Our Favorite Austen Things
Some resources on a most distinguished lady
Welcome to Reading Revisited, a place for friends to enjoy some good old-fashioned book chat while revisiting the truth, beauty, and goodness we’ve found in our favorite books.
Happy Friday!
As it is Austen month around here we thought we’d share some of our favorite books, articles, podcasts, and more to help you all get better acquainted with the woman of the hour. All of these would be great companions for our Pride & Prejudice read-along this month.
Books
First, two excellent biographies, both are great and have very different approaches:
Next are some great ones that would fall into the “books about books” category.
Podcasts
Below are some links to our favorite podcasts/episodes on Jane Austen:
Though it’s no longer active, Karen Swallow Prior’s Jane and Jesus has some interesting looks at Austen and her works
The History Chicks have a fun one on Austen:
The Literary Life Podcast has several Jane Austen episodes (series on Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey as well as some episodes on Austen film adaptations):
- also has multiple Austen series in the archives, including one on P&P!
The Lizzie Bennett Diaries (not quite a podcast, but close enough and extremely fun)
Articles/Links
Money in Jane Austen How much is Bingley’s £5,000 a year? Or Darcy’s £10,000? This article puts the fortunes of Austen’s characters into context. Just a teaser from the article:
Consider that most of Mr. Darcy’s fortune is in his home, property, and investments: £10,000 is merely a year’s disposable income... When Jane Austen said that a character had a certain number of pounds per year, she implied that they invested their fortune and received that amount yearly in return. Landed gentry in nineteenth-century Britain did not need to work because they could live off their investments. A typical government fund paid 5% a year, or only 4% in the case of a small investment. Thus, Mr. Darcy’s £10,000 a year implies £200,000 invested…this amount ranges in value depending on the method of calculation from $19,725,520 to $328,737,820.
Without Austen, No Eliot - a great, quick essay on Austen’s approach and the way she may have influenced Mary Ann Evans
Literary Ladies Guide to Jane Austen - good, quick bio
Jane Austen: Christian Artist, Humorist, and Philosopher by
- a great teaser for her book mentioned above
Feel free to share any of your favorite books or links in the comments!
Until next time, keep revisiting the good books that enrich your life and nourish your soul.
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Message Hannah Suire
Book lists from previous years can be found here.
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Hannah, I really enjoyed this post! I agree that Claire Tomalin's biography is one of the best--it's written in a very engaging style that reads almost like a novel itself. FYI I wrote a chapter on "Northanger Abbey" in my latest book, BEAUTY & IMITATION: A PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION ON THE ARTS (Word on Fire Academic, 2024), and on my Substack, THE COMIC MUSE, you'll find a poem I wrote inspired by my and my wife's visit to the Chawton House last August: https://danielmcinerny.substack.com/p/miss-austens-examen.
Something tells me that you might also be interested in my novel: THE GOOD DEATH OF KATE MONTCLAIR (Chrism Press, 2023).
Strength to your arm!
Daniel McInerny
I just finished Jane Austen At Home and Northanger Abbey for "Jane Austen July." Lovely. Thanks for the fun resources. I have always wondered about the modern day equivalent of the incomes mentioned in her books.