Season 2 Episode 4 Jane Austen and Friendship

03/27/21 • 38 min

This week Zoe Wheddon and Julia Golding discuss what would Jane do about modern friendship, look back at Jane's friendships in real life and in her fiction, as well as swap Jane Austen news and award this episode's Lizzy and Lady Catherine.
Would Jane fit in with Taylor Swift's pack or a Facebook fan group? What role does messaging (or old fashioned letter writing) play in creating strong female networks of friends? And is it friendship rather than romance that is the key to understanding what is really going on in Jane's novels? Have a listen to find out.
This episode mentions Zoe's new book, JaneAusten's Best Friend: The Life and Influence of Martha Lloyd
You can get 20% off and Free UK delivery if ordered from the Pen and Sword website at the moment (March 2021) using the code JABF. Also available from Amazon, Waterstones, WH Smith and www.bookshop.org
We also mention the Jane Austen Festival in Bath. You can find out about the festival in September here.

Previous Episode

Season 2 Episode 3 Jane Austen and Sex (the Bridgerton episode!)

*Contains mature content*
In this episode, inspired by the Netflix series, Bridgerton, we discuss Jane Austen and sex. What did Jane know about it? What role does it play in her novels? Then we widen the discussion to look at the Georgian world on such matters as contraception, pornography and prostitution. We then discuss Bridgerton - the successes and failures in the series, talk a little about what might be in series 2, and round off with our Darcy and Wickham of the week and Jane Austen news.

Next Episode

Season 2 Episode 5 Jane Austen and Childhood

In this episode Julia Golding and Zoe Wheddon look at Jane Austen and childhood. We investigate how her era invented our modern idea of childhood as a time of innocence. But how was she raised? Did new ideas of Rousseau and natural education make it to the parsonage at Steventon? There were many children in her adult life and she was a much loved aunt to her brothers' children. What games and stories did she play with them? We then go on to look at her novels - there are more children than we first thought! Find out which ones play the most important parts.
Stay listening to find out our Darcy and Mr Collins of the week and all the Jane Austen news!
Books mentioned in this episode are:
Julia Golding, illustrated by Kate Hindley, The Queen's Wardrobe
Julia Golding, Jane Austen Investigates: The Abbey Mystery
Jacobsen, Devynn and Dayton, Jane Austen Was Here
To links take you to Blackwells bookshop which does free shipping to the US - support the independents!