4: The Prodigy

In 1796, Jane Austen met Tom Lefroy. In the earliest two letters that survive, she recounts their flirtation. This is the most extensive record of a romance in Jane's life that still exists, and yet, it is incomplete. On today's episode, we see the most important relationship of Jane's life unfolding.  Finding Jane Austen is researched and written by Dr. Anne Fertig. Jeanette Patrick and Jim Ambuske are the executive producers. Finding Jane Austen is a joint production of Revolutionary Histories and Primary Source Media.

Even in rural, insular Hampshire, Jane Austen was exposed to a broad and vibrant popular culture. She was fed that culture through a steady diet of books, music, magazines, newspapers, social networks, and theater. On today's episode of Finding Jane Austen, we are diving back into her teenage writings to uncover more of the culture that inspired her.  Finding Jane Austen is researched and written by Dr. Anne Fertig. Jeanette Patrick and Jim Ambuske are the executive producers. Finding Jane Austen is a joint production of Revolutionary Histories and Primary Source Media. 

Jane Austen's teenage writings reveal the stirrings of an early genius beginning to develop. Within them, we find thieves, murderers, and yet another intriguing mystery. On today's episode, we are following along as Jane reads some of the most popular works of her day and diving into some of her earliest pieces. Do you think Jane Austen is Sophia Sentiment? Send us a voicemail or write us a note at www.revolutionaryhistories.com/voicemail. Finding Jane Austen is researched and written by Dr. Anne Fertig. Jeanette Patrick and Jim Ambuske are the executive producers. Finding Jane Austen is a joint production of Revolutionary Histories and Primary Source Media. 

You might not realize it, but there was almost a world in which there was no Jane Austen. Or at the very least, no Jane Austen novels. No Pride and Prejudice. No Sense and Sensibility. In today's episode, we are exploring Jane's brush with death and the unusual cast of women who shaped her literary interests.  Want to be part of the series? Send us a voicemail or write us a note at www.revolutionaryhistories.com/voicemail. Tell us your answer to the question, why Jane Austen? Is there a reason you're drawn to her or a reason why you're listening to this podcast? What Austin Mysteries do you want solved? Finding Jane Austen is researched and written by Dr. Anne Fertig. Jeanette Patrick and Jim Ambuske are the executive producers. Finding Jane Austen is a joint production of Revolutionary Histories and Primary Source Media. 

Steventon, the village where Jane Austen was born and where she spent the first 25 years of her life, is a site far off the beaten path. In today's episode, we're finding Jane Austen in this small Hampshire village to see if we can unearth her earliest years in the ruins of the home where she was born.  Want to be part of the series? Send us a voicemail or write us a note at www.revolutionaryhistories.com/voicemail. Tell us your answer to the question, why Jane Austen? Is there a reason you're drawn to her or a reason why you're listening to this podcast? What Austin Mysteries do you want solved? Finding Jane Austen is researched and written by Dr. Anne Fertig. Jeanette Patrick and Jim Ambuske are the executive producers. Finding Jane Austen is a joint production of Revolutionary Histories and Primary Source Media. 

No one who had ever seen Jane Austen in her infancy would have supposed her to become one of the most important novelists in the English language. Not even Jane Austen herself. But who was Jane Austen? The real Jane Austen. The historical Jane Austen. Who was the woman who launched a thousand movie adaptations? What do we know about the inventor of Mr. Darcy and the progenitor of the enemies to lovers genre? Not much.  Join us on Episode One: "First Impressions" as we dive into the life and legacy of Jane Austen.   Want to be part of the series? Send us a voicemail or write us a note at www.revolutionaryhistories.com/voicemail. Tell us your answer to the question, why Jane Austen? Is there a reason you're drawn to her or a reason why you're listening to this podcast? What Austin Mysteries do you want solved?   Finding Jane Austen is researched and written by Dr. Anne Fertig. Jeanette Patrick and Jim Ambuske are the executive producers. Finding Jane Austen is a joint production of Revolutionary Histories and Primary Source Media. 

Jane Austen is one of the most popular authors in the English language. But how did a humble Hampshire girl become the Jane Austen? Welcome to Finding Jane Austen, a new biographical podcast that takes a deep dive into Jane Austen's life. In Season One, we're looking at the youth of the Jane Austen that was yet to be to find the genius that would inspire generations. From her birth in Steventon and her wild extended family to her brief encounter with formal education, we'll look at what made this young girl so extraordinary at a young age. We'll explore her teenaged writings and her earliest surviving letters.  Subscribe now to Finding Jane Austen. 

You've heard of Jane Austen. She's in our movie theaters, our high school classrooms, even on the British pound, she's inspired more than 400 novel adaptations and probably more than a few of your favorite movies and series. You might even consider yourself a big fan of Jane Austen. But do you know who Jane Austen was? Like, really, who was she as a person? In this podcast, we're finding Jane Austen. We're solving the mystery of one of the most important writers in the English language through the clues she left behind. Along the way, we'll speak to some of the top Austen scholars in the world. Together with documentary, literary, and archeological evidence, we'll get to the bottom of some of the greatest debates about her life. Whether you love Jane Austen or if you haven't read her since high school, we invite you to join us in finding Jane Austen. Finding Jane Austen releases early 2025 but you can subscribe now on your favorite podcast app, including Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. Finding Jane Austen is researched and written by me, Dr. Anne Fertig, and is a production of R2 Studios, part of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History New Media at George Mason University. Go to r2studios.org to learn more.