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The Thing About Austen

The Thing About Austen

By: The Thing About Austen
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 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. Art Literary History & Criticism World
Episodes
  • Episode 105: The Thing About Marianne's Music with guest Dr. Elizabeth Weybright

    Episode 105: The Thing About Marianne's Music with guest Dr. Elizabeth Weybright
    May 21 2025

    Marianne has a lot of feelings, and what better way of expressing them than through her music? Dr. Elizabeth "Elly" Weybright joins us for this episode to discuss Marianne as a musician and the ways in which Marianne's musicianship is central to her character. We also get into a bit of Austen's own history of piano ownership and music playing.

    If you have ever cried on your piano after a bad breakup, this episode is for you.

    Thank you so much to Elly for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Twitter @EllyWeybright.

    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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    55 mins
  • Episode 104: The Thing About The Crescent

    Episode 104: The Thing About The Crescent
    Apr 22 2025

    Henry Tilney has mysteriously disappeared, and Catherine will not rest until she finds him. Next up in her investigation? The Crescent. Join us as we cover the history and architecture of this notable landmark.

    If you have ever been desperately hoping to casually bump into someone, this episode is for you.

    Thank you to PBS for sponsoring this episode! Miss Austen will be released on Masterpiece on May 4, 9pm/8c.

    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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    23 mins
  • Episode 103: The Thing About Elegant Extracts

    Episode 103: The Thing About Elegant Extracts
    Mar 26 2025

    Harriet has been talking a lot about this nice guy she met, which means that Emma has questions. In addition to Robert Martin's blood type, school transcripts, and tax returns, she would obviously like to know about his reading tastes and preferences.

    This episode, we're flipping through the pages of Elegant Extracts.

    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.
    Show more Show less
    22 mins
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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.

Featured Article We’re Booked The Best Literature Podcasts for Every Bibliophile
All stars
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Zan and Diane deliver the important and juicy stuff that help makes Jane Austen live on! What a gem! Thank you!

Lively and fresh!

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

enjoyable

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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.

Depth through details

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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!

really interesting historical context

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

Enjoyed it!

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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!

The Bits and Bobs of Austen Become Relevant Here

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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.

These women are both smart and funny!

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