Jane Austen's Paper Trail

In this special Q&A episode we've asked a panel of Jane Austen experts to answer your questions! We’ve received a virtual sack full of letters from you, ranging from questions about Austen’s religious beliefs to her grasp of contemporary science, and even what she might have made of social media. Unlike Jane’s sister Cassandra Austen, however, we have no intention of throwing your letters into...

In the sixth episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we explore whether Jane was happy, using her last published novel, Persuasion, as our guide. Given that happy endings in Jane Austen's novels chiefly revolve around a love match with the desired hero, some might conclude that as Austen remained a lifelong spinster, happiness must have eluded her. But this groundbreaking write...

In the fifth episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we look what kind of author Austen was, and what Northanger Abbey reveals about her view of her profession. Austen's grave in Winchester Cathedral makes no mention that she was a writer. Publishing anonymously and disliking literary celebrity, she remained largely unknown as a writer in her lifetime despite occasional, reluct...

In the fourth episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we explore who Austen made friends with, and ask what we can learn about friendship in the pages of her fourth novel, Emma. We explore who Austen’s friends were, the significance of these relationships in her life, and how she depicted female friendship in her novels. The Conversation's Jane Wright visits Box Hill in Surrey...

In the third episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we explore Jane's politics, and her views on slavery through the pages of Mansfield Park. There are no strident political takes in Jane Austen’s novels, but many subtle and carefully crafted signals. Slavery was one of the biggest and most urgent public debates of Austen's times. It’s an issue most modern readers would like t...

In the second episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we explore romance in the world of Jane Austen through the pages of Pride and Prejudice. Every heroine in a Jane Austen novel ends up married. It is the bow on the end of every story that ties up all the loose threads – seemingly the ultimate happy ending. However, while marriage is an conclusion she chose for her characters...

In the first episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we're delving into Austen's first novel, Sense and Sensibility where gossip – and the fear of it – plays a central role in the story. Through the rumours that swirl within its pages, we’ll find out what Austen herself thought about gossip, and the people who spread it. Along the way we travel to Sally Lunn's tearoom in Bath,...

Introducing Jane Austen's Paper Trail, a new podcast from The Conversation. When she died aged just 41, Jane Austen's sister, Cassandra, burned most of her letters. What's left gives us tantalising clues about who she really was. Austen's characters jump to life on screen with a new adaptation for each generation… but 250 years after her birth, the woman herself remains an enigma.  Over...