****Audio for all three are below************

As a companion to Episode 38: Jane Austen, we got together and had ourselves a proper book club meeting.

Well, mostly proper. (though nothing as exciting as a loss of continence…)

And it was more like a gathering around a microphone than a meeting, but talk of books we did!  Titles for discussion: All six of Jane Austen’s published novels.

We followed the same chat format for each of the books: trivia on the road to publishing, plot, characters, our reactions, movies and/or books by other authors that are related to the novel and finally a favorite quote.

We split these novels into three minicasts in the interest of time.

Episode 1: Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice

 

Sense and Sensibility was Jane’s first published book in 1811

Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813. She was credited only as the author of…until after her death. This later edition is from 1907

Episode 2:  Mansfield Park and Emma

Mansfield Park first published in 1814

Emma was first published in 1815. This three volume, rebound first edition set was owned by a friend of Jane’s- the governess to brother Edward’s children, and sold at auction in 2008 for more than $350,000.

Episode 3: Persuasion and Northanger Abbey

Published posthumously and as a four-volume set, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion ended the list of completed novels of Jane Austen. Both of these  novels create unanswered questions about how complete they were as Jane was not able to see them through to publication