Jane Austen: The OG Yearnalist

Calling my Austenites! This is your Yearnalism 101 crash course as we unpack the life of the one and only Jane Austen! As the 2nd daughter and 7th child of a country rector, we're looking at the family life, education and career of Jane, set against the backdrop of Georgian & Regency England where the role of class, women, money and power were not influences to Jane's work but THE central elements! Plus my divas, many MANY mentions of Mr Darcy! Shout-out to our incredible researcher Gracie McCamish and editor Jamie Rose for pulling this together. If you're wanting more Hot History you can follow along on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/hothistoryclub/?hl=en, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@hot.history?lang=en, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://substack.com/@hothistoryclub, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@hot.history ! 'Til next week, Ainslie x

• 0:00Speaker 00

  Guys, I cannot tell you how revolutionary Pride and Prejudice was for the time, okay? Because what seems like a simple will they, won't they, enemies-ish to lovers romance? Is actually one of the best looks at Georgian/Regency women. Class, love, social structure, and most importantly, guys? Money, which somehow still to this day has a large stigma attached to it when discussed by women. But here is Jane Austen.

• 0:46Speaker 00

  Hi guys and welcome back to Hot History, your corner of the internet where we cover all the things in history that you probably should know, but don't. I'm Mainzley Harvey, your hot historian here today, guys, ready to chat about arguably one of the most important figures in my literary life? Like as a reader, as a writer, you know, even really as a historian, how I kind of approach the stories that I tell you guys. Okay, she is the goat of literature, the woman who invented yearning, who masterminded the tropes we see on screen and read on page. The one and only Miss Jane Austen. I have really been like constantly bringing this up to the top of my list as something to talk about.

• 1:31Speaker 00

  I've just been waiting for the right time. If you guys are OG Hot History listeners, you will remember we actually relaunched the podcast this year with a deep dive on the Brontes. And ever since, I have wanted to cover Jane. And given that one of her classics, Sense and Sensibility, is hitting cinemas in Australia in two weeks. I thought, what better way to prepare and kind of get into the Austen spirit than to learn about the goat herself? So let's get started by rewinding it all the way back to the small Hampshire village of Stephington in England on December 16th, 1775. Where the winter chill, Christmas spirit and pains of labour are very much upon us.

• 2:13Speaker 00

  For young Cassandra Austen is in labour at home with no doctor and only her sister-in-law to help deliver a baby girl. Who arrived safely and was given the name of Jane. Cassandra doted on the little girl, breastfeeding her herself for six months, after which Jane was sent to live in a nearby village with one of the family's farming neighbours, which like, sounds fucking wild to us, okay? Imagine sending your six-month-old baby to go and live in another village with another family. But it was the belief of Cassandra and lots of other parents at the time, that sending your children off at a certain age was kind of good for their development. A process which was colloquially called baby farms, which were essentially kind of these established, safe places where you could send infants to be kind of

• 2:58Speaker 00

  like nursed and boarded and taught basic things. It's just really kind of fucked up. It's basically like, um, like puppy preschool, but for kids. Um, which in this case was more kind of akin to boarding school for babies. A concept which I'm sure, as you can imagine, went out of fashion pretty quickly, once it became clear that many of the infants were being mistreated or neglected. In Jane's case though, she certainly wasn't out of sight, nor was she out of mind. As Jane's nephew wrote in her biography, she was quote, "visited daily by one or both of her parents before returning at about two or three, by which time she was toilet-trained and speaking simple sentences."

• 3:40Speaker 00

  So from the get-go, guys, here, looking at these like early couple of years of Jane's life, like literally since six months old. She is learning, okay? She is forced into new environments and constantly seeing new people, which gave her this indelible sense of curiosity for both, um, like new experiences and also knowledge generally. With both Cassandra and George Austen, her dad, encouraging her and her siblings to learn. In fact, writer Deborah Yaff says that by the standards of the time, the Austens had a pretty idyllic childhood. With a couple giving birth to eight children, who all lived on the small family farm for large stretches of time,

• 4:22Speaker 00

  which supplied them with a fair living and while absolutely by no means rich, guys, they never experienced true economic hardship. Having several maids and servants to help with housework. So in many ways, guys, her childhood and the kind of family status is something you can imagine one of her own heroines sharing. Also particularly fantastical, guys, was the plethora of young men who came through the Austen household under the patronage of Jane's father, who was the local rector and somewhat of a tutor, hosting young male students for a bit of extra cash. Again, something I can like absolutely see happening in a Jane Austen novel, like her father's bringing in all these smart, beautiful, gorgeous men.

• 5:03Speaker 00

  One of them's evil, one of them's divine, the daughter falls in love, like it rides itself. In the early forming years of her life, Jane, we see is comfortable, but she still sees hard work. She's also encouraged to learn, but also to share and I think rather seminally, guys, is privy to a smorgasbord of different young men of various backgrounds, temperaments, talents and looks. Something which few young women in her position would ever have experienced and something that would be defining in her later life. But I'm getting ahead of myself. So let's stay here in the Austen household for now and get a bit of an understanding of the family dynamics. Because with seven siblings, six of whom were boys, like I can't even imagine.

• 5:47Speaker 00

  Now, as we already briefly mentioned, George Austen was the local rector, but he didn't always have such a high position within society. Born in 1731, George became an orphan, relying on the patronage of his wealthy uncle to study at St John's College, Oxford, where through his hard work and kind of like genuine talents, became socially elevated enough to marry Cassandra Lee. Whose family wasn't necessarily like aristocratic by any definitions of the word, but had deep ties with the upper echelon. Enjoying a relatively well-connected and socially prominent life. She was, by all accounts and all definitions of the word, wonderful.

• 6:25Speaker 00

  And as one of six herself, she developed a clever and witty repartee, which paired with the tall, slim and good-looking George, who, according to the official museum attached to Jane Austen's house, was known as the handsome Proctor, okay, hot diva? So these two are pretty well-matched, okay? And decide to marry in April of 1764 at the church of St Swithen in Bath, where George took up the duties of rector in the parish. Now, given how much they genuinely were affectionate of one another, it seemed pretty obvious that the Austen clan was going to be a big one after all. As we said, Cassandra is one of six and George is an orphan who craved a family his whole life.

• 7:09Speaker 00

  So they were thrilled when James Austen arrived in 1765, followed by George the following year and Edward the year after that. So three boys, three years and three very different futures. With James going on to study at Oxford University and penning many written works of his own, including over 50 poems. George having some kind of mental disability, which according to Deborah Yaff, we don't know much about as he was boarded away from home. And Edward being adopted by his distant cousin, Thomas Knight, to become the heir of his estates. Something which made him a landed gentleman and guys, pretty wealthy.

• 7:48Speaker 00

  Earning approximately £15,000 a year from his investments, according to Jane Austen's house, which was big bucks for the time, guys. If you will recall, Mr Darcy only earned £10,000 a year by comparison. So that's the first three Austen children, who were followed in 1771 by Henry, yet another boy, who was said to be Jane's favourite brother, serving in the Oxford militia before settling himself up as an army agent and banker. Then finally, which is funny, guys, this is like such a reverse from our Romanov episodes that we did. But after four boys, a baby girl is born to the Austen household in 1773 by the name of Cassandra, who we're going to talk a lot about in the next hour.

• 8:29Speaker 00

  Next up was Francis, born in 1774, who went on to become an admiral of the fleet and guys, a knight. Hot, like I love a sexy, successful military man who then gets rank. And I kind of like imagine him with these medals and like, he walks around and like clinks and like, there's all this metal clacking around as he walks and he's hot and he's brooding, he's got sideburns and oh, obsessed. Francis, hot, which then leaves after Francis, two children remaining. The next of whom is our gal Jane, who was born in 1775, followed by her younger brother, Charles, in 1779,

• 9:11Speaker 00

  who also rose to the rank of rear admiral like his brother Francis. So this is a big household, okay? And really a very accomplished one when we're looking at it retrospectively. Although when they're kind of toddlers and children running and screaming about, I'm sure no one expected it. They also wouldn't have expected this, as the Austens, like we said, weren't part of the upper kind of genteel classes. And while they didn't struggle for funds like servants or miners, they did still rely on distant family members for part of their living. Which to be honest, just made them kind of ordinary people, which we absolutely love, like obsessed with this. And again, it makes all of their varied achievements all the more amazing. But this isn't a pod about the Austens, like period, right?

• 9:55Speaker 00

  This is a pod about one specific Jane. So what is her place in the pecking order once she's kind of back with her family from the baby farm? Um, and living at the Stephington rectory? Well, as the second youngest daughter, Jane had a lot of older male energy to compete with. And despite still being a happy and bubbly young girl, she decided to take a more observant role within the household, which she could do as she was kind of largely passed over. And I don't say that in like a neglectful way or that she's downtrodden by any means. But she is the second daughter and seventh child of a rector, whose elder brothers were expected to have great careers. And even her elder sister was thought of more for marriage than she.

• 10:38Speaker 00

  Which really allowed Jane the time and the space to be with herself and watch. And this is the incredible thing about her, which in my opinion is really the thing that sets her apart as a genius, is an enormous aptitude for observation.

• 10:56Speaker 01

  Whenever fall comes back around, it always feels like a fresh start. This year, I've been layering in some styles from the new Lululemon fall drop, because the weather is shifting and I find I have to be ready for the entire day and not just one part of it. Lululemon's fall line has some really versatile transitional pieces. So I can just wake up, throw on a matching set, add a jacket or a fleece and head out, knowing that I'll feel comfortable enough to go wherever the day takes me. Check out the new fall arrivals in store and online now at lululemon.com.

• 11:26Speaker 02

  Finding a doctor is hard enough. Finding the right doctor, even harder. Someone who takes your insurance, has an available appointment when you need one, and feels like someone you can actually open up to. That's where Zocdoc comes in. Download the Zocdoc app to search and compare doctors by specialty, insurance, and availability. Read real patient reviews, find the right fit for you, and book instantly. Because getting seen by the right doctor matters. Zocdoc, ready to be seen? Download the Zocdoc app today.

• 11:57Speaker 00

  Every little detail, from a very young age, was vital to her understanding of the world. From watching her elder brothers kind of rile each other up, to her father welcoming the string of male students through their household, and of course, her mother and sister, who helped the servants attend the home every day. Looking very much at the role of power and gender in action from a very young age, which gives Jane an incredible insight into, one, the dynamics of family; two, the world of the educated rural gentry and the clergy; and three, which is most important here, guys, and the hardest of all the skills to master, right? Human nature, which we are going to speak about more with her work later on.

• 12:41Speaker 00

  Speaking of which, I think the big question that lots of people have, and like when you look at her childhood, you're kind of always got this big looming question mark, is how does a second-born daughter and seventh child of a rector become a writer? Well, for Jane, her education began very early on. First with her father and mother at home, and then at the age of six, in school, where she and Cassandra were sent to board. First in Oxford and then in Southampton, but they were brought home soon after because typhus broke out in the town. After recovering from this, it was straight back to study from 1785 to 1786, where the girls attended the Abbey House School in Reading, where they were taught writing, spelling, French, history, geography,

• 13:24Speaker 00

  needlework, and drawing by a woman called Mrs. Latonnel, who I'm obsessed with, guys. Like she reminds me of Madame Delacroix in Bridgerton. Because despite having this like fancy French sounding name, she was as English as they come. But according to Manchester Hive, kind of used this, you know, French pseudonym to impress parents. Here, Jane soaked up every lesson, finding particular interest in writing and history. But, a fancy education like this for young ladies comes at a price. And a year later, the girls were withdrawn from the Abbey House School as their father could not afford the tuition fees. Plus, I do kind of think, um, like when you look at George Austen,

• 14:08Speaker 00

  his personality, the way he kind of approaches learning, I thought he looked around and was like, "I can DIY this education myself", which is exactly what happened. With Jane and Cassandra being homeschooled by their family, who all loved the world of books. And it's not hard to see why, guys, for they had access to the rector's incredible 500-book library, which covered all matter of story and prose, from literature and action to history, politics, philosophy, religion, language, and more. Which all of the Austen children, including Jane, couldn't get enough of. From the early ages, she devoured book after book alongside her siblings,

• 14:51Speaker 00

  with their public readings soon turning into short theatrical performances in their barn, where they brought their favourite stories to life. This went on for the majority of their early childhood. But as Jane approached her tween years around the age of 12, her love of reading and performing turned into a minor obsession with writing. From poems to dramatic parodies, Jane compiled a wild world into various volumes under the name Juvenalia. Now, I don't want to spend too long on this, because we could like flesh it out and pull individual pieces out. We're not going to do that. But I think that this does give us an incredible insight into the mind of Jane Austen between the ages of around 12 to 17, when she began writing.

• 15:34Speaker 00

  And, oh my god, are these incredible pieces, okay? They are full of utter outrageousness. There is constant drunkenness, dramatic murder, last-minute elopements, grand theft, unrequited romances. And all in all, the constant thread of women behaving very outlandishly. She even wrote a mini-history in here, guys, titled "The History of England", which gives her hilariously opinionated judgements about different English monarchs, including Elizabeth I, who she isn't very nice to, instead taking her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots', side in their whole kind of succession debacle. Of this, 15-year-old Jane described herself as,

• 16:17Speaker 00

  quote, "a partial prejudiced and ignorant historian", to which I say, "Pop off, queen, okay? You are far more self-aware than many of the historians I know, okay?" Now, the Juvenalia, like I said, is this amazing time capsule for us. And we see a lot of the kind of Austen toolkit, if you will, start to develop here as she employs her observations throughout her childhood into her characters, and begins to ask far bigger questions about what happens when you take society's idea of love, and femininity, and marriage, and kind of quote-unquote respectable behaviour, and actually expose how ridiculous those things can be.

• 17:00Speaker 00

  And again, this is between the ages of 12 to 17. So despite her formal education being very brief, we can see from this work that Jane has very much been a sponge for the literary works in her life, and the experiences of the world around her, which she herself speaks about the value of this education in her novel Mansfield Park, saying, quote, "Give a girl an education and introduce her properly to the world, and tend to one, but she has the means of settling well." So that's Jane's childhood and early teenage years. A period in her life where young girls were expected to stay at home, work on their studies, and contribute to the household, which is still kind of fairly typical now.

• 17:44Speaker 00

  But what was expected after this? Right? Once Jane, and kind of other women and girls of her time, hit that 17 to 18-year-old mark, what's next for them? Do they find careers? Do they stay at home? Do they get married? What's the vibe? Well, for that, we need to look at the time period a little more broadly. So, while Jane is arguably, guys, one of the most famous figures of the Regency era, think, you know, kind of Bridgerton, she was actually born in the Georgian period, which most historians agree was from about 1715 to 1811, and gets its name from the succession of kings in this time, all of whom were called George. Now, up until this point, guys,

• 18:29Speaker 00

  England was not considered to be a great power, largely seen as an irrelevant backwater, which was unstable in comparison to the continent. However, by 1800, this began to change, according to Professor Amanda Vickery, who says the more educated continental Europeans began to learn English, thanks to the boom of the British economy and manufacturing capabilities, which really made England the quote-unquote "workshop of the world". So during the Georgian era, where Jane is kind of born and growing up, England is no longer the unpopular kid being ignored at school, but the one who comes back from summer with kind of this golden glow up, okay? Which meant the Georgians largely ushered in the first modern industrial society,

• 19:14Speaker 00

  something which led to a great social change with these manufacturing opportunities allowing the middle class to expand both their power and pockets. With great funds in circulation seeing street life amp up as the excitement of new ideas took hold of everyday people, which also led to a boom in sexual adventurism, which, to be fair, was like hardly a night out at the Burgheim, but, you know, was kind of more free than had come before. Politics too evolved from basically being old white dudes, you know, kind of holed up in Westminster, to a greater engagement across the social spectrum. Something which the new printing technologies helped facilitate, with the production and distribution of newspapers, books, pamphlets, and advertising far easier than ever before.

• 19:59Speaker 00

  With, according to The Guardian, roughly 400 bookshops in 200 towns in England popping up by 1740. Women, however, were still largely limited. Expected to marry, manage a household, raise children, and maintain a respectable reputation, Georgian divas had far fewer legal, professional, and most importantly here, guys, financial opportunities than men. With married women, which was the thing society wanted all girls to be, having little control over property, and unfavourable inheritance laws, which meant their income was derived almost solely from their husbands. Meanwhile, if you stayed unmarried, you could perhaps have greater legal independence,

• 20:43Speaker 00

  but even less ways to earn money, with your proper place being in the family home. At least for kind of genteel women anyway. Make no mistake, the normal working-class gals are like out there getting jobs. This meant that while Jane Austen is growing up and figuring out how society works and kind of what her place is within it, there is an active web of marriage, and family, and wealth, and security, and reputation, which are all coexisting and all kind of crossing over one another at the same time. Which Jane, who again, is a student of observation and human nature, right? Finds indelibly fascinating, and really became the key thing that inspired her writing,

• 21:28Speaker 00

  which by the age of 18 to 19 years old, was what she wanted to do with her life. Starting on her first short novel, Lady Susan. Following a manipulative flirtatious widow who visited country houses, attended balls, flirted, gossiped and spoke openly about marriage and men, we see Jane's talent to weave these very real social conditions into a totally fictitious story, which remains fun and creative without feeling frivolous. And it's like a really hard thing to do, to be honest. And I'm not saying in any way, shape or form that it's similar whatsoever, but I appreciate what she does here so much more. Because with this podcast, trying to

• 22:12Speaker 00

  storytell in a way with history, which is of course absolutely based in fact and evidence, while also making comment on the wider social and kind of political landscape, as well as share my own personal views without being dull and dry and boring, is really hard to do, okay? But Jane excels at this in every single way, blending the real world with a world of her own creation, adding so much colour and depth and humour and rawness in the process. Like, she's just so fucking cool, I can't deal. I fucking love Jane Austen. Nothing will ever make me turn against her. If you guys are listening to this episode

• 22:53Speaker 00

  later on and being like, "You're so biased." Yes, I fucking am. I am obsessed with her, she's so cool. Like, period. So, glazing over. By 1795, Jane is really flexing this writing muscle, pulling inspiration from the relationship which meant the most to Jane, not only throughout her childhood, but really her whole life. That with her sister Cassandra. Exploring the dynamics of sisterhood and the institutions of marriage and gender in Georgian England, Jane began penning an epistolary novel, which is basically a novel kind of written in letterform, called Eleanor and Mary Ann. Named after the Dashwood sisters, the story's two heroines, the girls are left financially vulnerable after their father's

• 23:38Speaker 00

  death and have to now figure out what to do with their lives. In this story, Eleanor represents restraint, rationality and emotional self-control, aka sense, and falls in love with Edward Ferris, only to discover he is secretly engaged to another woman. Meanwhile, Mary Ann is passionate, romantic and emotionally expressive, aka sensibility, who falls intensely in love with John Willoughby, only to find out he left her for a richer woman. In the end, Edward breaks off his engagement and marries Eleanor, who leans into her own sensibility, while Mary Ann, now matured with a bit more sense, marries the caring and kind Colonel Brandon. It is truly a story for the ages, guys, and the fact she wrote it at like 18

• 24:22Speaker 00

  to 19 is wild to me, with Eleanor and Mary Ann largely being her love letter to Cassandra by exploring sisterhood while also sharing a look at romantic love. Another thing which is equally remarkable here, because up until this point, Jane Austen hadn't experienced romantic love, but that would soon change. Yeah, that is right, my divas. For even though Jane Austen wanted to be a writer and made comment, often in a kind of humorous and satirical way in these early years in Eleanor and Mary Ann and Lady Susan, of the ridiculous expectations of a woman to marry, this didn't

• 25:01Speaker 00

  mean she outright refused to consider marriage for herself. In fact, at age 20, Jane met a young Irish law student named Tom Lefroy, who according to the Museum of Jane Austen's House, had moved to London to study law and was currently spending the Christmas holidays with his aunt and uncle who lived in a town near Stephington. Here, the two attended Christmas balls and parties, where they danced, flirted and by all accounts, had a proper winter romance. With Jane writing that Tom was, quote, "a very gentleman-like, good-looking, pleasant young man," she continues saying that she is, quote, "almost afraid to tell you how my Irish friend and I behave," which, absolute tea, Jane. Okay, I love this for you that

• 25:44Speaker 00

  you're having a proper hot girl winter dalliance. But it would not turn into anything more than that, with Tom having to tear himself away to head back to London for his studies, a period of Jane's life which is actually captured in the Anne Hathaway film called Becoming Jane. Always a really fun watch if you guys are looking for something still Jane Austen and Regency and Georgian related in between the book adaptations, and it has a young James McAvoy, which like, so hot. But as we said, it wasn't meant to be between the pair, which I think largely came down to a sense of realism between them both, that Tom couldn't support Jane financially and she largely didn't want to marry at this point. Cassandra

• 26:28Speaker 00

  too had little luck in the way of romance, having already had an ended engagement by this point around 1795 to 1796, when her fiance, Reverend Thomas Fowl, moved to the Caribbean trying to earn the funds to support them, but tragically died, with Cassandra never marrying again. And while Jane had her tryst with Tom Lefroy and actually a very brief, few-hour-long engagement to a man named Harris Big Wife, she too would never marry. But why? Well, to be honest, we don't really know, guys, because Jane never directly tells us. And it's interesting because she's not like Elizabeth I, who's kind of going, you know, "on principle, I'm only going to be married to England," nor is she like Cassandra

• 27:12Speaker 00

  and has kind of lost her one great love. I also don't think she stood firmly in the anti-marriage realm by any means whatsoever, despite her satirical look at the institution in these early years. Instead, I think it was a genuine fear of marriage without affection and being limited by the institution of it in her

• 27:34Speaker 01

  Whenever fall comes back around, it always feels like a fresh start. This year, I've been layering in some styles from the new Lululemon fall drop, because the weather is shifting and I find I have to be ready for the entire day and not just one part of it. Lululemon's fall line has some really versatile transitional pieces, so I can just wake up, throw on a matching set, add a jacket or a fleece and head out, knowing that I'll feel comfortable enough to go wherever the day takes me. Check out the new fall arrivals in store and online now at lululemon.com.

• 28:04Speaker 02

  Finding a doctor is hard enough. Finding the right doctor, even harder. Someone who takes your insurance, has an available appointment when you need one, and feels like someone you can actually open up to. That's where Zocdoc comes in. Download the Zocdoc app to search and compare doctors by specialty, insurance and availability. Read real patient reviews, find the right fit for you and book instantly. Because getting seen by the right doctor matters. Zocdoc. Ready to be seen? Download the Zocdoc app today.

• 28:35Speaker 00

  On this, writer Margaret Mills says, "We see this in the proposal and rejection of Mr. Big, which all happened so fast and kind of without any real thought or consideration, which Jane perhaps felt was a sign of convenience rather than affection, therefore devaluing her as a person in this relationship if she'd gone ahead with it." Another interesting theory here is that it was actually Cassandra who convinced Jane that marriage was a bad idea, knowing she was kind of on the fence about the whole thing. Something we absolutely see come to life in another of Jane's works, which we're going to get to like talk about in detail later on, so don't worry, I'm not going to glaze over it, but I want to mention it here, Emma, where Miss Emma Woodhouse is advising a friend on a marriage proposal,

• 29:17Speaker 00

  saying, quote, "If she can hesitate as to say yes, she ought to say no directly," which again, is perhaps a look into Jane's own feelings at the time of her own brief engagement. In truth though, we don't know why Jane Austen never married, but fear not. For what she lacked in real world romance, she had in spades in the world of her own imagination. For it was after the dalliance with Tom that Jane began writing a piece of work that would go on to change not only her own legacy and life, but the lives of thousands of people, including mine, when she began putting pen to paper about the mysterious and enigmatic

• 30:02Speaker 00

  Mr. Darcy. We're talking about him, guys, I'm so excited. For anyone who has watched this show on video, or if you've seen the clips on social media, or just like generally know me as a human being, you will know that I literally have a bust of Mr. Darcy over my shoulder at all points of times, okay? Mr. Darcy is my white whale. He is my north star. He is, to me, one of the greatest examples of male yearners in literature history. And he first came into the world in October 1796, when Jane Austen began work on first impressions.

• 30:41Speaker 00

  Following the fiery and wickedly sharp Elizabeth Bennet, one of five daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, members of the landed gentry, whose estate produces £2,000 a year, the central story starts with the bubbly and bright ginger-headed Mr. Bingley renting a big old house by the name of Netherfield Park in the Bennetts' town of Hertfordshire. This news spreads as the young unmarried man worth £5,000 a year is going to attend the local ball where Elizabeth's older sister, the beautiful, kind and shy Jane, catches his eye. But Mr. Bingley isn't alone, for travelling with him is his sister, the surly

• 31:22Speaker 00

  and stiff upper-lipped Miss Bingley, who is hell-bent on disliking the more common company of the rural town, and his best friend, the tall, the dark, the brooding, bashful figure with the quizzical brow, Mr. Darcy. Owning half of Derbyshire, even if it is the miserable half, and worth £10,000 a year, Fitzwilliam Darcy is one of England's greatest bachelors, who is, in no uncertain terms, guys, obsessed with Elizabeth Bennet at first sight, guys. But of course he can't show this, he's a man of the era, a man of pride, and so he kind of like fobs her off, which she finds annoying and arrogant, until Mr. Bingley

• 32:05Speaker 00

  throws this big ball and Darcy finally plucks up the courage to ask her to dance. Here, I'm really painting a scene, okay. Here, under the glow of candles and the gentle thrumming of violins, Darcy and Elizabeth come together in a tête-à-tête for the ages as she questions him over a mysterious figure from his past, and he's kind of, you know, throwing it right back at her with his sarcasm as they go closer and closer to enemies. There's sparks flying all over the room, until Darcy follows Elizabeth to a country estate where he, to the shock of everyone, proposes. But she cannot accept. There's no way, because

• 32:46Speaker 00

  it turns out Darcy was behind her sister Jane's heart being broken when Mr. Bingley up and left her, because Darcy believed the Bennet family were all too kind of ridiculous and using the marriage for social and financial gain. In the midst of what is literally a marriage proposal, Darcy scorns her with insults, which she fires back quicker than a sabalenka serve before telling him, at the very climax of the scene as their faces are mere inches from one another, "I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man on earth whom I could ever be prevailed upon to marry." Guys, there is tea, the drama, the angst, the yearning, the enemies to lovers. It is

• 33:28Speaker 00

  literally, like, the story of our age, as secret elopements, unannounced visits, nosey aunts, all bring the grand romance to a crescendo with Jane and Elizabeth both getting their men and Mrs. Bennet getting a well-earned rest from the pursuit of marrying off her five daughters. Guys, as you can tell, Pride and Prejudice is one of the central, like, narratives to my development as a human being and as a, like, hot historian, okay? I think I first watched 2005 Pride and Prejudice when I was maybe 12, and I have never been

• 34:06Speaker 00

  the same since. If Charles Darwin did, like, an evolutionary map of me as a human being, watching Pride and Prejudice 2005 would have been the moment that I evolved from, like, a mild girl into an actual functioning, contributing woman to human society. That is how significant Mr. Darcy is to my development. Zero hyperbole in this sentence. Like, I cannot tell you how revolutionary Pride and Prejudice was for the time, okay? Because what seems like a simple will-they-won't-they, enemies-ish-to-lovers romance is actually

• 34:48Speaker 00

  one of the best looks at Georgian/Regency women, class, love, social structure, and, most importantly, guys, money, which somehow still to this day has a large stigma attached to it when discussed by women. But here is Jane Austen, in 1796, constantly quoting how much Mr. Bingley, Mr. Bennet and Mr. Darcy make a year, which is really used to show the level of security each of these marriages would bring the Bennetts' sisters, which is important here, because as women, the Bennetts cannot inherit their father's property after his death, meaning their best chance of financial security was via marriage.

• 35:32Speaker 00

  So even in these romance tropes, right, Jane is exploring the impact and inner workings of Georgian inheritance law. Like, it is so ambitious and real and grounded in the time, which she pushes even further. For despite the prospect of Mr. Darcy and his £10,000 a year saving Elizabeth and her family, she rejects him, guys. Something which during this period was unimaginable, like genuinely, my divas, the idea of a woman whose father is likely to die soon and cannot grant her or any of her other sisters property or security, rejecting an offer from one of the wealthiest men in the country because

• 36:15Speaker 00

  he's kind of a dick who told his friend to ghost her, is wild even now, let alone 230 years ago when Jane wrote Pride and Prejudice. Like, I just, I can't. I am obsessed with her. She genuinely has, like, giant balls, you know, to make such kind of intimate observations of the time so directly here. But despite writing what was then called First Impressions from 1796 to 1797, nothing came from it at first, with the manuscript sitting tucked away in Jane's desk drawer for years before it eventually became Pride and Prejudice, which we will get to in a minute. But first, let's clock back into our timeline. So at

• 36:58Speaker 00

  this point, the year is 1798, and Jane has the writing bug well and truly burrowed beneath her skin, penning yet another novel by the name of Susan, which would later go on to become Northanger Abbey. Following Catherine Molland, a naive 17-year-old girl who is obsessed with Gothic novels, as she meets the witty and handsome Henry Tilney, who just so happens to be in possession of a very large and very Gothic manor called Northanger Abbey. Catherine goes to stay with the family, and obviously because she's read way too many Gothic novels, becomes convinced that haunted spirits and dark secrets are at play, including that Henry's father murdered his own wife. So from the get-go here, guys,

• 37:42Speaker 00

  very different kind of story from anything Jane has written up until this point. Okay? It's all very kind of spooky and a bit silly, containing a lot of parody and satire, which is deliberate here, because Northanger Abbey isn't just a story. It is essentially Jane Austen's way of poking fun at Gothic novels, which may leave you asking, why is she being a hater? Right? Like, why is she yucking my yum? Which is fair, but it is not what's happening here. She is not yucking anyone's yum. She is not saying if you like Gothic novels, you know, you're ridiculous, or that they are totally unpopular or unnecessary.

• 38:22Speaker 00

  After all, she literally sets the story inside a Gothic manor. Instead, she's using satire here to make comment on the tropes and themes which these Gothic texts relied on, including the often exaggerated stereotypes of women. So she's kind of taking the structure and the themes of the Gothic and making them satirical to shed light on this, while also still expressing how novels of any and all genres can be transformative. Again, Catherine's whole experience at Northanger Abbey literally comes from a love of reading. So again, very different from kind of anything else she's done before, which I think really reflects

• 39:03Speaker 00

  where Jane is in her writing career at this point, still being very young and figuring out what and how she wants to write. Something she seems to struggle with for the next 10 years after Northanger Abbey, because she doesn't really put pen to paper in this time at all. Instead, entering into a pretty big transition period in her life between girlhood and womanhood, and also between town and country. For in 1800, when Jane is 24, her father announced his intention to retire, which, you know, like, pretty big deal for anyone, but for a reverend, it was doubly significant, because his job was linked

• 39:46Speaker 00

  to his house, which meant that come the dawn of the 19th century, the Austens were getting ready to up and leave Stephington, the place they'd all been born, where Jane and Cassandra had knotted their lives together, where what would be Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey were all dreamed up and drawn down. And I think losing the anchor of that life and that landscape really changed Jane, as she, Cassandra, her mother and her father all moved to Bath in 1801. Nestled in Somerset in southwest England, about 160 kilometres west of London, Bath has a long and ancient history dating back to the Romans.

• 40:27Speaker 00

  But by Georgian times, it was one of Britain's most fashionable and fabulous resort cities. Full of grand and sweeping architecture, including the Royal Crescent and the plethora of shops, promenades, tea houses, gambling dens and ballrooms, the town was awash with wealthy and upper-middle-class visitors who soaked up the whole social scene. It was also a thriving marriage mart, with young women and eligible men concocting all matter of meetings away from the prying eyes of London. For some, in this context, it was utter bliss. But for Jane, it was far from it. In fact, writer Constance Hill writes about the move to Bath, saying, quote, "To Jane,

• 41:08Speaker 00

  who had been from home, it was such a shock that she fainted away," which sounds very dramatic, but isn't necessarily an exaggeration here. For Jane, who grew up in rural Hampshire, was now forced into the bustling town, built, like we said, on a social scene full of balls and concerts and theatre shows, which she didn't really blend with. And it's funny, because we associate so many things with Jane Austen today, that she herself didn't really get, or flat out aren't true, Bath being one of them. It is such a pilgrimage for any Austen lover. Like, it's generally where you start and you'll then go, you know, pig district and you'll end up in Chorton, which we're gonna get to in a minute. But she largely disliked her time here.

• 41:53Speaker 00

  And it wasn't just a matter of kind of the social scene, or a cultural thing, or disliking the change in air. Bath deeply affected Jane's ability to write, with only one manuscript called The Watsons coming from her time in the city, which she eventually scrapped, not writing anything new, for almost 11 years. But don't worry, guys, she wasn't expected to spend all of her time in Bath, with the family taking holidays to Devon and Dorset, where Jane really enjoyed herself. Again, the kind of natural world easing her spirit and clearing her mind, as she went on coastal walks and indulged in cold ocean plunges. So she's like a wellness diva.

• 42:35Speaker 00

  However, in 1805, living in Bath was the least of Jane Austen's worries, for on January 21st, her father, Reverend George Austen, died, when Jane was around 29 years old, leaving the girls and their mother without a reliable income. This rocked Jane to her core, okay? Not in the least, because it kind of revealed the true extent of how precarious their financial situation really was, but because with this death, she didn't just lose a father, but she lost one of her writing's most prolific supporters. Throughout her entire writing process, George had championed Jane's talents. Again, remember, she read kind of through his entire library, and he actually took

• 43:19Speaker 00

  an early copy of First Impressions to a publisher in 1797, which didn't work out, but still, right? The faith in her talent was there. And now that George had died, Jane's already prevalent struggles to write during this period only expanded. So what do the Austen ladies do now? Like, you know, they're forced with their own kind of version of Sense and Sensibility, figuring out what's next. For Cassandra is still unmarried, Jane is still unpublished, and their mother is still inconsolable at the loss of her husband and the life they'd lived, which meant the Austens would need to economise, moving into a smaller home in Bath before eventually travelling

• 44:01Speaker 00

  to Southampton, where they lived with their friend Martha Lloyd until 1809, when Jane's brother Edward, that's right, FYI, remember, he's the one that got the whole arse inheritance and estate worth £15,000 a year, finally decides to step up, offering his mum and sisters a house on his Chorton estate, where the girls moved into that July. This was her vibe. Okay, guys, we're back in the country, there's sun, and there's open fields, and there's a piano, and a garden, and space to fucking breathe, which means, in essence, the girls are back on, and so too was Jane's writing. Followed by the voices of the Dashwood sisters, who were forced, like we said, to make decisions about their lives after the death of their father.

• 44:45Speaker 00

  Jane, now 33, went back to her first real novel with a red pen, removing the epistolary form, fleshing out the sisters' characters, heightening the drama of their father's death, and most importantly, changing the title to Sense and Sensibility. Speaking of which, guys, are we so excited to go and see the new Sense and Sensibility film? I know I am so keen. At the time of this recording, I haven't seen it yet, but by the time that this comes out, I will not only have seen it, but I will have also interviewed Eleanor and Marianne themselves, Esme Creed-Miles and Daisy Edgar-Jones as well, and I can't believe the words are coming out of my mouth and I'm saying this right now, hosted the Australian premiere with them both as well.

• 45:32Speaker 00

  I can't believe this is my actual life, guys, and I have so many times where I'm so deep in the research and the edits and kind of, you know, like, in the motions of rolling this show out, where I kind of forget, this is literally my dream, and it is all possible because of you and your support of this show, okay? I don't get to do any of this without each and every single one of you tuning in each week, showing up on social with love and excitement, and just all being the hottest of historians in the world. So I am so truly grateful, um, to each and every single one of you, and like, I do not say it enough, thank you, thank you, love you, love you.

• 46:15Speaker 00

  I mean, I say love you bye every week, but like, genuinely, guys, you are my community who, in every, like, sense of the word, you're like my family, you know? Oh my god, I'm gonna cry! This is so very Austen of me, I'm declaring my love to you, please don't reject me, I haven't told anyone to ghost your sisters, okay? I am just so grateful, and I am just so keen to see this new adaptation, and really understand how it compares to what Jane finished in 1810, where her intentions at that point were very clear.

• 46:51Speaker 01

  Whenever fall comes back around, it always feels like a fresh start. This year, I've been layering in some styles from the new Lululemon fall drop, because the weather is shifting and I find I have to be ready for the entire day and not just one part of it. Lululemon's fall line has some really versatile transitional pieces, so I can just wake up, throw on a matching set, add a jacket or a fleece, and head out, knowing that I'll feel comfortable enough to go wherever the day takes me. Check out the new fall arrivals in store and online now at lululemon.com.

• 47:22Speaker 03

  Does checking your bank statements feel like digging through a dusty attic full of forgotten subscriptions and old free trials?

• 47:30Speaker 03

  Experian can help take the pain out of cancelling by handling it for you. Think of it as Operation Get Your Sanity Back. Over 200 subscriptions are cancelable. So get started in the Experian app and see how much you could save. Results will vary. Not all subscriptions eligible. Savings not guaranteed. Paid membership with connected payment account required. See experian.com for details.

• 47:50Speaker 00

  Still clear, okay? She wanted Sense and Sensibility to be published, because if there really was one thing that her father's death and this kind of transitory period before Chorton and like after Stephenden taught Jane, it was that if a woman wants to make it in the world, she's gotta lock in and do it herself. And so no novel of Jane Austen's would collect dust in a desk from this year forward, as she was determined to finally be a published author. Employing her brother Henry to assist in the negotiations, because, let's be real, it's still a man's world in Georgian England, especially in publishing, the pair approached

• 48:31Speaker 00

  the London publisher Thomas Egerton with the revised manuscript of Sense and Sensibility. After reviewing, he agreed to publish it, but only on the basis of commission, where Jane effectively kind of paid the cost of publication if the book in that print run didn't sell. Jane was thrilled, albeit nervous, to potentially need to cover around £180 worth of debt if the stock didn't move, but she felt confident, signing on the dotted line, which is when, on October 30th, 1811, a novel appeared on the shelves of booksellers for 15 shillings, titled Sense and Sensibility in Three Volumes by a Lady. That's right, my divas, it genuinely seems unfathomable to us now, after multimillion-dollar

• 49:16Speaker 00

  successes in both print and the box office, that the name Jane Austen didn't carry weight at this point. But when Sense and Sensibility was first released, her name never appeared on a single copy. In fact, and hold on to your bonnets here when I say this, my divas, not a single work by Jane Austen contained her name or her likeness in her entire lifetime.

• 49:45Speaker 00

  Yeah, that's right. Jane Austen, one of the greatest novelists of all time, never even got to see her own name on one of her creations. Which just makes me so sad. Like, as a published author myself, it is the greatest thrill, no matter how many times I go into bookstores, to see my name on my own book. And Jane never got that. But it wasn't uncommon. And Jane didn't necessarily feel hard done by with it, like by all accounts, we don't actually know. With Devany Loser, Regent's Professor of English at Arizona State University, saying, quote, "About half of all novels in this period were published with some form of anonymity,

• 50:27Speaker 00

  which helped protect the author from some of the more sordid details in their work." In Jane Austen's case, it wasn't that there was anything necessarily sordid, but as an unmarried, genteel woman, this anonymity protected her and her family from any potential backlash that came from her novels, which again, by all accounts, she didn't necessarily feel too hard done by with. But she did refuse to be flat out anonymized or use a pseudonym, making a point to note herself as, quote, "a lady", using the title as a victory for her sex. So how did it go then? Well, thankfully Jane's anxiety about having to pay back the publisher if the book failed was unnecessary. In fact, she actually made a hundred and forty pound profit,

• 51:11Speaker 00

  with sales being so strong that the first print run of seven hundred and fifty copies all but sold out, with a second edition following in eighteen thirteen. So guys, Jane is finally a published author and used the wave of success and inspiration from re-editing Sense and Sensibility to revisit First Impressions, naming it Pride and Prejudice, which was published in eighteen thirteen, this time with a copyright buyout by Thomas Egerton for a hundred and ten pounds. A decision that Jane would later come to regret, as I'm sure you can imagine, with the first edition of about fifteen hundred copies selling out within the year, followed by a second and third by eighteen seventeen, as readers escaped into the world of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy,

• 51:56Speaker 00

  which was attributed to, quote, "the author of Sense and Sensibility." So still, uh, anonymity, right? Her name's not appearing on the cover. But by eighteen thirteen, at age thirty-seven, Jane's identity as the author of both novels is known within her social circle, who began encouraging her to write more. After this, a wave opens up for Jane, who publishes hit after hit, including Mansfield Park in eighteen fourteen, which follows Fanny Price, a poor girl raised by her wealthy relatives, who is proposed to by the charming Henry Crawford, who she rejects believing he is distrustful, and because she's secretly in love with her kind cousin Edmund.

• 52:38Speaker 00

  In the end, Henry is a gutter snipe, running away with Fanny's married cousin Maria, proving her right and allowing Edmund to finally realise he's meant to be with Fanny. It is such a fun read, guys. If you haven't, I definitely recommend, um, as we kind of see this classic Austen toolkit we're talking about, right? There's humour, there's wit, there's commentary on class and money and the difference, really at the heart of the novel, between appearing respectable and actually behaving respectably. It was also in this year that Jane began writing Emma. I told you guys, we would come back to this. Which, aside from Pride and Prejudice, which to me is just like, in a whole other stratosphere and league of its own, is my favourite Jane Austen novel.

• 53:21Speaker 00

  Following the wealthy, clever and self-described matchmaker, Miss Emma Woodhouse, as she meddles in the romantic lives of everyone around her, particularly her friend Harriet Smith, which ends with her basically misreading everyone's feelings, stepping on toes, breaking hearts and coming into conflict with her hot, broody, older brother-in-law, Mr. Knightley, who is, in no uncertain terms, guys, head over heels for Emma. She too is in love with him, but he's kind of too busy trying to arrange everyone's lives to notice, until Harriet tries to make Mr. Knightley her rebound after one of Emma's failed matchmaking efforts, where she finally comes to realise how much she loves him, eventually conceding to butt out of the lives of those around her

• 54:04Speaker 00

  and accepting that maybe, just maybe, she doesn't know absolutely everything. It is gorgeous, guys, and witty and funny, which actually the movie Clueless is loosely based on. And I do have to say, I know it got a lot of hate at the time, but the twenty twenty Emma adaptation with Anya Taylor-Joy is like, one of my all-time favourite comfort movies. To the point that I not only downloaded the entire soundtrack from that film, but it was my top played playlist on Spotify in twenty twenty-two. Like, it's so good. There's these funny, witty, whimsical little tunes and some other like good songs mixed without it.

• 54:46Speaker 00

  Um, plus, like, if you want more traditional, there's the Gwyneth Paltrow version and the two thousand and nine Romola Garai BBC mini-series, which I also love and has also gone triple platinum in my household. Honestly, I, I don't actually think I've met a Jane Austen adaptation that I haven't liked. Like, obviously you have, you know, Pride and Prejudice two thousand and five, which again, like pedestal moment for me, like the goat. And then you have some really, really silly things like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies with, um, Lily James, which is meant to be deliberately ridiculous, but I still have such a fun time, like, watching and engaging with them all.

• 55:29Speaker 00

  Jane Austen is genuinely like my ultimate escapism. Anything that she does, I really, really like. So, yeah. You know, maybe Pride and Prejudice and Zombies isn't for you. Maybe two thousand and twenties Emma isn't for you, but there is certainly, um, you know, a whole mix of other adaptations from the more silly and ridiculous to like, the perfect pinnacle that is two thousand and five Pride and Prejudice, which you can indulge in after this. Now, it was during the writing of Emma that Jane decided to lean into the social life she was constantly writing about and travelled to London for extensive stays with her brother Henry, where the pair enjoyed going to the theatre, shopping with her small kind of, you know, nest egg,

• 56:12Speaker 00

  gossiping while people watching and dancing at balls with friends and neighbours, who began to know Jane not only as Miss Austen, but as the author of the moment. One other person who also became aware of Jane in this capacity was none other than the Prince Regent himself. That's right, my divas, recognised by royalty. For the Georgian era at this point is over and we are now firmly fixed in the Regency period, where George the Fourth took over as Regent from his father George the Third, which for my Hamilton divas, is Mad King Jonathan Groff and for my Bridgerton queens, is Farmer George from Queen Charlotte. Yeah, those two are the same person. The Prince Regent, however, was nothing like his father, instead being a man of expensive taste.

• 56:57Speaker 00

  And it was underneath him that England during the Regency time experienced major cultural and artistic growth, which helped shape an age obsessed with luxury and fashion and architecture and culture, which is why his librarian was all across the hottest up-and-coming novelists, including Jane Austen, who he invited to visit the Prince Regent's library at Carlton House, telling her that if she wanted to dedicate her next novel to the Prince, she like, totally could. Which was just posh code for the Prince wants you to make this next book about him. Which, despite not being particularly enthusiastic about the offer, she agreed to do, publishing Emma in December of eighteen fifteen.

• 57:38Speaker 00

  Commercially, this was a slower mover, leaving hundreds of copies unsold by eighteen seventeen, but critically, it was beloved from royalty to the commoner and all classes in between. Speaking of commercial successes, guys, and kind of checking back in at this point with our timeline, how is Jane Austen's bank account from all of these books doing by eighteen seventeen? Well, at this point, she is forty and had made around six hundred and eighty to seven hundred pounds from her publishing works, which was by no means a fortune, but was substantial for an unmarried woman living in the countryside, where she remained with her mother and sister, who enjoyed a peaceful domesticity as part of the wider Austen clan.

• 58:20Speaker 00

  Here, they spent time outdoors in the garden and indoors, working on handmade projects from clothes to quilts to even wine, all while the soundtrack of Jane scratching on paper rang through the cottage. In the evenings, the ladies got around the fire and read aloud by candlelight, played parlour games and danced with their niece Fanny, who Jane became a close confidant of. It was also plenty of time for family gossip, which was running rife in the Austen family at this point, as Henry's banking business collapsed, putting financial strain on the other branches of the Austen family tree, while Edward, the owner of the great estate with fifteen thousand pounds a year, remained well off. And even Jane, at this point, you know, like we said, had her kind of nest egg.

• 59:03Speaker 00

  Still, she could hardly dwindle on the dramas of family life too much, because she was already working on her next book, titled Persuasion. Following Anne Elliot, a twenty-seven-year-old unmarried woman who eight years earlier was persuaded to break off her engagement to the gorgeous, moral, brave, ambitious and cash-poor sailor Frederick Wentworth for his lack of money and status, Persuasion is far more melancholic than Jane's earlier works, with Anne spending eight years, basically heartbroken, following Wentworth's mentions in the papers, where his talents in the navy paid off. Now not only becoming wealthy, but also a captain who returns intent on finding a wife.

• 59:45Speaker 00

  I love Wentworth, guys. I told you. I have like a thing for the military men and the soldiers and the sailors, mainly the sailors. It's the navy men. They speak to me. Something about their hats, something about the uniform and like, living life on the sea and like seeing whales. I don't know. I'm like, I mean, Darcy is obviously my number one, but Captain Wentworth is my number two. Anne also is a Captain Wentworth lover, alright? She's still in love with him and she really tries to cover her disappointment at him coming back looking for a wife, while he also, still in love with her, tries to cover his pain,

• 1:00:25Speaker 00

  leading to a whole show of misunderstandings, jealousy, false proposals, and enough emotional torture to fuel an all-girls high school, okay? Before eventually, they come together with Wentworth telling Anne that, quote, "You pierced my soul", after which, kissy kissy, marry marry, many adventures at sea. Again, we love this. Now, at face value, this looks and sounds very much like a typical Austen novel, okay? It's laden with the standard toolkit that we speak about, of observations, about money and class, but it is very different from the rest, both during her early writing stretch and in her Chorton Run, because it is far more mature, and as we said, dripping throughout

• 1:01:09Speaker 00

  certain sections in real melancholy. Plus, it is set over such a long time, with eight years of longing and reflection, which actually feels quite autobiographical for Jane at this point, as ideas of regret and the passage of time and lost opportunities all come to the surface as Persuasion really asks the big question: can people change their lives after making the wrong decisions? Now, I don't want to put words in Jane Austen's mouth, or kind of boil everything down to women at their core all just want marriages and husbands, but it is fascinating to look

• 1:01:50Speaker 00

  at Persuasion in the context of Jane's life by her 40s, because we do feel some internal questioning here of what her life may have been like if she'd pursued a different path. And again, I'm not saying she's going, "Oh god, I just wish I'd followed through on that couple of hour engagement that I had to that guy that one time". Perhaps she saw a different kind of life for herself with a different kind of man. Maybe even one of her own men, with, you know, a Mr. Darcy, or a Mr. Knightley, or a Captain Wentworth, which does make you question how much of these men are made up of her dream ideals for a husband. In truth though, we have no idea what Jane is actually thinking here, but it is certain

• 1:02:33Speaker 00

  that Persuasion is a far more introspective text, as is Jane at this point in her life, because unfortunately, guys, it breaks my heart to say it, she's quite unwell. While we don't know what with, we do know that by 1816 Jane is experiencing increased weakness and fatigue, writing of her illness in surviving letters where she detailed periods of improvement and relapse, saying to Fanny that, quote, "I have had a good deal of fever at times and in different nights". She also comments on the change of her appearance at this time, saying, quote, "I am black and white and every wrong colour". Still, Jane was determined not to let this drag her down, being shockingly self-aware

• 1:03:16Speaker 00

  of how her illness could make her, quote, "languid and dull and very bad company at times". So, to kind of combat this, she really continued leaning into her writing, starting on a brand new novel titled Sanditon in early 1817, which follows Charlotte Haywood, a young woman who visits the seaside town of Sanditon, which is currently being transformed into a fashionable health resort by the ambitious Mr. Parker. Here she encounters all kinds of characters, from wealthy visitors to hypochondriacs, outright social climbers, and the formidable Lady Denham, whose relatives are all competing for her fortune. It is such a fun concept, guys, and almost something you'd expect as the backdrop of

• 1:04:00Speaker 00

  an Agatha Christie novel, where you can just see, like, Old Lady Denham being murdered, and then there's a whodunit which is unleashed through the small seaside town as the waves are battering the rock, and there's sea foam, and there's kind of, you know, all these different mysterious figures, a doctor, and a lawyer, and the siblings, and her nieces, and Charlotte, and it's just all very dramatic. Like, again, too much Jane Austen consumed by me, I could just, you know, piece it all together. And I really like Sanditon, guys, I think it is such a clever concept, which Jane develops deliberately to make comment, not so much this time on class and wealth, although like

• 1:04:43Speaker 00

  it's always there, but on health fads, tourism, and the ideas of an ever-changing fashionable society, which actually makes Sanditon more akin to Northanger Abbey in a way. Again, both making satirical comment on these phenomenon of the time. Also, shout out, my Austen deavers already know what is exactly about to come out of my mouth, but there is a Sanditon TV series, and it does feature a young Theo James, and it did go triple platinum in my household for like the first two years after season one came out, and I probably re-watch it like start to finish at least once a year.

• 1:05:22Speaker 00

  If you want something fun, and a bit frivolous, and just like a good old time of, again, enemies-ish to lovers, featuring angst, and balls, and a rowing competition, and the sea, with some incestuous sexy siblings in there as well, you need to watch Sanditon, okay? It's like Game of Thrones for 12-year-old girls. Very sadly, Sanditon remains unfinished, for Jane's illness continued to get worse as she wrote to Fanny that, quote, "I have been really too unwell the last fortnight to write anything that was not absolutely necessary", which for her, at this point, would have been letters rather than chapters, and eventually, it was almost nothing at

• 1:06:05Speaker 00

  all, for what many thought was largely a benign sickness developed into something more severe. So much so, that by May of 1817, Jane and Cassandra decided to move to Winchester, so that Jane could receive the proper medical treatment from Dr. Giles King Lyford. Here, the sisters rented rooms at 8 College Street, where Dr. Lyford visited and felt optimistic about her recovery initially, working to administer Jane medications and insist on proper rest, which Cassandra ensured by taking on the role of Jane's constant companion and nurse. Caring for her sister through bouts of fever and periods of fatigue, Cassandra did everything to try and build Jane's strength, following the doctor's orders and raising her spirits,

• 1:06:49Speaker 00

  but by June 1817, things weren't improving, with Jane officially abandoning Sanditon on May 18th, spending her time writing to her siblings, nieces, and nephews. And while Dr. Lyford continued attending Jane almost daily at this point, everyone came to understand that he could not cure her of whatever this affliction was, which has, guys, had countless theories in the last 200 years, from Addison's disease to cancer, but the truth is, we don't know now, the same way that Dr. Lyford didn't know then. And so, on July 18th, 1817, under the care of her sister, Jane Austen died, with her body being laid to rest in Winchester Cathedral less than a week later.

• 1:07:34Speaker 00

  It's so heartbreaking here, guys, not just like for us, because she died at, you know, kind of 40 and had only completed however many works up until this point, she could have made so many other masterpieces afterwards, but obviously, and most importantly, for Cassandra, because she had tried so, so hard with everything she had to save her sister, but couldn't. Also devastating for her mother, who outlived Jane by 10 years, having lost her husband, her livelihood, and now her daughter as well. But just because Jane's body was now gone, didn't mean her words were too. In fact, guys, if you've been paying close attention, you will have heard me say Jane

• 1:08:18Speaker 00

  wrote Persuasion, but you wouldn't have heard me say it was published. No. Like a gift from the afterlife itself, Jane had three key manuscripts in her desk drawer that hadn't yet found their way to the publisher's printing press, namely, Northanger Abbey, the Gothic satirical piece from her early writing stretch, Persuasion, her last fully completed novel, and the unfinished Sanditon. Finding these three volumes, Henry, her longtime negotiator on the publishing front, decided to give Jane one last word, having both Northanger Abbey and Persuasion posthumously published in December 1817, this time not by a lady or the author of Sense and Sensibility,

• 1:08:59Speaker 00

  but by one Jane Austen, her name now finally on the cover of her work, if only she'd been alive to see it happen. Which really leaves two loose ends left flapping in the wind, the first of which is Sanditon, the only work of Austen's left with a big old dot-dot-dot, which her nephew James Edward Austen Lee revealed to the world in a biography on his aunt prompting its release in 1925, under the title Fragment of a Novel. The second loose end, and a very solemn one at that, is of course Cassandra, the only Austen sister now left, and really the lifelong companion of Jane, who knew her better than anyone else. So what's she up to? How's she doing in all of this?

• 1:09:42Speaker 00

  I know I feel so terrible for her having to shoulder the responsibility of the care of Jane's treatment in her final months, and then her actual passing. So let's check in. Well, after Jane's death, Cassandra is, in no uncertain terms here, guys, devastated by the loss of her sister, writing on July 18th that, quote, "I have lost a treasure, such a sister, such a friend, as never can have been surpassed", going on to describe Jane as, quote, "the son of my life, which had now gone, leaving an enormous emptiness in her wake". So, really, really awful, all-consuming grief for Cassandra here, who returned to Chorton

• 1:10:26Speaker 00

  Cottage where she continued living with her mother, and taking on the role of the principal guardians of not only Jane's manuscripts, but also her memory, which is when one of the greatest historical crimes occurs: the burning of Jane Austen's letters.

• 1:10:43Speaker 00

  Going through her extensive notes, correspondence and general scribblings, Cassandra made it her mission to destroy anything and everything that was revealing, intimate, troubled and generally gossipy about her sister. Taking a torch to around 2,840 of her letters, with Rachel King saying that to date, 160 of an estimated 3,000 letters have been found and preserved, the rest of which are lost to well... Blame. Which may leave you asking, what kind of sordid details is Jane Austen writing down that requires a fucking bonfire to dispose of? And it's a good question, because despite her male characters being like expert

• 1:11:25Speaker 00

  yearners, I'm not quite sure Jane Austen ever penned whole steamy Garrett Graham-esque sex scenes, which simply couldn't breathe air a moment longer. No. Unfortunately, it was far more personal details that could have caused some serious internal drama if the info had gotten out, with Jill Hornby, a novelist who wrote about Jane Austen, saying that, quote, "The letters were newsy, gossipy, with Cassandra and Jane sharing everything, including some very difficult sisters-in-law." So guys, by the sounds of it, just like general shit talking about family members was the agenda of the day, something which would have hurt a lot of feelings should the letters have been found by said relatives.

• 1:12:07Speaker 00

  This, as I'm sure you can imagine, has frustrated historians and biographers to no end, with some of the most insightful and genuinely valuable primary sources we have available to us being gossipy, raw, real, biased letters and journal entries, as they reveal who this person actually was and what they actually thought, which is precisely why Cassandra destroyed them. A motivation that is similar to another example we spoke about a few months ago in our two-part series on whether we have a right to destroy history, looking at Queen Victoria's diaries, which were gutted by her daughter Princess Beatrice because of all the outrageous stuff she was saying, which FYI, guys, stay tuned, next year, we

• 1:12:49Speaker 00

  are going to deep dive into this and so much more in our multi-part series on Queen Victoria, a woman whose legacy is very different to that of Jane and the motivation.

• 1:13:01Speaker 04

  Whenever fall comes back around, it always feels like a fresh start. This year, I've been layering in some styles from the new Lululemon fall drop, because the weather is shifting and I find I have to be ready for the entire day and not just one part of it. Lululemon's fall line has some really versatile transitional pieces, so I can just wake up, throw on a matching set, add a jacket or a fleece and head out, knowing that I'll feel comfortable enough to go wherever the day takes me. Check out the new fall arrivals in store and online now at lululemon.com.

• 1:13:31Speaker 02

  Finding a doctor is hard enough, finding the right doctor even harder. Someone who takes your insurance, has an available appointment when you need one, and feels like someone you can actually open up to. That's where Zocdoc comes in. Download the Zocdoc app to search and compare doctors by specialty, insurance and availability. Read real patient reviews, find the right fit for you and book instantly, because getting seen by the right doctor matters. Zocdoc, ready to be seen? Download the Zocdoc app today.

• 1:14:01Speaker 00

  Or the destruction of her letters being, you know, general geopolitical stability versus some cranky sister-in-laws. But still, with Cassandra's actions here, we see the thought for Jane's legacy and memory. Speaking of which, what is Jane Austen's legacy today in 2026? And why has she managed to remain not only relevant, but more popular than ever in the last 200-plus years? Well, for me, I think it comes down to one thing above all else. Not her ability, however great it was to put pen to paper or to write prose and character with wit, humour and depth. Not that I'm dismissing either of those things, you know, I think she has spades of them.

• 1:14:45Speaker 00

  But I think they do come second to Jane's innate and timeless abilities of observation. To be able to take an interaction, a movement, a sentence, a passing person on the street and determine invaluable insight into not only the conditions and conventions of her time, tackling things like money and inheritance, the role of women, class, religion and so much more through her stories, but also to analyse human nature, to understand greed and love and despair and jealousy and joy and grief, all the things that make us human

• 1:15:25Speaker 00

  and mobilise them through the English language by creating characters who despite living in grand manners more than 200 years ago, are just as real and relevant now. It's really such a gift, guys, and largely the reason she's remained so beloved. But not everyone sees this. When I was talking about before about like my bias coming up, prepare to clock it. For all of her fans, which English professor Michael Gamer says are many, for, quote, "Of dead authors, she may very well be the most popular out there, perhaps second only to Shakespeare," there are plenty of detractors who chalk Jane Austen and her work up as, quote, "chick lit."

• 1:16:08Speaker 00

  A minor talent who tapped a genre which attracts women longing for sexy, brooding, rich husbands, which is something we still see today with judgement of the romance genre, despite the fact, guys, it is now arguably the biggest commercial success for modern publishing. This take, to me, is dripping in misogyny and, dare I say, guys, jealousy. Largely toted by male authors and critics who immediately pass over the very real and intellectual discussions that can and should be had about Jane Austen's work in exchange for this kind of girlish frivolity that all women must have, as again, you know, we're just all obviously looking for sexy, brooding, rich husbands and that's it.

• 1:16:53Speaker 00

  For example, here, guys, Mark Twain wrote, quote, "Every time I read Pride and Prejudice, I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin bone." Which, I mean, you've got to admit, he kind of ate with that insult. Like, that's how I feel about so many historical figures, guys. Rasputin, I want to beat him over the skull with his own shin bone for sure, but in this case with Jane, I could not disagree more and find this critique of her work as kind of chick lit and frivolous totally unfair and just like not accurate, right? Showing how short-sighted and, I mean, fuck it, I'll say it, simple these detractors are.

• 1:17:36Speaker 00

  For as Professor Michael Gamer says, "There is something about Jane's ability to show smart women spitting tacks at the folly and entitlements of men that especially today feels modern." Which is why, again, my bias like hello is coming out to play, why I rack my brain at critics who cannot see the universality in Jane's work. Because to me and to a great majority in the last 200-plus years, including, like incoming name drops, guys, Virginia Woolf, Sir Walter Scott, Rudyard Kipling and the Queen herself, Emma Thompson, Jane Austen is a fucking G, whose ability to craft prose and character has influenced the modern novel itself.

• 1:18:22Speaker 00

  With Professor John Mullins saying that, quote, "Jane was one of the first writers to manage the alchemy of the novel, to combine character, pace, intimacy and command of the fiction into a world that is utterly absorbing and convincing from start to finish." Which, this professor diva, I couldn't have said better myself. Reflecting the legacy, the impact and the genius of Jane Austen, whose ability of self-belief in a time where women had little choice should be a source of inspiration for us all, as she remained unlimited by anyone's vision of her, not caring what the detractors, I'm sure Mark Twain included, would think of her, summed up best in her own words in the

• 1:19:05Speaker 00

  final year of her life, saying, quote, "I must keep to my own style and go on in my own way." Which does bring us to the end of another episode of Hot History, guys. Thank you so much for following along with me. I had such fun with this episode and it feels so weird doing a biography like this after our Romanoff series, you know, which was just kind of inch wide, mile deep into like every tiny detail. It's so refreshing to do these episodes for you where we just focus on one person's life and zoom in on, you know, kind of who they are, what their legacy is. It's really so fun. Also, because it was kind of self-indulgent, I really just wanted to use this as an excuse

• 1:19:47Speaker 00

  to do a giant Jane Austen re-watch, guys, which you should do too, okay? Go and reread Austen's works, re-watch the adaptations, including the new Sense and Sensibility. And if you have never read any of her works or seen any of the adaptations, this is your sign to go and do so. If that's you as well, I mean, even if it's not you and you just want like a list to do the re-watch, I will put everything on the socials, like my recommendations for what you should do it also maybe, like in what order, because I personally like a mix of like the big, serious goats and the fun and frivolous. And if you do go and watch them or do a reread, guys, let me know your thoughts, which FYI,

• 1:20:29Speaker 00

  if they're negative, you better be able to express them as cunningly as Mark Twain for any consideration here. A reminder to you all as well that our episodes moving forward will come out on Tuesdays, not Fridays, because I've read all of your DMs, I have looked at all of the data and you are absolutely loving the early week dose of history. So we're gonna keep doing that, including next week, where we are going to jump forward to 1972, where the Baron and Baroness de Rothschild throw one of the weirdest and wildest parties I've ever seen. And I'm gonna unpack it all for you guys, from the invitations to the fur-covered dinner plates and like the antlers that people were wearing for costumes.

• 1:21:12Speaker 00

  If you would like some more hot history before then though, guys, then you can follow us on Instagram and Substack at Hot History Club and on YouTube and TikTok at hot/history. As always, it has been a pleasure getting down and dirty in time with you and I will speak to you all shortly. Thanks, guys, love you, bye.

• 1:21:34Speaker 00

  This episode of Hot History was recorded on Darrick Land, always was, always will be Aboriginal land.

• 1:21:41Speaker 04

  When fall comes back around, there's a sense of a reset and new pieces from Lululemon's fall drop are an inspiration to push your goals and elevate your routines. As your calendar fills, easy-to-layer styles meet the demands of your day and as you challenge yourself to try even more, versatile sets transition with you. The Lululemon fall lineup brings new levels of comfort and confidence, whether you're starting something fresh or starting something over. Check out the latest arrivals in store and on lululemon.com now.

• 1:22:11Speaker 05

  Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. The message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgements, but that's weird. Okay, one judgement. Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile.com/switch.

• 1:22:32Speaker 06

  Upfront payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate for three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com.