Finding Jane Austen
250 years after her birth, Jane Austen remains a giant in the cultural zeitgeist. Her works have been adapted hundreds of times over multiple mediums, and she remains one of the most popular writers in the English language. Yet little is known about Jane Austen the person. The majority of her letters were likely destroyed, leaving us only 161. In the absence of her own direct testimony, where do we find the real Jane Austen? In her books? In her family and friends? In the "world" of Jane Austen or in the many iterations of her life and afterlife?
In this podcast, we're finding Jane Austen. We're solving the mystery of one of the most important writers in the English language through the clues she left behind. Along the way, we'll speak to some of the top Austen scholars in the world. Together with documentary, literary, and archeological evidence, we'll get to the bottom of some of the greatest debates about her life. Whether you love Jane Austen or if you haven't read her since high school, we invite you to join us in finding Jane Austen.
Finding Jane Austen is researched, written, and narrated by Dr. Anne Fertig. Jeanette Patrick and Jim Ambuske are the executive producers. Finding Jane Austen is a joint production of Revolutionary Histories and Primary Source Media.
Episode One: First Impressions
No one who had ever seen Jane Austen in her infancy would have supposed her to become one of the most important novelists in the English language. Not even Jane Austen herself.
But who was Jane Austen? The real Jane Austen. The historical Jane Austen. Who was the woman who launched a thousand movie adaptations? What do we know about the inventor of Mr. Darcy and the progenitor of the enemies-to-lovers genre? Not much.
Season One Trailer
Jane Austen is one of the most popular authors in the English language. But how did a humble Hampshire girl become the Jane Austen?
Welcome to Finding Jane Austen, a new biographical podcast that takes a deep dive into Jane Austen’s life. In Season One, we’re looking at the youth of the Jane Austen that was yet to be to find the genius that would inspire generations. From her birth in Steventon and her wild extended family to her brief encounter with formal education, we’ll look at what made this young girl so extraordinary at a young age. We’ll explore her teenaged writings and her earliest surviving letters.
Subscribe now to Finding Jane Austen.
Trailer
You've heard of Jane Austen. She's in our movie theaters, our high school classrooms, even on the British pound, she's inspired more than 400 novel adaptations and probably more than a few of your favorite movies and series. You might even consider yourself a big fan of Jane Austen. But do you know who Jane Austen was? Like, really, who was she as a person? In this podcast, we're finding Jane Austen. We're solving the mystery of one of the most important writers in the English language through the clues she left behind.