The Thing About Austen

By: The Thing About Austen
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  • Summary

  • The Thing About Austen is a podcast about Jane Austen's world — the people, objects, and culture that shape Austen's fiction. Come for the historical context and stay for the literary shenanigans. Think of us as your somewhat cheeky tour guides to the life and times of Jane Austen.
    © 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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Art Literary History & Criticism World
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Episodes
  • Episode 102: The Thing About Lady Bertram's Shawl with guest Laboni Islam

    Episode 102: The Thing About Lady Bertram's Shawl with guest Laboni Islam
    Feb 28 2025

    Fanny's brother is headed back to sea, and Lady Bertram has a request (or two) for him. Poet and arts educator Laboni Islam joins us for this episode as we discuss Lady Bertram and her requested shawl(s). In addition to delving into the history and context surrounding these shawls, Laboni also shares details of her related project from her time as a Reimagine Resident at Jane Austen's House.

    Thank you so much to Laboni for joining us for this episode! You can find Laboni's poetry project here: https://janeaustens.house/creatives-in-residence/muslin-shawl-a-possible-history and learn more about her other work here: https://www.laboniislam.ca/

    You can find us online at https://www.thethingaboutausten.com and follow us on Instagram @TheThingAboutAusten and on Twitter @Austen_Things. You can email us at TheThingAboutAusten@gmail.com and head over to https://www.redbubble.com/people/aboutausten/shop to check out our podcast related merch.
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    30 mins
  • Episode 101: The Thing About Lizzy's Pin-money

    Episode 101: The Thing About Lizzy's Pin-money
    Jan 27 2025

    Lizzy is officially engaged, and Mrs. Bennet has pound signs for eyes. Grab your marriage settlement and your preferred negotiator, because this episode we're getting into the history and purpose of pin-money.

    You can find us online at https://www.thethingaboutausten.com and follow us on Instagram @TheThingAboutAusten and on Twitter @Austen_Things. You can email us at TheThingAboutAusten@gmail.com and head over to https://www.redbubble.com/people/aboutausten/shop to check out our podcast related merch.
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    28 mins
  • Episode 100: The Thing About Jane Austen's House with guest Lizzie Dunford

    Episode 100: The Thing About Jane Austen's House with guest Lizzie Dunford
    Dec 20 2024

    Happy 100! To celebrate this auspicious occasion, we are thrilled to share our conversation with Lizzie Dunford, Director of Jane Austen’s House. We chat about Austen's time living in Chawton, as well as the incredible work that Jane Austen's House is doing to promote and preserve Austen’s legacy as an author and storyteller.

    Thank you so much to Lizzie for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Instagram @lizzie_dunford_writes. You can learn more about Jane Austen's house and find links to all their socials at https://janeaustens.house.

    You can find us online at https://www.thethingaboutausten.com and follow us on Instagram @TheThingAboutAusten and on Twitter @Austen_Things. You can email us at TheThingAboutAusten@gmail.com and head over to https://www.redbubble.com/people/aboutausten/shop to check out our podcast related merch.
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    47 mins

Featured Article: We’re Booked—The Best Literature Podcasts for Every Bibliophile


Love everything books and literature? Of course, you do—that’s why you're here! Don’t worry, you’re in good company. If you're a book aficionado who loves chatting about literature with like-minded people, literature podcasts are the perfect addition to your listening lifestyle. There’s no shortage of great book podcast options to choose from. Here are just a few of the best literature podcasts, covering many different genres and styles of podcasting.

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Profile Image for holly buck

Lively and fresh!

Zan and Diane deliver the important and juicy stuff that help makes Jane Austen live on! What a gem! Thank you!

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enjoyable

relaxed discussion that goes deep without being stuffy at all
Unique topics related to all things Austen

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Profile Image for Amy Darrah

Depth through details

There are many cultural details in Austen’s novels that I’ve glossed over for decades without thinking too much about. The Thing About Austen digs into these nuances with guests who are experts in things like miniature paintings and astronomy. Zan and Diane find seemingly unimportant details that once they are examined give Austen’s novels much more depth. Thank you Zan and Diane. I look forward to each pod cast episode.

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Profile Image for Rachel A.

really interesting historical context

I didn't spend any more time thinking about General Tilney's pamphlets than Catherine Morland did, so this episode was super interesting. It also perfectly explained Henry Tilney's comment about neighbors being voluntary spies, which had puzzled me before and I had assumed to mean he had gossipy neighbors - turns out to be much less benign!

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Enjoyed it!

I love the level of detail and the insight into the Navy in Austin’s books

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Profile Image for Sarah C.

The Bits and Bobs of Austen Become Relevant Here

I love Jane Austen's works (my favorite is most likely Persuasion) so finding this podcast was a great discovery. There are many things in Austen's stories, usually contemporary items or places, that are not as easy to understand when you first read the novels. For example, Mr. Woodhouse of Emma is a known hypochondriac but it turns out he might be a bit justified about worrying about his grandchildren's health due to bad air as the podcast shows. Or how Mrs. Henry Dashwood of Sense and Sensibility turned out to be getting something valuable when she got to keep the linens brought with her upon her marriage (something Fanny Dashwood tries to take from her, along with Norland). Unless you read about Austen's world or on the books that explore Regency Life, details like these can slip through the cracks. But not with this podcast team!

I enjoy every episode I listen to, especially when they're on the more obscure or less recognizable topics like Blaize Castle or Tattersall's. If also you read or listen Georgette Heyer's novels, some of what they discuss also is useful for reading her books (Tattersall's plays a part in The Grand Sophy for example) so it's doubly enjoyable. The experts are knowledgeable and definitely bring some fun to some sometimes obscure or specialized topics. The stargazing episode was cool because the person they had on to talk about the scene from Mansfield Park actually was able to figure out when the scene was set historically just by the details in the book, which was impressive and showed Austen was not adverse to real-life details.

If you love Austen and want to learn more about her or maybe some of those details in the books that don't translate to modern culture as well (Udolpho, anyone?), check out this podcast!

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Profile Image for Robin H.

These women are both smart and funny!

I really enjoy listening to this podcast and look forward to each episode as they come out. Their humor is snarky ala Jane Austen and the more in depth explanations help to make Miss Austen's novels more enjoyable. Thank you for your time and research.

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