What did you think of Bridgerton Season 3? Julia Golding and Kate Macfarlane review the latest season but also put Lady Whistledown through her paces. They look at the real Lady Whistledown and the place for public scandalmongering. What was the role of gossip in Jane's world and where is it a major plot device in her novels? Stay tuned for Jane Au…

Julia Golding has been delving into the scandalous world of the Hell Fire Club for her new novel. This was a secret society that emerged out of the 18th century and had new admirers such as Jane's contemporary, Lord Byron. But what would Jane Austen make of this world of clubs and societies, usually the preserve of men? Julia and Kate Macfalane dis…

In a world exclusive the What would Jane do? team interview the person who bought that shirt - yes, you can meet the person who won the auction and find out the plans for it going forward. In the same auction was the yellow pelisse worn in the 2020 Emma - find out where that is going as well. We also talk about Jane and celebrity culture, Byron, Ne…

In our seasonal round up of the year we take Jane Austen to confront that theme of the year - artificial intelligence. What are the parallels in her era? Would she embrace change or hate it? Learn about frame breaking and factory reform. Has technology always been coming for our jobs? And stay tuned for some excruciatingly funny Ai attempts at writ…

What would Jane do about 'Who do you think you are?' Today we have a very special guest, Caroline Jane Knight, descendent of Jane Austen's brother Edward. Caroline devotes much of her time to the legacy of her famous fifth great aunt, running the Jane Austen Literary Foundation and supporting Chawton House. Find out what it was like to grow up in t…

On the 210th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice, Julia and Kate discuss first impressions (also the first title of P&P). We run through how first impressions were created in Regency England so if you wanted a quick guide to the society of Jane's era - here it is! We then discuss social mobility and what Jane made of that. Could J…

Recorded on Jane Austen's birthday Julia and Kate turn our attention to the giving and receiving of presents! First we stop by Georgian Christmas traditions and then think about how Jane's presents are like bombs going off in the narrative. Stay tuned for the news and the Darcy and Wickham of the week!…

We've just come through a period of changing leaders, from the passing of Queen Elizabeth and the changing of Prime Ministers in the UK, to American midterm elections. What would Jane do when it comes to leaders? We look at the range of leaders in her time from royals to military, and then go on to think about her leading men (and ladies). Is the s…

Were you delighted or outraged by the recent Netflix adaptation of Persuasion? Well then, this is the podcast for you to vent your views! Julia Golding and Kate Macfarlane take a look at the 18th century tradition of adaptations that Jane Austen herself would have known and in fact uses in her own writing. They then go on the discuss what was right…

Recent events have brought war back to the forefront of our minds. Jane Austen lived during a period of almost constant war. It was the background to her life with a huge proportion of the population, including two of her brothers, in the armed services. What was war like in her day? Kate Macfarlane joins Julia Golding to discuss this. Kate has imp…

Who would you like to come to your bookclub? We are guessing many of us would pick Jane Austen. In this episode Julia Golding (Jane Austen Investigates) and Kate MacFarlane, Jane Austen super fan, discuss what were the equivalent in Jane's day, where she got her reading material from, how publishing worked, and we even pause for some short tasters …

Julia Golding and Kate Macfarlane take a light-hearted look at the questions of what kind of man you should aspire to be! Reviewing the models available in Jane Austen's era, from the 1770s fop to the Byronic heroes of the 1810, they discuss what qualities were expected of men. They then turn to Austen's works and see what she admired - and dislike…

In this episode, Julia Golding is joined by Katherine MacFarlane, expert on Regency fashions thanks to her participation in the re-enactment world of the 33rd Foot. (There is also a version of this on YouTube if you want to see the visuals referred to during the discussion.) Where would Jane get her fashion news from and how were clothes bought and…

It's a modern day epidemic on social media. Suggested by an audience member at the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, Julia Golding takes a look at oversharing in the era of Jane Austen, from letters, to memoirs, to roman à clef, to cartoons, her time was not without its places to spill the beans. Who is the worst oversharer in Emma (there are lots of t…

Julia Golding and Zoe Wheddon take the podcast to that most Jane Austen of cities: Bath! On the occasion of the Jane Austen Festival, they visit the main sights from Pump Room to Royal Crescent, reflecting on what Jane would make of the city as it is today and what it would have been like when she lived there. To see Julia and Zoe on location, you …

Hang on, there's no sport in Jane Austen surely? Can't remember that tennis match between Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy or Ann Elliott running laps with the Musgroves? True - but once you start looking, there is much more than you think! Zoe and Julia take a quick look at sport at the turn of the nineteenth century from boxing to battledore, and then tra…

Have you ever thought about casting Jane away on an island - Love Island to be exact? In this episode, we have a look at the dating culture in Jane's day and compare it to our own version in Love Island and The Bachelor/Bachelorette. Which heroine would not find herself in a thong bikini by the pool and who would love the gossip? Why does Mr Collin…

How would Jane Austen fit in with our modern #MeToo movement? It's an interesting question which led us, in this episode, to look at Jane Austen and the #MeToo, breaking it down into terms which make sense in her era: the context of feminist thought and sexual harassment in the late 18th and early 19th century. We discuss the shockingly unequal leg…

In this episode Julia Golding and Zoe Wheddon look at Jane Austen and childhood. We investigate how her era invented our modern idea of childhood as a time of innocence. But how was she raised? Did new ideas of Rousseau and natural education make it to the parsonage at Steventon? There were many children in her adult life and she was a much loved a…

This week Zoe Wheddon and Julia Golding discuss what would Jane do about modern friendship, look back at Jane's friendships in real life and in her fiction, as well as swap Jane Austen news and award this episode's Lizzy and Lady Catherine. Would Jane fit in with Taylor Swift's pack or a Facebook fan group? What role does messaging (or old fashione…

*Contains mature content* In this episode, inspired by the Netflix series, Bridgerton, we discuss Jane Austen and sex. What did Jane know about it? What role does it play in her novels? Then we widen the discussion to look at the Georgian world on such matters as contraception, pornography and prostitution. We then discuss Bridgerton - the successe…

Julia Golding and Zoe Wheddon discuss what would Jane do at Christmas. Find out about Regency traditions, turkeys, snapdragons and much more. We also award our Lizzie and Lady Catherine of the week and catch up on Jane Austen news in an episode recorded on her birthday. For details of the books recommended, here is a list: Jane Austen's Christmas b…

For the second season of What would Jane do? The author and original host, Julia Golding, is joined by Zoe Wheddon, teacher, researcher and writer. They discuss how Jane and her characters would respond to a pandemic, the nature of illness in the early nineteenth century and what treatments were available. Stick around to hear who is this week's Da…

Ever wanted to time travel back to the theatre in Jane Austen's time? Find out in this podcast with world expert, Dr David Taylor of St Hugh's College, Oxford, what Jane Austen would have seen when she entered a theatre in the 1790s. Who was there and what did it look like? What plays were on offer? Which writers inspired her? Were there special ef…

What surprising room might Mr Darcy and guests retire to after dinner? What exactly was Admiral Croft looking at in the shop window in Bath? Where did Jane and Cassandra get their ideas from for their youthful collaboration on The History of England? You can find out the answers to these questions and much more when you listen to Dr David Taylor, S…

A very special episode recorded on location at the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton. Listen to Julia Golding in conversation with the museum director, Mary Guyatt and find out how Jane's last home became a museum open to the public. What was daily life like in this home for Jane, her mother and her sister Cassandra? Who made the breakfast and de…

Marvel or DC universe? Iron Man or Batman? Wonder Woman or Black Panther? Our cinema culture has for over a decade been dominated by our love of super heroes. Julia Golding explores how each era makes the heroes suited for its own day. She goes back to the novelists writing before Jane Austen to look at the big rivalry: Richardson Universe v Fieldi…

Questions about gender identity may seem to be characteristic of our time, but others have gone before us in challenging societal roles. From Harriet Freke in Maria Edgeworth's Belinda (1801) to the real life Chevalier d'Eon, men and women have been pushing the boundaries of what it means to be male and female. Where does Jane Austen come in this d…

Are you a GoT fan and/or a Jane Austen one? Can you describe GoT and Jane Austen in 3 little words? Take the challenge and find out what would Jane Austen have made of the cult TV hit. Going back in time for an early nineteenth century perspective, Julia Golding takes a tour of the gothic in fiction and fact, touching on the scandalous hit of the 1…

Julia Golding turns to Jane Austen for help with understanding how to handle social media. She first takes a look at the world of eighteenth century society, the networking via letters, and the public disasters that can fall in such a gossipy world. What can we learn today about keeping a balance between our private and public selves and who is han…