Reading Jane Austen
Harriet and Ellen
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Top 10 Reading Jane Austen Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Reading Jane Austen episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Reading Jane Austen 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 Reading Jane Austen episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Pride and Prejudice, Chapters 47 to 52
Reading Jane Austen
05/16/20 • 59 min
In this episode, we talk about the steps taken to find Lydia and Wickham, how much Darcy paid to get them married, the moral and social approach towards what Lydia has done, why Mrs Bennet thinks there will be a duel, the letter from Mr Collins, and Elizabeth’s changing feelings towards Darcy.
We discuss the character of George Wickham. Ellen talks about marriage settlements and marriage laws, and Harriet looks at how some modernisations of the book adapt the Lydia plot.
We also revisit the subject of enclosures, in response to some feedback, and talk about social inequality and how it’s not really addressed in Jane Austen’s work.
Things we mention:
Books:
- W.C. Sellar and R.J. Yeatman, 1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England (1930)
- Flora Thompson, Lark Rise to Candleford (1939)
- The works of Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870)
- Curtis Sittenfeld, Eligible (2016)
- Claire LaZebnik, Epic Fail (2011)
- Also two books Eszter included in her comment to us, but which we didn’t include in the recording:
- Guy Shrubsole, Who Owns England? (2019)
- Brett Christophers, The New Enclosure: The Appropriation of Public Land in Neoliberal Britain (2018)
Movies and television:
- BBC, Pride and Prejudice (1995) – starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth
- Bestboy Pictures, Pride and Prejudice: A Latter Day Comedy (2003) – starring Kam Heskin and Orlando Seale
- Pathé Pictures International, Bride and Prejudice (2004) – starring Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson
- YouTube, Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012) – starring Ashley Clements and Daniel Vincent Gordh
Creative commons music used
- Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from Christoph Willibald Gluck, Orfeo ed Euridice. File from IMSLP.
- Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major. File originally from Musopen.
Pride and Prejudice, Chapters 35 to 41
Reading Jane Austen
04/14/20 • 59 min
In this episode, we talk about Darcy’s letter and Elizabeth’s reaction to it, consider what Wickham might have done in his youth, revisit the Collins marriage, discuss Mr Bennet’s abrogation of parental responsibility and look at how Elizabeth is now seeing her family through new eyes. We then look at the character of Lydia.
For this episode, we are joined by Michael, who gives us some background information about the militia and the regular army in Jane Austen’s time. Harriet looks at how the film and television adaptations deal with dramatising the letter, and the presentation of Lydia, and Michael adds a couple of points about the military uniforms.
Things we mention:
Books:
- Claire Tomalin, Jane Austen: A Life (1997)
- John Burrows, Computation into Criticism: Study of Jane Austen’s Novels and an Experiment in Method (1987)
- Amanda Grange, Mr Darcy’s Diary (2005)
Illustrations:
- William Hogarth, A Rake’s Progress – III The Orgy
Movies and television:
- MGM, Pride and Prejudice (1940) – starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier
- BBC, Pride and Prejudice (1980) – starring Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul
- BBC, Pride and Prejudice (1995) – starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth
- Focus Features, Pride & Prejudice (2005) – starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen
- Pathé Pictures International, Bride and Prejudice (2004) – starring Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson
- YouTube, Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012) – starring Ashley Clements and Daniel Vincent Gordh
Creative commons music used:
- Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major. File originally from Musopen.
S03E05 Mansfield Park: Episode 5, Chapters 17-21
Reading Jane Austen
03/22/22 • 59 min
In this episode, we read Chapters 17 to 21 of Mansfield Park. We talk about Fanny’s moral trajectory during the theatricals, Mary’s casual acceptance of Henry’s behaviour with Maria, the cliffhanger ending of Volume 1 in the first edition, and Fanny’s question to Sir Thomas about the slave trade (with Harriet’s theory as to why she asked it).
We talk about Sir Thomas, first considering how he is presented in the text, and then how we reconcile this with the fact that his estate in Antigua is worked by enslaved people. Ellen looks at the clergy, including the presentation of livings, pluralism and absenteeism, and the career path for the clergy. Harriet talks about the popular culture versions.
Things we mention:
General and character discussion:
- John Wiltshire [Editor], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Mansfield Park (2005)
- Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943)
- Edward Said, Culture and Imperialism (1993)
- Lona Manning, In Defense of Sir Thomas (2021)
- Octavia Cox, Which is the worst marriage in Jane Austen’s novels? (2021 – YouTube video)
- HBO, The Sopranos (1999-2007 – television series)
Historical discussion:
- Susannah Fullerton, Susannah Fullerton’s Best Books about Jane Austen (2021 – YouTube video)
- Irene Collins, Jane Austen and the Clergy (2002)
Popular culture discussion:
- Adaptations:
- BBC, Mansfield Park (1983) – starring Sylvestra Le Touzel and Nicholas Farrell (6 episodes)
- Miramax, Mansfield Park (1999) – starring Frances O’Connor and Jonny Lee Miller
- ITV, Mansfield Park (2007) – starring Billie Piper and Blake Ritson
- Modernisations:
- YouTube, Foot in the Door Theatre, From Mansfield With Love (2014-2015)
Creative commons music used:
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio.
- Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata&
S02E10 Sense and Sensibility, Chapters 47 to 50
Reading Jane Austen
06/28/21 • 59 min
In this episode, we read the final chapters of Sense and Sensibility. We talk about Elinor being the ‘moral spokesperson’ for the book, why Marianne marries Colonel Brandon, how Edward is less dashing than both Willoughby and Brandon, the social and financial gap between Elinor and Marianne after their marriages, and Lucy’s marriage to Robert. We also revisit the sense vs sensibility concept, and how the novel is both flawed and wonderful.
We discuss the character of Elinor, then Ellen talks about art, music and writing, and Harriet takes a final look at the popular culture versions.
Things we mention:
References:
- Marjorie Theobauld, Knowing Women: Origins of Women’s Education in Nineteenth-Century Australia (1996)
- Claire Tomalin, Jane Austen: A Life (1997)
- Robert Chapman [Editor], Jane Austen’s Letters to her Sister Cassandra and Others (1969)
Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century women writers:
- Married/de facto
- Mary Brunton (1778–1818): Self-Control (1810)
- Fanny Burney (1752–1840): Cecilia (1782 – written before she was married), Camilla (1796 – written after she was married)
- Anna Barbauld (1743–1825)
- Martha Sherwood (1775–1851): The Fairchild Family (1818)
- Mary Shelley (1797–1851)
- Margaret Gatty (1809–1873)
- Elizabeth Gaskell (1810–1865)
- Anna Lefroy (1793–1872)
- George Eliot (1793–1872)
- Single
- Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855)
- Emily Brontë (1818–1848)
- Anne Brontë (1820–1849)
- Maria Edgeworth (1768–1849): Belinda (1801)
- Hannah More (1745–1833): Coelebs in Search of a Wife (1808)
- Susan Ferrier (1782–1854)
Read more: Adaptations of the book, Modernisations of the book, Creative Commons music used.
S05E05 Persuasion, Chapters 11 and 12
Reading Jane Austen
04/28/25 • 59 min
In this episode, we talk about Lyme, the connection between Anne and Captain Benwick, whether these chapters make us wonder if Anne will end up with someone other than Captain Wentworth, and Louisa’s fall from the steps.
The characters we discuss are Captains Harville and Benwick. In the historical section, Ellen talks about romantic poetry, and for popular culture Harriet discusses the 2022 Netflix film adaptation of Persuasion.
Things we mention:
General discussion:
- Janet Todd and Antje Blank [Editors], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Persuasion (2006)
- Samuel Johnson, The Rambler (periodical, published 1750-1752)
- Dr John Gregory
- Hester Chapone
- Stairs on the Cobb
- Google map of the steps on the Cobb
For a list of references in the Historical and Popular culture sections, see this episode on our website.
S05E04 Persuasion, Chapters 9 and 10
Reading Jane Austen
03/18/25 • 59 min
In this episode, we talk about how how Jane Austen has solved the problem of the infodump, the realism of the scene with little Walter, how she shows the relations within families, and how events on the walk to Winthrop affect Wentworth’s feelings.
The characters we discuss are Louisa and Henrietta Musgrove. In the historical section, Ellen talks about curates, and for popular culture Harriet discusses the 2007 ITV film adaptation of Persuasion.
Things we mention:
General discussion:
- Janet Todd and Antje Blank [Editors], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Persuasion (2006)
- Maria Edgeworth (reference in the Persuasion footnotes is to A Memoir of Maria Edgeworth with a Selection from her Letters (1867), vold. 2, pp. 5-6.)
Character discussion:
- Irene Collins, Jane Austen and the Clergy (2002)
Historical discussion:
- Anthony Trollope, The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867)
- Stipendiary Curate Act 1713
Popular culture discussion:
- Clerkenwell Films, Persuasion (2007) – starring Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones
- Watch on YouTube
- Stairs on the Cobb (photo)
- Louisa’s fall (this YouTube video shows the same scene from four different adaptations of Persuasion)
Creative commons music used:
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio.
- Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major. File originally from Musopen.
Pride and Prejudice, Chapters 42 to 46
Reading Jane Austen
04/28/20 • 59 min
In this episode, we talk about the way Darcy is reintroduced into the narrative, Jane Austen’s thoughts on architecture and landscaping, the possible connection between Pemberley and Chatsworth and how Georgiana Darcy is presented in a very different manner from Anne de Burgh.
We discuss Elizabeth Bennet, perhaps Jane Austen’s most popular heroine. Ellen talks about the landed gentry, and Harriet looks at how the film and television adaptations treat the visit to Pemberley – including the scene that is probably the best known in all the adaptations.
Things we mention:
Books:
- Donald J. Greene, ‘The Original of Pemberley’ (1968), later collected in The Selected Essays of Donald Green (2004)
- John Mullan, What Matters in Jane Austen?: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved (2012)
- George Eliot, Middlemarch (1871)
Popular culture:
- MGM, Pride and Prejudice (1940) – starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier
- BBC, Pride and Prejudice (1980) – starring Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul
- BBC, Pride and Prejudice (1995) – starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth
- Focus Features, Pride & Prejudice (2005) – starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen
- BBC, Death Comes to Pemberley (2011) – starring Anna Maxwell Martin and Matthew Rhys
- YouTube, Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012) – starring Ashley Clements and Daniel Vincent Gordh
Creative commons music used
- Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from Christoph Willibald Gluck, Orfeo ed Euridice. File from IMSLP.
- Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major. File originally from Musopen.
Pride and Prejudice, Chapters 27 to 34
Reading Jane Austen
03/31/20 • 59 min
In this episode, we talk about Elizabeth’s feelings towards Wickham and Colonel Fitzwilliam, the married life of the Collinses, why we find Lady Catherine de Burgh more funny than Mr Collins, and what we know about Anne de Burgh.
We discuss Mr Darcy in some detail, and then Ellen talks about the the presentation of livings to country rectors. Harriet looks at how the film and television adaptations present Mr Darcy, and also which is her favourite screen version of Lady Catherine de Burgh.
Things we mention:
Books:
- The character of Uriah Heep in Charles Dickens, David Copperfield (1850)
- Amanda Grange, Mr Darcy’s Diary (2005)
- Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer, So Odd a Mixture: Along the Autistic Spectrum in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (2007)
- Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943) and More Talk of Jane Austen (1950)
- Robert Rodi, Bitch In a Bonnet: Reclaiming Jane Austen From the Stiffs, the Snobs, the Simps and the Saps, Volume 1 (2011)
- The character of Heathcliff in Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights (1847)
- The character of Rochester in Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847)
- Jilly Cooper, Prudence (1978)
- Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers (1857)
- The works of Charlotte M. Yonge
- Laurence Olivier, On Acting (1986)
- The works of Georgette Heyer
- Sue Birtwistle, Sue Conklin, Susie Conklin, The Making of Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Movies and television:
- MGM, Pride and Prejudice (1940) – starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier
- The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Wuthering Heights (1940) – starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier
- BBC, Pride and Prejudice (1980) – starring Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul
- BBC, Pride and Prejudice (1995) – starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth
- Focus Features, Pride & Prejudice (2005) – starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen
- Pathé Pictures International, Bride and Prejudice (2004) – starring Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson
- YouTube, Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012) – starring Ashley Clements and Daniel Vincent Gordh
Creative commons music used:
S03E06 Mansfield Park: Episode 6, Chapters 22-25
Reading Jane Austen
04/18/22 • 59 min
In this episode, we read Chapters 22 to 25 of Mansfield Park. We talk about the friendship between Fanny and Mary, the tension between Mary and Edmund, Henry’s plan to make Fanny fall in love with him (and Mary’s reaction), William’s view of Fanny, the tour de force of Chapter 25 (the Speculation chapter), and Ellen’s articulation of why she cares about what happens to Fanny.
We discuss Dr and Mrs Grant, then Harriet’s partner Michael talks about the navy, with a focus on the process of passing from midshipman to lieutenant. Harriet talks about how adaptations and modernisations treat these chapters.
Things we mention:
General and character discussion:
- John Wiltshire [Editor], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Mansfield Park (2005)
- Pam Perkins, “A Subdued Gaiety: The Comedy of Mansfield Park“, Nineteenth-Century Literature, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Jun., 1993).
- Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943)
- Barbara Pym, Excellent Women (1952)
- Mary Grant Bruce, Back to Billabong (1921) [NB Goodreads has put up a quite misleading cover illustration.]
- Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847)
- Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist (1838)
- Charles Dickens, David Copperfield (1850)
- Kate Douglas Wiggin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1903)
- L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables (1908)
- Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna (1913)
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)
- Frances Burney (Burneyesque heroine)
- Elizabeth Goudge, Henrietta’s House (1942)
Historical discussion:
- Brian Southam, Jane Austen and the Navy (2003)
- Samantha Cavell, Playing at command: midshipmen and quarterdeck boys in the Royal Navy, 1793-1815 (2006) [Master’s thesis] and A Social History of Midshipmen and Quarterdeck Boys in the Royal Navy, 1761-1831 (2010) [Ph.D. thesis]
For a list of other references and music used, see this episode on our website.
S04E11 Emma, Chapters 51 to 55
Reading Jane Austen
06/10/24 • 59 min
In this episode, we finish up Emma with chapters 51 to 55. We talk about the decision for Mr Knightley to move to Hartfield, the resolution of Harriet’s story, and the final scenes between Mr and Mrs Elton. We also reflect on the insights we have gained through this close reading of Emma, and how it has changed our views of the novel.
The character we discuss is Jane Fairfax. In the historical section, Ellen briefly revisits her earlier comments about vicars, and then talks about magistrates. For popular culture Harriet talks about four books that retell some or all of the story through the point of view of a different character.
Things we mention:
General and character discussion:
- Richard Cronin and Dorothy McMillan [Editors], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Emma (2005)
- Janet Saidi, ‘Jane Fairfax Drops the Mic‘, The Austen Connection (9 September 2021)
Historical discussion:
- William Savage, ‘The Georgian Clergy’, Pen and Pension (16 May 2018)
- Charlotte M. Yonge, Talks about the Laws We Live Under (1850)
- Irene Collins, Jane Austen and the Clergy (1994)
- Alan Lambert, ‘650 years of the office of Justice of the Peace/Magistrate‘, Amicus Curiae Issue 88 (2011)
- Elizabeth Gaskell, My Lady Ludlow (1858)
Popular culture discussion:
- Naomi Royde-Smith, Jane Fairfax (1940)
- William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair (1847) – the character of Becky Sharpe appears in Jane Fairfax
- Characters from the novels of Maria Edgeworth also appear (and probably other novelists as well)
- Joan Austen-Leigh, A Visit to Highbury: Another View of Emma (1995)
- Diana Birchall, In Defense of Mrs Elton (1999)
- Amanda Grange, Mr Knightley’s Diary (2006)
For a list of music used, see this episode on our website.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Reading Jane Austen have?
Reading Jane Austen currently has 52 episodes available.
What topics does Reading Jane Austen cover?
The podcast is about Reading, Podcasts, Books, Jane Austen and Arts.
What is the most popular episode on Reading Jane Austen?
The episode title 'S04E10 Emma, Chapters 46 to 50' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Reading Jane Austen?
The average episode length on Reading Jane Austen is 54 minutes.
How often are episodes of Reading Jane Austen released?
Episodes of Reading Jane Austen are typically released every 26 days.
When was the first episode of Reading Jane Austen?
The first episode of Reading Jane Austen was released on Feb 1, 2020.
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