logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
48m 42s

Jane Austen

NOISER
About this episode

Jane Austen is arguably the most famous female writer in history. Her novels have gone on to inspire countless films, plays, and dramas all over the world, and have been translated into almost 50 different languages. But how did an 18th Century woman create stories that are still loved today? What makes her characters so timeless? And, while we know all about her heroes and heroines, what do we know about the author herself?


From Noiser, This is a Short History of Jane Austen. 


Written by Linda Harrison. With thanks to Janine Barchas, Professor of English Literature at the University of Texas, and author of many books about Austen, including ‘The Lost Books of Jane Austen’.


For ad-free listening, exclusive content and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Now available for Apple and Android users. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Jul 6
The Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin is a length of linen, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth. Its most famous feature is the blurry imprint of a man’s face, which resembles the pictures of Jesus that have passed down to us over the centuries. Revered by millions, the Sh ... Show More
58m 7s
Jun 29
Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle, a doctor, war volunteer, campaigner for justice, politician, and believer in the spirit world, created one of literature’s most famous characters. In his lifetime, he wrote ghost stories, political pamphlets, historical novels, and fantastical adventures. But ... Show More
1h 1m
Jun 25
Introducing: Fidel Castro - Real Dictators
This is a taster episode of the Fidel Castro story. To hear episodes 2-10, head over to Real Dictators and hit follow. Fidel Castro - a revolutionary turned strongman dictator, beloved by his supporters and loathed by his enemies. The bête noire of the United States who pushed th ... Show More
1h 6m
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
From Eve to Austen: Women in Literature
Why might a woman have willingly confined herself to a cell for the rest of her life? Why have so many female authors in history published under aliases or initials? And what was Jane Austen’s dirtiest joke? In this episode of Betwixt the Sheets, Kate is joined by Anna Beer to di ... Show More
41m 59s
Feb 2024
Happily ever after? Love and marriage in Austen's era
From unwanted proposals and lingering looks across ballrooms to a wet-shirted Mr Darcy emerging from a lake, the romantic stories of Jane Austen – and their countless adaptations – have captured the hearts of many of us. But, if we turn to the real historical record of the Regenc ... Show More
30m 54s
Apr 2023
502 Persuasion by Jane Austen | My Last Book with Stephen Dobranski
Harold Bloom called Persuasion "the perfect novel." Virginia Woolf said "In Persuasion, Jane Austen is beginning to discover that the world is larger, more mysterious, and more romantic than she supposed." In this episode, the first of three parts, Jacke takes a look at Jane Aust ... Show More
38m 41s
Jan 2013
Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
This month in a very special edition, we’re celebrating that most English of novelists Jane Austen. It’s two hundred years this month since the publication of Pride and Prejudice and we’ve invited bestselling British novelist and Jane Austen aficionado PD James, along with Anglo- ... Show More
52m 58s
Jun 2015
Jane Eyre
The story of Jane Eyre is one of the best-known in English fiction. Jane is the orphan who survives a miserable early life, first with her aunt at Gateshead Hall and then at Lowood School. She leaves the school for Thornfield Hall, to become governess to the French ward of Mr Roc ... Show More
45m 37s
Jun 2015
Jane Eyre
The story of Jane Eyre is one of the best-known in English fiction. Jane is the orphan who survives a miserable early life, first with her aunt at Gateshead Hall and then at Lowood School. She leaves the school for Thornfield Hall, to become governess to the French ward of Mr Roc ... Show More
45m 37s
Sep 2023
Cleopatra to Jane Austen: Perfumes of Powerful Women
Why did Cleopatra soak the sails of her ship in jasmine? How did Queen Elizabeth smell? And why was perfume an essential tool of power for women across history?  Whilst it’s hard to research the history of something that leaves no physical trace, we actually know a great deal abo ... Show More
53m 10s
Feb 2014
Jane Austen Vs Emily Bronte: The Queens of English Literature Debate
Who was the Queen of English literature. Was it Jane Austen with her sensitive ear for the hypocrisy lurking beneath the genteel conversation in the drawing rooms of Georgian England? Or Emily Brontë with the complex tale of violent attraction, thwarted love, death and the supern ... Show More
1h 59m
Nov 2023
How Jane Austen Changed My Life
Helen Fielding, creator of the Bridget Jones novels and films, and Gill Hornby, author of the bestseller Miss Austen, join Sotheby’s books specialist Kalika Sands and novelist Kate Mosse for a conversation in partnership with Sotheby's and held at Sotheby’s in London about the en ... Show More
51m 40s
May 2023
Julian of Norwich: England's First Woman Writer?
The writings of Julian of Norwich are the earliest surviving English language works by a woman and the only surviving English language works by an anchoress. But her life - particularly prior to taking on her role at Saint Julian's Church in Norwich - is shrouded in mystery and i ... Show More
29m 48s