First Impressions: Why All the Austen Haters Are Wrong

Gentle listeners, at long last we bring you a review of the 2009 adaptation of the novel Emma, starring Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller! In this episode, Maggie and Kristin talk about how they developed a new appreciation for this excellent adaptation, as the characters are given an emotional depth that some other adaptations lack. The girls also analyze how this version falls short of the mark, especially with regard to under-using some of the more comedic characters in the book. Overall, the girls deem this one totally worthy of a re-watch! For details on the movie, see the IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366312/

Dear First Impressioners, have you ever been curious about the wide world of Jane Austen Fan Fiction (JAFF), and the writers that publish it? In this special episode, our friend Lona Manning joins us to discuss her experience writing and publishing her JAFF novels and stories! Be ready for some intriguing insights, from how historical fiction authors research details about Regency life, to tips for mastering Austenesque language and grammar. Kristin and Lona also discuss what to expect from the writing life, and why everyone should give writing fiction a try!

See Lona's tips for researching and Austen's language in this Google Doc!

Hello First Impressions fans! We're excited to present our book review of The Making of Jane Austen by Devoney Looser! In her highly entertaining, amazingly informative and exhaustively researched work, Dr. Looser discusses how our view of Austen has evolved over two centuries, from kindly "Aunt Jane," to conservative darling, to feisty suffragette. Told through cultural artifacts such as books, plays, movies, banners, letters, and even the odd séance or two, Looser's work is an entertaining dive into the rich world of Austen reception studies. You'll be amazed at how many afterlives our beloved Jane has lived.

Hello gentle listeners! We're excited to welcome our second FI fan and Clueless aficianado, Ellie, onto the podcast! Join us for a freewheeling discussion about Clueless and its impact on pop culture and subsequent Austen adaptations. We touch on lots of fun details about the movie, including a discussion of the book As If: The Oral History of Clueless by Jen Cheney. There is also quite a long tangent about Persuasion, for which Kristin takes full responsibility!

Listeners, we're so excited to put out our first of two Clueless episodes! This episode stars longtime listener Tash from Sydney, an Austen scholar who helps to illuminate the brilliance of Clueless as a high-value, highly entertaining adaptation of Austen's beloved novel, Emma. Listen to learn about how Cher interacts with gender and the patriarchy (as if!), why 90s society in wealthy Los Angeles is a great substitute for Regency England, and why "you're a virgin who can't drive" is the ultimate Emma diss!

Gentle listeners, rejoice! We're reviewing another Austen movie adaptation, this one the 2007 ITV adaptation of Mansfield Park, starring Billie Piper as Fanny Price. Listen as we discuss Fanny's spunky badminton chops, Haley Atwell's winsome take on Mary Crawford, and Edmund's incomprehensibly strange bangs. To nobody's surprise, Kristin didn't like it. Credits for the movie can be found at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847182/

We're back with our second (and final) episode on John Mullan's book, What Matters in Jane Austen: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved! This time, Maggie and Kristin tackle the subjects "Did Sisters Sleep Together?" and "What Games Did the Characters Play?" Get ready from some surprising insights that stem from these basic questions, as we plumb the depths of sisterly relationships in Austen's work, and revisit one of the famous set pieces in Mansfield Park: the game of Speculation.

First Impressions fans! We're SO EXCITED to release our discussion of the brilliant book, What Matters in Jane Austen? Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved by John Mullan. This book is full of surprising connections, fascinating analysis, and deep insight into Austen's life and works. In this episode we dig into two specific chapters of the book, focusing in on the topics of "sex" and "death" in Austen's work to produce our most metal podcast ever! (And you'll have to forgive the several wedding-related digressions.)

Hi First Impressions fans! We know you're all waiting with bated breath for our next major episode, but in the meantime, here's the fourth installment of our movie commentary series for the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries to tide you over. Keep your eye out for our next episode on What Matters in Jane Austen, by John Mullan, which will be coming in the next few weeks!