What Would Jane Do?

In this episode Julia Golding and Zoe Wheddon look at Jane Austen and childhood. We investigate how her era invented our modern idea of childhood as a time of innocence. But how was she raised? Did new ideas of Rousseau and natural education make it to the parsonage at Steventon? There were many children in her adult life and she was a much loved aunt to her brothers' children. What games and stories did she play with them? We then go on to look at her novels - there are more children than...

This week Zoe Wheddon and Julia Golding discuss what would Jane do about modern friendship, look back at Jane's friendships in real life and in her fiction, as well as swap Jane Austen news and award this episode's Lizzy and Lady Catherine. Would Jane fit in with Taylor Swift's pack or a Facebook fan group? What role does messaging (or old fashioned letter writing) play in creating strong female networks of friends? And is it friendship rather than romance that is the key to understanding...

*Contains mature content* In this episode, inspired by the Netflix series, Bridgerton, we discuss Jane Austen and sex. What did Jane know about it? What role does it play in her novels? Then we widen the discussion to look at the Georgian world on such matters as contraception, pornography and prostitution. We then discuss Bridgerton - the successes and failures in the series, talk a little about what might be in series 2, and round off with our Darcy and Wickham of the week and Jane Austen...

Julia Golding and Zoe Wheddon discuss what would Jane do at Christmas. Find out about Regency traditions, turkeys, snapdragons and much more. We also award our Lizzie and Lady Catherine of the week and catch up on Jane Austen news in an episode recorded on her birthday. For details of the books recommended, here is a list: Jane Austen's Christmas by Maria Hubert, AJane Austen Christmas by Carlo DeVito and Regency Christmas Traditions, Jane Austen Christmas by Maria Grace and also of note is...

For the second season of What would Jane do? The author and original host, Julia Golding, is joined by Zoe Wheddon, teacher, researcher and writer. They discuss how Jane and her characters would respond to a pandemic, the nature of illness in the early nineteenth century and what treatments were available. Stick around to hear who is this week's Darcy (hooray!) and this week's Wickham (boo!), Jane Austen news and what we will be watching.

Ever wanted to time travel back to the theatre in Jane Austen's time? Find out in this podcast with world expert, Dr David Taylor of St Hugh's College, Oxford, what Jane Austen would have seen when she entered a theatre in the 1790s. Who was there and what did it look like? What plays were on offer? Which writers inspired her? Were there special effects and what were they like? Turning from this, we go on to discuss the influence on her work, particularly looking at Northanger Abbey and...

What surprising room might Mr Darcy and guests retire to after dinner? What exactly was Admiral Croft looking at in the shop window in Bath? Where did Jane and Cassandra get their ideas from for their youthful collaboration on The History of England? You can find out the answers to these questions and much more when you listen to Dr David Taylor, St Hugh's College, Oxford, and expert on the political cartoon culture in Jane Austen's era. He can also tell you about how Austen's work has...

A very special episode recorded on location at the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton. Listen to Julia Golding in conversation with the museum director, Mary Guyatt and find out how Jane's last home became a museum open to the public. What was daily life like in this home for Jane, her mother and her sister Cassandra? Who made the breakfast and dealt with the tea? What objects in the house feature in her novels? What do visitors learn by coming here that they can't get from books or...

Marvel or DC universe? Iron Man or Batman? Wonder Woman or Black Panther? Our cinema culture has for over a decade been dominated by our love of super heroes. Julia Golding explores how each era makes the heroes suited for its own day. She goes back to the novelists writing before Jane Austen to look at the big rivalry: Richardson Universe v Fielding Universe. Following their negotiation about the nature of the hero, Austen picks this up when she explores what it means to be a heroine in her...

Questions about gender identity may seem to be characteristic of our time, but others have gone before us in challenging societal roles. From Harriet Freke in Maria Edgeworth's Belinda (1801) to the real life Chevalier d'Eon, men and women have been pushing the boundaries of what it means to be male and female. Where does Jane Austen come in this debate? How would she negotiate current questions about how we engage with our gendered social roles? We go from Lady Susan to Persuasion in our...

Are you a GoT fan and/or a Jane Austen one? Can you describe GoT and Jane Austen in 3 little words? Take the challenge and find out what would Jane Austen have made of the cult TV hit. Going back in time for an early nineteenth century perspective, Julia Golding takes a tour of the gothic in fiction and fact, touching on the scandalous hit of the 1790s, The Monk, and the gothic-lite of Ann Radcliffe. Next stop is Lord Byron and his GoT-worthy life. And what would a mash-up of Austen and...

Julia Golding turns to Jane Austen for help with understanding how to handle social media. She first takes a look at the world of eighteenth century society, the networking via letters, and the public disasters that can fall in such a gossipy world. What can we learn today about keeping a balance between our private and public selves and who is handling it in our times with a discretion Jane Austen would've appreciated? Stay tuned to the end of the episode to find out!