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Austen Chat

Austen Chat

Jane Austen Society of North America

Welcome to Austen Chat, the podcast of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA). Join us each month as we interview scholars, authors, and subject experts on a wide range of topics related to Austen’s writings, her life and times, and more. There is always more to learn and enjoy about Jane!
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Top 10 Austen Chat Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Austen Chat episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Austen Chat for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Austen Chat episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Austen Chat - Austen Chat Trailer
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06/05/23 • 2 min

Meet our podcast host and learn about Austen Chat and what you can expect in upcoming episodes.

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Ending a Regency-era marriage was difficult and daunting! In this episode, attorney James Nagle helps us navigate the murky legal waters of dissolving marital ties, Regency-Style, in a variety of ways. We're talking scandal. We're talking Maria Rushworth running away with Henry Crawford. We're talking wives being sold at auction to the highest bidder. What?! Yes. Crazy, but true.
Podcast Host: Breckyn Wood
Transcript and show notes: https://jasna.org/austen/podcast/ep5

Visit our website: www.jasna.org
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
Email: [email protected]

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It's Austen Chat's one-year anniversary!
Encouraging more people to read Jane Austen and gain a deeper understanding of her works and life is JASNA’s mission, and to celebrate our podcast birthday, we welcome not one but three guests to talk about reading Austen and the online event they organize each year: Jane Austen July.
BookTubers Katie Lumsden, host of the YouTube channel Books and Things, Marissa Schwartz, host of Blatantly Bookish, and Claudia Falcone, host of Spinster’s Library, are dedicated Janeites, which is why, for the past six years, they have been spearheading a month-long reading challenge all about Jane Austen. Every July, thousands of readers across the internet join them to read Jane Austen and Austen-related books, watch Austen adaptations, and discuss their experiences.
For a transcript, show notes, and guest bio: https://jasna.org/austen/podcast/ep13

Visit our website: www.jasna.org
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
Email: [email protected]

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Lord Byron is one of the most notorious bad boys of English literature. He had countless affairs, drank wine from a cup fashioned from a human skull, kept a pet bear at Cambridge, and fought for Greek independence against the Ottoman Empire. What could this Regency-era demigod of “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” possibly have to do with spinster Jane, a country parson's daughter? More than you'd think, according to our guest, Christine Kenyon Jones. In this episode we discuss the parallels between Austen and Byron, Austen's references to Byron in her novels and letters, and how each may have influenced the other's work.

Dr. Christine Kenyon Jones is a Research Fellow at King's College London, focusing on the Romantic and Regency periods. Her books include Jane Austen and Lord Byron: Regency Relations (2024) and Dangerous to Show: Lord Byron and His Portraits (2020). She has also authored several essays published in Persuasions and Persuasions On-line.
For a transcript and show notes, visit https://jasna.org/austen/podcast/ep17.

Visit our website: www.jasna.org
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
Subscribe to the podcast on our YouTube channel
Email: [email protected]

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In July 1809 Jane Austen and her mother and sister moved into a cottage in Chawton, England, known today as Jane Austen’s House. As the place where she wrote and revised all of her beloved novels, the house is truly "the most treasured Austen site in the world.” In this episode, we visit with the museum’s director, Lizzie Dunford, to discuss the early history of the house, its influence on Austen's writing, some of the Austen treasures on display there, and much more. You’ll also learn how you can visit and interact with the house without ever leaving the comfort of your own home.

Podcast Host: Breckyn Wood

For a transcript and show notes: https://jasna.org/austen/podcast/episode1/

Visit our website: www.jasna.org
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
Email: [email protected]

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Though never preachy, Austen’s novels have a rich moral depth that was heavily influenced by her faith. In this episode, we chat with Brenda Cox, author of Fashionable Goodness: Christianity in Jane Austen’s England. Brenda spent many years and several trips to England researching everything from Austen’s private daily devotions to the role churches played in the many social reforms of her time. We discuss all this, plus:

  • Some crucial words in Austen’s novels that hold deeper religious meaning than you might think,
  • A crafty countess who used a legal loophole to spread her Methodist faith, and
  • A helpful way to finally remember the difference between a parson, a rector, a vicar, and a curate. (We don’t get into archdeacons, sorry!)

Podcast Host: Breckyn Wood
Transcript and show notes: https://jasna.org/austen/podcast/episode2

Visit our website: www.jasna.org
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
Email: [email protected]

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What did Jane Austen wear? Was she a stylish dresser? A dowdy spinster? In this episode, noted fashion and textile historian Hilary Davidson sets the record straight, revealing that Austen was much more fashion conscious and on-trend than many suppose. Join us as we discuss what would have been in Austen’s personal wardrobe, from headwear and gowns to everything in between, and Davidson shares fascinating insights gained while researching her new book, Jane Austen’s Wardrobe.
Podcast Host: Breckyn Wood
Transcript and show notes: https://jasna.org/austen/podcast/ep3

You can learn more about Hilary Davidson on her website at http://www.hilarydavidson.net and follow her on Instagram and Twitter @FourRedShoes. She also has a Twitter account for her books @AustenDress.
Visit our website: www.jasna.org
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
Email: [email protected]

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How "happy" are the endings of Jane Austen’s novels? In this episode we chat with Professor Inger Brodey about Austen’s endings: what she includes, what she leaves out, her unique mix of romance and satire, and her technique of “zooming out” that often leaves readers wanting more. Drawing from her forthcoming book, Jane Austen and the Price of Happiness, Inger also shares her thoughts on why Austen ended her novels as she did, her use of various forms of happiness, and how her endings differ from those of other authors she read.
Podcast Host: Breckyn Wood
Transcript and show notes: https://jasna.org/austen/podcast/ep4

You can learn more about Inger Brodey on her website: https://ingerbrodey.com
Visit our website: www.jasna.org
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
Email: [email protected]

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In this episode, we welcome Adrian Lukis, the actor who made the role of George Wickham his own in the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. We discuss his experience filming the beloved miniseries, his critically acclaimed one-man play Being Mr. Wickham, and his thoughts on everyone’s favorite Austen rogue!
Transcript and show notes: https://jasna.org/austen/podcast/ep6

Visit our website: www.jasna.org
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
Email: [email protected]

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JASNA member Renata Dennis joins us to discuss the fascinating story of Dido Belle, a woman of color caught between two identities. Dido was the daughter of an enslaved woman and a British naval officer but was raised as a gentlewoman in the household of William Murray, Earl of Mansfield and Lord Chief Justice of the Court of the King's Bench. Until recently, she was lost to history. Renata also shares her thoughts on Dido Belle as the inspiration for Jane Austen’s character Miss Lambe in Sanditon.
Transcript and show notes: https://jasna.org/austen/podcast/ep7

Visit our website: www.jasna.org
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
Email: [email protected]

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FAQ

How many episodes does Austen Chat have?

Austen Chat currently has 18 episodes available.

What topics does Austen Chat cover?

The podcast is about Literature, Podcasts, Books, Jane Austen and Arts.

What is the most popular episode on Austen Chat?

The episode title 'Austen Chat Trailer' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Austen Chat?

The average episode length on Austen Chat is 39 minutes.

How often are episodes of Austen Chat released?

Episodes of Austen Chat are typically released every 28 days, 2 hours.

When was the first episode of Austen Chat?

The first episode of Austen Chat was released on Jun 5, 2023.

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