<p>A special bonus episode about the blockbuster phenom of Jane Austen’s 250th Birthday celebrations. Sophie’s guest is Professor Devoney Looser, one of the world’s leading Austen scholars, and the author of the brilliant <em>Wild for Austen: A Rebellious, Subversive, and Untamed Jane</em>, about the unscripted, occasionally unhinged world that Jane Austen really knew, and which influenced her writing.</p><p>We talk about why the Austen obsession has only gone from strength to strength, and Devoney looks ahead to Austenmania in 2026, with new screen adaptations coming to delight the fans.</p><br><p>Get the Book:</p><p>Devoney Looser, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/wild-for-austen-a-rebellious-subversive-and-untamed-jane-devoney-looser/d25790dca63a19e1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Wild for Austen: A Rebellious, Subversive, and Untamed Jane</em>, St Martin’s Press, 2025.</a></p><br><p>More fun coverage:</p><p>From Alexandra Schwartz, a SLOB guest, in the <em>New Yorker: </em><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/newsletter/the-daily/jane-austens-uncommon-compassion" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>https://www.newyorker.com/newsletter/the-daily/jane-austens-uncommon-compassion</em></a></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/16/books/jane-austen-250th-birthday.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/16/books/jane-austen-250th-birthday.html</a></p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/136902242/edit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Listen</a> to our episode about <em>Mrs. Dalloway </em>with Alex Schwartz</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>