Bonnets At Dawn

This week, you’ll hear audio from Hannah’s trip to Chawton House where she spoke to Executive Director Katie Childs and went on a tour of the Man Up! exhibition led by curator Clio O’Sullivan.

You find the entire exhibition online at https://chawtonhouse.org/the-library/library-collections/man-up-online-exhibition/introduction/

This week, we’re taking you back to the Lake District to visit Wordsworth Grasmere, home of Dorothy and William Wordsworth. Thanks so much to Assistant Curator Poppy Garrett for busting out the white gloves and taking us behind the scenes to show us paintings, journals and camel phlegm.

This week, we’re going on a roadtrip to Holdsworth House in Halifax to learn about diarist Elizabeth Wadsworth. Then, we’re going down the road to visit Shibden Hall, the home of Anne Lister.

We’re back! This week, we’re talking you through The Alpine Path by L.M. Montgomery. This essay is full of great writing advice, childhood anecdotes, and quotes like, “I drained the cup of failure to the very dregs.” Put that on a postcard.

This week, we chat with L.M. Montgomery scholars Dr. Kate Scarth and Dr. Trinna Frever about L.M.’s critics, journals, and Prince Edward Island, before diving into their exciting project - Your LMM Story.

We continue our series on literary homes with a discussion about Newstead Abbey, home of Lord Byron, with Curator Simon Brown. We also discuss the Harriet Beecher Stowe & Lord Byron controversy. If you’re playing the HBS drinking game with us, get the bottle out.

Sadly, Hill Top was closed for the season when we visited the Lake District last November, but we were able to persuade three members of The Beatrix Potter Society to meet us for a coffee. This week, you’ll hear snippets for our fascinating conversation with Trudy, Janet, and Carol about Potter’s life, career, and what it’s like to volunteer at Hill Top.

Welcome to our brand new mini-series on Literary Tourism! This week, we take you on the road to a Lit House conference in the Lake District, our pal Dr. Amber Pouliot gives us a crash course in the history of Literary Tourism, and we talk about Charlotte Brontë through the lens of contemporary art.

Follow Dr. Amber on Twitter @DrAmberTPouliot

Learn more about Brantwood here: http://www.brantwood.org.uk/

Find the art of Serena Partridge here: https://www.serenapartridge.co.uk/

We’re capping off our Northanger Abbey read-along by discussing the 1986 and 2007 film adaptations of the book. Big thanks to our special guests Janine Barchas, Lydia Craig, and Helena Kelly for helping us take a deeper look at the text during this series. Definitely check out their episodes if you missed those! And another special thanks to everyone who read and watched along with us and provided excellent commentary!

We’ve finished reading Northanger Abbey! Now, we’re ready to talk about the ending, read listener comments, and do a little comparison to Mansfield Park.