Gill Hornby, Miss Austen | MASTERPIECE Studio

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4.5 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Miss Austen.

Writer Gill Hornby has been a fan of Jane Austen’s work since she first read Mansfield Park as a teenager. But it wasn’t until Gill moved to the village of Kintbury that she became surrounded by and interested in Jane’s life. In her novel, Miss Austen, Gill explores the deep bond between Jane and her loving sister Cassandra. In this episode, Gill talks about writing this heartfelt novel, redeeming Cassandra Austen’s legacy, and why she thinks Cassandra burned so many of Jane’s letters.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Immersive cultural enrichment, on board and on shore.
0:05.0	Freshly prepared regional cuisine.
0:08.1	Viking sails the rivers of the world and takes travelers to the heart of iconic destinations.
0:13.9	Discover more at Viking.com.
0:20.0	I'm Jace Lay Cobb, and you're listening to Masterpiece Studio.
0:24.6	Miss Austin begins on a gray day, like any other in the 19th century English countryside.
0:30.6	Cassandra Austin gets dressed and begins her morning chores.
0:34.3	Cassandra's life is one of routine in her little garden and around her little village,
0:38.9	particularly after the death of her sister, the celebrated author Jane Austen,
0:43.4	for whom Cassandra served as best friend, caretaker, and confidant. But as she's feeding the hungry
0:49.0	goats, this seemingly typical day takes an unexpected turn.
0:54.0	A letter for you, Miss Austin, from Kimbray.
0:58.2	Kimpray?
0:59.7	My dear Cassandra, I am writing to inform you that my father, Fuller, has only a short
1:06.0	time left with us.
1:07.3	Is the Reverend Fowell?
1:08.8	He's dying.
1:10.7	The letter was sent by Isabella Fowl, daughter of
1:14.0	the Reverend Fuller Fowl. The Austens and the Fowls have been intertwined for decades,
1:19.1	as Fuller Fowl was married to Jane and Cassandra Austin's cousin, Eliza. Isabella writes that her father
1:25.1	is close to death, news which strikes a devastating blow to Cassandra.
1:29.9	Despite Isabella's urging Cassandra to stay put, she packs her bags and heads to Kintbury to see the Reverend one last time.
	...

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