About this podcast
Welcome to Austen Chat, the podcast of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA). Join us each month as we interview scholars, authors, and subject experts on a wide range of topics related to Austen’s writings, her life and times, and more. There is always more to learn and enjoy about Jane!
Episodes
The newest 20 of 41 episodes
- Reading Between the Lines of Mansfield Park: A Visit with Patricia Matthew · 44 min · Episode 40In this episode, Dr. Patricia Matthew sits down with guest host Dr. Anne Fertig to discuss Mansfield Park, in all its beauties and complexities, as well as Matthew’s experience…
- Rereading Jane Austen: A Visit with Elaine Bander · 32 min · Episode 39Rereading Jane Austen’s novels with an understanding of the literary conventions of her time can reveal new layers of meaning that modern audiences may miss. In this episode, we…
- Jane Austen Wrecked My Life: A Visit with Laura Piani · 23 min · Episode 38“The first one, the very first one, is like opening a door to another portal somehow.” —Laura Piani on reading her first Jane Austen novel. Join us for a conversation with Laura…
- From Emma to Clueless: A Visit with Amy Heckerling · 49 min · Episode 37As if we'd pass up the chance to talk with Clueless writer and director Amy Heckerling! We're delighted to share this conversation about the making of her totally awesome…
- Jane Austen: Material Girl — Paula Byrne and Hilary Davidson in Conversation · 48 min · Episode 36It's Austen Chat's third anniversary! To mark the milestone, we're delighted to share "Jane Austen: Material Girl"—a conversation between authors Paula Byrne and Hilary Davidson…
- Jane Austen & Crime: A Visit with Susannah Fullerton · 37 min · Episode 35"Here I am once more in this scene of dissipation & vice, and I begin already to find my morals corrupted." —Jane Austen, 1796, letter to Cassandra on arriving in London Jane…
- Jane Austen & Hypochondriacs: A Visit with Sarah Marsh · 45 min · Episode 34Jane Austen's novels feature a number of characters we might describe as "hypochondriacs" today: Mr. Woodhouse, Mary Musgrove, and Mrs. Churchill, to name a few. Although she…
- Jane Austen & Needlework: A Visit with Jennie Batchelor · 49 min · Episode 33"Elizabeth took up some needlework, and was sufficiently amused in attending to what passed between Darcy and his companion." —Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen often wove…
- Jane Austen & Her Letters: A Visit with Ingrid Tieken-Boon van Ostade · 45 min · Episode 32"My dearest Cassandra, The letter which I have this moment received from you has diverted me beyond moderation. I could die of laughter at it, as they used to say at school."…
- Miss Lambe and Beyond: A Visit with Vanessa Riley · 45 min · Episode 31Happy 2026, listeners! To kick off the new year, we’re sharing something special: Austen Chat’s first episode recorded in front of a live audience. Jane Austen lived during a…
- Jane Austen & Jane Bennet: A Visit with Susannah Harker · 38 min · Episode 30“Jane was so admired, nothing could be like it. Everybody said how well she looked; and Mr. Bingley thought her quite beautiful . . . .” —Mrs. Bennet, Pride and Prejudice Jane…
- Jane Austen & Her Manuscripts: A Visit with Kathryn Sutherland · 37 min · Episode 29Join us for a chat with noted Austen scholar Kathryn Sutherland about Jane Austen’s surviving manuscripts and what they reveal about her writing process and creative confidence…
- Jane Austen & the Oxford English Dictionary: A Visit with Charlotte Brewer · 49 min · Episode 28Bath bun. Bobbinet. Poor basket. Vanity-bait. These are just a few of the words the Oxford English Dictionary credits Jane Austen with using for the first time in print—and…
- Jane Austen & Her Teenage Writings: A Visit with Lesley Peterson · 38 min · Episode 27"She has many rare & charming qualities, but Sobriety is not one of them."—Jane Austen, Jack and Alice Drunken brawls. Cannibalism. Heroines behaving very badly. Such mayhem may…
- Jane Austen & Her Wild Side: A Visit with Devoney Looser · 33 min · Episode 26Think you know Jane Austen? In this episode, we explore the wild side of Austen’s writings, life, and legacy with noted scholar Devoney Looser, who makes the case for Austen as a…
- Jane Austen & Gentlemen: A Visit with Brett McKay · 35 min · Episode 25“There is one thing, Emma, which a man can always do, if he chooses, and that is his duty." —Mr. Knightley We believe Jane Austen is for everyone, but it’s no secret that her…
- Jane Austen & Shakespeare: A Visit with Mary Floyd-Wilson · 40 min · Episode 24"'The course of true love never did run smooth'—A Hartfield edition of Shakespeare would have a long note on that passage.” —Emma Shakespeare's influence on Jane Austen can be…
- Jane Austen in America: A Visit with Juliette Wells · 42 min · Episode 23Jane Austen has had devoted American admirers since her works were first published. In fact, several Americans played a crucial role in preserving and promoting her legacy…
- The Women Writers Who Inspired Austen: A Visit with Rebecca Romney · 42 min · Episode 22"I have made up my mind to like no novels really but Miss Edgeworth's, yours, and my own." —Jane Austen to her niece, Anna Lefroy, 1814 Jane Austen’s novels and letters are…
- Jane Austen & Her Playlist: A Visit with Laura Klein · 44 min · Episode 21"I do not think I can live without something of a musical society. . . . without music, life would be a blank to me." —Emma Though these words are spoken by the shallow and…
