profile Image for Amy Darrah

Depth through details

There are many cultural details in Austen’s novels that I’ve glossed over for decades without thinking too much about. The Thing About Austen digs into these nuances with guests who are experts in things like miniature paintings and astronomy. Zan and Diane find seemingly unimportant details that once they are examined give Austen’s novels much more depth. Thank you Zan and Diane. I look forward to each pod cast episode.

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Profile Image for Rachel A.

really interesting historical context

I didn't spend any more time thinking about General Tilney's pamphlets than Catherine Morland did, so this episode was super interesting. It also perfectly explained Henry Tilney's comment about neighbors being voluntary spies, which had puzzled me before and I had assumed to mean he had gossipy neighbors - turns out to be much less benign!

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Enjoyed it!

I love the level of detail and the insight into the Navy in Austin’s books

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Profile Image for Sarah C.

The Bits and Bobs of Austen Become Relevant Here

I love Jane Austen's works (my favorite is most likely Persuasion) so finding this podcast was a great discovery. There are many things in Austen's stories, usually contemporary items or places, that are not as easy to understand when you first read the novels. For example, Mr. Woodhouse of Emma is a known hypochondriac but it turns out he might be a bit justified about worrying about his grandchildren's health due to bad air as the podcast shows. Or how Mrs. Henry Dashwood of Sense and Sensibility turned out to be getting something valuable when she got to keep the linens brought with her upon her marriage (something Fanny Dashwood tries to take from her, along with Norland). Unless you read about Austen's world or on the books that explore Regency Life, details like these can slip through the cracks. But not with this podcast team!

I enjoy every episode I listen to, especially when they're on the more obscure or less recognizable topics like Blaize Castle or Tattersall's. If also you read or listen Georgette Heyer's novels, some of what they discuss also is useful for reading her books (Tattersall's plays a part in The Grand Sophy for example) so it's doubly enjoyable. The experts are knowledgeable and definitely bring some fun to some sometimes obscure or specialized topics. The stargazing episode was cool because the person they had on to talk about the scene from Mansfield Park actually was able to figure out when the scene was set historically just by the details in the book, which was impressive and showed Austen was not adverse to real-life details.

If you love Austen and want to learn more about her or maybe some of those details in the books that don't translate to modern culture as well (Udolpho, anyone?), check out this podcast!

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Profile Image for Robin H.

These women are both smart and funny!

I really enjoy listening to this podcast and look forward to each episode as they come out. Their humor is snarky ala Jane Austen and the more in depth explanations help to make Miss Austen's novels more enjoyable. Thank you for your time and research.

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