Jane Austen's Paper Trail

Q&A: experts answer your Jane Austen questions

In this special Q&A episode we've asked a panel of Jane Austen experts to answer your questions! We’ve received a virtual sack full of letters from you, ranging from qu

The happy ending

In the sixth episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we explore whether Jane was happy, using her last published novel, Persuasion, as our guide. Gi

The writer

In the fifth episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we look what kind of author Austen was, and what Northanger Abbey reveals about her view of her p

The friend

In the fourth episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we explore who Austen made friends with, and ask what we can learn about friendship in the pages

The political being

In the third episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we explore Jane's politics, and her views on slavery through the pages of Mansfield Park. There

The romantic

In the second episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we explore romance in the world of Jane Austen through the pages of Pride and Prejudice. Every

The gossip

In the first episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we're delving into Austen's first novel, Sense and Sensibility where gossip – and the fear of it

Introducing Jane Austen's Paper Trail

Introducing Jane Austen's Paper Trail, a new podcast from The Conversation. When she died aged just 41, Jane Austen's sister, Cassandra, burned most of her letters. Wha