First Impressions: Why All the Austen Haters Are Wrong First Impressions Podcasters

Gentle listeners, join us for our review of the delightful radio drama from BBC Radio 4, which features a star-studded cast including Felicity Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant, James Callas and more! Adapted by Clara Glynn, this lovely radio play contains some surprising new takes on Austen's story and characters.  We certainly see Fanny, Edmund, and Henry in a different light after listening to this production. 
More information about the cast can be found on the BBC's website here. 

Greta Gerwig's 2023 Barbie movie incorporated several seconds of the 1995 Firth/Ehle Pride and Prejudice miniseries, which officially makes this movie part of Austen's extended cinematic universe.  In this podcast we discuss our takeaways from this thought-provoking movie, and ponder the parallels between the evolution of Barbie vs. Jane Austen's own heroines. Some see Austen's characters as regressive today, but does Jane stand still so we can see how far we've come?

Time for some hot and SPICY Austen takes fresh from friend of the podcast Lexi, also known as @fourwhitetrees on X (Twitter), Bluesky, and other social networks! Lexi's funky fresh and sometimes controversial takes cover the mysterious appeal of John Thorpe, Mr. Knightley's questionable tastes, the unworthiness of Wentworth as a partner for Anne, whether Darcy is really the most obviously autistic character in Austen, and much more... like, is Northanger Abbey REALLY satire, or just a modern gothic? Our wide-ranging discussion is fun and surprising - check it out! [WARNING: this episode is DEFINITELY not for little ears! Explicit content included, most of it around or after the 1 hr mark].
Follow Lexi at @fourwhitetrees on X and Bluesky for more hot takes!

Gentle listeners, join us as we finally review this 1999 movie adaptation of Mansfield Park, written and directed by Patricia Rozema. We delve into the artistic choices made by the director and weigh in on their merits in a very calm and evenhanded manner until about halfway through when Kristin gets shouty. This movie is undoubtedly an important acheivement in Austen filmmaking. Rozema makes the slavery subtext in the book explicit, challenging the way Austen stories are usually told on screen. She also takes a "prismatic" approach to the book's much-maligned heroine Fanny Price, infusing her with elements of Austen's own life to create a character that is more relatable to modern audiences. The results provide Much To Think About. 
 
Special thanks to Arnie Perlstein for directing us to his useful literature review on his blog, the Sharp Elves Society! Read it here: Jane Austen's Dead Silence: The History of Slavery Subtext in Mansfield Park

Gentle listeners, we're so excited to have Maya and Christian of Manners and Madness join us again, this time for a movie review of Fire Island, one of the finest modern Austen adaptations of our time and an overall fantastic movie.   We discuss the deep dive this movie takes into the characters of Noah (Lizzy), Howie (Jane), and Will (Darcy), and the way the modern story blends with the original. We also talk over the incorporation of themes of power (and reclaiming power), and the parallels with Alice Munro's short story "Powers." This movie is full of thoughtful and smart choices that reveal aspects of Austen's characters, and it also happens to be hilarious. In short, we highly recommend it!
 
You can also find Christian and Maya at @MannersandMadnesspod on Instagram and @MannersMadness on Twitter!

We are overjoyed to bring you a special holiday episode discussing A Christmas Carol, the novel by Charles Dickens, and A Muppet Christmas Carol, the finest adaptation of Dickens' work ever to grace the silver screen. The novel is an absolute delight, and extremely readable - it's a great time for a read (or re-read)! And a sing-along! With a glass raised to toast your health! (Glass raised to toast your health!) and a promise to share the wealth! (Promise to share the wealth), yes every night will end, and every day will start, with a grateful prayer and a thankful heart! For you, our listeners! Happy holidays!