Reading Jane Austen

In this episode, we read Chapters 42 to 46 of Sense and Sensibility. We talk about how Marianne’s illness is presented (including the un-dramatic way in which she gets sick, and the lack of emotional response), what Colonel Brandon could be doing all day, how Mrs Dashwood is pushing Colonel Brandon and Marianne together, and Jane Austen’s use of grotesques.

We discuss Willoughby (with a digression onto Miss Grey), and Ellen talks about medical practitioners in the early nineteenth century. Harriet reviews how the popular culture versions deal with some of the key events in these chapters: how Marianne gets sick, Willoughby’s visit, and the development of a relationship between Marianne and Colonel Brandon. 

Things we mention: 

References:

•  Edward Copeland [Editor], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility (2006)
• Helena Kelly, Jane Austen, the Secret Radical (2016) 
• Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho(1794)
• Anthony Trollope, Can you forgive her?(1865)
• Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast(1991)

 Adaptations of the book: 

•  BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1971) – starring Joanna David and Ciaran Madden (4 episodes)
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1981) – starring Irene Richard and Tracey Childs (7 episodes)
• Columbia Pictures, Sense and Sensibility (1995) – starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (2008) – starring Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield (3 episodes) 

 Modernisations of the book: 

•  Sri Surya Films, Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) – starring Tabu and Aishwarya Rai
• MWM Studios, From Prada to Nada (2011) – starring Camilla Belle and Alexa PenaVega
• YouTube, Elinor and Marianne Take Barton (2014) – starring Abi Davies and Bonita Trigg 

Creative commons music used: 

•  Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio. 
• Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
• Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen. 

In this episode, we read Chapters 37 to 41 of Sense and Sensibility (which was where Volume 3 started in the original publication). We talk about how the news of Edward and Lucy is spread, the picture we get of Lucy and Anne’s relationship, the resurgence of the ‘cautionary tale’, and how this is the second time Colonel Brandon asks Elinor to deliver a message for him.

We discuss the character of Edward, including our disagreement with Helena Kelly’s view in Jane Austen: the Secret Radical (and see also our extended argument against her claim that there is symbolic meaning behind Edward cutting up a scissors sheath). Ellen talks about the clergy in Jane Austen’s day, and Harriet reviews the popular culture versions, particularly looking at how the adaptations treat the scene between Edward and Elinor, and what the modernisations do with the Edward-Lucy-Elinor plot. 

Things we mention:

References:

• Edward Copeland [Editor], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility (2006)
• Robert Rodi, Bitch In a Bonnet: Reclaiming Jane Austen From the Stiffs, the Snobs, the Simps and the Saps (2011) 
• Helena Kelly, Jane Austen, the Secret Radical (2016) 
  • See also our argument against her claims of symbolic meaning behind Edward Ferrars cutting up a scissors sheath
• Lona Manning, ‘Jane Austen: the Secret Radical by Helena Kelly, a review in three parts’ (2017) 

 Adaptations of the book: 

• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1971) – starring Joanna David and Ciaran Madden (4 episodes)
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1981) – starring Irene Richard and Tracey Childs (7 episodes)
• Columbia Pictures, Sense and Sensibility (1995) – starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (2008) – starring Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield (3 episodes)

 Modernisations of the book: 

• Sri Surya Films, Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) – starring Tabu and Aishwarya Rai
• MWM Studios, From Prada to Nada (2011) – starring Camilla Belle and Alexa PenaVega
• Silver Peak Productions, Scents and Sensibility (2011) – starring Ashley Williams and Marla Sokoloff
• Joanna Trollope, Sense & Sensibility (The Austen Project #1) (2013)
• YouTube, Elinor and Marianne Take Barton (2014) – starring Abi Davies and Bonita Trigg

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In this episode, we read Chapters 32 to 36 of Sense and Sensibility. We talk about how this is a transitional section, and yet contains some of the funniest scenes in the book. We consider the different styles of the intertwined plots (the ‘Marianne plot’, the ‘Elinor plot’ and the ‘moral story’), talk about the comic scenes with Robert Ferrars and with John Dashwood, and the emotional – but also funny – scene with Edward. We also talk about primogeniture and family obligations.

We discuss Mrs Dashwood, and Ellen talks about the London locations in the book (see also this map Harriet has put together). Harriet reviews how the popular culture versions deal with these chapters. 

Map of locations:

Google map of the places mentioned in Sense and Sensibility, including approximate locations of the houses. Zoom in to see the London locations.

Things we mention:

References:

• Edward Copeland [Editor], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility (2006)
• Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943) and More Talk of Jane Austen (1950) 
• Elaine and Lancelot
• Walter Scott, The Bride of Lammermoor (1819)
• Alexander Pope, ‘Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady‘ (1717)
• William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing and Twelfth Night
• Maria Edgeworth, Moral Tales (1801)
•  Helena Kelly, Jane Austen, the Secret Radical (2016) 

Film and television adaptations of the book:

• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1971) – starring Joanna David and Ciaran Madden (4 episodes)
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1981) – starring Irene Richard and Tracey Childs (7 episodes)
• Columbia Pictures, Sense and Sensibility (1995) – starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (2008) – starring Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield (3 episodes) 

Modernisations of the book:

•  Sri Surya Films, Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) – starring Tabu and Aishwarya Rai
• MWM Studios, From Prada to Nada (2011) – starring Camilla Belle and Alexa PenaVega
• Joanna Trollope, Sense & Sensibility (The Austen Project #1) (2013) 

Creative commons music used:

•  Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio. 
• Extract fr

 In this episode, we read Chapters 26 to 31 of Sense and Sensibility. We talk about how unsatisfying Ellen found several of these chapters, the role of gossip, the similarity between Elinor’s and Marianne’s situations, the importance of reputation, and whether the turnaround in our perception of Mrs Jennings was planned for by Jane Austen. 

We discuss the character of Marianne, then Harriet’s partner, Michael, talks about duelling in Regency England. Harriet talks about how the adaptations present these sections, and how the modernisations update the Willoughby-Colonel Brandon-Marianne stories. 

Things we mention:

 References: 

• Claire Tomalin, Jane Austen: A Life (1997) 
• Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night (1935) – it is in this book that Lord Peter Wimsey comments on duelling with pistols rather than swords
•  The Regency novels of Georgette Heyer (1902-1974) 

Adaptations of the book:

•  BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1971) – starring Joanna David and Ciaran Madden (4 episodes)
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1981) – starring Irene Richard and Tracey Childs (7 episodes)
• Columbia Pictures, Sense and Sensibility (1995) – starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (2008) – starring Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield (3 episodes) 

Modernisations of the book:

•  Sri Surya Films, Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) – starring Tabu and Aishwarya Rai
• MGM, Material Girls (2006) – starring Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff
• MWM Studios, From Prada to Nada (2011) – starring Camilla Belle and Alexa PenaVega
• Silver Peak Productions, Scents and Sensibility (2011) – starring Ashley Williams and Marla Sokoloff
• Joanna Trollope, Sense & Sensibility (The Austen Project #1) (2013)
• YouTube, Elinor and Marianne Take Barton (2014) – starring Abi Davies and Bonita Trigg 

 Creative commons music used: 

•  Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio. 
• Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
• Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen. 
• Extract from 

In this episode, we read Chapters 21to 25 of Sense and Sensibility. We talk about Jane Austen’s use of compound sentences, Lady Middleton’s concern with gentility, the verbal fencing match between Elinor and Lucy, Elinor’s emotions, and Mrs Jennings’ invitation to Elinor and Marianne.

We discuss Lucy and Anne Steele, and then Ellen talks about childhood in the time of Jane Austen. Harriet talks about adaptations, and two of the modernisations.

At the end of the episode, we respond to some listener feedback about the book Jane Austen, the Secret Radical. As an extension of this, you can read our analysis of the timeline around the birth of Eliza Williams.

Things we mention:

 References: 

•  Edward Copeland [Editor], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility (2006)
• Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943) and More Talk of Jane Austen (1950) 
• Peter Laslett, The World We Have Lost (1965) 
• Philippe Ariès, Centuries of Childhood: A Social History of Family Life (1960)
• Mary Martha Sherwood, The Fairchild Family (1818)
• Thomas Day, The History of Sandford and Merton (1783) 
• Honora Edgeworth and Richard Lovell Edgeworth, Practical Education (1780)
• Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847)
• Helena Kelly, Jane Austen, the Secret Radical (2016)
  • See also our discussion of Kelly’s arguments about Brandon’s story. 
  •  Since recording the episode, we've come across this review by Lona Manning which mentions several points (and more) that we talked about but had to cut due to time.
• Robert Rodi, Bitch In a Bonnet: Reclaiming Jane Austen From the Stiffs, the Snobs, the Simps and the Saps (2011)

 Adaptations of the book: 

• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1971) – starring Joanna David and Ciaran Madden (4 episodes)
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1981) – starring Irene Richard and Tracey Childs (7 episodes)
• Columbia Pictures, Sense and Sensibility (1995) – starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (2008) – starring Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield (3 episodes)

 Modernisations of the book: 

• Joanna Trollope, Sense

In this episode, we read Chapters 16 to 20 of Sense and Sensibility. We talk about how Marianne indulges her feelings, whether Jane Austen knew what Marianne and Willoughby talked about before he left, the clearer picture we get of Edward in these chapters, and Edward’s invisible servant.

The characters we discuss are Mr and Mrs Palmer. Ellen talks about sensibility and romanticism, which leads into a discussion of Marianne and Elinor’s different views of feelings and behaviour. Harriet talks about adaptations, including the Bollywood modernisation, Kandukondain Kandukondain, which she has finally watched. 

Things we mention:

References:

• Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943) and More Talk of Jane Austen (1950)
• Hannah More, ‘Sensibility’ (1782)
• Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield (1766)
• Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1759) and A Sentimental Journey (1768)
• The poetry of George Crabbe (1754-1832)
• The poetry of William Blake (1757-1827) 
• Samuel Richardson, Pamela (1740) and Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady (1748) 
• The works of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) 
• The poetry of William Wordsworth (1770-1850), including ‘My Heart leaps up’ and ‘Daffodils’ 
• The poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), including ‘Kubla Khan’ and ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ 
• The poetry of William Blake (1757-1827) 
• The poetry of William Cowper (1731-1800) 

Artworks:

• The works of William Turner (1775-1851)
• Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa (1818/1819)
• Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People (1830)

Adaptations of the book:

• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1971) – starring Joanna David and Ciaran Madden (4 episodes)
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1981) – starring Irene Richard and Tracey Childs (7 episodes)
• Columbia Pictures, Sense and Sensibility (1995) – starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (2008) – starring Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield (3 episodes) 

Modernisations of the book:

• Sri Surya Films, Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) – starring Tabu and Aishwarya Rai
• Joanna Tro

 In this episode, we read Chapters 12 to 15 of Sense and Sensibility. We talk about how Margaret's contribution to the plot, how Elinor and Marianne's debate on sense vs sensibility moves from the theoretical to the practical, the linking of propriety with morality, how the mystery subplot is quite unusual in Jane Austen, and the nasty tone of some of Willoughby's jokes about Colonel Brandon.

 We discuss the character of Colonel Brandon, then Harriet’s partner Michael talks about the military, with a focus on service in the East Indies. Harriet talks about how adaptations and modernisations treat these chapters, and the presentation of Colonel Brandon. 

 Things we mention: 

 References: 

• Jane Nardin, Those Elegant Decorums: The concept of propriety in Jane Austen’s novels (1973)
• Samuel Richardson, Pamela (1740)
• Samuel Richardson, Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady (1748)
• Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto (1764)
• Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943) and More Talk of Jane Austen (1950) 
• Marvin Mudrick, Jane Austen: Irony as Defense and Discovery (1974)

 Adaptations of the book: 

•  BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1971) – starring Joanna David and Ciaran Madden (4 episodes)
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1981) – starring Irene Richard and Tracey Childs (7 episodes)
• Columbia Pictures, Sense and Sensibility (1995) – starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (2008) – starring Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield (3 episodes) 

 Modernisations of the book: 

• MGM, Material Girls (2006) – starring Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff
• Joanna Trollope, Sense & Sensibility (The Austen Project #1) (2013)
• YouTube, Elinor and Marianne Take Barton (2014) – starring Abi Davies and Bonita Trigg 

 Variations on the book: 

•  Amanda Grange, Colonel Brandon’s Diary (2008) 

 Creative commons music used: 

• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio. 
• Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
• Extract from Wolfgang Amad

 In this episode, we read Chapters 6 to 11 of Sense and Sensibility. We talk about how Barton Cottage and its location are described in some detail, consider how the bedrooms are shared out, the closeness between the two sisters in spite of their differences, the theme of sense vs sensibility, and the way Willoughby and Marianne criticise Colonel Brandon.

 We discuss the character of Mrs Jennings, then Ellen talks about how members of the gentry spent their time, and Harriet talks about how adaptations and modernisations treat these chapters (including a discussion about how the Dashwoods have adapted to having less money).  Harriet also gives an overview of the other Jane Austen podcasts that are out there. 

Things we mention: 

References:

• Edward Copeland [Editor], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility (2006)
• The epigrams of Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
• Thorstein Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions (1899)
• Karl Marx (1818-1883)
• Max Weber (1864-1920)
• Sue Birtwistle and Susie Conklin, The Making of Pride and Prejudice (1995)
• Emma Thompson, The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay and Diaries: Bringing Jane Austen’s Novel to Film (1995)

Adaptations of the book:

•  BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1971) – starring Joanna David and Ciaran Madden (4 episodes)
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1981) – starring Irene Richard and Tracey Childs (7 episodes)
• Columbia Pictures, Sense and Sensibility (1995) – starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (2008) – starring Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield (3 episodes) 

Modernisations of the book:

•  Joanna Trollope, Sense & Sensibility (The Austen Project #1) (2013)
• YouTube, Elinor and Marianne Take Barton (2014) – starring Abi Davies and Bonita Trigg 

Other Jane Austen podcasts:

• First Impressions: Why all the Austen haters are wrong
• Bonnets at Dawn
• The Daily Knightley: A Jane Austen journey
• The Austen Archives
• Manners and Madness
• Reclaiming Jane

Creative commons music used:

• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio. 
• Extract from 

In this episode, we read the first five chapters of Sense and Sensibility. We give a brief publishing history, and talk about the themes of sense and sensibility, the lack of dialogue in the first chapter, how much money the Dashwoods have, the emphasis on caring about the arts, how very young the girls are, and the lack of presentation of Edward. 

 We discuss the characters of John and Fanny Dashwood, then Ellen talks about wills and marriage settlements, and Harriet gives an overview of the popular culture adaptations, modernisations, continuations and variations on the book. 

Things we mention:

References:

• Claire Tomalin, Jane Austen: A Life (1997)
• Edward Copeland [Editor], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility (2006)
• Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943) and More Talk of Jane Austen (1950)

 Adaptations of the book: 

• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1971) – starring Joanna David and Ciaran Madden (4 episodes)
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1981) – starring Irene Richard and Tracey Childs (7 episodes)
• Columbia Pictures, Sense and Sensibility (1995) – starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet
• BBC, Sense and Sensibility (2008) – starring Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield (3 episodes)

 Modernisations of the book: 

• Sri Surya Films, Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) – starring Tabu and Aishwarya Rai
• MGM, Material Girls (2006) – starring Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff
• MWM Studios, From Prada to Nada (2011) – starring Camilla Belle and Alexa PenaVega
• Silver Peak Productions, Scents and Sensibility (2011) – starring Ashley Williams and Marla Sokoloff
• Joanna Trollope, Sense & Sensibility (The Austen Project #1) (2013)
• YouTube, Elinor and Marianne Take Barton (2014) – starring Abi Davies and Bonita Trigg

 Variations on the book: 

• Amanda Grange, Colonel Brandon’s Diary (2008)
• Ben H. Winters and Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (2009)

Creative commons music used:

•  Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio. 
• Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
• Extract from 

In this episode, we read the final chapters of Pride and Prejudice. We talk about the dialogue in the final proposal scene, and more generally about proposals in Jane Austen; Mr Bennet’s response to the news, and also Mrs Bennet’s; what the final chapter, and James Austen-Leigh’s Memoir, tells us about what happens next to the characters; the passing reference to the “restoration of peace”; and how the closing sentence is far less memorable than the opening sentence. 

 We discuss the character of Mr Bennet, then Ellen talks about some social changes that happened after the book finished , and Harriet looks at how the adaptations finish – with the surprising discovery that a lot of them give the last word to Mr or Mrs Bennet. 

Things we mention:

 Books: 

• J.E. Austen Leigh, Caroline Austen, Henry Austen, Anna Austen Lefroy, A Memoir of Jane Austen (1869) 
• Charlotte Brontë, Shirley(1849) 
• George Eliot, Middlemarch (1871) 
• D.A. Bonavia-Hunt, Pemberley Shades: A Lightly Gothic Tale of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy (1949)
• Emma Tennant, Pemberley: Or Pride and Prejudice Continued (1993) and An Unequal Marriage (1994)
• P.D. James, Death Comes to Pemberley (2011)
• Colleen McCulloch, The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet (2008) 
• William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595)

Movies and television:

• MGM, Pride and Prejudice (1940) – starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier 
• BBC, Pride and Prejudice (1980) – starring Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul
• BBC, Pride and Prejudice (1995) – starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth
•  Bestboy Pictures, Pride and Prejudice: A Latter Day Comedy (2003) – starring Kam Heskin and Orlando Seale 
• Pathé Pictures International, Bride and Prejudice (2004) – starring Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson
• Focus Features, Pride & Prejudice (2005) – starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen
• YouTube, Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012) – starring Ashley Clements and Daniel Vincent Gordh 

Creative commons music used:

• Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.