706 Living with Jane Austen (with Janet Todd) | A Listener Changes His Life | Bored Parents

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

History, Books, Arts

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2025

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that Jane Austen's novels make us wish she was our friend. She wouldn't be just any old friend: she'd be the sharpest and wisest, the one we turn to in a crisis, the one who understands our flaws and helps us see our blind spots. As we navigate the perils of love and life, she'd be the friend who gently points us in the right direction. Well, that's a funny thing to say about someone who lived more than two hundred years ago, but it's how we feel. And so, we turn to her novels as the next best thing. In this episode, Jacke talks to author Janet Todd (Living with Jane Austen) about what it's been like to rely on Jane Austen as an advice-giver for more than fifty years. PLUS Jacke reads an email from a listener who's made a dramatic change in his approach to literature and life. AND a new survey about parenting and reading arouses some of Jacke's deepest passions. Additional listening: 302 Jane in Love - The Love Story of Jane Austen and Thomas Lefroy 303 The Search for Darcy - Jane Austen, tom Lefroy, and the World of Pride and Prejudice 85 Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice 502 Persuasion by Jane Austen The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at gabrielruizbernal.com . "Two Butterflies" performed by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal and Allison Hughes. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate . The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The History of Literature Podcast is a member of the Podglomerate Network and Lit Hub Radio.
0:08.9	Get ready for a game changer.
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0:32.3	No headaches, just results.
0:34.4	Curious to learn more, head to Adobe.com forward slash express.
0:39.4	Hello, when it comes to observations about people, it's hard to imagine better credentials.
0:45.6	For more than 200 years, Jane Austen's novels have resonated with readers who believe that Jane
0:50.9	gets it, quote unquote. She sees the hopes and dreams and aspirations. She sees
0:57.7	the foibles and hypocrisies. She sees, in short, the things that men and women want and say and think
1:06.0	and do. And so we read her novels and think, W.W.J.A.D. What would Jane Austen do?
1:14.0	What would she make of this situation or situation or relationship or potential relationship that I find myself in now?
1:23.0	We'll talk to Janet Todd, who's been thinking and writing about books for more than 50 years
1:28.6	about her book, Living with Jane Austen, which shows us why the novels of Jane Austen
1:34.4	continue to speak to us, even after all this time. All that and more today, on the history
1:41.6	of literature.
1:54.3	Music today on the history of literature. Okay, here we go. Welcome to the podcast. I am Jack Wilson. I'm so excited, people. Oh,
2:00.0	I'm your host, too. Almost forgot to add that part because I'm so
2:03.9	excited. So excited to be here today with you talking about Jane Austen. And I am sitting on top of a
2:12.0	volcano of news that I can't wait to share. We're getting close to some,
2:21.2	making some big announcements here at the humble little podcast.
	...

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