I stumbled upon a podcast that is delightful beyond words that I wanted to share with all of you! It is called The Thing About Austen hosted by two highly educated Janeites: Zan and Diane. The podcast starts with a focus on objects and their significance not only in Austen’s novels, but in the Regency Era as a whole.

For instance, did you know that Wentworth’s umbrella in Persuasion is a totally swoon worthy, symbolic gesture that signifies his preparedness to take care of Anne Elliot, even if she’s not prepared to return similar feelings? I definitely did not! One fascinating thing I learned from this podcast was that umbrellas during the Regency Era were inherently feminine and so, for a man to carry one (a man who is a big, burly naval officer and accustomed to more than a fine drizzle, mind you), well, it might not speak of his need, but rather, the woman he still secretly loves. Or at least that’s the interpretation that Zan and Diane give us in episode 2.  

This podcast also addresses larger societal issues within the novels that Jane covertly (we assume) was trying to address such as spinsterhood, divorce, pamphlets or scandal sheets,  and so much more! 

Another episode that I found utterly fascinating was one featuring Box Hill, one of the significant locations in Emma. In this episode both our hosts did a fabulous job of drawing connections between modern selfies and these refractive mirrors called Claude glasses that were used during outings like that at Box Hill. 

For those interested, Claude glass was like a modern day compact with a convex shape and was darkly tinted glass. One would turn their back on the landscape (which was already rumored to be breathtaking) and then lift these objects to frame sort of the perfect scene behind them. Of course, you could not take your picture in front of the scenery, but I thought it was really cool how our hosts made the modern connection to selfies in that moment, because essentially, it was a Regency method of finding that perfect aesthetic, very much like we do in photographs today when we are that these places of great significance.

I also really enjoyed the episode about Mary Crawford’s harp in Mansfield Park and how harps were deemed “really sexy,” during this time period. A harp might need to exist in my Regency Rep. story for reasons, but we'll see. I now know far too much about the cost of a harp in the Regency Era England so I might not be able to swing it given the class I am writing.  

One other thing I absolutely love about this podcast is that Zan and Diane don’t only rely on their own knowledge of Regency Era topics, but they also invite several guests to discuss a variety of topics, which totally enriches the content and the experience of listening to this podcast. I've also learned about a comic book artist (Georgie Castillo) who is writing an inclusive, graphic novel of Emma. He has also written a comic book entitled What Would Jane Do? Which places Jane Austen in the context of her own stories or in other Regency stories. It seems so fun and witty!    

Anyway, as you can tell from this already lengthy blog post, I could go on and on about the various topics, both large and small, that are covered in The Thing About Austen. But I'll cut this short and just end with...if you’re looking for some insp. for our upcoming challenge on the forums or to merely just learn more about Regency things, this podcast was very entertaining as well as educational, and has my stamp of approval.

 Courtney