I thought a fun Christmas episode would be to discuss Regency Christmas traditions. From mistletoe to ghost stories, we get into the festive Regency spirit on the podcast.

Author Jessica Bull is joining me to share her insights and to talk about her new Christmas novella, which falls into her Jane Austen Investigates series, The Austen Christmas Murders.

I hope you enjoy this episode, and as Jane Austen herself wrote, “Merry Christmas, but no compliments of the season.”

Wishing you a wonderful festive period full of love and light!

Jessica Bull:
@jessicabullnovelist
https://jessicabullauthor.com/

In this year’s showdown, we’re pitting two of Austen’s most calculating women against each other Elizabeth Elliot from Persuasion and Fanny Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility. Both are masters of manipulation and self-interest, but in very different ways.

Elizabeth Elliot, ever-conscious of appearances, rules her social circle with icy elegance, dismissing anyone she deems beneath her while clinging to the illusion of superiority. Fanny Dashwood, meanwhile, is ruthless in her pursuit of wealth and comfort, quickly convincing her husband to cheat his half-sisters out of their inheritance and doing so with a smile.

As we dig into their stories, we’ll explore what drives these women: is it greed, pride, or pure vanity? And when it comes to cruelty cloaked in civility, who truly reigns supreme?

Join us as we compare their motives, methods, and misdeeds and help decide who will claim this year’s crown as the Ultimate Jane Austen Villain.

Where can you find Ellis?
Instagram: @historian_ellis

Where can you find Caily?
Instagram: @half_agony_half_hope

Where can you find your host, Izzy?
🌐 Website: www.whattheausten.com
🎧 Podcast Instagram: @whattheausten
📸 Personal Instagram: @izzy_meakin
📺 YouTube: What the Austen? Podcast

It’s that time of year again, spooky season! 🎃 Join Martha and me as we dive into our fourth Horrid Novel, Regina Maria Roche’s Clermont. In this episode, we unravel the twists and turns of this wonderfully Gothic tale, from mysterious family secrets to dramatic reunions. We chat about the novel’s influence on Jane Austen, share plenty of laughs, and get lost in all the gloriously over-the-top moments that make these stories so much fun to revisit. Perfect for fellow Gothic literature lovers and Austen fans alike! I always love doing these Eps! Me and Martha have also read, and have episodes for: The Castle of Wolfenbach by Eliza ParsonsThe Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann RadcliffeThe Monk by Matthew Lewis#GothicNovels #JaneAusten #Clermont