Reading Jane Austen – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this much-delayed episode (recorded months ago, but stuck in editing limbo), we look at Chapter 21, and the original version of Chapter 22, which Jane Austen rewrote before publication to become the Chapters 22 and 23 we now have. This cancelled chapter is available in many modern editions of the book. We talk about Mrs Smith’s infodump about Mr Elliot, her change in tone, her patronising attitude towards Nurse Rooke, how in the cancelled chapter Anne was more of an observer (compared to the much better final version where she has regained her voice), and the fact that the cancelled chapter is unpolished, and even if Jane Austen had retained that, it would still have been improved before publication.

The character we discuss is Mr Elliot. In the historical section, Michael talks about the engagements, and for popular culture Harriet reflects on the various film adaptations of Persuasion, considering some of the characters, as well as how each adaptation deals with three key scenes (presenting the backstory, Louisa’s fall, and the scene at the White Hart Inn).

Things we mention:

General discussion:

• Janet Todd and Antje Blank [Editors], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Persuasion (2006)
• Paul Wray, ‘Persuasion: Why the Revised Ending Works So Well’, Persuasions Online (2017), Volume 38, No. 1, Winter 2017.

Historical discussion:

• Rory Muir, Love and Marriage in the Age of Jane Austen (2024)

Popular culture discussion:

• Podcast Into the Austenverse
• BBC, Persuasion (1971) – starring Ann Firbank and Bryan Marshall. 
  • Watch on YouTube: Part 1 and Part 2
• TVE, Novela: Persuasión (1972) – starring Maite Blasco and Juan Diego
  • Watch on YouTube
• BBC Film, Persuasion (1995) – starring Amanda Root and Ciarán Hinds
  • Watch on YouTube
• Clerkenwell Films, Persuasion (2007) – starring Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones
  • Watch on YouTube
• Netflix, Persuasion (2022) – starring Dakota Johnson and Cosmo Jarvis
• Louisa’s fall from the Cobb (this YouTube video shows the same scene from the 1971, 1995, 2007 and 2022 adaptations of Persuasion)

 For a list of music used, see this episode on our website.  

In this episode, we talk about private communications in public spaces, Wentworth’s possible feelings in the encounter at Mollands and in the Assembly Room, the question of whether Lady Russell was legitimately trying to identify a set of curtains, and Anne’s feelings towards Mr Elliot.

The character we discuss is Elizabeth Elliot. In the historical section, Michael talks about the Bath Assembly Rooms, and for popular culture Harriet discusses the 2023 independent film Persuasion.

Things we mention:

General discussion:

• Janet Todd and Antje Blank [Editors], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Persuasion (2006)

Historical discussion:

• Blackadder the Third (1987)
• YouTube video: Dr Timothy Moore, ‘Change & Challenge: The History of Bath’s Assembly Rooms‘, Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, 30 July 2024
• Assembly Rooms floorplan
  (Source: http://www.victoriahinshaw.com/victorias-vibes—-a-blog/archives/05-2019)

Popular culture discussion:

• Persuasion (2023, Agatha Films) – starring Skylar Pierce and Dan Brown

Creative commons music used:

• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio.
• Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
• Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen.
• Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major. File originally from Musopen.

Just a quick update to let you know that our Persuasion season will be starting in November. We've recorded the first few episodes, but Harriet has been too busy at work to finish editing them. She's going to be away for a few weeks, but will start releasing the episodes on her return in November.

We've added the new season to the website menu, with a provisional episode listing. 

In this episode, we finish up Emma with chapters 51 to 55. We talk about the decision for Mr Knightley to move to Hartfield, the resolution of Harriet’s story, and the final scenes between Mr and Mrs Elton. We also reflect on the insights we have gained through this close reading of Emma, and how it has changed our views of the novel.

The character we discuss is Jane Fairfax. In the historical section, Ellen briefly revisits her earlier comments about vicars, and then talks about magistrates. For popular culture Harriet talks about four books that retell some or all of the story through the point of view of a different character.

Things we mention:

General and character discussion:

• Richard Cronin and Dorothy McMillan [Editors], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Emma (2005)
• Janet Saidi, ‘Jane Fairfax Drops the Mic‘, The Austen Connection (9 September 2021)

Historical discussion:

• William Savage, ‘The Georgian Clergy’, Pen and Pension (16 May 2018)
• Charlotte M. Yonge, Talks about the Laws We Live Under (1850)
• Irene Collins, Jane Austen and the Clergy (1994)
• Alan Lambert, ‘650 years of the office of Justice of the Peace/Magistrate‘, Amicus Curiae Issue 88 (2011)
• Elizabeth Gaskell, My Lady Ludlow (1858)

Popular culture discussion:

• Naomi Royde-Smith, Jane Fairfax (1940)
  • William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair (1847) – the character of Becky Sharpe appears in Jane Fairfax
  • Characters from the novels of Maria Edgeworth also appear (and probably other novelists as well)
• Joan Austen-Leigh, A Visit to Highbury: Another View of Emma (1995)
• Diana Birchall, In Defense of Mrs Elton (1999)
• Amanda Grange, Mr Knightley’s Diary (2006)

For a list of music used, see this episode on our website.   

In this episode, we are joined by Harriet’s partner, Michael, and read chapters 46 to 50 of Emma. We talk about Emma’s emotional roller coaster, reactions to the Frank-Jane revelation, the proposal scene and Emma’s commitment to her father.

The character we discuss is Frank Churchill, and then Michael talks about the changing lifestyle of Regency gentleman. In the popular culture section, Harriet talks about three books that are modernised versions of Emma.

Things we mention:

Character discussion:

•  Serene, The Piano Scene: through Jane’s eyes (11 December 2023) – and some other posts about Emma

Popular culture discussion:

• Alexander McCall Smith, Emma: A modern retelling (2014)
• Sonali Dev, The Emma Project(2022)
• Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding, Emma of 83rd Street(2023)
  • Mäda Primavesi by Gustav Klimt

Creative commons music used:

• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio.
• Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
• Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen.
• Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major. File originally from Musopen.

In this episode, we read chapters 42 to 45 of Emma. We talk about the dropping of clues about Jane and Frank, Donwell Abbey and Mr Knightley’s arrangements for the strawberry picking, how nobody is enjoying themselves at Box Hill, and the pressures on Jane.

The character we discuss is Emma, and in the historical section Ellen talks about watering places. In the popular culture section, Harriet reflects back on the screen adaptations of Emma, considering her favourite moments from each version, and then how they dealt with some of the major characters.

Things we mention:

General and character discussion:

• Richard Cronin and Dorothy McMillan [Editors], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Emma (2005)
• Pod and Prejudice podcast
• John Sutherland, Is Heathcliff a murderer?: Puzzles in 19th-century fiction (1996) and Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet?: Further Puzzles in Classic Fiction (1999)
• ‘The Thing About the Irish Car Party‘, The Thing About Austen podcast, Episode 70 
• Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943) and More Talk of Jane Austen (1950)

Historical discussion:

• Dorothy L. Sayers, Have His Carcase (1932)
• Beau Nash (1674-1762), well-known dandy and Master of Ceremonies at Bath
• ‘The Thing About Weymouth‘, The Thing About Austen podcast, Episode 45
• Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons (1930)

Popular culture discussion:

• Adaptations:
  • BBC, Emma (1972) – starring Doran Godwin and John Carson
  • Miramax, Emma (1996) – starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam
  • ITV, Emma (1996) – starring Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong
  • BBC, Emma (2009) – starring Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller
  • Working Title Films, Emma (2020) – starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn
• Modernisations:
  • Paramount Pictures, Clueless (1995) – starring Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd
  • YouTube, Pemberley Digital, Emma Approved (2013) – starring Joanna Sotomura and Brent Bailey

  For a list of music used, see this episode on our website.     

In this episode, we read chapters 37 to 41 of Emma. We talk about the parallel narratives, the ball at the Crown, Emma’s awareness of Mr Knightley, the section from Mr Knightley’s point of view and the tension between Jane and Frank.

The character we discuss is Mr Knightley, and in the historical section Ellen talks about poverty and the labouring classes. In the popular culture section, Harriet talks about the 2017 YouTube series The Emma Agenda.

Things we mention:

General and character discussion:

• Pod and Prejudice podcast
• Tea with Cassiane YouTube videos about Regency dancing
• Somerset Maugham

Historical discussion:

• The Speenhamland system
• Anthony Trollope, The Warden (1855)
• Robert Raikes
• Hannah More

Popular culture discussion:

• Main version considered:
  • YouTube, Quip Modest Productions, The Emma Agenda (2017) – starring Selis Maria Vargas and Angela Wong Carbone
• Other references
  • YouTube, Pemberley Digital, Emma Approved (2013) – starring Joanna Sotomura and Brent Bailey
  • ITV, Emma (1996) – starring Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong
  • Working Title Films, Emma (2020) – starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn

Creative commons music used:

• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio.
• Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
• Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen.
• Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major. File originally from Musopen.

In this episode, we read chapters 32 to 36 of Emma. We talk about the civil society of Highbury, why Jane puts up with Mrs Elton, and Emma’s dinner party.

The character we discuss is Mrs Elton, and Ellen talks about governesses. In the popular culture section, Harriet talks about the 2013 YouTube series Emma Approved .

Things we mention:

Character discussion:

• Diana Birchall, In Defense of Mrs Elton (1999)
•  John Mullan [Editor], The Oxford World’s Classics Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Emma (2022) 
• Mary Deforest, ‘Mrs. Elton and the Slave Trade‘ Persuasions 9, 1987
• Lona Manning, ‘What is Austen saying with Mrs. Elton?‘, 9 February 2023
• John Sutherland, Can Jane Eyre be happy? (2000)
• Thomas Gray, ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard‘ (1751)

Historical discussion:

• Elizabeth Eastlake, ‘Vanity Fair and Jane Eyre‘, Quarterly Review 84, 1848
• Anna Jameson, The Diary of an Ennuyée (1826)
• William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair (1847)
• Maria Edgeworth, The Good French Governess (1801)
• Ellen Jordan, The Women’s Movement and Women’s Employment in Nineteenth Century Britain (1999)
• Graph showing percentages of governesses, female milliners and domestic servants in various age groups as shown in the census of 1851.

Popular culture discussion:

• Main version considered:
  • YouTube, Pemberley Digital, Emma Approved (2013) – starring Joanna Sotomura and Brent Bailey
• Other references
  • YouTube, Pemberley Digital, Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012) – starring Ashley Clements and Daniel Vincent Gordh
  • Paramount Pictures, Clueless (1995) – starring Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd

 For a list of music used, see this episode on our website.    

In this episode, we read chapters 27 to 31 of Emma. We talk about the entwined group of people who visit one another, how so many scenes read differently the second time through, Miss Bates’s monologues, Jane and the piano, reactions to the plan of having a ball, and Emma encouraging Harriet to stop thinking about Mr Elton. 

The character we discuss is Harriet Smith, and Ellen talks about illegitimacy. In the popular culture section, Harriet talks about the 1995 modernisation Clueless.

Also, we are now on Instagram, at reading_jane_austen.

Things we mention:

General discussion:

• John Mullan, What Matters in Jane Austen?: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved (2012)

Character discussion:

• Edith Lank, ‘“The word was blunder”: Who was Harriet Smith’s Mother?‘ Persuasions 7, 1985: 14-15
• Helena Kelly, Jane Austen, the Secret Radical (2016)

Historical discussion:

• Max Weber (1864-1920)
• Claire Tomalin, Charles Dickens (2011)
• Christine Kenyon Jones, ‘Ambiguous Cousinship: Mansfield Park and the Mansfield Family‘ Persuasions On-line 31 (1), 2010
• BBC, Olivia Colman episode of Who Do You Think You Are (2018), Season 15, Episode 2

Popular culture discussion:

• Main version considered:
  • Paramount Pictures, Clueless (1995) – starring Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd
• Other 1990s/2000s high school films based on classic literature
  • 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), based on The Taming of the Shrew
  • Cruel Intentions(1999), based on Les Liaisons dangereuses
  • She’s All That (1999), based on Pygmalion / My Fair Lady
  • O (2001), based on Othello
  • She’s the Man(2006), based on Twelfth Night
  • Easy A (2010), based on The Scarlet Letter

 For a list of music used, see this episode on our website.   

In this episode, we read chapters 22 to 26 of Emma. We talk about Frank’s arrival, the dinner at the Coles, and the way so much looks different in a second reading, 

The characters we discuss are Mr and Mrs Weston, including a consideration of what we know of Mrs Weston’s pregnancy. Ellen talks about social customs, including calling and dinner parties. In the popular culture section, Harriet talks about the 2020 Working Title Films adaptation of Emma.

Things we mention:

General discussion:

• Richard Cronin and Dorothy McMillan [Editor], The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen: Emma (2005)

Character discussion:

• Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943) and More Talk of Jane Austen (1950)

Historical discussion:

• ‘Regency Dinner Parties and Etiquette‘, The Jane Austen Centre (2011) 

Popular culture discussion:

• Main version considered:
  • Working Title Films, Emma (2020) – starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn
• Videos and web pages about costuming
  • YouTube, Bernadette Banner, ‘5 Historical Films That Got the Costumes RIGHT‘ (2020)
  • YouTube, Karolina Żebrowska, ‘Are “Emma.” (2020) Costumes Historically Accurate? aka What Makes Good Period Drama Costumes‘ (2020)
  • ‘Emma (2020)‘, Frock Flicks (2020)
• Filming locations:
  • Firle Place
  • Wilton House

Creative commons music used:

• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio.
• Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
• Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
• Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen.
• Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major. File originally from Musopen.