Jane Austen Remixed

What if Pride & Prejudice was a story about the "confused ramblings of a pissed 30-something"? What if there were two Mr Wickhams and Mr Darcy was a renowned human rights lawyer? Stefanie and Melinda discuss the cultural fixation on women's bodies from a time when society was obsessed with women dying alone and being found half eaten by an Alsatian through the lens of Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding and the companion movie of the same name, directed by Sharon Maguire. Links & Mentions The original meaning of the term "slut" can be found here [https://www.etymonline.com/word/slut].   If the Bridget Jones musical has been added to your mental list of Roman Empires as well, here is the 2014 update on why Lily Allen left the project [https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/lily-allen-dropped-from-bridget-jones-musical_35228/], and here is a 2024 (!) update on the musical that we found after we recorded [https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/lily-allen-comments-on-bridget-jones-musical_1567163/].  Learn about the "real" Mark Darcy, human rights lawyer, here [https://www.theguardian.com/film/interview/interviewpages/0,6737,471825,00.html].   You can read Sophie Vershbow's article Did Bridget Jones Make Us Hate Our Bodies? here on Vogue [https://www.vogue.com/article/bridget-jones-weight-obsession]. While Alex Light's article Growing Up On Bridget Jones Damaged My Body Confidence is here on Grazia UK [https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/in-the-news/bridget-jones-never-overweight-diet-culture/]. If you want to listen to a very entertaining if a little demoralising podcast episode on why the BMI is garbage, you can find it over on pod fave Maintenance Phase's feed here [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-body-mass-index/id1535408667?i=1000530850955].   If you want to watch Bridget interview Colin Firth, you'll find it here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjyoWj1GICo]. If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed] and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode we will be openign our DMs and answering listener questions, as well as reflecting on the good, the great and the unhinged moments of season one.

What if Pride and Prejudice was set in modern day America? What if Will Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet surf and fall in love in the Hamptons? What if Jane Bennet reads romantasy novels and Kitty went to business school? Melinda and Stefanie discuss a romance novel version of Pride & Prejudice that includes all five Bennet sisters and doesn't turn Fitzwilliam Darcy into a walking red flag in Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding. Links & Mentions You can follow the authors on Instagram @audrey.and.emily [https://www.instagram.com/audrey.and.emily/].  And if you want spoilers, you can click here to find out the title of Book 3 in for the Love of Austen and where to buy it. [https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/Anne-of-Avenue-A/Audrey-Bellezza/For-the-Love-of-Austen/9781668097656] We've read it: it's fabulous. If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed] and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode we will be reading and watching is Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding and watching the companion movie of the same name, directed by Sharon Maguire. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy secondhand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.

What if Pride & Prejudice wasn't a bucolic tale of classic romance? What if Netherfield Park hid a dark and menacing secret? And what if Caroline Bingley had a sinister motive for inviting Jane to visit? Stefanie and Melinda discuss Lovecraftian horror as a genre, the prospect of Pride & Prejudice being a much, much shorter novel, and why on earth Elizabeth Bennet would ever have called on the Bingleys without a formal introduction, in Love, Lovecraft & Mr Darcy by Violet King. Links & Mentions Read more about H.P. Lovecraft here [https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page]. Learn more about what exactly an Eldritch Being is [https://rulesofgruesome.com/what-are-eldritch-beings/] here  Aja Romano's excellent article How HBO's Lovecraft Country illuminates H.P. Lovecraft's history of literary racism for Vox is linked here [https://www.vox.com/culture/21363945/hp-lovecraft-racism-examples-explained-what-is-lovecraftian-weird-fiction]  Read the Reuters investigation into the tidal wave of AI books on Amazon is here [https://www.reuters.com/technology/chatgpt-launches-boom-ai-written-e-books-amazon-2023-02-21/] and a fuller investigation of how fake books have always been a scam is here on Robert Evans' substack, Shatterzone [https://shatterzone.substack.com/p/ai-is-coming-for-your-children].    If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed] and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode we will be reading and watching is Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy secondhand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.

What if Pride & Prejudice was a young adult novel set in Australia and Los Angeles? What if Darcy and Bingley were famous actors visiting Sydney for the summer? And Elizabeth isn't falling for their celebrity mystique like the rest of her family? Melinda and Stefanie discuss the art of performance, reboots, and striving for authenticity in a world obsessed with image and social media, in Stuck Up & Stupid by Angourie Rice and Kate Rice. Links & Mentions You can listen to Angourie's podcast The Community Library [https://www.angourieslibrary.com/]. If you're curious which bookstore Dorian didn't want to visit to get swamped by tourists, Stefanie thinks they're referring to The Last Bookstore in LA [https://www.lastbookstorela.com/]. If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed] and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode we will be reading Love, Lovecraft & Mr Darcy by Violet King. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy secondhand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.

What if Pride & Prejudice was set at Christmas in small town Ohio? What if the main characters are gender flipped so Darcy Fitzwilliam is a proud woman instead? But what if…..she just isn't? Melinda and Stefanie discuss inconsistent character adaptations, a mind-melting amount of drama for one family, and what is up with a tradition forcing people to kiss under mistletoe, in Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa De La Cruz and its companion Hallmark movie. Links & Mentions Get into the festive spirit and watch the trailer for Pride, Prejudice & Mistletoe [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DOGwVI8PkI]. If you'd like to learn more about the freaky festive parasite mistletoe, listen to this episode of Branch Out [https://www.botanicgardens.org.au/discover-and-learn/watch-listen-read/mistletoe-festive-freaky-parasite]. The Smithonsian magazine has this article on the history of mistletoe [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-mistletoe-became-christmas-kissing-tradition-180985450/]. You can also see photos of Australia's Christmas tree mistletoe on the ABC [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-06/christmas-flora-and-fauna/106105702]. If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed] and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. We're taking a break for Christmas and will be back on January 5. Next episode we will be reading Stuck Up & Stupid by Angourie Rice and Kate Rice. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy second hand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.

What if Pride & Prejudice began with the death of Mr Bennet? What if Elizabeth set out to forge her own path as a governess to avoid marrying Mr Collins? What if she wound up as Georgiana Darcy's governess? Make sure you've brushed up on your Charlotte Bronte to join Stefanie and Melinda as they discuss literary mash-ups, if the fortune teller dress up is the worst part of Jane Eyre, and how Melinda managed to avoid spoilers for nearly 200 year old book, in The Darcy Governess by April Karber. Links & Mentions You can find April Karber and her excellent memes @msjaneauten [https://www.instagram.com/msjausten]. If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed] and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode we will be reading Pride & Prejudice & Mistletoe by Melissa De La Cruz and watching its companion Hallmark movie, directed by Don McBrearty.

What if Pride & Prejudice's Lydia Bennet wasn't just the selfish and shameless youngest Bennet daughter? What if she was a powerful witch who made a deal with a demon to save her beloved Kitty? And what if she was now on a mission to save another pod fave character from a cursed fate? Stefanie and Melinda discuss the redemption of the youngest Bennet, how well that arc works within a supernatural context, and just what could have been if Mr and Mrs Bennet had cared about Lydia at any point in her childhood, in The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub. Links & Mentions A week before this episode was due to air Stefanie and Melinda went to a talk by the iconic Austen scholar, Devony Looser, who is name checked in this episode. Looser's newest work Wild for Austen is incredible and she revealed in it that she has uncovered new evidence that Austen's family was heavily anti-slavery and that three of her brothers were publically pro-abolition and, indeed one of them was a delegate at an anti-slavery conference. It's an incredible discovery, though Looser is at pains to point out that "anti-slavery" does not mean "anti-racist". We highly reccomend you get a copy of the book and jump on any chance you get to hear Devoney speak.  If you are a fan of pithily scathing takedowns, you can find Melinda Taub's letter on behalf of Baroness Von Schrader here. [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-regret-to-inform-you-that-my-wedding-to-captain-von-trapp-has-been-canceled] Melinda Taub's new book, The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet, can be found on the publisher's website here [https://www.hachette.com.au/melinda-taub/the-shocking-experiments-of-miss-mary-bennet-the-electric-queer-retelling-of-pride-and-prejudice-from-marys-point-of-view]. A note from the hosts: we personally would have called it The Shocking Experiments of Mary Bennet, Scientist but that is because our hobby is being weird about books on the internet… and we love symmetry. Stefanie used two excerpts as references for the mythology of Seventh Children, the first is from an Occult World article about the seventh child of a seventh child [https://occult-world.com/seventh-child-of-a-seventh-child/] and the second is the Seventh Son, Daughter entry from the Dictionary of English Folklore [https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100457337]. Discover the Shell Grotto for yourself here [https://www.shellgrotto.co.uk/discover]. You can find Lona Manning's research into Lydia as feminist icon [https://www.lonamanning.ca/blog/cmp199-is-lydia-a-feminist-rebel-or-a-victim] here, and you can read Heidi S. Bond's research into Wickham as a serial sexual offender in the her aptly named article, Pride and Predators, here [https://michiganlawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/119MichLRev1169_Bond.pdf] - do yourself a favour and read Footnote 2, for one of the best mini plot synopses of Pride & Prejudice we have ever seen. If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed]and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode we will be reading The Darcy Governess by April Karber. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy second hand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.

What if Pride & Prejudice was set on the dog show circuit? What if Mr Darcy was a judge and renowned dog breeder and England's most eligible bachelor? What has this got to do with UK tabloid newspaper Daily Mail? Melinda and Stefanie discuss romance books, Hallmark movies and why you shouldn't leave rambling declarations of love on voicemail, in Unleashing Mr Darcy by Teri Wilson and its companion Hallmark movie. Brush up your knowledge on the breeding standards for border terriers on the Australian border terrier standards website [https://dogsaustralia.org.au/members/breeds/breed-standards/Border-Terrier] and UK Kennel Club website [https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/breed-standards/terrier/border-terrier/]. And see how well you can read the innuendos into the standards! Learn more about Harrod's Pet Kingdom [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2537568/Harrods-pet-shop-sold-alligators-lions-baby-elephant-Ronald-Reagan-set-close-100-years.html], which closed after this book was released, in this episode's favourite publication The Daily Mail. If you're confused about Bonfire Night in the UK [https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/real-story-of-bonfire-night/] and what it all means, you can visit that link to read more. Stefanie also mentions the Bechdel Test [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Bechdel%20Test] in this episode, which critiques how women are portrayed in relation to men in pop culture. You can learn more about some famous films that fail the Bechdel Test [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/films-that-totally-fail-t_b_7764262]. And here is a summary of the Sexy Lamp trope in movies [https://fanlore.org/wiki/Sexy_Lamp_Test]. And get into the spirit and watch the trailer for the movie Unleashing Mr Darcy [https://youtu.be/aT0o_k54Y6M?si=SxquKG258xB0hDit], and decide for yourself if it is grammatically correct. If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed] and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode we will be reading The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy second hand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.

What if Pride & Prejudice was told from Darcy's point of view? What if the real heroine of the story was Georgiana Darcy who pushed her brother to chase his true love? What if we had a front row seat to Darcy pretending to himself that he wasn't pining for Elizabeth? Stefanie and Melinda discuss why this adaptation was written because of the 1995 TV show, and why Mr Darcy's character might just be modelled on the world's very first fashion influencer, in Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer. Links & Mentions You can find Part One of the Behind The Bastards podcast episode on Beau Brummel here. [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/part-one-beau-brummell-the-first-196142682/] If you would like to read the JASNA article about Beau Brummel in the context of Austen's world, it's linked here. [https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol36no1/nigro-phillips/] To learn more about the evolution of illustrations in Pride & Prejudice, you should check out: The Making of Jane Austen by Devoney Looser [https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/11511/making-jane-austen?srsltid=AfmBOopPxDlnVJKlchX8fzWFWBaULLrTvL1fyrZVHEjbf4RTZDGczt_C] If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed]and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode we will be reading Unleashing Mr Darcy by Teri Wilson and watching its companion Hallmark movie of the same name. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy second hand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.

What if Pride & Prejudice was set in Pakistan? What if characters other than Elizabeth and Darcy get back stories and character arcs? What if the author explores the tension between loving Jane Austen, and the impact of English colonisation on her country? Melinda and Stefanie discuss the importance of all voices and stories, character development and how discussing books is the way to your heart, in Unmarriageable: Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan by Soniah Kamal. Links & Mentions Read the full interview with Soniah Kamal on the Jane Austen's World blog as mentioned in this episode. [https://janeaustensworld.com/2020/02/05/an-interview-with-soniah-kamal-author-of-unmarriageable-pride-and-prejudice-in-pakistan-by-brenda-s-cox/] Valentine Darsee gives Alys Binat Sunlight on a Broken Column by Attia Hosain at the NadirFiede wedding. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunlight_on_a_Broken_Column] You can listen to Soniah Kamal talk about Unmarriageable in this video on MM Talks and on the Brown Girls Read podcast. [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/author-interview-soniah-kamal-unmarriageable/id1493872857?i=1000538954199] If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed] and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode, we will be reading Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy secondhand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.

What if Pride & Prejudice was set in the modern day? What if Mr Darcy was an interdimensional time-traveller? What if Elizabeth was a lovelorn American who was confounded by English ducks? Join Stefanie and Melinda as they discuss falling in love in a week, why you need to pack clothes as well as books for a holiday, and why Mr Darcy would not be caught dead at night with a woman dressed only in her knickers, in: Me & Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter.  Links & Mentions Read Cherry Potter's wild take on "the Darcy syndrome" here [http://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/sep/29/books.gender]. If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed] and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode we will be reading Unmarriageable: Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan by Soniah Kamal. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy secondhand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.

What if Pride & Prejudice was set during the 1980s in Cold War Europe? What if Elizabeth Bennet and William Darcy were American spies in the CIA? How is a Walkman used to advance the plot? Join Melinda and Stefanie as they infiltrate a world of clouded allegiances and international intrigue with the book that inspired the podcast: Undeceived: Pride & Prejudice in the Spy Game by Karen M Cox. Links & Mentions If, like Stefanie, your bent runs more to Ancient History, you can read more about the Cold War here [https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cold-war-history]. And find out more specifically about the Bay of Pigs invasion here [https://www.britannica.com/event/Bay-of-Pigs-invasion]. You can make yourself a London Fog to sip while you read Undeceived with this recipe here [https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/london-fog-tea-latte-london-fog-drink/]. If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through the Apple Podcasts app. Please note they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed] and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode we will be reading Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy secondhand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.

What if Pride & Prejudice wasn't set in Regency England? What if there was a whole literary world out there dedicated to adaptations of this beloved story? And what if there was a podcast exploring them? Your hosts Stefanie and Melinda introduce themselves, why they love Pride & Prejudice so much, and outline what you can expect from this podcast. Links & Mentions If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through the Apple Podcasts app. Please note they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.  You can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed [https://www.instagram.com/janeaustenremixed] and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com. Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. In our first episode, already live in the feed, we will be reading Undeceived: Pride & Prejudice in the Spy Game by Karen M Cox. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy secondhand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.

Join your hosts Stefanie and Melinda as they take a deep dive into the world of adaptations of Jane Austen's beloved novel Pride & Prejudice, where some are fabulous, some aren't their cup of tea, and some are delightfully unhinged. It's Austen, but not as you know it.