Do Go On - 487 - Jane Austen

Starting point is 00:00:00 Do Go On's 500th episode is coming to Melbourne at the Capitol Theatre on Saturday, April 26 and here's a ticket update, we've now sold 80% of all tickets. So if you want to get involved, you might want to go to dogoonpod.com That's Saturday, April 26 episode of Do Go On. My name is Dave Warnocky and as always I'm here with Jess Perkins and this week we are blessed to be joined by our dear friend Michelle Braziers here. I've got the zilies and maybe an eye infection. There's a lot going on.

Starting point is 00:00:49 Well, there's a lot of contagious stuff happening. It's not contagious! The sillies are. Oh, the sillies are contagious. Look out! I suddenly feel like I can't, I couldn't get through that intro. You also, you were nervous to start, then you said, instead of hello, you said, HALLO! HALLO! HALLO! Can I go? You also, you were nervous to start, then you said, instead of hello, you said, howlo.

Starting point is 00:01:05 Howlo. Howlo. Can I go? It was beautiful. That's my new thing, 487 weeks in, I'm changing from hello to howlo. Yeah. And welcome. And welcome.

Starting point is 00:01:17 And welcome. Thanks for being here, Michelle. Thanks for having me. It was hard to get here. They're doing construction. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think, I think it's pretty safe to say to our listeners that we'll be mentioning that

Starting point is 00:01:27 a few times over the following months. We found out it's going to be about 15 weeks. The street's gone. It's gone. They're digging up the entire street. Usually they'll be like, we redirect traffic over here. On this particular time, they've said, do you know what? Actually you're on your own.

Starting point is 00:01:42 Yeah, they've just said burn it all down. Start again. The street is gone, the path's gone, the driveway's gone, you can't get into the building. You have to leap across. It's sinking. Yeah, there was a moat. Yeah, there's a moat. You have to leap across a moat. Yeah, I have dirt in my feet.

Starting point is 00:01:56 Yeah, my foot sunk into some dirt. It's gone into my shoes. And I watched the construction workers watch me and go like, you fucking idiot. Yeah, and I'm in the platform crocs today. Yeah. So, so. So that has to get up over the platform. That's how much dirt. And it was windy too out there and it wasn't windy on the other streets. I'm calling the cops.

Starting point is 00:02:13 Yeah. Yeah. This is a cursed street now. Yeah. It's no good. But we made it and we're here to podcast together. That's right. How exciting. I'll explain how this show works, shall I? Yes. So, one of the three of us, usually Matt, but he's away.

Starting point is 00:02:27 He's in far North Queensland. He's a long way. He's like, honestly, on the other side of the planet, basically. Basically. You're so far away. I bet they don't have any bloody roadworks up there, let me tell you. They don't have bloody canes. They don't have any roads. Anyway, one of us researches a topic. We bring that research back to the others. We tell them all about it and the others just listen politely and never interrupt or go on dog shit riffs or zone out and then come in later and go, what kind of time period is this? Or what's this guy's name again?

Starting point is 00:02:53 Is this the same guys before? You know, we don't do that ever. And, uh, what's going on here? Where am I? It's usually my main question. Yeah. And we always get onto the topic with a, with a question, Dave, it is your turn to do a report this week What is your question to get us onto the topic? Beautiful. You've hit a plant I was trying to do it like a dramatic stretch like here we go. And then I there's a plant behind me. I didn't realize Did it scare you a little bit to get startled by a plant? Yeah, yes, and I'll confess I'm currently reading the day of the Triffids for bookcheat where plants take over So I'm already on edge when I see a plant.

Starting point is 00:03:25 I think I'd be okay in a world where plants take over. Yeah, I'd be like, okay. Also a meteor shower's gone over and everyone's gone blind. Okay, that's- Oh my god, that's probably what's happening to my fucking eye. The meteor. Jesus Christ, you know, the planets were all in, they were aligned or something. Actually, no, they weren't, but I thought, I read the news wrong and I thought they were

Starting point is 00:03:44 in a straight line and I told Tim about it and he didn't have the heart to tell me that that wasn't it. And he even got out the telescope and was like, well, look for him. Oh, I can't see him tonight. And then like, eventually he had to be like, they're not like, they're not going to like appear in a straight line. Like that's not how it goes. And I was like, oh, thank you for letting me believe it. Every night I'd be like, let's check. Maybe tonight. That's very sweet and dumb.

Starting point is 00:04:08 They did something like it. I don't know what they did. Anyway, I saw heaps of Venus and the moon, a bunch. I love that you have a telescope. I want one. Oh yeah, we're a pretty cool couple. All right. Your wild lifestyle apart.

Starting point is 00:04:23 Here we go. Here's my apart. Yeah. Here we go. Here's my question. Wild. What are you guys doing? Missionary? We're on the telescope panel.

Starting point is 00:04:31 Okay. Here we go. The question is, who wrote the following books? Speaking of... Michelle Brazier. Oh my gosh. Imagine. Doing a report on my memoir that came out in September.

Starting point is 00:04:42 That'd be great. All right. Who wrote the following books? Mansfield Park. Oh. Northanger Abbey. Fuck me. Hopefully getting easier.

Starting point is 00:04:53 Persuasion. Oh, it's a fucking, it's a Jane or an Emily or something. Jane Mansfield. It is not Jane Mansfield. She could have though. Is it an Austin or a Bronte? Jane Mansfield. It is not Jane Mansfield. She could have though. Is it, it's not, is it an Austin or a Bronte? It's one of the two and you have to lock one in. Is it Jane Austin?

Starting point is 00:05:11 It's Jane Austin everyone. It's Jane Austin. I'm so sorry. I think it's the Bronte sisters. Honestly, I toss up between doing the three of them or one Jane Austin. Wow. Jane one out. Okay.

Starting point is 00:05:21 Do you guys know the Victoria Wood sketch where she's like a, uh, tour guide at the Bronte sisters house? Oh, I was going to say no, but that is really funny. I had to do an accent, that accent. I can't even remember what it is now, but I had to do that accent for, um, the secret garden, the musical. And I learned it from doing Victoria. I learnt it from doing Victoria Wood in that sketch. She's like, and I like to picture him in the bedroom, standing there with his slippers on, dying. Where are the slippers on? Dying.

Starting point is 00:05:57 Jane Austen. Jane Austen, the other books. Who is that? Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and I would have finished with Pride and Prejudice if I didn't quite get there. Are you proud of me for getting it? I mean, what was the first one you proud of me for getting it?

Starting point is 00:06:05 I mean, what was the first one you said? Mansfield Park. Yeah, I was like, okay. I tried to go from the most obscure to the least obscure, I think. I've heard of all these books, but I was like, I don't know who the fuck this is. Are you proud I got it at Persuasion? Yes. Thank you so much.

Starting point is 00:06:16 Because do you remember that we did it on Bookcheat many years ago? Uh-huh. Do you remember? No. Do you remember the plot, Jess? Well, only- I told you all about it. Only because that's so funny that we've done on Bookcheat.

Starting point is 00:06:27 I've watched the, isn't there a Dakota Johnson version of Persuasion? I'm pretty sure. Is there? I never watched things from time periods. I think it's Persuasion. Yeah. I'm always like, ugh. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:06:39 I'm not super, I'm not into period dramas. Like I know, 2022, yes. I know a lot of people are, um, their comfort show or movie is Pride and Prejudice. And that's cool. Um, but it's not usually my thing, but I did watch persuasion. It was quite funny. Like it was, it was good.

Starting point is 00:06:55 Um, but I, it was a new story to me. So at no point did you go, this sounds familiar. No, not at all. I remember when Dave told me and Broden about it, maybe six years ago. Broden? It's really funny. I have no, I've never in Broden about it, maybe six years ago. Broden? It's really funny. You've never met Broden. I've never met Broden in my life, so that's not true.

Starting point is 00:07:11 I know you're lying now. I've never met Broden either. I've never met Broden. They don't let you meet Broden. You can't just meet Broden. You can't just have dinner with Broden not long ago. No. Are we having dinner with Broden tomorrow?

Starting point is 00:07:22 At my house? Yeah, probably. I look forward to meeting Broden. I can't wait to with Broden tomorrow? At my house? Yeah, probably. I look forward to meeting Broden tomorrow. I can't wait to meet Broden tomorrow. Well, if you want to have a dinner party conversation about persuasion, you can tell everyone all about it. I can't no. Show off. It was, to be fair, six years ago. It's episode 10, so a long time ago.

Starting point is 00:07:40 Okay, yeah, that does make me feel a little bit better. But also, I am increasingly concerned about my memory. So it's great to hear that both of you are very excited about Jane Austen. I am excited about Jane Austen. I am really excited because I don't know anything about her and everyone, I have like a lot of friends who are always like, oh, you know, the Austen. I'm always like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Like I pretend to know that I, I say I've read so much stuff.

Starting point is 00:08:00 Yeah. You'd love BookTube. But what do they say, the Austen? I do like, you know, oh, they're like, oh, it's like, you know, in like that Jane Austen. All right, you just go, of course. Oh my god, yes, it's so great reference. That is so Mr. Darcy. Yeah. Good one. That's Jane Austen. Yeah, that's Jane Austen. I don't know the difference between it, the Bronte sisters and I don't know the difference. Yeah. Oh, okay. I mean, they're all English. I'm a bit uneducated about this. She is not related to the others.

Starting point is 00:08:25 Yeah. She's not a sister. Yeah. She's not a sister. And she's also, she's older than them too. She came first. Okay, great. And I don't know a lot about like Jane herself, but I do like the idea of a woman

Starting point is 00:08:35 from that long ago, still being. Quite famous. Famous and widely regarded. Icon. I like that. And people say she's funny, so I should read her. But I just can't get past all the, all the... Oh, she's not a vowel, but you know what I mean. But you do have a bit of a piss take of those people as well. Oh, maybe I like it. We like piss takes. I might have misunderstood. Well, let me tell you about it. I'll go into

Starting point is 00:08:59 the books a little bit so you'll see, maybe you'll pick one out that you'd like to give a shot. Okay. But people suggest these topics and thank you to Kyle from Ohio and Amanda May from Watkins Glen, New York for suggesting Jane Austen. New York. New York. So let me tell you about Jane Austen. She was born on December the 16th, 1775. No, see that is too far back. 17.

Starting point is 00:09:23 What generation is that? Millennial? Yeah. Elder millennial. Elder millennial. Yeah, the cringe ones. Oh, the ones who go on Facebook and say, hey, cheeky. They're using all the emojis.

Starting point is 00:09:34 We did a thing. That sort of thing. We did a thing. Yeah. Classic. So she's like that. She did a lot of things. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:09:42 She was born in Steventon, Hampshire in England. She was the seventh child and second daughter of Reverend George Austin, who served as an Anglican rector. Seventh of how many? Seventh heaven. Or was she their baby? I think she's the seventh of eight. That's rough.

Starting point is 00:09:59 Too many kids. A lot of kids. And his wife was Cassandra. We'll talk about her in a minute. George was from an old family of wool merchants, but at the time the family fortune was passed down to the eldest son, a societal quirk that Jane Austen would frequently write about. And that's like a plot point for a lot of her writing. And this meant that George's side of the family

Starting point is 00:10:18 were in poverty and he was orphaned as a child. Also just not so good. So the older brother gets all the money and taken in by a wealthy uncle who later brought him a rectory to live at. So. Okay. What's a rectory? Like a place where the priest lives. Ah, house.

Starting point is 00:10:34 Yeah, yeah, a house. House for priests. I was going to call it like a- Priest house. A priest hole. Priest hole. But they actually exist though, those things that they'd hide in. Oh yeah, they'd hide the Catholic priests, right? Yeah, there were people coming through.

Starting point is 00:10:45 My family did that. Get in the priest's hole. My family was hiding Catholic priests in the troubles, I think. Oh, in the priest's hole. Yeah. There you go. Which I've just realised. I look forward to coming back to Belfast at the end of the year and I don't want to talk

Starting point is 00:10:57 about it anymore. So whilst a student at Oxford, he met his future wife, this is the father, George, met his future wife, Cassandra, who Britannica describes as a woman of ready wit, famed for her impromptu verses and stories. Yeah, she's a real Michelle Brayes. Yeah. Just like, hi. Yeah. She sounds crazy. She's cool. Just like, she's just riffin'. She's improv'n. All the time. Yeah. Wow. You there, give me an occupation. All right. Yeah. And a place. A rectory.

Starting point is 00:11:27 A place home. Just please be my mum. I need help. They got engaged, the parents, when they quote, exchanged miniatures, which is an old-fashioned tradition. Like front-coes. Where they exchange miniature portraits of one another, and that symbol is that, hey, we're betrothed.

Starting point is 00:11:45 Oh! So hang on, hang on, hang on. If I'm proposing to you, am I giving you a portrait of me? Yeah, and I'll give you one of me and it's like, hey, don't forget me. Yeah. Oh, I thought- Because you can't just walk around carrying portraits of people you don't, like, fuck. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:12:00 That'd be weird. You can only do portraits of people you're fucking. That's right. Famously. And fucking to marry, you know? Oh, of course. I'm not one of those people who just fucks around. I fuck to marry.

Starting point is 00:12:08 No, I fuck to marry. So we don't look at your wall and there's like 50 portraits up there. No, no, no, no, no. Well, yeah, but she's been married 50 times. Yeah, I'm very unlucky in marriage. Yeah. So together, these people exchanged portraits. They did get married.

Starting point is 00:12:21 They had eight children. Too many. Jane being the second youngest. And as was common at the time, as a three month old, all their siblings did this apparently, she was sent to live with a wet nurse, raised breastfed by this other woman down the street and then returned to the family when she was walking. Okay.

Starting point is 00:12:39 They just sort of outsourced. Yeah, the hard bit. You take care of her when she's really young, grow up to a bit, just, you know, between 12 and 18 months, when if she's walking, then she can come back to the family. Is that wild? Imagine being the woman whose job it is to just have like fat naturals on tap. Yeah, I think-

Starting point is 00:12:52 Sorry. What I- It's quite rude. What I'm treating with it- But like, that's a good job. It implied that it was her siblings had also gone to this same woman. Yeah. Wow.

Starting point is 00:13:02 For the natties. That was the job, yeah. That's a- that's a bizarre- Strength and nectar. I've never this same woman. Yeah. Wow. For the natties. That's the job. Yeah. That's a, that's a bizarre. Drink the nectar. I've never heard of it. It's common for the time. See, I knew about wet nurses, but I didn't know you'd go and live with them.

Starting point is 00:13:13 Yeah. Yeah. I thought that was, I'd heard of wet nurses, but I thought they were more like an employee in the house. I thought they lived in the house. Yeah. Or like if the, the mother can't breastfeed or something, you outsource. But this is more like, Hey, I have six other children. Yeah. I can't havefeed or something to you outsource, but this is more like, hey,

Starting point is 00:13:25 I have six other children, I can't have another one. Yeah. Running it like not, you know. So don't get pregnant. Yeah, don't get pregnant. Get the Marina. Just get them to put it in. Honestly, it's not that hard.

Starting point is 00:13:37 I don't know why these women, they're bad feminists. But ah, they are employing another woman. That's so true. So if they stop having kids, she's out of work. She's out of work. So actually they're supporting a local business. She was stoked when she would hear Janos's mom be like, I'm pregnant again.

Starting point is 00:13:57 She'd be like, yes. Yeah, making that cash. It was another year at least. If you're breastfeeding, you sort of have to maintain breastfeeding or the milk will dry up. So she kind of needs to have like, yeah, I've got availability in April. Yeah, I need to keep going. You're going to have to book me in.

Starting point is 00:14:12 I'll have some milk. You can reserve the milk. Yeah, yeah. You need to give me six months notice. I've got a wait list. I am astounded that you can breastfeed without having a baby. She must have been. You have a baby first probably to get your own supply in.

Starting point is 00:14:28 And then. But then it just doesn't stop. And then you keep it going. If you keep it going, yeah. If you keep breastfeeding, yeah, it'll keep going. I reckon you can do it without. You reckon you just will it? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:14:39 Just let it happen. I reckon I can do it right now. Just think about it. Could you not? We are at work. We don't want her to let down the student. Oh, okay, you. Could you not? We are at work. We don't want to let down the student. Oh, OK. You don't want a woman breastfeeding at work.

Starting point is 00:14:48 OK. OK, so we haven't come that far, have we? You could use a dark little room around the corner. No, no. I want to be here in the fluorescence, these beautiful, flattering fluorescence. Camera rolling. Whacking out one of my fat naturals.

Starting point is 00:15:03 Stop. That's the quota of fat naturals. Fat naturals is funny. It's very funny. We've hit the quota. And there's no baby to feed, so what are we... What's she doing? I'm going to stop saying it.

Starting point is 00:15:16 Just have a break. Don't worry. The good news is that Jane Austen will stop being a baby soon. I've never micromanaged a guest before but... Yeah, you've never put a quota on and been like, that's enough for me. It's a really hectic thing to say. The first time I said it I was trying it out. I do enjoy it.

Starting point is 00:15:37 I think someone said it. I think Chloe Petz said it and I was like, whoa! Fat Naturals, very funny stuff. I just want to try it in my own mouth. Anyway, we really got lost on wet nurse. Wet nurse, but don't worry, she's gonna grow up. And then she's walking, so she goes back to her family and has to get to know them. Oh, right, hi, who are you again?

Starting point is 00:15:54 Jane, did we call you Jane? Was it Jane or was it Gillian? I can't remember. Okay. So the Austin household had moved by the time she had come along to the Steventon Parsonage, where they're living in the Rector's house house and it does sound like the family had a fun time together.

Starting point is 00:16:09 This is again from Britannica. The great family amusement was acting. They were a lively and affectionate family and Patriarch George has been described as a scholar who encouraged the love of learning in his children. He had a master large personal library at home and his kids were encouraged to read whatever they wanted. Wow, that's so lovely. So yeah, that was great for their self-education.

Starting point is 00:16:31 The family would also play word games with riddles and poems and played charades to amuse each other. Nah, that's good. That's nice. They would also stage plays with friends in the rectory's barn, put on little shows. Wow, I love that. So it's a fun time. This is my perfect childhood.

Starting point is 00:16:49 But they weren't very well off and lived on Father George's rectal celery, sorry, recta celery. Bit of fun there. Dave, had you written that joke? That's good stuff. Yes I had. But I had forgotten by the time I got to it, so I was like, oh, that's good stuff. Yes, I had. Yeah, that's good stuff. But I had forgotten by the time I got to it, I was like, oh, that's pretty good. It was a genuine delight for you as well. But they were surrounded by the middle class and by a minor landed gentry in their surrounding village and neighborhood, and they went on short visits to Bath and London.

Starting point is 00:17:19 So they're not very well off, but they were exposed to other people who were quite well off. Okay. Not the top echelon of society, sort of upper middle class. And all of this would go on to inspire the setting for many of Jane's future novels, usually set in the minor landed gentry, so to speak. A young Jane had access to the wider world through her brothers as well. Francis, known as Frank, and Charles were officers in the Royal Navy and served on ships around the world and saw action in the Napoleonic Wars.

Starting point is 00:17:50 Henry became a clergyman like his father and James was an officer in the militia and later a banker. Henry and James also wrote and they jointly founded a largely humorous weekly paper called The Loiterer while students at Oxford. That's fun. So there are the creative types, but then also because she's the youngest one and they're a bit old, they're going out and coming back with stories from around the world. The Jane Austen North America Society writes that her old other brother, Edward, was adopted

Starting point is 00:18:18 by wealthy cousins called the Knights, becoming their heir and later taking their name. Jane would visit their large estate, exposing her to the privileged life of the land of Gentry. This is the actual upper class, which was also reflected in her fiction. Imagine your cousins, they've got no male heir, so they just go, you're in. You get the title, you get all the money. I was confused as to why that happened, but yeah, they didn't have a male, so they were like, we need to borrow one. Yes, and actually is, I don't know if you remember in Pride and Prejudice, that is a major plot point is that there's the five Bennet sisters and-

Starting point is 00:18:52 Elizabeth! Yep. I've never seen it. Sorry, sorry. That was exciting. Kitty, Pippi. Kitty is definitely one. Kitty is one?

Starting point is 00:19:00 Yes. Pippi Pippi. Kitty Pippi and Lily May. Is there a Jane? Maybe, yeah. Maybe, yeah. Mary? There might be a Jane Mary, yeah.

Starting point is 00:19:11 These are all classics. Elizabeth? Yeah, you said that. The Jane Austin. That's the main one. Let's play Proud Bridges. Just how many have we got here? Is one Pippi?

Starting point is 00:19:19 I can't wait to see this. It's definitely Kitty. Pippi? I played Pippi in Proud Bridges. Oh, Lydia's the one we didn't get. Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia. Anyway, so the plot is that they've only got daughters, their parents, and their house has been entailed to a wealthy, or to a cousin, because he's a man.

Starting point is 00:19:37 Fuck that. So they don't have any future to look forward to. So the parents, especially the mother, I should say, is desperate to marry the girls off to assure their future. Right. So that is So that's what happened to her brother. Yeah. Got the inheritance. I'm not sure if they had sisters that he was usurping, but that is, I'd only just put that together. That happened to her brother. Wow. Yeah, okay. So in Pride and Prejudice, the mum wants them to marry to then have kids to hopefully have a boy so there's an heir

Starting point is 00:20:06 or no. Also no, marry a wealthy man to be looked after because they've got no money of their own and they're going to be kicked out of the family home soon. I have no money. That's by their cousin? Yeah, by their cousin. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Why won't he just let them live there?

Starting point is 00:20:20 Because he's not a great guy. Oh, I've got a great guy of a cousin. Really? Yeah, he's called Tim. I really like him. No, no, that's your partner. Oh, sorry. Is it also your cousin we should be checking? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:20:33 No, I do have a cousin called Tim, but they're different guys. Okay, different Tims. Yeah. Both good guys? Both good guys. All Tims are good guys. All Tims. Yeah, I've never met a bad Tim, I don't think.

Starting point is 00:20:44 I don't think I've met a bad Tim either. No. I've got an Uncle Tim, he rules. Yes. Tim Allen. Tim Allen, he's great. Not problematic. Tim the tall man, Taylor?

Starting point is 00:20:53 Tim, same guy. Same guy. Still, still great. Still good. I didn't, I didn't. You didn't. I didn't. That's Tim Allen.

Starting point is 00:21:01 Man. Timothy Chamollet. Timothy Chalamet. Chalamet. I's Timothy Chamoulin. Timothy Chamoulin. M Night Chamoulin. Okay. Now you've lost it, David.

Starting point is 00:21:09 Word Association, though. Keep it going. Keep it going. Chamoulin. Yeah. Where do we go from M Night Chamoulin? A night's tale. We have got the sillies.

Starting point is 00:21:19 Oh, yeah. He fledger. Paul Bettany. Also in that. I love Paul Bettany. My brother's name was Paul. He was cool. And he wasn't your cousin. He fledged to Paul Bettany. Also in that. Now we're back. I love Paul Bettany. My brother's name was Paul. He was cool.

Starting point is 00:21:27 And he wasn't your cousin. He wasn't my cousin. But the show goes complete because we've got... They go a long way with my cousin. Yeah. That feels like a close... He knew Tim, my cousin. That's a close loop because that's two good family members that knew each other.

Starting point is 00:21:36 I think that's good. Yeah, we did it. Oh my god, my uncle Tim's married to my auntie, Paul. Pauline. I love that we call her Paul. The only way to connect your brother and your cousin was to go the long way around. You have to go via Shamelan or you can't make it. That's a new fun game.

Starting point is 00:21:55 It's a new fun game. It's called Cool Guy Called Tim. And you have to connect him to a ball via Shamelan. Via Shamelan. Yeah. So that's all her brothers, but her absolute bestie was her older sister, Cassandra, who was almost three years her senior and the two were very close their entire life. Was it mother Cassandra as well?

Starting point is 00:22:15 Yes. So this is Cassandra Jr. Love that. Cassandra Jr. Cast you. The reason we know a bit about Jane's personal life away from writing is because of Candra, is because of Kendra. It's because of Cassandra. It's because of Kendra from Real Housewives of, um, do you have now what's that show called?

Starting point is 00:22:32 The Playboy Mansion? Do you remember that? Yeah, yeah. They should have remembered the Real Housewives of U. Yeah, they should. That's so funny. Kendra was, Kendra ruled. She was like, I can lose weight by sleeping more. She's like less waking hours, less meals. And I was like, that's crazy.

Starting point is 00:22:55 So crazy. Just my word. Yeah. Kendra might be a genius. She might be. Sorry. You go. So the reason we know about Jane's personal life away from writing is because of

Starting point is 00:23:04 Cassandra, but the reason we don't life away from writing is because of Cassandra. But the reason we don't know that much is also because of Cassandra. Oh. Because the two wrote thousands of letters to each other back and forth as adults. But when Jane died, Cassandra destroyed most of them and only about 160 survive. Wow. What? And that's where a lot of our info comes from.

Starting point is 00:23:20 I guess she didn't know her sister would become one of the most celebrated writers of all time. Yeah. Or maybe she didn't want to protect her her sister who apparently could be quite scathing and snarky in her letters. Writing about meeting people and being like, can you believe what they were wearing? Oh, well that's good, Jess, delete my text when I die. Of course.

Starting point is 00:23:36 This is something she wrote to Cassandra after. Getting rid of all those voice notes. Oh yeah, never keep a voice note, it's not right. And if you say anything bad, it's AI. That's AI. Yeah, that's AI. That's AI. This is something she wrote to Cassandra after attending a ball. I danced twice with Warren last night and once with Mr. Charles Watkins.

Starting point is 00:23:58 And to my inexpressible astonishment, I entirely escaped John Liford. I was forced to fight hard for it, however. Cop that, John. So apparently that's only the tip of the iceberg. She was apparently quite- She was sassy. She was sassy. Yeah, she was sassy. Oh my God, I love her. What am I doing?

Starting point is 00:24:14 Living my life, not reading those books. God, there's so many books. I'm gonna have such a good time. So many. You have so much to look forward to. You know when you watch episode one of a show that's been like, you watch episode one of like Ally McBeal and you're like, oh, I like this.

Starting point is 00:24:27 Oh, I have such a future. Yeah. What a rich and bounty-as-future I have. This is going to be a wonderful journey for me. Yeah, that's how I feel. That's what you've got. So back to their youth, the sisters were sent to boarding school together. Jane was originally not to go as she was considered too young, but ended up attending along because

Starting point is 00:24:44 in their mother's words, if Cassandra's head had been going to be cut off, Jane would have originally not to go as she was considered too young, but ended up attending along because in their mother's words, if Cassandra's head had been going to be cut off, Jane would have hers cut off too. Oh, that's so nice. That's cute. Yeah, I love that. So they both went and both caught typhus, which almost killed Jane. That's so nice.

Starting point is 00:24:59 Cassandra's got typhus. I want it too. I'm getting typhus. She recovered, but sadly their education was soon cut short by financial difficulties and they were sent home and she would remain as a Jane with her family for the rest of her life. She would remain as a Jane. Yeah, is that what you said?

Starting point is 00:25:16 That she would remain with her family for the rest of her life and I'll talk a little bit about her personal life coming up. She began writing inbound notebooks when she was young, writing plays, verses, short novels and parodies of existing types of literature. Did she write Scary Movie? What a great idea. I love Jane Austen's work. I love Scary Movie.

Starting point is 00:25:40 I love Scary Movie. So she wrote this from the ages of 11 to 17 and she called the three notebooks, this is a very genius, volume the first, volume the second. And? Scary movie. Oh damn it, I didn't say Tokyo Drift fast enough. Damn it. No, there was volume the third and she really did experiment with some wild stuff.

Starting point is 00:26:02 Catherine Sutherland, a professor of English at the University of Oxford writes, Jane Austen's earliest writings appear to have little in common with the restrained and realistic society portrayed in her adult novels. By contrast, they are exuberantly expressionistic tales of sexual misdemeanor, of female drunkenness, and violence. Whoa. Oh my God, I want to read, are these available? Yeah, they are, yeah. Fuck yeah. Go off.

Starting point is 00:26:28 Some have murder and violence, which you don't come across in their famous novels, I will warn you about that. One theme that does appear early and across all three novels and would be a staple of her future novels is a young writing is the portrayal of confident, willful, even rebellious young women. So that was always the theme for her.

Starting point is 00:26:45 Oxfordstudent.com describes the plot of a story called The Beautiful Cassandra, probably named for a sister, but maybe a mother. Sure. This is how it describes the story. In this abruptly random tale, Cassandra, so random, so random. A milliner's daughter shamelessly steals a bonnet from her mother's shop and then romps around London, gluttonously devouring the pastries she sees in a bakery, ignoring any eligible bachelor on the street and outright refusing to pay her coachman. Go off.

Starting point is 00:27:19 So just going on like this. Crime spree. A wild, the 18th century version of a wild night out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just having pastries. Ignoring men. Flipping off guys. Yeah, not ignoring them.

Starting point is 00:27:29 Just being like, no, and then not paying the coachman. Wild stuff. Incredibly rude to ignore a man. If you see a man on the street, you must acknowledge. Tip your hat. You must tip your hat to the man. I doff my cap to you, sir. I doff my stolen bonnet to you.

Starting point is 00:27:44 In another story called The Visit, this is very funny, you'll love this, the rules of propriety are shattered by having the male guests of a dinner party sit on the women's lap due to a lack of chairs. That's so good. And one character, a woman, drinks a glass of wine in one go. Oh what? That's wild stuff. That's wild stuff.

Starting point is 00:28:04 That is outrageous. That's crazy. You can what? That's wild stuff. That's wild stuff. That is outrageous. That's crazy. You can't allow women to do that. No. That's very unbecoming of a lady. We're supposed to have straws. Sips only. Sip from a big straw.

Starting point is 00:28:17 Where's that woman's curly straw? There are some unexpected things in there too. One woman in one of the stories loses two fingers when her son bites them off. The fuck? Yeah. That's fun. So yeah, she's just having a go. Austen's History of England as she wrote it was a parody of history written when she was

Starting point is 00:28:36 15. It is a spoof, or spoof, whichever way you pronounce that word, account of England from Henry IV. It is a spoof? It is a spoof. Edit as appropriate. Spoof or spoof. Spoof? In what way?

Starting point is 00:28:53 In Matt Stewart's world, it's a spoof. Oh my God. I listened to an episode of the podcast recently where you were talking about something about pronunciation and he was saying, conquistadors. I was like, Oh no. Cause you've had that exact conversation with him months before. I remembered it. I have.

Starting point is 00:29:13 I was glad you brought it up. Conquistador. And you're like, no. No, very close. Anyway, tell us about the spoof. Her spoof account of England was called the History of England from Henry IV to Charles I as told by quote, a partial, prejudiced and ignorant historian. Bit of fun.

Starting point is 00:29:32 That's fun. Love that. And Austen's sister Cassandra created illustrated portraits for the history, so they're accompanying illustrations. It's a co-lab. Yeah. And many of them looking more like men and women from the time rather than regal figures of the past.

Starting point is 00:29:50 Professor Sutherland from Oxford noted that Henry VII looked particularly haggard. Oh wow. She's so brutal. There you go. After the notebooks between 1793 and 1795 when she was 18 to 20, Austen wrote Lady Susan, a short epistolary novel made up of letters back and forth. It was first published almost a century later in 1871 and a Britannica describes it thusly. So this is one of her very early novels. This portrait of a woman bent on the exercise of her own powerful mind and personality to the point of social self-destruction is in effect a study of frustration and a woman's

Starting point is 00:30:24 fate in society that has no use of her talents." Huh. So she wrote that when she was like 18 years old, but like I said, didn't get published for a century. But since Austen's novels are so deeply concerned with love and marriage, there has been much attention and debate about her own personal life. Oh yeah.

Starting point is 00:30:43 It was a source of fixation amongst our scholars, fans. Been there. They can't get enough. The Perkins story, tell us about it. 50 fortress on the wall. I won't. All marriages. All gone badly.

Starting point is 00:30:56 All dead. Yeah. Nothing suspicious. All ending in a large insurance payout for yours truly. I'm doing very well. They're all dead. So Jane Austen, she remained unmarried throughout her life, although had a few admirers and at least one proposal.

Starting point is 00:31:12 Okay. First up was an Irishman called Tom LaFroy who visited- Very Irish name. Tom LaFroy. LaFroy. Beautiful. Very Irish. Who visited-

Starting point is 00:31:24 The Dublin LaFroys. Yes, we all know the family. You know them well. He visited the house where she lived when Austin was about 20. He had moved to London to study law and was spending the Christmas holidays with his uncle and aunt who lived nearby. Laphroa and Austin would have been introduced at a ball or another neighborhood social gathering of some such. And it is clear from Austin's letters to Cassandra that they spent considerable time together.

Starting point is 00:31:50 She writes, I am almost afraid to tell you how my Irish friend and I behaved. Oh! Imagine yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together. What? What is profligate? Yeah. Can you together. What? What does profligate? Yeah. Can you look up the dictionary definition of profligate?

Starting point is 00:32:14 Recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources. Oh. Okay. So they were being really extravagant in sitting down together. Okay. And really extravagant in dancing. In the way of dancing. Whoa. But she's implying more there. Yeah, I think so. And really extravagant in dancing. In the way of dancing. Whoa.

Starting point is 00:32:25 But she's implying more there. Yeah, I think so. And sitting down together. Yeah. She's fucked this guy. I've seen Bridgerton. I'm reading more into it. Oh my god. It's not proper to be seen doing those things, but if you can keep it quiet. That's right. If you just fuck on the stairs. That's right. Where nobody's- Where the servants certainly won't just walk in on you at any moment. And the servants, they zip lip.

Starting point is 00:32:45 And the servants who almost certainly have to clean it up. Yeah. Awful stuff. Awful stuff. But they're just servants, Dave. So who cares? Exactly. Sorry.

Starting point is 00:32:55 Don't worry about them. I forgot their place. Yeah. So that's Tom Laphroa. They saw each other a few times over a couple of months, but he moved back to London to study. Unfortunately, but he moved back to London to study. Unfortunately, so they moved apart. Jane Austen House Museum describes the parting.

Starting point is 00:33:10 He returned to London and in 1796 became engaged to a Miss Mary Paul. Paul. Paul! Wow. It all connects. She must be great. Who was the sister of a friend.

Starting point is 00:33:22 They married two years later. He rose through the ranks to become Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Wow. Very high up. Years later, when asked about Jane Austen, he said that he had loved her, although he qualified this by saying it was a boyish love. Oh, wow. I've matured.

Starting point is 00:33:39 No. What he means is I wanted to fuck Jane. Yeah. Now I'm a man, I understand that I need to marry this woman from this family or whatever Yeah, and it's probably his wife Mary was elbowing him like what the hell? Excuse me You loved her? Excuse me

Starting point is 00:33:51 It was a boy, it was just a crush, jeez nothing Yeah yeah yeah Not like you babe, you're my everything Baby you're my forever home Okay You're my whole world baby Baby you're my whole world Mary baby I love you.

Starting point is 00:34:05 Mary, Mary, baby. Mary, get me a kiss, baby. Come here. Mary, stop being so crazy. Mary, come here. Mary. So that's Tom Laffroy. As for the marriage proposal I mentioned.

Starting point is 00:34:19 Oh yeah. Austin received one from Harris Bigwither. No. Shut up, Matt. This is why I haven't read the books. I almost- These names are the dumbest fucking dumbest. I almost glossed over her personal life

Starting point is 00:34:30 because I was like, you know, it's one of those things that people speculate about, who really cares? It's not that important, but Harris Bigwither came up and I needed to mention this man's name. Mr. Harris Bigwither. He was a 21 year old six years her junior. Okay.

Starting point is 00:34:46 Oh fuck yeah. Go off. Jane was feeling the pressure of having no financial security and Harris Big Weather was due to come into a large fortune. Yeah. So she accepted the proposal but got cold feet and withdrew her acceptance the following day and ran away to lay low at a house. Oh, that rule's being like, yes, I will marry you. What am I doing?

Starting point is 00:35:09 It's like in primary school and Alex gave me a note and it had a ring in it. Oh. And I gave him back the ring the next day. Yeah. But you kept the note. I kept the note. The most precious part. He could have stolen that note from his mom, Jess.

Starting point is 00:35:24 You shouldn't have kept the note. Oh, shit. That was crazy. I should have kept the ring. You should have kept the ring. That could have been worth something. Yeah. Where did he get that from? Definitely stole it from his mum.

Starting point is 00:35:32 He stole it, yeah. That's a stolen ring. That's a full on rock. What could have been? This is his mum's engagement ring. Mum's freaking out. Insurance claim. I got five thousand dollars, oh my god!

Starting point is 00:35:41 That's how mums talk. Oh my god! Oh my god, where's it gone? Now be the mum like asking Alex if he stole her ring. Alex, now I need to sit you down and ask you a question now. You tell me the truth young man. Did you or did you not steal mummy's engagement ring? She's 25, she's a young mum.

Starting point is 00:36:01 Please I need to know where it is. If your father finds out, he'll absolutely crucify me. We can't afford a replacement. Dave has a drama degree and I love to just give him an opportunity to use the space. It's nice. I'll use the whole space. What was your favorite thing about doing a drama degree? Uh, probably lying on the floor for half an hour, pretending to be a starfish.

Starting point is 00:36:24 Yeah. Probably that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Yeah. I feel like I really became that. Yeah. That's so nice. It's really beautiful. Yeah. I love that. That's awesome.

Starting point is 00:36:33 Did you ever did that starfish? Oh, I did starfish. We actually had this class that was like Alexander technique, but I think the teacher was just kind of like, oh, who cares? And we had this bit where like you'd kind of just do yoga for a bit and then you'd get in pairs and the other person would cradle your head. Oh, that'd be nice.

Starting point is 00:36:50 Like they would take the weight of your head in their hand. You'd lie down and they would just take the weight of your head in their hands. And it was magnificent. And I was like, I love to be an actress. So to every set I go on, they do that. Guys, should we do the Alexander thing?

Starting point is 00:37:07 Should we just do a bit of Alexander technique to warm up? I'm sorry, I'm a bit of a serious actress. Thank you, Five, but if we could just do a quick. You there, Sam Worthington, hold my head. Hold my head. Sam, do you want to hold my head first, or do you want me to go first, hold your head? Sam Worthington.

Starting point is 00:37:25 Hello? Hello? Hello? Mr. Hemsworth. We're going to do a little, if you wouldn't mind holding my head. Those big arms are yours. So we're not a hundred percent sure why she knocked back the marriage proposal. There's no like real documented evidence of the reasoning, but we get some impression about how Jane felt about marriage from an 1814 letter to

Starting point is 00:37:48 a niece, Fanny Knight. This car. All right. Go on. Come on guys. It's Fanny Knight. Fanny Knight. Valentine's Day. I think the most important part about a relationship is keeping things interesting.

Starting point is 00:38:05 So we go out for dinner on Tuesdays. Thursdays is Fanny Night. Saturday night we go to movies. And that means different things for American and British listeners. I think that's fun too. That is beautiful. I think actually it's funnier if you're American maybe. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:38:22 Yeah. Fanny Night. Fanny Night. It's a real privilege. Fanny night. And then, yeah, we go to the local picture house for a Saturday night. It's nice. So, this is 1814, her letter to Fanny night. This is so many years later, but this is her talking about marriage. To her niece.

Starting point is 00:38:43 Sorry, yes, her niece. Sorry, what did I say? Oh, no, I'm her talking about marriage. To her niece. Sorry, yes, her niece. Sorry, what did I say? Oh no, I'm just confirming for myself. To her Fanny. To her Fanny. She's saying to her Fanny. I'm all hot and flustered, okay. Sorry, I'm talking about Fanny now.

Starting point is 00:38:51 You've embarrassed me. And that's private. How did you know it was Thursday? Also, podcast day. Oh, it's the podcast. I'm always very horny after the podcast. It's a big day. It's a big day Thursday for us.

Starting point is 00:38:59 So, Fanny had asked advice about a serious relationship and Jane wrote back telling her that having written so much on one side of the question, I shall now turn around and entreat you not to commit yourself farther and not to think of accepting him unless you really do like him. Anything is to be preferred or endured rather than marrying without affection. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Basically, you know, that's pretty advanced.

Starting point is 00:39:27 So she's doing love it. Advanced thinking, you'd be like, marry for love. Yeah. At least like him. At least, yeah, at least like, you gotta like the person. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which just possibly says that her proposal from Big Wither. Big Wither.

Starting point is 00:39:40 Wasn't to her liking. But so- It doesn't matter how big your wither is. It matters who the person is. That's right. And he was 21, so she was like 27. Yeah. At that age of life. That's yuck.

Starting point is 00:39:54 That's a big difference. You know what I mean? Even you go like 41 and 47, nothing. Who cares? You're the same age. 21 and 27 is, you have a lot of growing to in that time. Yep. Maybe she was just like, I think I've got to leave Harris to just like do some growth.

Starting point is 00:40:08 He needs to do a Contiki. He needs to do a Contiki. He needs to move out of home. Find yourself. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He needs to get in a share house for a bit. Learn to cook a couple of meals for yourself. Exactly right.

Starting point is 00:40:16 Make some mistakes. Yeah. Yeah. Make some mistakes. Get some dumb tattoos that you regret. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:40:22 Yep. Join a drama club. Join a drama club. Have someone hold your head. That's right. Have someone hold your head. That's right. Someone hold your head. Hold someone's head. Learn to accept someone holding your head. Learn to hold a head in your hands. Just a lot of head. Go get head. Yep. Go get head. Fanny night. Set up your own fanny night and then come back when you've got some experience. Yes.

Starting point is 00:40:42 So they never got together, Jane never married. Her sister slash bestie, Cassandra, also never married. She was engaged to a former pupil of her father, a guy called Thomas Fowle. No. Who sadly- Mr. Fowle. Mr. Fowle. No.

Starting point is 00:40:57 And it went badly for him, I'm afraid. He sadly died of yellow fever whilst they were engaged, but before they could be married. Oh, shit. Oh, okay, so she loved him. Yes, apparently. I think he was working in the Caribbean somewhere, he got ill and by the time she found out it had been months, he was dead and buried sadly. Oh that's so sad.

Starting point is 00:41:14 So yeah, from then on the two sisters were pretty inseparable and lived together a lot of their lives, which is also another reason why some of it's not documented because you're not writing a letter to someone that you're sharing a bedroom with. I just got so excited. I was like, oh my God, they lived together. Okay, maybe they were together. Then I was like, they're sisters. They're not lesbians.

Starting point is 00:41:30 They're just sisters. It's not that classic story of, yeah, my aunt Dot actually never married. She just lived with this lady Heather for like 40 years. One bedroom place. Yeah, they did everything together, Heather and Dot. Yeah. I basically thought of Heather as another auntie. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:41:46 Lovely lady. Lovely lady. It's not that. Sad they never found me. Yeah. It's so sad. Four decades alone in one way, but sad that they never had a fanny night. They went on cruises together.

Starting point is 00:41:58 All kinds. Lots of rainbow flags on their cruises. Yeah. Great time though, Sue. Lovely time. I think we should bring back lavender marriages. Don't you think? I'm not sure if I know the term. What's the lavender marriage?

Starting point is 00:42:09 A lavender marriage is a marriage between a lesbian and a gay man. Oh, OK, right. Yes. I just think that's so fun. Yeah, that's nice. That's fun for me. Like, that's fun. Like, I loved him. But I reckon the house would be cleaner if he was gay. Like, I think about my my best friend, and that's a huge stereotype, but I'm stereotyping because my best friend James, very, like he cooks, he cleans.

Starting point is 00:42:32 He's the best. And I sometimes think, oh. Should have married James. Could have married James. Yeah. But what's in it for James? We live together well. No, he gets to like have sex with whoever he wants.

Starting point is 00:42:41 And I'm there for fun. I'm like good vibe, like Lady Gaga has a new album. Yes that's right you'd be plus one for each other. What you're describing is a friendship. But we live together. Yeah you could live with you can live with friends. No. You don't have to marry a friend. I want a Lavender marriage. Slightly bigger place. I want Tim to Lavender marry me. Okay. Okay. I want him to. All right. Okay. I'll let him know. Thank you. I'll message you in a minute. Pass it on. Will you Lavender marry me? So in 1796 at about 20 years old, Jane began writing the novel that later became Sense and

Starting point is 00:43:18 Sensibility. One of the big ones. One of the big ones. It was first called Eleanor and Marianne. Oh, Sense and Sensibility's better. Because it was written as a series of letters between the two characters, Eleanor and Marianne. Oh. She also began work on what would become Pride and Prejudice, originally titled First Impressions. Huh.

Starting point is 00:43:37 What do you think about that one? I like Pride and Prejudice better. Pride and Prejudice is better, especially once you've written Sense and Sensibility. You don't need to be, you're on theme. Pride and Prejudice, it's such an intriguing title. Yeah, Sensibility. You need to be your own theme. Yeah. Pride and Prejudice, it's such an intriguing title. Yeah, I'm like, I don't understand what this means.

Starting point is 00:43:48 I'll read the book. I'll read the book. Yes, but First Impressions, you're like, well, I've had one of those. Yeah. Yeah. And they're really good. My first impression of this book, boring. Boring.

Starting point is 00:43:57 Put it down. But Pride and Prejudice, I'm hooked by the title alone. What do you mean, Pride? What do you mean, Prejudice? Yeah. She read the works in progress aloud to her family and first impressions, later P&P, became a family favourite. Her father, George, tried to get it published and wrote to a famous London publisher named

Starting point is 00:44:13 Thomas Caddell. Caddell published some of the other most famous writers of the 18th century, including Samuel Johnson, the philosopher and economist Adam Smith, the poetry of Scottish poet Robert Burns. Oh, wow. And Edward Gibbon's decline and fall of the Roman Empire, which is a very big historical text at the time. I want to be in Scotland for Burns Day one.

Starting point is 00:44:34 One day. That's what I want. Burn night or whatever they have. Friday. Fanny night. Thursday. Fanny night. That's what I'm thinking of.

Starting point is 00:44:43 Fanny night. Friday's Burns night. Where they celebrate. If it's going badly. Fanny night. Fanny night did that's what I'm thinking of. Fanny night. Friday's. Where they celebrate. If it's gone badly. Fanny night. Fanny night did not go well. That big meal. Oh my god. Oh gosh, we've got to examine our Alexander technique because that was really painful. Please continue.

Starting point is 00:44:55 The publisher. The publisher. So he's a big deal publisher. Mmm. George sent his daughter Jane's manuscript that later became Pride and Prejudice, but the publisher didn't even open it, marking it declined by return of post. Wow. What a c*** dog. Yeah, didn't even read it.

Starting point is 00:45:10 What an absolute dumb c***. Maybe it's one of those things where it's like, I get hundreds of submissions, I can't possibly read them all. So sorry. No, f*** off. But unfortunately, I don't think you would ever know how big a deal Pride and Prejudice would become, but what a fucking idiot. Yeah, yeah. You said no to Pride and Prejudice. Yeah. Anyway.

Starting point is 00:45:29 I always, I do think about that with the people who like rejected Walt Disney getting loans for Disneyland or the people who, that's multiple publishers who said no to Harry Potter. Yeah. Yeah, like you'd feel like an idiot. One of these things, would you be telling people, because it's kind of a funny story to say, I actually rejected Harry Potter, or do you feel feel like an idiot. I'd one of these things. Would you be telling people? Cause it's kind of a funny story to say, I actually rejected Harry Potter. Or do you feel like such an idiot?

Starting point is 00:45:48 Yeah, hard to say. Ah, yeah. Do you want the proximity or do you, is it too shameful? Yeah. Or is it like one of those things where you're like, you got to meet Henry. You got to meet, Hey, Henry, remember when you said no to Harry Potter? Exactly. Fucking idiot.

Starting point is 00:46:05 Yeah, exactly. Maybe friends make fun of them. So it's projected, not even open, so she went back to Eleanor and Marianne and rewrote it without the elements of Letters Back and Forth and told the story from third person, which was pretty revolutionary and something definitely that she pioneered at the time. Oh wow. A lot of stories and novels from the time were told from the first person perspective of one character,

Starting point is 00:46:28 but by introducing an omnipotent narrator, the audience, of course, was able to hear the feelings and innermost thoughts of multiple characters rather than just one. And I know this sounds so obvious to us, but it was pretty new and exciting at the time. Wow. So they weren't doing that before.

Starting point is 00:46:43 Not a very common thing, like it would be like, blah, blah, the story of a man from his perspective. Ah. But this, and like I said, this became Sense and Sensibility. It remained at the time, however, unpublished. Right. A year or two later, so she writes these full novels and then goes, well, no one wants this

Starting point is 00:46:59 up on the shelf, but she loves writing, so she goes on. A year or two later, she began working on another novel, this one called Susan. Oh, Susan. And it would later become Northanger Abbey, a coming-of-age story, which was a satire of a Gothic novel, which was also popular at the time. Oh, cool. Wow. And this was the first of her novels to be fully completed.

Starting point is 00:47:19 In 1803, the manuscript of Susan was sold to the publisher Richard Crosby for £10. Whoa. He promised to immediately publish it and even advertise the book publicly as being in the press. But for some reason, he never published it. What? So he's bought the rights. He bought it and didn't do anything with it. Didn't publish it.

Starting point is 00:47:38 Do you get the, because this is the early 1800s, 10 pound is a lot of money. It's okay money. Yeah, okay. It's okay money. It's okay money. It's not like it wouldn't be. She's not set for life money. Certainly not a year's salary even.

Starting point is 00:47:48 Yeah. But it's all right. It's like, yeah. Is it half a year's salary? I don't think so when I, because I go through some figures later on that let's remember 10 pounds and compare it. Okay, let's remember 10 pounds. Because I don't think it's that much.

Starting point is 00:48:01 But she's never, I think she's most excited about the, that she's going to be published. Yeah. It's like a dream. She's been writing her whole life up to this point. She's still very young, but it's like a dream of hers. And he just doesn't print it. And from, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but like this time women aren't being published. Like, so that's huge.

Starting point is 00:48:19 No, I mean, there are some female writers, but it's like a very small percentage. So it's a real dash to her dream No, not now. They're writing all those bloody horny mills and My gosh, I want to get my hands on those horny dragon books actually my wife loves the horny dragon What are they called? Onyx Storm That's one of the what's the That's the most recent one. Onyx Storm. We've got Fanny Knx Storm. That's one of the, what's the, that's the most recent one.

Starting point is 00:48:45 Onyx Storm, we've got Fanny Nash. Rebecca Yaris is the, is the writer. I trust your wife's taste in just about everything, so. It's funny because she's also read every single book that's ever won the Booker Prize since like the 1960s. Wow. So it's funny that she's very well read. Yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 00:49:01 With very hard to read stuff, but also loves the Horny Dragon stuff. And she tells me about it I think that's cool. You gotta have a bit of variety. Yeah, you know, I love to watch I don't love to watch high cinema I take that back. I do but I also love fast and furious One of our favorite films is Paddington 2. Yes Paddington 2 Magnolia by Paul Thomas Anderson Marcel Marcel the Shell and Fast Seven. If you have a problem with that top four, take it up with my fucking lawyer. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:49:33 So yes, that's the Empyrean series is the name of those. But they're gigantic books. I, and I say that like that's daunting. I read on a Kindle. I think it'd be okay. Yeah, but then the percentage is down the bottom and I get a bit frustrated if I'm, if I'm not far enough through. I got to take that off. I think. The Empyrean. Empyrean. Yeah, but then the percentage is down the bottom and I get a bit frustrated if I'm not far enough through. I gotta take that off, I think. The Empyrean.

Starting point is 00:49:48 Empyrean, yeah. In the first week, Onyx Storm sold 2.7 million copies. Yeah, that's awesome. I'm gonna read these. I'm gonna read them and I'm gonna write some fucking horny fucking books. Fuck. Keep going. Nice.

Starting point is 00:50:03 Nice. Okay. So, it's a real dust to a dream of being published. We're not sure why Thomas didn't publish it, but when she wrote him an angry letter demanding the return of the copyright, because she's not able to publish it while he owns it. No. He asked for the return of the £10. Fuck off.

Starting point is 00:50:20 But at that point she no longer had it, probably spending it on her life. Shoe. Or her family Family yes, right. She went Straight to strand bags Literally went to strand bags and mecca yesterday and then lulu lemon. What are you doing? Inside of a strand bag What the fuck are you doing? I was talking with mum. Inside of a strand bag. Mum loves strand bags.

Starting point is 00:50:46 To be fair, we bought matching purses. Yeah, listen, there's nothing wrong with the strand bags. I'm just surprised that a girl with, absolutely stuck to the eyeballs with July, because you've game recognized game. What are you doing in a strand bag? I'm a July girlie who wandered into strand bags. Is July another brand?

Starting point is 00:51:03 Yay, the luggage. July luggage. Sorry, more a Strandbag kind of guy. I know you are. My work bag over there is a July bag. Oh yes, you love that brand, I do know. It's a great brand. It's very functional.

Starting point is 00:51:15 Fantastic. Very expensive. Great customer service. Really? I love them. But the customer service at Strandbags would have been second to none. Hello there, can I help you?

Starting point is 00:51:26 Hi, dear. What are you going? Are you going overseas? Are you shopping with your mama? That's nice. My daughter takes me shopping sometimes too. It's nice. I love it. Mums love Strandbags. Mums love Pandora. Yeah, yep, yep, yep.

Starting point is 00:51:41 My mum got me a Pandora necklace for Christmas. And there's nothing I can do. There's nothing. I went to the Pandora, I said, you're not going to take this back off my hands without a receipt. They said no. And I said, well, I'm certainly not going to tell my mum that I do not like this Pandora necklace.

Starting point is 00:51:56 So don't worry about it. So don't worry about it. Now I've got this. It looks beautiful. How did we get onto that? How did we get onto that? Ten bucks. Ten pounds.

Starting point is 00:52:04 She went to Japan as a mechaist. She said, give me my copyright back if you're not going to publish it. She said, well, give me my ten pounds back. And she said, well, I don't have that kind of money anymore. So she wasn't able to buy it back until 1816, which is years later. So for years, Susan or Northanger Abbey remained unpublished. The first finished novel. So she's like, damn it. That sucks.

Starting point is 00:52:23 Being an unmarried woman, Jane lived with her parents up until this point and the stability and support of living with them at the Steventon Rectory made it easy to write. But when she was 25 years old, this abruptly came to an end when her father announced his sudden retirement. Right. All the sons had moved away to their own places and George announced that he was moving to Bath in Somerset. Somerset. Bath! Bath. I've been to Bath once.

Starting point is 00:52:48 I performed for about 30 people in a foyer of the theatre they'd booked for me because they misunderstood how many fans I would have in the Bath area. It was the smallest show I've ever done in my life. So they capped it at 30. They put me in a foyer. They were like, you've not sold enough tickets. We're going to put this show in the foyer. It was insane.

Starting point is 00:53:05 It was crazy. And my managers were I had a meeting the other night. They're like, do you want to go back to Bath? I was like, no. Thank you so much. That's crazy. I was going like the lights were kind of just on. They guys like, hey, guys, sorry, I know this is crazy.

Starting point is 00:53:21 Thanks for coming to see me in this hall. Hey, like I know this is crazy. Thanks for coming to see me in this hall. Hey, like I couldn't do the show. I've noticed people standing as well for some reason, but did they put chairs in there? They put chairs out, they put lights. You know, it was a real experience. It was a real, what am I doing? Do you think it would have been less weird

Starting point is 00:53:42 than doing it in the theater? And it just being 30 people in the theatre. Yeah, well I think it was about 50 people, but the theatre was for like 500 people. Yeah. Which in other places, I mean in London, that's fine. Yeah. Because we can, that's where people who know who I am live. And Bath is a much smaller population.

Starting point is 00:53:59 Bath is tiny and also like I'm going to all these towns near Bath, so a lot of people were like, just came to the other towns. Yeah. That were bigger. Anyway, it's a lovely venue, but I did not get to play it and the staff seemed disappointed in me and the bath and the guy left the reverb on my microphone for the entire. Perfect. Just what you want.

Starting point is 00:54:19 Perfect. The sound, because he wanted to give you the full hall experience, but in the foyer, he was like, let's beef up this pretty bad bit. Bath Jess is where I drove down, we were driving in our hired van. It was gigantic. Hard to drive in Bath. Oh, so hard. Particularly hard.

Starting point is 00:54:41 And I realised that I was driving down a pedestrian mall when I, in front of us, I drove up to the nativity scene. Oh! And I was like, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, we can't be here, we can't be here. So we had to like pull off the street as quickly as we could. But then we went to the baths and they're beautiful. Gorgeous. And the audio guide.

Starting point is 00:55:00 They are beautiful. Was Bill Bryson, which Matt was very excited about, one of the channels. And you can go into the big church if you just tell them you're there to pray, they can't fight you. Oh, that's a good line. Smart. I'm just here to pray. I'm not paying to go into a church.

Starting point is 00:55:13 I'm sorry. Church has enough money. It's been here a while. I'm not fucking, let me in. Fuck you. Let me have a look. I'm just going in to pray. So her dad was like, I'm moving to Bath.

Starting point is 00:55:24 Yes. Nobody else is coming with him? No. It's like, you either come with me I'm moving to Bath. Yes. Nobody else is coming with him? No. It's like, you either come with me or do whatever you can. Yeah. They're like, we've got no money. I'm retiring. Fuck you.

Starting point is 00:55:32 Bath time. Bath time. Bath time for the rest of my life. So, Jane and her sister, Cassandra, moved too, but Jane was not happy and was reportedly shocked to be told that she was moving 50 miles or 80k away from the only home she'd ever known. Yeah, wow. She's like, this is my life. I love living here, love writing here.

Starting point is 00:55:48 You can write anywhere, that's the thing, Jane. They have paper in bath. So they went... I was going to say internet, but... You shouldn't have paper in bath. Oh, that's a bad combination. It will get wet. It's probably worse to have internet in bath.

Starting point is 00:55:57 Just saying. It's probably worse to have electricity in the bath. So her productivity as a writer stalled. Before this she'd written at least three novels in three years. But in Bath she only edited Susan and started another novel called The Watsons that was later abandoned. There is disagreement though that if this lack of productivity reflects depression and stagnation after the family move, or perhaps being closer to a larger town, she was more

Starting point is 00:56:24 engaged socially and had less time to write. There's two schools of thought. Whether she's out partying or she's like I'm not feeling it I'm not happy. She was probably out partying. I hope so for her that's more fun. Yeah I think she's partying. Yeah. Social engagements. She's dancing, drinking, eating nice foods. Loving it. They got great bars in Bath. Yeah. But it's a really nice place. Great, I see she's enjoying it.

Starting point is 00:56:50 She's having a good time. Visiting the Bath, going to the church. Going to the church, saying I'm here to pray, let me in. Yeah, let me in. Going to the foyer of a plush theater. Going to the foyer of the theater. Fucking hell. That's great.

Starting point is 00:57:01 It was so- It's a fun story now, but at the time you would have been like, this, this sucks. Even at the time it was a fun story, I couldn't stop laughing. I was like, guys, what are we doing? They're coming. Fuck, fucking, yeah. Rock on. It was real bad.

Starting point is 00:57:14 Rock on, bath. Yeah, it felt bad. It felt bad. Felt bad at the time. So, things became even harder when her father suddenly died in 1899. I felt bad at the time. So things became even harder when her father suddenly died in 1805, leaving Jane, Cassandra and their mother, also Cassandra, in a precarious financial position. Wait, where are all the other sisters?

Starting point is 00:57:38 There's no other sisters. There's only, there's two sisters and everyone. Oh, the others are boys. Yeah, six boys. So they're all off doing their own thing, living with their own families, their own houses because they can do that because they can work. Yeah. Britannica writes, Jane had to put up with a succession of temporary lodgings or visits to relatives in Bath,

Starting point is 00:57:55 then London, Clifton, Warwickshire, and finally Southampton, where the three women lived from 1805 to 1809. So it was a period of upheaval in her life. Brothers Edward, James, Henry and Frank, which is four of six, pledged to make an annual contribution to support their mother and sisters. Oh, that's nice. Which is nice, but I've only realized, where are the other two? Yeah. Where are they?

Starting point is 00:58:18 You know what I'd do is I would, because you've got that many siblings, I would spend a month with each of them and just rotate around. Yeah. You're only visiting twice a year. Yeah, it's not bad. To each place. So, it's not too much of a burden on them. You're just travelling around.

Starting point is 00:58:30 Yeah, that's good. Free house. I'll help with the kids or something. Wet nurse. You'll have to be a wet nurse. I reckon I could get some going. Yeah. I'm not going to say it.

Starting point is 00:58:39 Go on, it's been a while. No. And we don't know about the size of her naturals. We have no idea and I wouldn't want to speculate No. And we don't know about the size of her naturals. We have no idea and I wouldn't want to speculate. Okay, you don't want to speculate. Yeah, I wouldn't like to speculate. I don't even know if they were naturals.

Starting point is 00:58:54 She could have had work done. We don't know. And that's fine. That's lost to the letters. And I would respect that. So, in Southampton, they shared a house with brother Frank Austin and his new wife, but it was the move in 1809 that finally brought back some stability into Jane Austen's home life when she and Cassandra and their mother moved into a large cottage on brother Edward's estate

Starting point is 00:59:13 in Choughton in Hampshire. Choughton? This is back near Steventon where she had grown up. So she's back in the same area. It was a quiet life, but now settled, Jane had a renewed sense of purpose with her writing and began to prepare Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice for publication." So she's like, cracked that old volume back on the shelf and said, hey, I'm going to rewrite this and I'm going to get it published.

Starting point is 00:59:37 Yes. Her brother Henry became a real champion for her work and acted as a go-between her and the publishers. It took two years, but Thomas Edgerton agreed to publish Sense and Sensibility. In November 1811, this was almost 15 years after she'd written the first draft and she's now 35. Wow. That's amazing. Yeah. Wow. It was published anonymously and simply the title page says, buy a lady. Oh. Wait. What? Okay, yep.

Starting point is 01:00:09 Buy a lady. It was common at the time for female- A book by a lady. Yeah, to publish anonymously. Do you have any books by a lady? Yeah, do you have any books by a lady? I only like lady books. I don't like the men books, they're too complicated.

Starting point is 01:00:22 Too many cards. They're all talking about war, I don't know what it means. I don't know what it means, I'm a book by a lazy about cleaning house. At the time, the ideal roles for women were as wife and mother. And writing for women was regarded at best as a secondary form of activity. A woman who wished to be a full-time writer was felt to be degrading her femininity. I'm saying that right. I love degrading my femininity.

Starting point is 01:00:49 I know. Imagine if those people could see what we do to our femininity now. On a Thursday night, on a funny night, I tell you what, I'm degrading my femininity and Timbs. That's crazy. Fanny night. Fanny night. I don't know what I mean.

Starting point is 01:01:08 Yeah. But so I was, I understood, like it was published anonymously. Sure, they're not going to put a lady's name on it. Nobody's going to buy that. But then it says, Bye Lady. Bye Lady. I find that very interesting. It's like, um, George Eliot, not a real, because she wanted to appear like a male author. Yeah. But in this case, it's just like by a lady. George Eliot as the middle march is her most famous work.

Starting point is 01:01:32 What? And we don't know her name. No, we do know her name, but it's... But you don't know it off by heart. That's what she's published, because she's known famously as George Eliot. Real name, Mary Ann Evans. This is the first time I've learnt that that is by a lady. Yes. Yeah. By a lady. I also have to be honest with you. I've never heard of the book. Oh, Middlemarch? I'd love

Starting point is 01:01:53 to read it, but it is literally a thousand pages. What? Oh. See, and that wasn't a sign it was written by a woman? You're going to go, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,

Starting point is 01:02:11 ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, a spring. Olive tone. Yeah, you're an olive. I'm very pink. I don't know. I need more of a coral brings out the eyes. Coral. You know? That's, that's a whole chapter, Dave. I can easily see why you get to a thousand pages. I can easily see. Without the feminist of the pod here, I'm really, I'm really giving it to women today.

Starting point is 01:02:41 Yeah. They deserve it. They've had it good, too good for too long. Five years about, around about. Yeah, they deserve it. They've had it too good for too long. Five years around. Yeah, that's enough. We're taking it back. So, it's written anonymously. Have you said that?

Starting point is 01:02:52 There were some famous female authors before who did write under their own names, including Frances Burnie, who had influenced Jane particularly when she was younger. Okay. But it was rarer. So it's more about like keeping your name off it so you're not like embarrassing yourself or your family. Yeah, particularly with your first book, you don't know how it's gonna go.

Starting point is 01:03:14 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh yeah, that makes sense. My friend changed their name for a stage name for their first ever show, cause they were really worried it was gonna go shit. And then it went really, really well. And now they have a stage name and they're completely locked in. And I met them as their stage name.

Starting point is 01:03:29 And then I finally like that, I was like, had to transfer them some money. And I was like, I'm going to use a different name. But I was like, who the fuck is Wendy? Like, I just didn't know. Like, I was like, what do you mean? Incorrect bank details. Yeah. Has this message been hijacked? Yeah. I was like, whose bank account is this?

Starting point is 01:03:46 Like, what are you talking about? Oh man. Yeah, they have a totally different name. Their parents call them their stage name. Really? Yeah. Oh wow, because that's obviously would have been a full rebrand. Full rebrand.

Starting point is 01:03:58 Because they would have known them by their original name. But they were quite young, so they were just like, oh nah, stage name. Pretty cool, actually. That is cool. Yeah. So, Sense actually. That is cool. Yeah. So sense and sensibility came out. If you're not familiar, the novel follows the three Dashwood sisters and their- Three Dash Hound sisters.

Starting point is 01:04:13 Yeah. That's- keep- you keep going, I'm gonna keep it as Dash Hound. You can see why she changed it from writing letters back and forth, because it was weird to have a couple of Dash Hounds writing letters. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They wouldn't write. They wouldn't write. They wouldn't be. Woof, woof, woof, woof, etc.

Starting point is 01:04:27 So, the three sisters and their widowed mother, as they are forced to leave the family estate in Sussex and move to a modest cottage on the property of a distant relative in Devon. Okay. They are the two eldest girls experience love and heartbreak that tries the contrasting characters of both. That's beautiful. There you go. It was published on a commission deal, meaning at the author's financial risk.

Starting point is 01:04:50 Oh. The publishers would advance the cost of publication and repay themselves as books were sold and then charge a 10% commission for each book sold, paying the rest of the author. Yeah, okay. So they pay themselves back first, and then if we break even, then I take a 10% cut.

Starting point is 01:05:06 She's getting 90% now. You get 90%. I'm pretty sure that's how books are. A lot of deals are like that, yeah. That's what my book was like. They gave me money, and they're like, and then you get money once the book earns out the advance. Right.

Starting point is 01:05:19 Yeah. I think it's the same with the recording deals, right? Often the way it's like, hey, you're on a million dollar recording deal. I'm going to need that money back. I'm going to need one million dollars. We're going to need that. Yeah, it's crazy. So, but I'm not sure if this is the same with your book, Michelle.

Starting point is 01:05:33 If a novel did not recover its costs through the sales, the author was responsible for them. Oh, no, it's not like that. No, because that's quite a risk for you. No, but that's what that's the fringe festival model. Well, sorry, you've got to pay anyone. If you don't have a manager, you know, or an agent to pay the costs, a producer, you're you're effed in the in the B.

Starting point is 01:05:55 Mm hmm. Finally not. So I didn't feel good about that one. Coming up to some dollar figures here. I didn't feel good about that one. Coming up to some dollar figures here. Okay. We're talking about 10 pounds. We're going to put 10 pounds of perspective now. So, as it was sold on commission, the publisher Edgerton used expensive paper.

Starting point is 01:06:16 Joel Edgerton. Or Taryn. Yeah. Sorry, I'm not a feminist. And used expensive paper and set the price at 15 shillings, which is equivalent to 69 pounds in 2023. Very expensive for a book. Right.

Starting point is 01:06:32 And not accessible to much of the population. You can't just like go and buy a paperback in these times. Okay. How much is a book? Normal. Wait, that's what, wait. What did you say? Wait, they're charging 69 a book? Normal. Wait, that's what, wait. What did you say? They were charging 69 per book?

Starting point is 01:06:45 Yes, that's what the publishers set the price because they wanted to get their money back. Is that a normal price? No, that's insane. 15 shillings. It was a lot because they used very expensive paper, but also it's not like you couldn't go out and buy a book for 15 or 20 dollars back then. Yeah. It was, you know, the higher earners were able to afford the books.

Starting point is 01:07:07 Right. Books were not accessible or affordable. Not to the, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like dime books, not a thing. Reviews were favorable and amongst the people that could afford the novel, it became fashionable amongst these young aristocratic opinion makers. The edition of about 750 was sold out by mid 1813, making Austen about

Starting point is 01:07:27 140 pounds profit, which is equivalent to almost 13,000 pounds today. Okay. Okay. And provided her with some financial and physiological independence. Yeah. But, so if we take that back before- To 10 pounds. 10 pounds. She only was making about 1,000 pounds

Starting point is 01:07:46 on the first deal. So like I said, not enough to keep going. No, not enough to pay rent. No. The success however, also meant she could publish more books and this is the important part. And remember she already had a few up her sleeve. So she went, here's one I prepared earlier.

Starting point is 01:08:03 You can really jump on the bandwagon. Just slapped Pride and Prejudice down on the table. Yeah, nice. It being published in 1813. Pretty much immediately. And if you're not familiar with Pride and Prejudice, I have covered it on Bookcheap. You can listen. With my wife. Oh, is that one of those? Gabriella was on that episode, yes. Cool.

Starting point is 01:08:21 It's great and it opens with one of the most... With my wife! With my wife! My wife! We've actually- she said she loves these Dragon books, these Unextorned books so much. She's like, why don't you do a spin-off show? Because she wants me to read them as well so I can talk about them with her. She's got something to chat about. That's not so that- that's not why. That's not why she wants you to read them.

Starting point is 01:08:43 The books are horny. She wants me to fuck a dragon. And I'm cool with it. She wants you to read them. The books are horny. She wants me to fuck a dragon. And I'm cool with it. She wants you to learn how to fuck like a dragon. But she's like, you could do a spin off series where we do a book cheat of these series, me and her. Does anyone want that? Let me know.

Starting point is 01:08:57 I want it. So you don't have to read the, cause there's like five or six hundred pages each. Yeah, I'm not reading that. So I'll have to read that. I don't want to listen to you guys talking about sexy dragons. I don't want to hear Dave talk about it. I'd happily hear Gabrielle talk about it. I don't think I would go into much detail about the Fanny Nights. Well then what the fuck's the point in the dragons? Oh, maybe I'll listen. I could listen to them maybe, an audiobook maybe. Really long books. I'm like, too much.

Starting point is 01:09:24 Well yeah. But then you have to hear someone describing Fanny Night. Oh no. If you're into it or not. Oh no. If it's, oh no. That's terrible. Fanny Night. Don't tell me. Don't. What? Don't act it out. My wife, I will say, my wife claims that she's like, I skipped through those bits. No, she doesn't. She, this is a quote from her. Anyone can have sex, but not everyone can ride a dragon. Get back to the fucking dragon. Honestly, honestly, I have read a long time ago, The Food Shades of Grey, and skipped

Starting point is 01:09:57 the sex scenes. Yeah, well, that's a very specific case, surely. Nah, like in all the books. But that's a lot of it though, isn't it? Yeah. But it really- It just missed a lot of the plot. It depends on, it's, okay, Mish, Wichup and I were talking about this just recently. The language used in the sexy scenes is very important and can be a total, I'm saying turn

Starting point is 01:10:19 off in a literary way, not like a, oh, I don't want to, I don't want to masturbate to this. But like, it could just be like, oh, this, nah, this is not, this is not for me. So I was just skipping. Yeah. Some really creepy things that make you cringe and go, oh. I had to write a sex scene recently and I was like, oh, this is hard. Cause I was not just writing by myself. I was writing it with my writing partner, Sam, William, who I famously don't have sex with. And I was like, oh, how do you do it?

Starting point is 01:10:50 Revealing myself, I was just like, and it's also it's a lesbian sex scene. OK. So I was like, don't worry, I got this. It was like, I'll take it from here. But it was just like, Michelle, take the day off. OK, it was just like me just writing like, so this is what I have in my personal experience. And then you sort of, you just note, you can just give notes, I guess. It's so uncomfortable. Yeah, it's very strange. So difficult. So I do understand Ella being like, I skipped those. Not into it.

Starting point is 01:11:24 And I understand why she would lie, I skipped those. Yeah. Not into it. And I understand why she would lie to you. Yeah, absolutely. So. So Pride and Prejudice. Oh, we're going on tangents today. Oh yes, we're off to Pride and Prejudice. So it's my fault.

Starting point is 01:11:32 I've got an iron fiction. Maybe. I don't know. Now, Pride and Prejudice, it's great. It really is. And it opens with one of the most famous lines in all of literature. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. Famously. Yeah. Michelle knew that word for it.

Starting point is 01:11:58 Michelle's, she's an actor. She's, you know, she just, she sees the world in scripts. I see the world in words. I see stories in the holes in walls. I see. Yeah. She sees poetry in tea leaves, you know, like it's just how Michelle sees the world. So the novel follows Elizabeth Bennet, who is a great character. Yep. Famously so.

Starting point is 01:12:23 Very, people love Elizabeth. She's one of five daughters, like I said, of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet who live in an entailed house, meaning that because the father only has daughters, it will pass on to a male relative. It becomes imperative that at least one of the daughters marry rich to support the others. Fucking hell.

Starting point is 01:12:42 And enter Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Mr. Darcy. His first name is Fitzwilliam. I'm pretty sure. I've heard the word Fitzwilliam, but is that just from Bridget Jones? Titspervert. Fitzherbert. Titspervert.

Starting point is 01:12:59 Yep. Yep. That's what I'm thinking. And that also has the same actor. That's right. Who is named- Colin Firth. And that also has the same actor. That's right. Who is named- Colin Firth. Mr. Darcy as a joke.

Starting point is 01:13:08 Yes. Mr. Darcy as a reference. As a reference, that's right. This time Pride and Prejudice wasn't sold by commission, but she sold it by selling the copyright, which means she received a one-time payment from the publisher. This time she received £110, which is actually less than she made from the last book. Shit.

Starting point is 01:13:28 Jane Austen was still, but it also means you've got a guarantee. So you've got to weigh out whether you think it's going to sell better or you can take the money now. Do you do a buy-in? Do you do, you know, your Adelaide festival or do you do your Adelaide fringe? Yeah, that's right. Will they pay you a one-off guarantee or will you risk it all and try and sell it out? Risk it all, try and sell it out. Jane Austen was still unnamed as the author,

Starting point is 01:13:50 but the title page simply says, by the author of Sense and Sensibility. A lady in brackets. By the lady author. It received good reviews, was heavily advertised by the publisher who knew he was onto a hit and sold even better than Sense and Sensibility, becoming the big hit of the summer, again amongst people

Starting point is 01:14:10 that could afford to buy books. They're not selling millions of copies back then. Yeah. But... So is it just the upper class that can buy these books making fun of the upper class? Yes. That's really funny. That's so interesting.

Starting point is 01:14:20 Yeah. Crazy that books were so inaccessible. Yeah, just the printing, the publishing cost was too much. Critic Robert Irvine calculated that if Austin had sold Pride and Prejudice on commission, she would have made a profit of £475. Remember, she only took £100 or £110, which was twice her father's annual income or four times what she'd got paid up front. Wow. So unfortunately, she didn't get a good deal that time.

Starting point is 01:14:47 Damn. It has since sold over 20 million copies and is one of the most popular and influential books in English literature. It wasn't quite that big at the time, but 10 months after the initial run, the book went into a second edition. Okay. And I'm not sure, I think they must've had to pay her again. Yeah. For a second edition. So hopefully she's making a bit more money.

Starting point is 01:15:11 The big part about it was the success again made it so that she could keep publishing. And Mansfield Park, her third novel came out in 1814. Again, the title page of each book referred to one or two of Boston's earlier novels, capitalizing on her growing reputation, but it didn't provide her name. So it's like, by the author of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, but still doesn't have her name.

Starting point is 01:15:32 Wow. Her books by this point were being read in high places, including by the Prince Regent, who was acting king during his father, this is George III's mental illness, and he himself would become future King George IV. So for all intents and purposes, he's the king. Austin discovered that the prince was a big fan and kept a collection of her books at each of his residences. Wow.

Starting point is 01:15:56 So he's buying multiple copies. Love that. James. That's like Barack Obama's Spotify playlist. Getting on there. Yeah, that's huge. There are some books that I own a physical copy of and the Kindle or I've, you know, I've done an audiobook as well as-

Starting point is 01:16:11 That's beautiful. Yeah, I just support the arts. And do you keep the Kindle at a separate house? Of course. At the summer house. I keep the Kindle at my summer house. That's when I read. Summer.

Starting point is 01:16:21 Summer. That's when you know you're rich. If you've got multiple Kindles and you can't be bothered carrying the kindle. The kindle? The 300 grams, whatever it is, from house to house. They're very bulky. Yeah. I've got one in the car.

Starting point is 01:16:32 That's like car kindle. James Clarke, the Regent's librarian, contacted Austin to invite the author to tour Carlton House, which is the Prince Regent's London residence. Now at the time, I've got to say the Prince Regent was pretty controversial, not a well-loved figure, eating and drinking excessively, having multiple mistresses, gambling, getting into debt, getting into trouble. He was a popular joke in the British tabloids, with some even portraying him as a stuffed

Starting point is 01:17:03 sausage. Oh my god. That's fun. a stuffed sausage. Oh my God. That's fun. A common representation. I like that. Yeah. I mean, Donald Trump we see as a big cheeto, so. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:17:15 Similar sort of parody levels going. And when she was invited to tour his house, digital Austin.org writes, despite her hatred for his Royal Highness due to his debauchery and mistreatment of his wife, Austin accepted the invitation. Kind of thing, you can't say no. You can't really say no. Yeah. Whilst at Carlton House, Stania Clark, this is the librarian, informed Austin that the

Starting point is 01:17:39 Prince Regent, I don't think he was home, but this is the reason that she was invited. She was advised that the Prince Regent kept a set of Austen's novels at each of his residence and by his permission, Austen was quote, at liberty to dedicate any future novel to him. Austen recognized the commercial value of such a dedication and that, and also you can't really say no again. The Prince is asking, you dedicate your next novel to me. So in her publication of her next novel, which was Emma in 1815, she wrote, to his royal highness, the prince

Starting point is 01:18:10 regent, this work is by his royal highness' permission, most respectfully dedicated by his royal highness' dutiful and obedient humble servant, the author. Again, not naming herself. This pretty over the top dedication mentions his Royal Highness no less than three times, and has since been interpreted by some as being a mockery or a bit of a piss take of the prince. Yeah, it feels like it. Of whom she detested. His Royal Highness, and his Royal Highness, and his Royal Highness. And he asked for this basically, but I'll...

Starting point is 01:18:39 Wow. Yeah. Your most humble servant. Yes. Yeah. Is it about, like, like the royal family or no? No. So Emma is a comedy of manners.

Starting point is 01:18:50 It's slightly different. So she does slightly different genre stuff, commenting upon the manners and social conventions of a greatly sophisticated and yet artificial society. Oh, Emma's clueless, isn't it? Oh. Is that right? Yes. I've got a note at the end here. Clueless. Clueless, isn't it? Oh. Is that right? Yes, I've got a note at the end here. Clueless is Emma.

Starting point is 01:19:06 That's right. Yeah. Yeah. Clueless. Perfect movie. Great movie. Emma centers on Emma Woodhouse, a wealthy, pretty, self-satisfied young woman who indulges herself with meddlesome and unsuccessful attempts at matchmaking among her friends and neighbors.

Starting point is 01:19:21 So I'm not sure if any of these jumped out to you more than others for your first Austin experience yet, Michelle. Well, maybe I'll read Emma because I love Clueless. That's a good entry, I think. Yeah. Austin continued to write, but in early 1816. So she's on this run where she's writing one and publishing one every year. That's crazy.

Starting point is 01:19:40 For three or four years in a row. But in early 16, she became ill. By the middle of that year, her decline was unmistakable and she'd begun a slow, irregular deterioration. No, how old is she? She's 40 at this age. Oh my God. I mean, just 10 to 40.

Starting point is 01:19:59 As her illness progressed, she experienced difficulty walking and lacked energy. By mid-April, she was confined to her bed. No! In May, Cassandra brought her to Winchester for treatment. Still, she continued to write and until August of that year, worked on what would become her novel, Persuasion. Again, covered on Bookcheat with Jess Berkins and Broden Kelly. Mm-hmm.

Starting point is 01:20:18 Episode 10. Check it out. Yep. Know it well. Where were we? The old studio maybe? Yeah, I think the second studio. No recollection, I'm so sorry. This was the same year that she was able to finally get the copyright back for Northanger Abbey and also edited that, but sadly neither that or Persuasion were published in her lifetime because all good things must come to an end.

Starting point is 01:20:44 Fucking hell, she fucking died in her 40s. Jane Austen died in Winchester on the 18th of July, 1817 at the age of just 41. Jesus Christ! What? What off? Very suddenly, yeah. What from? Oh my God. COVID.

Starting point is 01:20:57 There's a lot of speculation about what Jane Austen died from. Fuck, so we don't fucking know. Fuck! Dave, this is a terrible ending. No, you've taken this so hard Which is gone you started with like never read a donated not interested whatever Dave how dare you kill her? I really like it now. She seems cool people have said it's possibly Addison's disease possibly Hodgkin's disease but um

Starting point is 01:21:23 Yeah, this is all looking back and that's still debated. Some other people say it's tuberculosis. That's a classic. Which can cause Addison's disease. Oh, God. But then there's other hypotheses. Stomach cancer because she had digestive disorders towards the end. Pernicious anemia to explain other symptoms. Yes, it's- Does she have an eye infection? Not sure. Did it say anything about her eye watering?

Starting point is 01:21:51 Yeah, it did say something about her left eye actually. Were her eyes okay? Oh no. Oh no. Sorry. Oh no. Addison's disease. I'm just Googling.

Starting point is 01:22:00 I'm just going to try and figure out what it was. You talk amongst yourselves. I mean, you'd be there for a while because there are so many conflicting theories. Henry, her brother, through his clerical connections, arranged for his sister to be buried in the north aisle of the nave of Winchester Cathedral. The epitaph composed by her brother, James James praises Austen's personal qualities, expresses hope for her salvation and mentions the extraordinary endowments of her mind, but does not explicitly mention her achievements as a writer.

Starting point is 01:22:37 So it's not even mentioned. So she must have, what, was she trying to keep it to herself? No, she was pretty happy to be published and the family absolutely knew about it. Wow. But the question is how are we still talking about her over 200 years later? Well, in the months after Austin's death in 1817, Cassandra and Henry Austin arranged for the publication of Persuasion and Northanger Abbey as a set. They came together. A biographical note on the author was included and finally Jane Austin was

Starting point is 01:23:10 named as the writer of her own work. Wow. But only after she passed, unfortunately. Sales were pretty good, but with the death of the author, by 1820 her novels went out of print. A few educated literati types from the literary elite were fans and advocated for the importance of her work over the decades following, but in the mainstream they were largely ignored and she was forgotten for a few years. People needed pictures! The first illustrated-

Starting point is 01:23:38 That's when the Marvel ones came in, comics and shit. The Hulk as Emma. And that's the Brontonte sisters, isn't it? They were doing the Marvel ones. Yeah, that's, yeah. The Brontes are famous for the Avengers. Yeah. The MCU.

Starting point is 01:23:52 They are the original MCU, the three sisters together. It's incredible, really. The first illustrated edition of Jane's work appeared in 1833 in Richard Bentley's standard novel series, which put her titles before thousands of readers across the Victorian period. As time goes by, or it went by, it became cheaper to print. And now there's, there's illustrated editions, the masses, it's a bit more accessible. But she was really put on the map a few decades after that, when in 1869, Austen's nephew,

Starting point is 01:24:23 James Edward Austen- Lee, published a book called A Memoir of Jane Austen. The memoir gained widespread attention, introducing the broader public to her works, and gradually this led to her novels being reissued again. It also introduced her to the wider public as an appealing personality, quote unquote, Dear Aunt Jane. Probably how you imagine her wearing a bonnet with the personality of a lady who didn't want publication of fame in her lifetime, despite the fact that she wrote and pushed

Starting point is 01:24:52 for publication her whole life. It was like her dream. So this sort of portrayed her in a different way. Wow. As a bit like, oh, who me? I'm just a little dear old Aunt Jane. Just a nice little lady. I don't like that.

Starting point is 01:25:05 I wouldn't write sassy letters and bitch about people. Yeah. So that was, and she's still seen that way in a lot of contemporary portraits of her wearing the bonnet. Austen's novels were taken to the next level when they fell out of copyright, of course, and were able to be mass printed for cheap and sold for pennies, becoming one of the first successful paperback novels. During World War I, her novels were sent out to soldiers in the trenches

Starting point is 01:25:27 to offer them some distraction from the horrors of war. Wow. God. They should send us all novels. Yeah. To distract us from the horrors. I love a little novel. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:25:40 There's an election coming up soon. Albanese, if you listen. Albo, send us a novel. Let's get some novels happening. And her allegiance of fans began to grow over each of those incidents over the decades. And if I had done this as Dugo on the quiz show on Jane Austen, I would have asked you this question.

Starting point is 01:25:58 Multiple choice. What do you think devotees and fans call themselves? Oh, Austeneers. That's good, that's good. Janeheads. Austent Austineers. That's good. That's good. Janeheads. Austentatious. Austentatious.

Starting point is 01:26:08 Oh God. You've got multiples. Janeites, Austenauts, JAs or Jars, or Tatians. Austentations, I thought that was... Any of those.

Starting point is 01:26:20 It's gonna be Austenauts or something, isn't it? It's actually Janeites. Janeites. Which I, isn't it? It's actually Jainites. Jainites. Which I thought is so funny. So we've got Wednesday night as Jainite, Thursday's Fanny night. And the history of the term is actually so funny. It's really tickled me. So Jane, and it's also called Jane-itism.

Starting point is 01:26:45 Jane-itism did not begin until after the publication of her nephew's memoir, when the literary elite felt that they had to separate their appreciation of Austin from that of the masses. Members of the literary elite who had claimed an appreciation of Austin as a mark of culture reacted against this popularization of her work. They refer to themselves as J-Nights to distinguish themselves from the masses who in their view did not properly understand the work of Jane Austin. Wow.

Starting point is 01:27:16 So she got popular after death and people were like, okay, but you're not a real J-Night. Yeah. Name one of their songs. Yeah. Name them all. What was Sense and Sensibility originally called? But you don't even know. It was originally letters, you don't know that, did you? Crazy. Take off that T-shirt. So. Take off that Jane Austen T-shirt.

Starting point is 01:27:31 Yeah. People do not change. I know, it's so funny. We're the fucking same. Yep. We're the worst, but we're also like, sometimes there are things that humans do and you go, that's just, that's silly and cute.

Starting point is 01:27:43 Wasn't Matt telling us about people applauding a sunset? Yes, he was up in Darwin. He was up in Darwin at the sunset and everyone applauded and I was like, what the fuck is wrong with humans but it's so cute. Well, we did a whole bonus episode about telling the bees and a whole cultural practice for a very long time of letting the bees know when somebody in the family dies. You have to go down and tell the bees. What?

Starting point is 01:28:07 And within 24 hours or they may become depressed or possibly stop making honey and leave. You gotta tell the bees. You gotta warn them, it's like, I'm so sorry to let you know that you won't be seeing Aunt Mary anymore because she's passed. And it's one of those things,

Starting point is 01:28:19 if you're in the right, it depends on your mood. Sometimes you go, what the fuck is wrong with you? But other times you're like, oh, that's cute. I think that's so funny. I think that's so beautiful and poignant and beautiful. Yeah, humans are so cute weird. But we also have been the same for such a long time. Oh, you like this thing now?

Starting point is 01:28:34 Oh, so now this is hugely popular? Yeah, well, I actually liked it before you liked it, which means I'm better. I'm better and you don't even like it. I was writing about sexy dragons way before you. Okay. Way before you. So by the mid 20th century, she was recognised and accepted in academia as a great English

Starting point is 01:28:52 novelist worthy of the untold studies, reviews and reimaginings of her work. Jane's books have since been translated into almost 50 languages and their work has inspired countless adaptations, biographies, documentaries, and reimaginings. And these pop culture adaptations continue to introduce her work to new audiences, new generations. By 2000, there were over 100 printed adaptations of Austen's work. And to name but a few of the pop culture screen adaptations,

Starting point is 01:29:21 it starts way back in 1940. There was an American Pride and Prejudice film starring Greer Garson as Elizabeth Bennett and Laurence Olivier as Mr. Darcy. Oh, wow. And Brave New World writer Aldous Huxley co-wrote the screenplay. So there you go. Huh.

Starting point is 01:29:35 In 1995, Emma Thompson's adaptation of Sense and Sensibility for Columbia Pictures directed by Ang Lee came along, starring Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant. It was nominated for seven Oscars. Very popular. Wow. And it was a big year in 1995 because Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth in a wet white shirt in a lake came out and sparked Darcy Mania across Britain. It's serious.

Starting point is 01:29:58 So they went wild for him. Yeah. But it's just funny because like, I love Colin Firth, but I don't want to fuck Colin Firth. I think we're too young. I would say, because he's always seemed like a dad to me. Yeah, he was always a bit older, but. And he's quite sort of like reserved

Starting point is 01:30:14 and he feels a bit repressed, but he's warm. Yeah, a bit rigid, yeah. Yes, yeah, there's sort of like, I think to me he feels like his character in Bridget Jones, where he's like quite proper and bleh, but you break through a little bit and he's warm and lovely. Yeah. But I'm not like, oh sparked an explosion in the publication of printed Austin adaptations. This and it really kicked off a Zenith for screen adaptations as well.

Starting point is 01:30:50 Cause in 1996, Emma was adapted twice in one year. Wow. One with Gwyneth Paltrow in the lead. And the other was a TV movie with Kate Beckinsale. Oh shit. And co-starring Mark Strong, Ake Merlin from Kingsman. Country roads. Take me home. He's doing John Denver in a Scottish accent. Very good stuff.

Starting point is 01:31:09 That is pretty good. I saw a rumor online that he's going to possibly be Dumbledore on the Harry Potter reboot. Oh, I saw that too. I saw that. Yeah. Wouldn't that be great for him? I'd be great for him. Love that guy.

Starting point is 01:31:20 Love you, Mark Strong. They're also looking at, is it John Lithgow or something like that? Get fucked. Really? Yeah. Great. Great actor. Love John Lithgow.

Starting point is 01:31:30 I know. It's a good get for character actor, the old Harry Potter franchise. Yeah, because obviously so many characters. Yeah. Well. I reckon I might get the call-up for Harry himself. I reckon you'll get the call-up for Harry. I'm about down in your Red Cliffs age.

Starting point is 01:31:43 I could do it. Yeah, you could do it. Yeah, you could. He was good enough, what's wrong with me? What? He did it. He did it. We're the same age. Some other movies inspired by us, you've already mentioned Clueless in 1995,

Starting point is 01:31:59 Emma in a Beverly Hills High School, Bridget Jones Diary borrowed its basic plot elements from Pride and Prejudice and again starred Colin Firth as Mark Darcy named in deliberate homage to the original character. Okay. Okay. Hugh Grant's in that franchise as well. Yes. Love Hugh Grant.

Starting point is 01:32:17 Hugh Grant. Hugh Grant. See, I wanna have sex with Hugh Grant. 100%. Oh, okay. I don't think. So he's not too old. Oh, okay. Yeah, no, it's not an age. And that's what made me realize. It's not age.

Starting point is 01:32:28 That's just kind of offensive to Colin. No, there's nothing wrong with Colin Firth. I'm going to marry Colin Firth. Oh, good one. I'm going to fuck you, Grant. Fuck you, Grant. Not Mark Strong. Don't kill Mark Strong, please. No. I'm going to kill...

Starting point is 01:32:41 Well, Jane Austen's already dead. Yeah, so kill Jane Austen. Kill her off. I feel no guilt. No offense. But I did really get upset when Jane Austen's already dead. Yeah, so kill Jane Austen. Kill her off. Feel no guilt. No offense. But I did really get upset when I found out she was dead. Even though she is obviously dead. Sorry.

Starting point is 01:32:52 Sorry to be the bearer. But you wanted to die at like 100 years old. 41, that's awful. In her sleep, you know, yeah. And in that, she already wrote six absolute bangers. Six classics. So incredible, imagine what she might have given us. Possibly more.

Starting point is 01:33:04 I wish that people didn't have to die. Like Jane Goodall, she's 90 I think. I'm like, can we keep her going? Mm-hmm. Can we sort that out before she goes? Because I really like her. Another adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was released in 2005 starring Keira Knightley who was nominated for an Academy Award for her betrayal of Elizabeth Bennet. Really? Keira Knightley! who was nominated for an Academy Award for her betrayal of Elizabeth Bennet. Really? Keira Knightley.

Starting point is 01:33:27 I might re-watch that. I want to watch it. I want to see Matthew McFadden's also. Yeah. He's Mr. Darcy with big sideburns. Yeah. He's a real brooder. Yes.

Starting point is 01:33:36 And that's why I was like, I don't get the Mr. Darcy thing. Maybe I have to read the book. Nah, people are going to come for me at that. It's fine. I might have opinions. Read the book or listen to the book that. It's fine. I might have opinions. Read the book or listen to the book sheet. Yeah. You're allowed to have opinions.

Starting point is 01:33:49 No, Michelle, that's not true. Well, Dave's allowed. Dave's allowed. Thank you. And I share all of Dave's opinions. Exactly. All of them. Thank you.

Starting point is 01:33:59 And that's Mr. Darcy. That's an absolute stunner. Deluxe. Ah, 2004, a Bollywood-style film called Bride and Prejudice came out. I've seen Bride and Prejudice. Oh, really? Is it fun? Yeah, I love it. I love the Bollywood vibe.

Starting point is 01:34:12 Yeah, the poster looks really fun. Lots of colors. Yeah, the poster's so colorful. I just like colors and movement. I'm like a dog. You're like a toddler. Yeah, like I'm not, you know, I want a movie that's set in the sunshine.

Starting point is 01:34:24 Yeah. I'm not, you know, I want a movie that's set in the sunshine. Yep. I'm not interested in like snow. It's true. I'm with you. What am I going to do? Watch what? The snow movie? Fuck off. Snow Dogs?

Starting point is 01:34:39 No. Starring Paul Walker. No thanks. God. You're a rusted piece. I feel like Dave's close to the end. Oh I'm so close actually. I'm close to the edge. In 2016 the parody comedy horror film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies came out.

Starting point is 01:34:56 It's also based on a book. Is it just Pride and Prejudice but there's also Zombies? It's the same story. Yes, I'm pretty sure it's very similar to that. And the or like the book I'm gonna get the author's name here I think that's very fun because it says Pride and Prejudice and zombies novel by Seth Grahams myth and Jane Austen Okay, she gets the profile against the grahams. Hope she's getting some royalties. Yeah That rules. She's a bit fun. I haven't seen it, but you know now I'd be interested

Starting point is 01:35:23 Hmm There's honestly so many and I did hear an academic say that nearly all of the adaptations use bigger houses and give the people way more money than the middle-class people that the books are supposed to portray. Okay. There's often a few people with very large mansions, but then they give everyone like a homestead. Yeah, okay.

Starting point is 01:35:41 And the academic's like, oh, I don't believe that. I guess because we don't understand that having just like a house back then was very fancy. Yeah, having a house and like having one made one cook or something. Yeah. Versus where we're like, oh, must have been Buckingham bloody palace out there. Yeah. So Jane Austen's legacy lives on.

Starting point is 01:36:02 In 1967, she was commemorated with a plaque in the famous Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey. In 2007, on the 200th anniversary of the author's death, she was unveiled as being on the new English 10-pound notes, becoming the first female writer. That's cool. Following in the steps of Shakespeare and Charles Dickens to feature on a banknote.

Starting point is 01:36:23 Now a quote is included on the note and it's from Pride and Prejudice and it says, I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading, which the Guardian remarks at first seemed like a good choice. However, the words were spoken by one of Austin's most deceitful characters, Caroline Bingley, who has no interest in books. She is just sidling up to Mr. Darcy, who she would like as a husband. Yeah. And he is reading a book. So she sits next to him and is a bit like, oh, what you're doing. I love reading. Oh, you're a reader? Oh, my gosh, I have to read all the time. I love to read. I'm prolific. So it's a bit ironic that that is the quote that is included from this amazing author. That's really funny. In 2003, the BBC conducted The Big Read to find out the UK's most loved books and Pride

Starting point is 01:37:10 and Prejudice came second only behind The Lord of the Rings. That's pretty good. The Lord of the Rings. I will never read that. No, too long. Too long. It's for boys. It's for boys.

Starting point is 01:37:24 And there's a movie. And I've watched that and I fall asleep every time. The music is so beautiful. Yeah, great music. And the landscape, I'm like, oh, I'm safe. I'm warm. I'm going to sleep. It's so nice.

Starting point is 01:37:38 It's too nice. Too nice. Too nice. Yeah. Never made it up to the wall bit. You wake up and there's like millions of people fighting. Oh my God. Too nice. Too nice. Yeah. Never made it up to the war bit. Yeah. When there's a war. You wake up and there's like millions of people fighting. Oh my god.

Starting point is 01:37:48 Oh, too much. Oh my god, there's a big volcano. Turn it off. Sadly, like many of the greats, Jane Austen never knew the true extent of the enduring legacy she was leaving behind. Her works continue to be discussed, debated, and of course enjoyed. Austen's writing stands out for its comedy, self-awareness, and realistic detailed portrayals of characters and their relationships. Britannica sums up her achievements, although the birth of the English novel is to be seen in the

Starting point is 01:38:13 first half of the 18th century, primarily in the work of Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, and Henry Fielding, it is with Jane Austin that the novel takes on its distinctly modern character and the realistic treatment of unremarkable people in the unremarkable situations of everyday life. Stanford English professor Alex Wallach writes, Austin is one of the biggest literary figures in English. At this point, she is somewhat like Shakespeare. Her centrality is so established. Therefore, it is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen rules. The end. Yay! Well done, Jane Austen. Well done, Jane Austen.

Starting point is 01:38:47 Way to go. Wow. Yeah. So that's a bit about it, but there's also like a lot of facets of her life we don't know much about because it is undocumented in personal life. So. Which is kind of cool. Yeah, a little bit of mystery, a little bit of intrigue in there as well.

Starting point is 01:39:04 In this day and age where we document everything, it's kind of nice to be like, we don't know much about it. Yeah. I like that. Private. She's beautiful. We know how prolific she was. Yeah. And thank, in a way, thank goodness she was that she wrote so much of it at an early age so she could publish those books because she wouldn't have known this of course, but she was going to die so young. Yeah. Yeah. I wonder if that was young back then. Maybe it wasn't.

Starting point is 01:39:29 Like, I think it was still young, but it's probably not crazy notable, you know? And maybe it's like dying at 60 now. Like it's like, oh, that's so young, but it's not like dying at 20. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. I think we're still at this point, we're still at a tragic age to die. Oh yeah, it's tragic.

Starting point is 01:39:49 It's tragic. It's tragic. It will be tragic. Tragic wife. In the 1850s, the average age of death was 42, but more than 25 percent of children died before the age of five. So that's why it was the average. Yeah. For those who survived, the average of death was closer to 57. Yeah, okay, yeah, so she was young. Yeah, but um, that's sad. Yeah, that's sad. But, you know, her works live on and like,

Starting point is 01:40:17 they were probably, it's a crazy thing to think about, there probably wouldn't be a moment ever now that where someone's not reading her work. Yeah, that's crazy. Which is wild. That is. Yeah. Wow. That's magnificent. Good. Yeah. Good on her. Good job. Good for her. Well, I'm going to read one of these little books. Get on to it. Everyone thinks it's so bloody good. You'll find out. I'll be the judge of that.

Starting point is 01:40:38 See if you get hooked. Yeah. I'm excited. Nice. There's so much for you to discover. I know. It's so nice. I'll do it, I'm gonna do another one on Bookcheat soon, so. Have you done, unrelated, have you done Little Women? I haven't, no, I've got a copy of it though. Who is that by, a Bronte sister? Louisa May Olcott, I believe her name is.

Starting point is 01:40:58 There's more of these women. Is that Bronte, no, Little Women is American. Is it? Is that correct? Yeah, that's right. Yeah. I, um, Little Women is American. Is it? Is that correct? Yeah, that's right. Yeah. I've never watched Little Women. Never seen Little Women? I don't like anything from before 1981.

Starting point is 01:41:14 Okay. As in watching. Yeah, yeah. Oh, set the setting, okay. Set, yeah. I'm always like, ah. I'm the same, but I did love Greta's Little Women. Yeah, I should watch it.

Starting point is 01:41:29 That one's great. Oh yeah, I watched it. That was good. It's really nice. I don't know why I'm so biased. I need to sort it out. I know I'm wrong. I just want to say that.

Starting point is 01:41:37 I know I'm wrong. One thing I struggle with is I can't help but be watching it, obviously, through a modern lens and the whole like, I'm just a woman and I can't, I'm lost without a man. I'm like, oh, I have no interest in this. Yeah. The stakes don't feel real. I also don't like the language and I don't like what you're wearing and I'm always like, come on, let's, come on. Okay, there's not a lot left if you don't like the characters, what they're wearing or what they're saying.

Starting point is 01:42:00 I don't like the look of the scenery. I think you possibly would enjoy Pride and Prejudice a bit more because they are making, she's making fun a bit of that stuff. Yes. I'm going to watch Pride and Prejudice. I'm going to watch it too. Not going to read it, but I'll watch it. I'm going to watch Pride and Prejudice.

Starting point is 01:42:14 I'm going to read Emma. Yeah, good one. That sounds like a good one. That's my pledge. That's my pledge. Hold her to that. Okay. And maybe I'll do Sense and Sensibility on Bookcheek.

Starting point is 01:42:24 Yeah. There you go. We've done it. Beautiful. We it to that. Okay. And maybe I'll do Sense and Sensibility on Bookcheek. Yeah. There you go. We've done it. Beautiful. We've done Jane Austen. We did it. Move on.

Starting point is 01:42:32 Let's do the Brontë Sisters next. To the Brontë Sisters. How about before we get to everyone's favourite section of the show, we're going to tell everyone that Michelle, you are... On tour! On tour! On tour! As the French say.

Starting point is 01:42:42 Yeah. That's how they say it. That's how they say it. That's how they say it. Yeah. You've got shows in various places. Tell us about them. I'm doing show in Adelaide. I'm doing several shows in Adelaide actually.

Starting point is 01:42:52 Um, one of them is at the Adelaide Fringe. Very, very excited. And the, um, I'm an ambassador for Adelaide Fringe. So please get along to the Adelaide Fringe. Love the Fringe. Absolutely adore it. Got my start there. Adore it.

Starting point is 01:43:03 I'm very excited. And then, um, I am going to Perth and Canberra. And then the other Adelaide shows are secret, but you'll find out about them if you go to my newsletter. Oh, very exciting. And to sign up. But you could, as always, get my book and give it five stars on Goodreads. That's an activity. That's just an activity suggestion. And sign up for my newsletter. Yeah, you got something. You got a quiet weekend and you're like, what am I going to do this weekend? Get Michelle's book, give it five stars and a newsletter.

Starting point is 01:43:30 Yeah, sign up for the newsletter. Absolutely do that. Stream my music on the internet, just generally contribute to my income streams and general well-being and sense of confidence. Yep. That would be great. That would be great. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:43:44 Yeah. It's a bit much for me to mention that I'm also on tour. It is a bit much. Yeah, we are going to have to move on. Um, no, go on. Tell us about it. I'm also going to be in Adelaide for The Fringe. Yes.

Starting point is 01:43:57 Hell yeah. And also for the Adelaide Festival, I'm doing a live book cheat for Writers Week on- Oh, that's great. Isn't it a bit of fun? Yeah. Thursday, the- March the 6th, and's great. Isn't it a bit of fun? Yeah. Thursday, March the 6th, and I might even tell you

Starting point is 01:44:07 about the day of the Triffids. I've decided what I'm gonna do there, but I haven't- Oh. You know that, so you can get tickets for that at the Adelaide Festival, but I'm gonna be the same week at the Fringe Festival doing my new show with Sammy Peterson. Dave Warnock, he dates the entire audience.

Starting point is 01:44:20 Fun. And interact with the show where you are on your phone, tell us what you wanna do next, and see if we fall in love. That's beautiful. That's in Adelaide and then there's one night only in Sydney that's on March the 15th and then I'm doing the first two weeks with Sammy at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and I'd love to see you there. Can't wait. Would I be, do you think I'd be one of like, what I was about to say was going to sound really rude. I want a few people to see the show 10 years ago. Yeah, but that's not what I meant.

Starting point is 01:44:50 I meant like to see both. Like I, you know, I've been a fan of yours for 10 years. Yeah, that's lovely. Most of your fans drop off at about five year mark. Most of them are dead. Oh yeah. Most of them have died. You let them down.

Starting point is 01:45:00 Early on you were really appealing to 90 year olds. Yeah, really. That was my demographic. And I thought, because I thought these people have money. Yeah. Who's got money? The old. Few of them left me in their will, which has been nice. That's good.

Starting point is 01:45:12 But now the income has stopped. Yeah. So I need to go to a younger audience, but not too young because I will be dating them. 18 plus please. 18 plus please. We want these dates to be appropriate. So yeah, can I also say for Melbourne International Comedy Festival, I will be doing on the 19th of April, Comedians on Stage auditioning for musicals.

Starting point is 01:45:30 It's one night only, it always sells out, it's fucking packed. If you don't get a ticket, there's nothing I can do, but it will be at the festival club. It's really fun. It's really fun. Be there. Be there or be square. Absolutely. So, it's time now, I believe, to move on to everyone's favourite section of the show. Be there or be square. Absolutely. Oh so

Starting point is 01:45:45 It's time now I believe to move on to everyone's favorite section of the show the what the moment that people have been waiting for they've waited Through all this Jane Austen bullshit To get to the patreon section of the show, which I believe just has a jingle that might go a little something like this Fact, quote or question? If we were auditioning, would we have got the job? No. Damn it. We are not good singers.

Starting point is 01:46:13 But we are very attractive. Everyone can technically sing. Jess is good at harmonising. No, I'm not. She is. Well, I am if I've heard the harmony many, many times and I can copy it. But then if Michelle harmonises with me, I then follow Michelle. So I'm, you know, I think you're really good at holding your own on a melody

Starting point is 01:46:28 when I take a harm and not everyone can do that. Again, only if I know the song very well. Well, that's fine. That's something anyway, but practice, honestly, when Michelle says I've done, well, singing something I go like, but inside of go, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I go home, I tell Aidan about it. This feels so fucking good right now.

Starting point is 01:46:49 I feel so good. This feels so fucking good right now. I want to be a great singer and I do nothing about it. So, yes, this is a section where people get to submit facts, quotes, questions, brags, suggestions. What did we have recently that was a first? We had a definition We've had anecdotes. We've had banter. We've had anything So this is really up to the people who support us at do go on pod

Starting point is 01:47:12 No at patreon.com slash to go on pod. That's right on the Sydney Sheinberg level or above is that correct? For a fresh out of this for this off of the foot. Yes, Sydney's time at the deluxe package, that is. That's right. So we've got three. Do you want to take turns, Dave? Or do you want me to read them? Oh, absolutely. I've got it open.

Starting point is 01:47:32 I'll kick us off. Our first fact-quote question comes from Colin Wright. Colin has given themselves the title of... Oh, you also get to give yourself a title. Colin's title is Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy and one half of the Bragg Brothers. Oh, it's exciting is master of science in marriage and family therapy and one half of the brag brothers. Ooh, it's exciting.

Starting point is 01:47:48 Brague away. And, uh, Colin has given us a farewell. Interesting. Oh, is he leaving the Patreon? No, he's, it looks like it's a, it says in brackets, moved to dreamboat. I think he is downgrading on Patreon, which is absolutely fine. It's also fine to leave Patreon. I don't think it's fine. I think he should keep supporting you. I felt bad about that. So that's why I was like, oh, is he leaving Patreon?

Starting point is 01:48:13 Yeah, because imagine if you said, is he dying? And then his whole thing is about how he's been given months to live and you'd feel really bad. We would have to take it out. We would edit that out. Yeah, you're right. Okay. But, oh, it's a long one. Here we go. Hi gang. This fact quota question comes to you in three mostly brief parts.

Starting point is 01:48:29 Number one, over two years ago now, I bragged on here that I'd gotten into a very competitive marriage and family therapy master's program. Since then, I think I've been too busy to write in much, but as you may have surmised from the title, I am now done with the program and I'm a licensed practicing therapist. Woohoo! You guys and the pod have provided a lot of much needed levity after managing some tough stuff in my work. At number two, this will be my last fact, quote a question for the foreseeable

Starting point is 01:48:54 future. So thanks for all the great times and shout out to Lee, the other half of the Bragg brothers who got me onto the pod with the Annie Oakley episode back in the day. I'll miss being on the Sydney Sheinberg Memorial rest in peace level, but I will still be in the triptych club since I can never leave, but why would I want to? Correct. Exactly, Colin.

Starting point is 01:49:14 And three, finally, since I love you guys in the most healthy parasocial way possible, will you tell us about a childhood memory from each of you that always brings some warmth and joy into your soul when you think of it. We always ask people to answer their own question and Colin has done that. One of mine is playing Lego with my brothers in our old farmhouse in Wisconsin. Every minifigure we owned was a unique individual with a complicated backstory and narratives that intertwined and spanned generations. Those stories helped us become as close as we still are today.

Starting point is 01:49:44 That's so nice! That's really sweet. Wow. and spanned generations. Those stories helped us become as close as we still are today. Oh my gosh, that's really sweet. Wow. Okay, does anybody have a childhood memory that brings you warmth? Just because of the toy factor there, I've got one of, we had Action Man. Yeah. Remember Action Man?

Starting point is 01:50:02 Yeah. Kind of like a G.I. Joe sort of Ken doll sized guy. He just reminded me of one of my, yep, go. I have a memory of me and a friend from primary school sticky taping string to Action Man and sticky taping string to the fan in my bedroom. I'm putting it on high. And just watching it fly. Like so dangerous. I'm putting it on high. I'm just watching it fly. Like so dangerous.

Starting point is 01:50:27 I could have smashed the window. I was just going, Woo! Yeah, Ken man! Yeah. So that thing. And I hadn't thought about that. Colin's memory made me think of that.

Starting point is 01:50:35 So thank you. Cause I hadn't thought about that a long time. That's really nice. Your memory reminded me, I had one ready to go, but another one is, they're both about my brother, but I had, I had a lot of Barbies and I only had one Ken. I was less interested in Ken, but Ken's head popped off and we couldn't try as we might, we couldn't get Ken's head to stay on. So we had a funeral for Ken. My brother is seven years older than me too. So you have to remember he's probably

Starting point is 01:51:02 like preteen or almost a teenager. We've gone out into the backyard and he's buried Ken in the backyard, but stuck his arm out. So there was just a little Ken doll arm sticking out in the backyard. Very funny stuff. That's so good. Very cute. I love that. Michelle, do you have a memory you would like to share? I spent my childhood in the willow trees around the lake, which is true. But yeah, I was literally just sitting there trying to think of like, what's a nice childhood memory? And I was like, you literally spent it in the trees on your own, which is strange and

Starting point is 01:51:36 odd and has, has forced me to sort of confront some stuff about why I'm in such an attention seeking profession. But I think we're like the, the best one is like when I was, I don't know, like nine years old, my brother snuck me into the cinema. My brother's a lot older than me and he snuck me into the cinema to see Austin Powers. Oh, that is, yeah, baby. That's awesome. And I was like, what?

Starting point is 01:52:00 I had no idea anything could be this cool. And it was one of the happiest moments of my entire life. Being the younger sibling rules. Yeah, it's really good. It's the only way to do it. I wouldn't do it anyway. We're three youngest here. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:52:15 But Michelle and I being, well, Michelle's siblings are a lot older and my brother's seven is- 15 and 12 years older than me. Yeah. Your sister and you are a bit closer in age. So it's still the youngest is absolutely the best, but having quite a lot older siblings, you get to do stuff that you shouldn't be able to do, but your parents also kind of allow it.

Starting point is 01:52:34 They're just like, Oh, whatever. Go on. My sister took me to see Cruel Intentions in 1999. I was like, I don't know, eight. Like I was very young. Had a lot of questions coming out of the cinema. Yeah. No, I had no questions. I was like, I get it know, eight? Like I was very young. Had a lot of questions coming out of the cinema. Yeah. No, I had no questions. I was like, I get it. I get sex now. This all makes complete sense to me.

Starting point is 01:52:51 And perhaps that's why I spent the rest of my childhood in those willow trees. Wise beyond my use. That's so nice. Thank you, Colin. Dave, do you want to read one? Do you want me to keep going? Yes. Now I've got one from Sophie Tudor here who has given themselves the title of group mum, obviously. We love Sophie's work. We love Sophie. In the group as the group mum.

Starting point is 01:53:10 Now it's a question. The question is, I asked this in the Facebook group and got so many replies, so I thought I'd ask you guys too. If I was coming to your local area, what would you recommend I do slash see and where would you recommend I go for a meal? I love this. Sophie's answered their own question. My answer is my actual town has nothing, but in the surrounding areas, there are stunning countryside walks, a transport museum with a Concorde. Whoa. Oh yes. Which Matt and I have

Starting point is 01:53:38 actually been to with Sophie. With Sophie, yeah. Which is very exciting. It was awesome. Quaint villages, more countryside, and I'm only half an hour by train to central London. Dude, that's pretty, pretty awesome. Yeah. For food, I'd suggest Valentina in Weybridge. Absolutely delicious pastas, along with all other Italian foods

Starting point is 01:53:57 and drinks and desserts. Delightful. Ah, wow. Gorgeous. Yeah, love that. Valentina in Weybridge, that sounds very nice. I struggle a little bit with Melbourne because I feel like there are cities that you go to and there's like landmarks you have to go see.

Starting point is 01:54:12 And I feel like we don't really have many of those unless you're like into sport and you want to see the MCG, that's really cool. Even if you're not into sport, it's kind of interesting, I guess. But like, I think it's more a city to just kind of walk around. Yeah. It's just about being in it. Yeah. I'll take you to, to, um, to Graves street. I'll take you to Flinders Lane.

Starting point is 01:54:29 Like literally, I'll take you to the laneways. I'm taking you to- Potato gardens. NGV. NGV, I fucking love. National gallery of Victoria. Beautiful. Yeah, that's a great spot.

Starting point is 01:54:39 Beautiful stuff. I'm taking you on a walk, um, near, uh, Collingwood Children's Farm, visit the cows, look at the waterfall, look at the beautiful time. Sometimes there's sheep. My dog tries to fight the sheep. Yeah, I've seen it. And what were you going to say? Sorry, I'm thinking of, I went back to my childhood memories again.

Starting point is 01:55:02 I think I'd be taking you to the- Action man. Yeah, we're getting one action man, one piece of string and a fan. I'd be taking you to the Yarrow River in Warrandyte where you can have a little swim and then, it was because I went to school in this area, and then go to the Warrandyte bakery and I'd buy you a steak and onion pie or if you don't eat meat, a spinach and ricotta roll. They're both absolutely fantastic. Watched down with a chocolate nippies milk.

Starting point is 01:55:27 Yum, I love nippies. Beautiful. I've never had a nippies. Haven't you? They are. Do you like flavored milks? I love it. Listen, the most important thing to me in the entire world is

Starting point is 01:55:38 Coco Bella coconut water cacao flavored. Oh, I really love that stuff. Yeah. So important and special to me because it tastes like a milkshake, but it's like lower in calories and I can eat, I can have more of it. Oh, I can't guarantee you the lower calories for Nippies, but I can guarantee you. Fantastic creamy chocolate. I love a fantastic creamy.

Starting point is 01:55:57 Can we try and get a Nippies after this? Fuck yeah. You can get a Nippies. Oh, Bar Margot is where I'll take someone, actually. Bar Margot. You can get a beggars banquet between I think it's five and seven p.m. They used to do it between 10 and midnight, which is so sad that they don't do that anymore. But you get two glasses of champagne, a bunch of like you get chips, you get they do some sort of something if you eat meat, but if they don't they do like

Starting point is 01:56:24 other stuff they do vegetarian options. They've do different ones all the time but they also do oysters so it's like oysters chips and a glass of actual champagne and it's forty bucks each. Oh that's really good. And it's a beautiful place and the service is gorgeous I really like it. Where best? It's at the top end of like it's near the comedy theatre. Yeah great oh yeah. Check that out. Beautiful. It's comedy theater. Yeah, great. Oh, yeah. I'm gonna check that out.

Starting point is 01:56:47 It's awesome. It's a good question. Yes. Great. I can't think of where else. But yeah, just cumulus ink for a glass of orange wine. Always do that. Just walk around.

Starting point is 01:56:56 Walk around. It's a beautiful city. Go around. Good luck. Thank you, Sophie. Finally, our third and final fact quota question for this week comes from Adam Czapcinski. Adam's given themselves the title official record holder for longest do go on fact quota question title holder, FKA mover, shaker and producer and current father to do go on's

Starting point is 01:57:20 cutest baby as stated in previous fact quota question. And Adam has a brag. Okay. Hey guys, not sure if this can be categorized as a brag, but I was listening to the Genghis Khan episode and you guys mentioned nine years of doing the show. I don't know why I never connected this before, but Do Go On almost perfectly lines up with my wife and I's relationship. The first episode was released on November 10, 2015.

Starting point is 01:57:43 And I asked my now wife to be my girlfriend on November 15th, 2015. Oh my gosh, we did that. How crazy is that? I've listened to this show almost as long as my relationship now. Now it's time to find out who lasts longer, you guys or her. So the competition starts now. Whoa. And he says in capitals, keep me entertained.

Starting point is 01:58:00 Lol. Thanks for the laughs and have a nice Christmas, New Year's or even Easter. I don't know, depending when this is read out. Yeah, it will be a nice Easter. Thank you. Interesting. Can we outlive their relationship? Yeah. Wow.

Starting point is 01:58:13 I mean, do we have to focus on our longevity or focus on trying to split them up? Try to split them up. Yeah, I think that's probably the smartest move. Yeah. Yeah. Because I've actually heard from Adam's wife and she said she's not happy. She's not. Yeah. She's been talking about Mr. Darcy.

Starting point is 01:58:27 I think there's somebody at work she's really interested in. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She was saying that anyway, we probably shouldn't say that. Oh, that's sorry. That was just girl talk. Edit that out AJ.

Starting point is 01:58:35 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Got it. Just between us girls. Just between us girls. Yes. That's good on you guys.

Starting point is 01:58:41 It's not even my podcast. Thank you so much to our five quarter questions. The next thing we need to do is give people a shout out. Now this is for people on the shout out level or above and we read the names out. We usually come up with a bit of a game. Maybe could we name their book? Yeah, let's name the book. They've written.

Starting point is 01:59:02 Love it. Or should we give them a Jane Austen name? Like what? Like Terrence Featherby. Oh, that's fun. Yeah, let's give them Jane Austen names. Love it. That's better.

Starting point is 01:59:14 Thanks. Do you want to go one for one here? Let's do it. All right, you kick it off. Okay, first of all, I'd like to thank, from a location that is withheld from us, can only imagine this deep within the fortress of the moles. Thank you to, The Wild Eagle. Okay.

Starting point is 01:59:30 The Wild Eagle. Um. Are you looking up Jane Austen's name generator? Yep. The Wild Eagle. That's so funny if you could. The Wildebeest Eagleton Downs. Yes.

Starting point is 01:59:47 Sir Wildebeest Eagleton. That's actually a very good name. Eagleton is incredible. Yeah, thanks. I'm really fucking good at my own game. I'm a writer. You're a writer. Premier's Literary Award nomination.

Starting point is 02:00:02 Oh my goodness. She can't be stopped. Can't be stopped. I'll stop if I don't nomination. Oh my goodness. She can't be stopped. Can't be stopped. I'll stop if they, if I don't win. Oh my God, when do we find out? March something. Okay. Exciting.

Starting point is 02:00:13 There's a people's choice, but it's not the, that's not the big one. Can we still vote now? Yeah, you can still vote. Please do. Okay. Next up from Myland in South Australia, I would love to shout out Violetta. Oh, Violetta. That's already a really good one.

Starting point is 02:00:29 What about Lydia de Bourgh? Any relation to Chris? Yes. Lydia de Bourgh. Yeah. I love that. And is that the maiden name or has Lydia become a de Bourgh? Oh, she's married into the de Bourgh. Yeah. I love that. And is that the maiden name or has Lydia become a de Bourgh?

Starting point is 02:00:47 Oh, she's married into a de Bourgh. Married into the de Bourgh fortune. Who cares about her maiden name? Of the upper de Bourgh. Oh my goodness. Lady in red. Thank you Violetta. I would like to thank from Cows! Victoria. Philip Ireland. Yes. Oh my gosh. Thank you to Cats. Cats. Cats. Oh. That's with a Z.

Starting point is 02:01:08 Yes. I've got one here. Yep. Catherine Camelford. Oh, Camelford. That's good. Married in two or? No, that's maiden.

Starting point is 02:01:21 Ah. It doesn't want to change, so not gonna get married. Oh yeah. Go off. That's back then unacceptable. Now, very cool. Or do whatever the fuck you want, who cares? No, that's Maiden. It doesn't want to change, so not going to get married. Oh yeah. Go off. That's back then unacceptable. Now, very cool. Or do whatever the fuck you want. Who cares?

Starting point is 02:01:30 Who cares? Old people care. Next up, trust me, they won't fucking stop talking to you about it. Next up, I'd love to thank from Arbuckle Incredible, California, Beth Richardson. Oh, great. California, Beth Richardson. Oh, great, we've already got a little Elizabeth. Yeah, Elizabeth. Elizabeth, what about Wentworth of Highbury?

Starting point is 02:01:53 Oh my God, Elizabeth Wentworth of Highbury. That's pretty good. You lady! Elizabeth Wentworth, I present to you, Elizabeth Wentworth of Highbury, I forgot what you said. Wentworth of Highbury. I forgot what you said. Wentworth of Highbury.

Starting point is 02:02:07 I've lost my job as a town crier. That does seem like a hard job. Cause in the movies, they just kind of like, it gets whispered to them and then they shout it out. Yeah. Are you serious? That's crazy. Can you say that again?

Starting point is 02:02:19 Yeah, I'd be like, how do you? What? Yeah. Are you sure? Isn't that how Robert Downey Jr. does his lines or something? Whispered to him? Like an earpiece or something? There's just a man.

Starting point is 02:02:28 Yeah, I think it was like an earpiece because he doesn't want to know ahead of time what happens. Is that him? There's like an actor who has that. I'm like, that sounds really fun. We've talked about it in the show back in the day, Marlon Brando when he was old. Yeah. Maybe it's Marlon Brando.

Starting point is 02:02:41 Couldn't be bothered, like people just whispering his ear. Couldn't be bothered. That's amazing. Couldn't be bothered. He's like, no his ear. Couldn't be bothered. Couldn't be bothered. Completely over it. Stuff this. Incredibly difficult to work with, Dorsey. And I would like to think from a location also withheld from us people, trust us, we're not going to use your address.

Starting point is 02:02:55 I would like to think, R.E. Fields. What about, um, Marianne McWilloughby? Marianne McWilloughby. Yeah, yeah, I like that. I like that. That's pretty good. That's Maiden and she is going to upgrade. Yeah. Because McWilloughby, they don't sound rich.

Starting point is 02:03:11 No, they sound very rich. They sound- The McWilloughbys are farmers. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And like the farm's doing okay. There's food on the table. Yeah, that's right. But they're not buying 69 pound books.

Starting point is 02:03:19 Yeah, unfortunately they have to work for a living, which is obviously disgusting. Yuck. Yuck. Yeah, unfortunately they have to work for a living, which is obviously disgusting. Yuck. Yuck. Yeah. How embarrassing. I would like to thank from Concord in New Hampshire, I assume, in the US, Katrina Boyajain. What a lovely name, Boyajain. Do you reckon that's how, that looks how that might be. So let's say Katarina.

Starting point is 02:03:43 Oh yeah, that's good. Or Catherine. Yep. Debordia Benedict Cumberbatch. Yes, Catherine Benedict Cumberbatch. I think that's it. Wow. That's it.

Starting point is 02:03:58 Yeah. No relation. She hyphenated. She was Catherine Benedict and she married a guy. Yeah. Whatever. Robert Cumberbatch. I was going to. Whatever. Robert Cumberbatch. I was going to say Nelson.

Starting point is 02:04:06 Benedict Cumberbatch. Nelson's great. Not back then. Did they have Nelson's back then? She married Benedict Cumberbatch and she was like, that's funny because my last name is Benedict. So I'm going to keep, I'm going to hyphenate and then I've got your name in my name. That's romantic.

Starting point is 02:04:17 I would like to thank from Cerritos, Cerritos, California. It's Megan or Megan Young. Megan, they're not gonna be a Megan back then, I reckon. Maria. Did they have Megs? Maria. Oh yeah, but Meg would be, oh yeah. No, I don't think they had a Meg. Maria?

Starting point is 02:04:37 We got Maria, Rushworth, Rushworth Long. Yeah. Maria Rushworth Long. I like that a lot. Well done Megan. Megan, thank you so much. What is this one? I would love to thank from Forrester's Beach in New South Wales, Bicky Wang Chang. Wow, that's the best name I've ever heard.

Starting point is 02:04:56 That is really good. I don't think we need to change that. That feels very Austin. That sounds Austin-tacious. Bicky Wang Chang. Bicky Wang Chang, Austin-tacious. That sounds Austin-tacious. I'm gonna say... Biki Wang Chang. Biki Wang Chang, Austin-tacious. Perfect. That's such a good name. Biki Wang Chang, Austin-tacious, I presume. That rules.

Starting point is 02:05:14 The Lady Biki Wang Chang, Austin-tacious! Finally, I want to thank from Edinburgh, thank you to Alex Perry. Famous sunglass designer. Yeah! So it's gotta be Alexandra. Alex Perry. Famous sunglass designer. Yeah. So it's gotta be Alexandra. I don't know why we've made them all female, but we have. It's just easier.

Starting point is 02:05:30 Alexandra... Uhh... Alexandra Perrywinkle. Oh, that's good. Love it. Perfect. Perfect. Absolutely nailed that. Final thing, oh, no. Thank you once again. Before I move on to Alex.

Starting point is 02:05:44 Biki Wang Chang. Megan Catrina, R.E. Fields, Beth, Katz, Violetta and the Wild Eagle. Final thing we need to do is welcome some people into the Triptych Club. Now this is for people who have supported us on Patreon for three consecutive years, I was about to say 10 consecutive years, that's crazy. That's crazy. Three consecutive years on the shout out level or above. It's a cool, fun lounge. We have everything you could possibly need.

Starting point is 02:06:09 Yes, it's awesome in there. It's actually pretty great and we are doing some renos. We're making it even better. Making it better. Yeah. I did break one of the toilets, so we're fixing that up and then- She doesn't like to talk about it. I don't like to talk about it.

Starting point is 02:06:21 It was a whoopsie daxie. Let's not dwell on it. I'm fixing it. But it is broken and it stinks in there. But let's not dwell. I got myself there. That's funny. So we have a few people to welcome into the Triptych Club. Normally I'm behind the bar and I come up with sort of snacks and drinks, but

Starting point is 02:06:48 actually Michelle's taking over this week because I'm going to be Matt and I've got the clipboard and I can't do two things at once. So yeah, Michelle, um, I gave you heaps of notice on this. Have you prepared any kind of snacks or beverage specials or something? Yeah. When you announced the person, I'll tell you what cocktail I've prepared for him. Oh, okay. Cool. Yeah. Great. That's even easier. Um, when you announce the person, I'll tell you what cocktail I've prepared for him. Oh, okay, cool. Yeah, great.

Starting point is 02:07:06 That's even easier. Dave, you normally book a band as well? Yes. You're never going to believe it, Michelle. Oh. You're never going to. I obviously book these bands months in advance. Obviously.

Starting point is 02:07:14 And I don't think they are even a band anymore, but Jane's Addiction are here. Oh, that's crazy. Jane Austen. Jane's Addiction. No, I got it. I fucking got it. That's crazy. What a coincidence because we talked about Jane Austen. It's Addiction. No, I got it. I fucking got it. That's crazy. What a coincidence because we talked about Jane Austen.

Starting point is 02:07:27 It's such a coincidence. Wow. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to read out the names. Dave, you hype them up. Michelle's going to give them a cocktail. That's her way of hyping you up as well. Yep.

Starting point is 02:07:37 Oh, great. You're going to hand them a cocktail and say, hey, here's something. And they're each getting an individual cocktail. Oh, I love this so much. I think it's really cool. Are we ready to welcome some people in? We have five inductees. So first up from Address Unknown, Fortress of the Moles, Kathleen Kaiser.

Starting point is 02:07:52 I don't despise her, it's Kathleen Kaiser. Here's your pina colada. Can I save one for me, please? No Dave. From London and Great Britain, it's Reina Ramirez. I want it Reina's and Paul's. No Dave. From London and Great Britain it's Rainer Ramirez. When it rainers it pours. Rainer here's your pina colada. From Underdale in South Australia it's Ryan Standing.

Starting point is 02:08:16 White Ryan Outstanding. Yes. In this field. A pina colada for the last. From Croydon in Victoria it's Matt Sparkman. I felt the sparks, it's Matt Sparkman. I felt the sparks were flying tonight, Matt Sparkman. Strong pina colada. And finally from Elkhart in Indiana, I'm guessing James Roskos.

Starting point is 02:08:39 More like James Roskos and Roll, baby. Pina colada with no cherry. Okay, no cherry for James. Thank you and welcome James, Matt, Ryan, Raina, Kathleen. Welcome in. Make yourself at home. The toilet that is blocked off, you cannot use that one. Don't use that.

Starting point is 02:08:55 There are three others. Stop asking me about this toilet. There's nothing going on in there. Stop asking. But give it a wide berth. It stinks. It stinks. Because of big poo.

Starting point is 02:09:04 No, I know that. We don't know why It stinks. So. Because of big poo. No, I know that, we don't know why it stinks. I think it smells like poo. I don't think it smells. That's why I have to make these overpowering pina coladas. It's just a general stink. It could be something else.

Starting point is 02:09:18 It could be anything could have caused that rancid smell. And at the same time, damage the toilet beyond repair. Not beyond repair, but the repair man says it's going to take a while. He did say we need to like bulldoze this thing and start again. He said it would be easier. He said it would be easier, but he didn't break any promises about the smell. Look, Michelle, thank you so much for joining us on this episode. We love you so much.

Starting point is 02:09:51 Where can people find it? Where do you want people to go to find information about all the shows, your book, all the wonderful stuff that you do? Michelle Brazier on Instagram, Michelle Brazier on Tik Tok, Michelle Brazier on my newsletter, on my sub stack and go to your local bookshop and ask them for my book. So grow up. Grow up, figure it out. You're an adult.

Starting point is 02:10:09 Get the audio book. Don't say, I don't reach. Get the audio book. Listen to it. I read it out loud for you. I read your bedtime story and it's my whole life. If you're listening to this, you can listen to an audio book. If you want to suggest a topic, you can.

Starting point is 02:10:21 There's a link in the show notes where you can also find a topic, you can. There's a link in the show notes, where you can also find our website, where you can find merch and live shows and our other podcasts that we do on this beautiful network that we've created. If you want to double down and get some Jane Austen into you, a couple of book cheats are ready to go. Yeah, that I remember. You're gonna go back and listen, I know you will.

Starting point is 02:10:38 Hook in. So Dave, boot this baby home. We will be back next week with another fantastic episode. The Main Man Mats Tour will be back, but until then I'll say thank you so much for listening and goodbye! Don't forget to sign up to our tour mailing list so we know where in the world you are and we can come and tell you when we're coming there. Wherever we go we always hear six months later, oh you should come to Manchester, We were just in Manchester. But this way you'll never, never miss out.

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Do Go On - 487 - Jane Austen

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