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© 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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A podcast about Jane Austen's world
89 Episodes
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Grab your dancing slippers and your shoe-roses because the Netherfield Ball is right around the corner, and the Bennet sisters are ready to party. This episode we take a look at the fancy footwear frills of the 17th and 18th centuries and the ways in which those trends transitioned into the Regency era.
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.
1Emma is trying to paint Harriet's portrait, but it's hard to concentrate with Mr. Elton mouth breathing over her shoulder. But still, Mr. Elton is obviously in love with Harriet. Right? Right?!? This episode we welcome returning guest Georgie Castilla of Duniath Comics as we discuss Emma's attempt at combining the art of matchmaking with the art of portraiture.
Thank you so much to Georgie for joining us for this discussion! You can find him online at www.duniathcomics.com and on Instagram @duniathcomics, and you can follow along as he adapts Emma at https://www.youtube.com/@duniathcomics.
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.
Colonel Brandon and Willoughby are about to meet by appointment, and their seconds are ready with all the necessary administrative details. Which leads us to ask the question, could this meeting have been an email?
Join us this episode as we break down the details of the duel in Sense and Sensibility.
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.
If Catherine is now riding with Henry after stopping at Petty-France for two hours and there are x number of capes on Henry's great coat and y number of inches separating Catherine from Henry in the curricle and WOW does Henry's hat sit so well, exactly how blissfully happy is Catherine in this moment?
The answer is innumerable, friends.
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.
Fanny Dashwood is offering up her services as a financial advisor and actuary, and John Dashwood is ready to be advised. This episode we break down the feckless fiduciary fraternalism of one Mr. John Dashwood, specifically as it relates to annuities.
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.
There's a bit of a brouhaha brewing over at the Sotherton ha-ha, and we've got front row, garden bench seats. Join us as we walk through the various comings and goings of the world's most awkward group date.
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.
Come one, come all! Step right up and witness amazing feats on horseback! This episode we're headed to Astley's Amphitheatre where Harriet Smith and Robert Martin are getting nice and cozy.
If you have ever found romance at the circus, 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.
This episode we're closing out the year with a visit to the homey confines of Uppercross Hall. There's a large group of children assembled, and festive merriment is afoot. Break out your favorite scissors and your glue of choice — it's time to get crafty with gold paper.
We'll be back with a new episode in 2024, but until then you can find us on Instagram @TheThingAboutAusten and on Twitter @Austen_Things. Episode show notes can be found at https://www.thethingaboutausten.com, and you can email us at TheThingAboutAusten@gmail.com.
We have merch! Check out https://www.redbubble.com/people/aboutausten/shop to see the current offerings.
There's nothing like a refreshing drink of mineral water under the watchful gaze of Beau Nash to get your day off to the right start. This episode we're headed to the pump-room in Bath to partake of the finest water on offer. And we promise that we actually do wash our glasses.
Please exit on the left, and don't forget to tip your pumper.
We have merch! Check out https://www.redbubble.com/people/aboutausten/shop to see the current offerings.
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.
Overrun with moles? Worried about this year's crop yields? Thinking about conducting a comprehensive estate survey? We know exactly who you should call. This episode we cover the profession of estate steward as it existed in Austen's time and get into the many (seriously, many) responsibilities that the job entailed.
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.
Catherine and Isabella are forming a very specific book club, and we've been given a sneak peek at their reading list. This episode we are joined by Dr. Hannah Doherty Hudson as we delve into the terrifying pages of the Minerva Press and uncover the many chilling secrets hidden within the so-called "horrid novels."
If you have ever wished for more dramatic storytelling in your book marketing, this episode is for you.
Thank you so much to Hannah for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Twitter, Bluesky, and Mastodon by searching for Hannah Doherty Hudson, and you can sign up for her Ask a Georgian Magazine Substack at https://hannahdohertyhudson.substack.com.
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.
Was it Mr. Bennet in the library with the entail? Or was it Mr. Collins in the dining room with the strict settlement? Mrs. Bennet is on the case, but regardless of her findings, she is not happy. Grab your Clue notepad and join us as we delve into 18th-century property and inheritance law and get into the specifics of the Longbourn entail.
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.
Poor Harriet is stuck at home with a bad sore throat, and Mr. Elton is VERY concerned. For Emma. This week we're joined again by Dr. Rena Jones to talk about illness and medical knowledge in Austen's time. If you have ever been in an extremely lopsided love triangle, this episode is for you.
Thank you so much to Rena for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Twitter @Epi_Rena.
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.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest baronet of all? Sir Walter is busy gazing at his own image, so we're here to chat 18th-century mirrors. Join us this episode as we reflect upon the significance of Sir Walter's many looking-glasses and have ourselves a glasswork gabfest.
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.
Miss Steele has questions about Marianne's washing, and we are here to answer them. This episode we air some dirty laundry and get into the sudsy specifics of how Jane Austen and her contemporaries went about obtaining clean clothes in an era before washers and dryers.
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.
Pointers were considered an elite dog in Austen's time, so it makes sense that someone like Willoughby would own them (also, having cute dogs is possibly the only nice thing we can say about Willoughby). This episode we welcome back Dr. Stephanie Howard-Smith for more 18th-century dog talk. We cover everything from the care and feeding of pointers to trends in 18th-century game hunting. Sir John heartily approves.
If you have ever been quite literally swept off your feet by a man with two pointers playing round him, this episode is for you.
Thank you so much to Stephanie for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Twitter @SAHowardSmith and on Instagram @DogHistorian.
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.
Sir William Lucas has been to St. James's Palace, and he wants to make sure that everyone knows about it. This episode we get into the particulars of Sir William's knighthood and stop by his favorite spot for a ball. If you have ever danced the minuet under the watchful gaze of a monarch, 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.
Jane Fairfax has received a mystery piano, along with some new music, and Frank Churchill is here to tell Emma all about it. This episode we break down the reference to Cramer in Emma. We also chat with Dr. Karali Hunter who stops by to trace the development of the étude from Cramer to Chopin, as well as talk to us about the process of recording our new intro and outro music.
Thank you so much to Karali for joining us for this episode and for recording our new music, Cramer's étude, No. 21! You can learn more about her and her work at https://www.karalihunter.com, https://hammerandstrings.com, and https://www.salonnieres.org.
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.
There's nothing like a summer day at Box Hill. Nothing more awkward, that is. This episode we're jaunting forth with our friends from Highbury for an expedition sure to be uncomfortable for all involved. Along the way, we'll learn about the Irish car party mentioned by Miss Bates.
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.
Needlework in Jane Austen's novels is commonly referred to as simply "work." But what exactly does this work entail, and why is it important to characters like Elizabeth Bennet? Guest Dr. Jennie Batchelor is here to answer these questions and more. We discuss the difference between plain and fancy needlework, the significance of needlework in the pantheon of ladylike accomplishments, and the ways in which needlework functioned as a Regency woman's CV.
Thank you so much to Jennie for joining us for this episode! You can learn more about her and her work at https://www.jenniebatchelor.net. Jennie's digital catalogue of embroidery patterns from the Lady's Magazine can be found at https://ladysmagazine.omeka.net. You can find Jennie on Twitter @JennieBatchelor and on Instagram @BatchelorJennie.
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.
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Good episode. I think, though, that it's not just the "working for a living" that makes Lizzy's mother's family objectionable, but the fact that they aren't landed gentry. I forget when it occurred to me that Mr. Bennet really did marry down; her family has no inherited wealth and no "breeding." Lady Catherine would probably object nearly as much to Caroline Bingley as a wife for Darcy, since the Bingleys, though independently wealthy, are new money. Consider, in contrast, Col. Fitzwilliam, who has no money to speak of (that whole primogeniture thing), but is the younger son of an earl, and who, after Darcy's marriage, will probably be Lady Catherine's next target as a husband for Anne.
Another spinster who marries late is Miss Taylor. I don't think we're ever told her age, but she's old enough to have been Emma's governess for 16 years and young enough to become pregnant, so she's probably in her late 30s or early 40s when she marries Mr. Weston. It may be that a spinster's best chance of marrying after 30 would be to a widower like Weston.
I think Edmund is worse than just a drip. He's obtuse and incredibly self-centered, and his involvement in attempting to convince Fanny to accept Crawford is unforgivable. I think even his early kindness to Fanny can be read as him showing off what a good guy he is. Jerk.