The History of Literature Podcast is a member of the Podglomerate Network and Lit Hub Radio.

I'm Alan and I'm Sean and together we host the prancing pony podcast.

Every week I explore Middle Earth with Sean or with other co-hosts lately with in-depth analysis and plenty of nerd humor.

From The Hobbit to the Lord of the Rings and more,

it's a great way for first timers to experience J.R.R.R. Tolkien's captivating world. And for

long-time fans, it's a deep dive into their favorite stories. So if you're ready to take

the next step into the most beloved world in fantasy literature and become a part of a vibrant

active community of listeners, then look for The Prancing Pony

Podcast, wherever you listen.

Hello, we begin today with a quote from poet Adrian Rich.

Quote, I believe any woman for whom the feminist breaking of silence has been a transforming

force can also look back to a shock of recognition at certain lines, phrases, images in the work of this or that

woman long dead whose life and experience she could only dimly try to imagine.

End quote. It's one of the great pleasures of reading to see that we are not alone, to see that

our troubles are not new, that others have

faced them and persevered and triumphed, except sometimes these pleasures are more like pain.

My goodness, you mean this is still happening?

Clear-eyed writers, famous and revered writers, pointed this out to us hundreds of years ago,

and it's still happening today.

Will the problem never end? Ah, humanity. I say pleasure and pain. But really the adjective I should

have used is that it's compelling, illuminating, edifying, inspiring, consoling, thought-provoking. And today, discussion-provoking, too. Our guest has looked back

at the novels from the Regency period, that's the era, led by Jane Austen, and she's looked at a

...