How wonderful!! Loved the podcast episode and how well thought out it was. What a wonderful analysis, and generally a great thing to think about. I've only read the blog thus far, and hearing the podcast was wonderful. Thank you for another great post!!
I loved this - what a fantastic interview. I particularly resonate with your observations about Austen's distancing techniques - we don't even get to hear Darcy propose to Elizabeth! - and the generic expectations of Austen's time. I actually wrote about this in my own Substack if anyone wants to read more: https://fictionaltherapy.substack.com/p/am-i-ready-for-a-relationship
So glad you enjoyed the episode- thank you for listening and thank you for sharing your Substack, which I've just subscribed to. I enjoyed your analysis of contemporary dating against our favorite 19th century heroines. Definitely here for that! (You also might enjoy a podcast created by two sisters therapists/Austen readers: AustenTherapy.)
Thank you for reading and engaging with this, Emma!
Thank you for subscribing! I have been recommending The Austen Connection since I joined Substack - you guys are great! And that podcast sounds so up my street; what a great tip. Thanks for all your wise essays.
I am eager to read Inger's book. I attended one of the summer school's, an incredible experience. Things I like ab out several happy endings are the symmetry in Pride and Prejudice, that I think two men who proved their sterling worth were rewarded in S. and S. with Elinor and Marianne, and probably my favorite happy ending, Persuasion, which is romantic in the best sense of the word. And to say the endings of Emma and Mansfield Park are quite satisfying to me does not diminish them in the least. It's hard to pick. I will add regarding S. and S., I would have hated having to have Fanny and John and Lucy and Robert as in-laws, but life isn't perfect. I am blind and cannot figure out how to play the podcast using my keyboard. But I read the text, and it was great. Thank you.
Hi Zoe, thank you for the thoughts on your favorite endings! I agree, the romance of the endings in Persuasion, and in Emma and Mansfield Park do not diminish them at all - very well said.
And I would love to help you access the audio for the podcast. I'll ask Substack for advice - this is a good thing to bring up with them anyway! Meanwhile it looks like if you press Play at the top of the post/photo it takes you to another screen where you again press Play at the top of the screen, so you have to press Play twice, in case that helps for now.
More to come - thank you as always for engaging with this, Zoe! 🌷
I will try that tip this evening, thank you. I think I have to open something to find that play button, at least I think, but I'll do some more experimenting.
Great - and I just sent you a direct message with Substack's advice. They say the Substack App has speech-to-text functionality so you can navigate to the podcast and the episode and can control playback and audio from there. More details are in the message. Thank you for joining this discussion, Zoe - have a wonderful Monday.
Listening to this is reviving my willingness to go through all of Austen's novels right now! Pride and Prejudice was my first and I started it rather reluctantly, thinking that it'd be dull or difficult to get into. How mistaken I was! I went on to buy all her novels (in the Penguin classics edition from a few years ago) because I was on an Austen high and confident I'd read them all, one after another. This podcast has reminded me that it's probably about time I did.
How wonderful - so happy to have inspired you! Reading the novels is one of the best things you can do for yourself, and it opens up a whole community of dialogue and fandom. And a bonus for us Substackers if you read Austen is that we'll get your takes on Austen in Abroad! Thank you for listening and engaging with this, Cristina!
I've just found the copy of Mansfield Park (which comes with a lovely note as I bought the book second-hand) and I guess I'll have to make space for it in my summer reading list :)
Thank you—I look forward to reading this book! The more I read and teach Jane Austen’s writings, the more I respect her command of nuanced narrative strategies. As I write, I am in the middle of judging a student writing competition on Jane Austen’s writings dealing with the contemporary resonance for modern readers, and I am very impressed by how numerous entries are highlighting the ambiguity of her supposedly resolved endings. We do not have an examination of the aftermath of these marriages in any depth, and in some of the novels (such as _S & S_), the marriages seem subordinated to other connections—such as the relationship between sisters in that text. Perhaps part of this tension relates to the integration of Neoclassical elements that shaped Austen’s early-stage novels vs. the influence of Romanticism shaping the late-cycle works. Fascinating topic!
You are very welcome - thank you for reading and engaging with it. The essays sound wonderful to read - so glad, and not surprised, that students are grasping the complexities of the endings. Love your point about the tension between the Neoclassical tradition Austen was inheriting and the Romantic tradition arising around her. Thank you for these insights!
First, I think the book sounds really good. Second, I heard David Nicholls BAFTA-winning screenwriter and novelist) saying on BBC Radio 4 just this morning, "Happiness is lovely to feel but dull to read about... I like my happy endings with a subtle spicing of regret." (This quote probably isn't exact, btw... I was driving!) I think Nicholls nailed something Austen and Shakespeare and most of the greats have in common. I've never seen Austen's "happy" endings as entirely happy and I don't believe she intended us to... (The adaptations, just as you say with regard to the overwhelmingly female current fanbase, have a LOT to answer for in this regard. Cue classy upbeat music, shots of weddings, carriages, sunshine and poof! It's a romance with a HAE!!!!) Except that it isn't a romance. None of them are, really, as Inger Brodey explains. Good programme.
Ah, Radio 4 live is my Sunday routine - I will go and look for this conversation, as Nicholls is a favorite of mine. Surely he is influenced by Jane Austen?! We will research!
So glad you enjoyed this episode - thank you for listening and taking the time to share your response. 💮
How wonderful!! Loved the podcast episode and how well thought out it was. What a wonderful analysis, and generally a great thing to think about. I've only read the blog thus far, and hearing the podcast was wonderful. Thank you for another great post!!
Thank YOU, Anagha - so glad you enjoyed the podcast, and thank you for taking the time to listen and engage with it! 💮
I loved this - what a fantastic interview. I particularly resonate with your observations about Austen's distancing techniques - we don't even get to hear Darcy propose to Elizabeth! - and the generic expectations of Austen's time. I actually wrote about this in my own Substack if anyone wants to read more: https://fictionaltherapy.substack.com/p/am-i-ready-for-a-relationship
So glad you enjoyed the episode- thank you for listening and thank you for sharing your Substack, which I've just subscribed to. I enjoyed your analysis of contemporary dating against our favorite 19th century heroines. Definitely here for that! (You also might enjoy a podcast created by two sisters therapists/Austen readers: AustenTherapy.)
Thank you for reading and engaging with this, Emma!
Thank you for subscribing! I have been recommending The Austen Connection since I joined Substack - you guys are great! And that podcast sounds so up my street; what a great tip. Thanks for all your wise essays.
Oh gosh, thank you for recommending and supporting! Glad we are connected.
I am eager to read Inger's book. I attended one of the summer school's, an incredible experience. Things I like ab out several happy endings are the symmetry in Pride and Prejudice, that I think two men who proved their sterling worth were rewarded in S. and S. with Elinor and Marianne, and probably my favorite happy ending, Persuasion, which is romantic in the best sense of the word. And to say the endings of Emma and Mansfield Park are quite satisfying to me does not diminish them in the least. It's hard to pick. I will add regarding S. and S., I would have hated having to have Fanny and John and Lucy and Robert as in-laws, but life isn't perfect. I am blind and cannot figure out how to play the podcast using my keyboard. But I read the text, and it was great. Thank you.
Hi Zoe, thank you for the thoughts on your favorite endings! I agree, the romance of the endings in Persuasion, and in Emma and Mansfield Park do not diminish them at all - very well said.
And I would love to help you access the audio for the podcast. I'll ask Substack for advice - this is a good thing to bring up with them anyway! Meanwhile it looks like if you press Play at the top of the post/photo it takes you to another screen where you again press Play at the top of the screen, so you have to press Play twice, in case that helps for now.
More to come - thank you as always for engaging with this, Zoe! 🌷
I will try that tip this evening, thank you. I think I have to open something to find that play button, at least I think, but I'll do some more experimenting.
Great - and I just sent you a direct message with Substack's advice. They say the Substack App has speech-to-text functionality so you can navigate to the podcast and the episode and can control playback and audio from there. More details are in the message. Thank you for joining this discussion, Zoe - have a wonderful Monday.
Listening to this is reviving my willingness to go through all of Austen's novels right now! Pride and Prejudice was my first and I started it rather reluctantly, thinking that it'd be dull or difficult to get into. How mistaken I was! I went on to buy all her novels (in the Penguin classics edition from a few years ago) because I was on an Austen high and confident I'd read them all, one after another. This podcast has reminded me that it's probably about time I did.
How wonderful - so happy to have inspired you! Reading the novels is one of the best things you can do for yourself, and it opens up a whole community of dialogue and fandom. And a bonus for us Substackers if you read Austen is that we'll get your takes on Austen in Abroad! Thank you for listening and engaging with this, Cristina!
I've just found the copy of Mansfield Park (which comes with a lovely note as I bought the book second-hand) and I guess I'll have to make space for it in my summer reading list :)
Excellent! No pressure, but looking forward to hearing your takes! 💮
Thank you—I look forward to reading this book! The more I read and teach Jane Austen’s writings, the more I respect her command of nuanced narrative strategies. As I write, I am in the middle of judging a student writing competition on Jane Austen’s writings dealing with the contemporary resonance for modern readers, and I am very impressed by how numerous entries are highlighting the ambiguity of her supposedly resolved endings. We do not have an examination of the aftermath of these marriages in any depth, and in some of the novels (such as _S & S_), the marriages seem subordinated to other connections—such as the relationship between sisters in that text. Perhaps part of this tension relates to the integration of Neoclassical elements that shaped Austen’s early-stage novels vs. the influence of Romanticism shaping the late-cycle works. Fascinating topic!
You are very welcome - thank you for reading and engaging with it. The essays sound wonderful to read - so glad, and not surprised, that students are grasping the complexities of the endings. Love your point about the tension between the Neoclassical tradition Austen was inheriting and the Romantic tradition arising around her. Thank you for these insights!
You are so welcome! I look forward to your upcoming postings. Have a great start to your week!
First, I think the book sounds really good. Second, I heard David Nicholls BAFTA-winning screenwriter and novelist) saying on BBC Radio 4 just this morning, "Happiness is lovely to feel but dull to read about... I like my happy endings with a subtle spicing of regret." (This quote probably isn't exact, btw... I was driving!) I think Nicholls nailed something Austen and Shakespeare and most of the greats have in common. I've never seen Austen's "happy" endings as entirely happy and I don't believe she intended us to... (The adaptations, just as you say with regard to the overwhelmingly female current fanbase, have a LOT to answer for in this regard. Cue classy upbeat music, shots of weddings, carriages, sunshine and poof! It's a romance with a HAE!!!!) Except that it isn't a romance. None of them are, really, as Inger Brodey explains. Good programme.
Hello Alice,
Ah, Radio 4 live is my Sunday routine - I will go and look for this conversation, as Nicholls is a favorite of mine. Surely he is influenced by Jane Austen?! We will research!
So glad you enjoyed this episode - thank you for listening and taking the time to share your response. 💮
Was Desert Island discs!!! Honoured to hear from you, Alice