Pod and Prejudice

Mansfield Park is over and done, but we still have much to discuss! Join us for a Q+A covering Mansfield Park and Jane Austen's works far and wide.

Patron questions come from Avi, Spring, Rhona, Werebuffalo, Kaitlyn, Rukbat3, Lindsey, Emma, Flying Cupcake, and Shanibeth.

Glossary of People, Places, and Things: Edward Said, Nina Auerbach, Clueless, Adam Brody, Ayo Edebiri, Bottoms, The Love Hypothesis, Lili Reinhart, Euphoria, Alexa Demie, Elijah Wood, Skeet Ulrich, Scream, Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Adjoa Andoh, Bridgerton, Olivia Colman, Ralph Fiennes

It's the FINAL CHAPTER of Mansfield Park! We made it, y'all. But we did not come out unscathed, and neither did the characters. So let's play Where Are They Now! 

Tom is a new man, Maria and Mrs. Norris go off to the countryside after Maria gets divorced, Henry hates himself forever, Yates works to prove himself to the family, Sir Thomas blames himself (and Mrs. Norris) for the way his daughters turned out, and Edmund notices that Fanny is an available woman and they get married and have a baby. 

In today’s chapter, we learn what really happened with Maria and Henry. Edmund and Mary are broken up once and for all, and Fanny finally tells Edmund how Mary reacted to the news of Tom’s illness. Topics discussed include the effect Maria’s actions have on Mr. Rushworth, Sir Thomas’s endless despair, and dickmatism. 

Patron Study Questions come from Avi and Mari. Topics discussed include the future of the Crawford and Bertram families and how Mary feels about Maria.

Becca's Study Questions: Topics discussed include Fanny’s new role...

We have a funeral to attend: the funeral for Henry Crawford’s dignity and honor. Fanny gets word of a scandal, first from Mary, and then from the newspaper. The Bertrams fall into ruin, but it works out in Fanny’s favor. Plus, Julia runs off with Yates.

Patron Study Questions come from Avi, Linnea, and Mari. Topics discussed include Fanny’s new position in Mansfield Park, why Julia ran off with Yates, and Henry’s passionate comments about Fanny post-Maria. 

Becca's Study Questions: Topics discussed include what the fuck Mari...

In today’s chapter, Fanny gets another letter from Mary, and it’s a doozy. Mary wishes death on Tom, and Henry may be back on his bad boy behavior. Plus, Fanny is missing out on spring.

Topics discussed include Lady Bertram as Fanny’s best friend, our favorite seasons, consumption and Tuberculosis, and kettles of fish.

Patron Study Questions come from Frances G, Spring, Avi, Flying Cupcake, and Mari. Topics discussed include Edmund’s suitability as a clergyman, whether Edmund would’ve sent the letter if Tom hadn’t gotten sic...

In today’s chapters, Fanny receives a BUNCH of letters. First, from Mary, in which we get confirmation that Mary and Edmund are not yet engaged; then, from Edmund, in which we hear all about how conflicted he is and learn that the Grants are going to Bath; and finally, from Lady Bertram, in which we learn that TOM IS DYING. 

Topics discussed include Mary’s return to London society, Fanny’s bitchcrackers, why unrequited love is a tough trope, the tea from the Crawfords’ party, Fanny’s new return date, emotional fluffers, and Lady Bertra...

In today’s chapters, HENRY COMES TO PORTSMOUTH!!! He meets the parents, befriends Fanny’s sister, and reveals that he’s been on some real good-boy behavior lately. Then, he joins the Prices at church and takes Fanny on a slutty little walk, and offers to take her home at the drop of a hat. 

Topics discussed include the distinction between “bois” and “boyz”, Darcy’s behavior at Pemberley in relation to Henry at Portsmouth, Henry on the ha-ha vs. Henry now, the best kind of third wheel, whether doing good changes you, Henry’s appreciation of n...

Portsmouth is worse than Fanny could’ve imagined, and in these chapters, she tries to find a friend among her family. Mary sends a gossipy letter to Fanny, and Fanny kind of likes it. Fanny buys a knife for her little sister AND joins a library! 

Topics discussed include regency era dentistry, Fanny’s llama mama, Mrs. Price’s resemblance to her sisters, the social status of the Ward sisters, Spicy Susan, the Saturday half-holiday, the comparison of Portsmouth to celibacy, Mary poking the bear, Baron Wildenhaim’s courtship of Julia, what qualities in a person...

Fanny’s in Portsmouth! We meet all the Prices, and they do not live up to our expectations; but more importantly, the Thrush has gone out of harbor. Fanny starts to feel that Portsmouth is not going to be all that she’d hoped for. We also learn that Fanny had another sister, Mary, who died while she was at Mansfield.

Topics discussed include Fanny and William’s dream home, the Crawfords’ love letters, Fanny’s rose-tinted glasses for Mansfield, the return of the fire symbolism, dirty martinis, the lack of good servants in Portsmouth...

Fanny is going on a trip! Edmund has plans to go to London and propose to Mary, William returns to Mansfield, and Sir Thomas offers to send Fanny back to Portsmouth with him. Fanny hopes to get over Edmund while she’s gone…good luck, girl.

Topics discussed include Edmund’s pride spinoff, Mary’s daddy issues, the sexiest instrument of all time (the harp), whether Fanny is the type of person to adopt her man’s opinions, Sir Thomas’s real reasons for sending Fanny to Portsmouth, and Fanny’s relationship with her family.

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Fanny Price remains unknowable to the people around her. Edmund tries to get Fanny to talk about her feelings, Mary and Fanny have a heart to heart and we learn that Mary’s friends have all wound up in bad marriages. For the first time ever, Fanny reveals what she saw happen between Henry and Maria. And then, the Crawfords are no more. Topics discussed include being “taken in” to a bad marriage, the truth about the necklace, and Bare Minimum Twitter.

Patron Study Questions come from Linnea. Topics discussed include the way Janet Fraser...

Henry Crawford perseveres, despite Fanny's repeated rejections, and the aunts learn about the proposal. Edmund returns, and he has opinions about the proposal as well. Henry reads some Shakespeare aloud, and Fanny thinks it's hot.

Topics discussed gray morality, growing out of being Team Jess, Sir Wobbles's gender, surprise proposals, Shakespeare as a part of English society, and actions speaking louder than words.

Patron Study Questions come from Avi and Angelika. Topics discussed include Lady Bertram's offer of a puppy for Fanny, gender-neutral icon Mx. Wobbles, the significance of...

Sir Thomas has a full-on crashout when Fanny reveals that she wishes to refuse Henry Crawford. He cross examines her until she cries, and she narrowly escapes him finding out about her crush on Edmund. But after absolutely tearing her to shreds, he still gets a fire going in the East Room. The next day, Fanny finds herself alone with Henry Crawford.

Topics discussed Fanny's empty fireplace, the "little privations" the Bertrams have bestowed on Fanny, Becca's 1-4 scale for categorizing peoples' morals vs. how good a hang they are, the conditionality of Fanny's...

We have a PROPOSAL (Graham, the sound effect)!!! We learn the real reason Henry went to London, Fanny doubts Henry's intentions, Henry comes to dinner, and Mary and Fanny exchange letters.

Topics discussed include the Crawfords' breeding and capacity for change, Fanny's sleep paralysis demon, leaving unpleasant conversations, Lady Bertram's privilege, Fanny's OOO message, and the ultimate question of why Henry is in love with Fanny.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms spoilers 39:55-42:15!!!

Patron Study Questions come from Avi, Linnea, and Emily. Topics d...

Fanny has the post-party comedown, Edmund and Mary maybe break up, and HENRY CRAWFORD IS IN LOOOOOOVE!

Topics discussed include Mr. Wobbles at the party, cribbage, Edmund and Mary as the regency era Ross and Rachel, the threat of the Owen girls, and of course, Henry's feelings for Fanny and whether they're pure.

Patron Study Questions come from Emily, Avi, Spring, Angelika, Emily, Linnea, and Flying Cupcake. Topics discussed include the fact that Edmund has never written Fanny a letter, the Crawfords' kindness, Edmund's affection toward Fanny, whether Henry C...

It's the day of the ball! Edmund gifts Fanny a SECOND chain, and Fanny decides to get over Edmund just as Edmund starts to doubt his feelings for Mary. Henry offers to take William to town and flirts up a storm with Fanny (respectfully). Fanny is the belle of the ball, despite her wishes.

Topics discussed include pasta necklaces, our In Defense of Edmund Drinking Game, Fanny's cup size, what Mary Crawford sees in Edmund, pros and cons of Henry and Edmund, and Regency ragers.

Becca's Study Questions: Topics d...

The families gather for a game night, and shenanigans ensue. Henry pays a visit to Edmund's future home, which sparks some feelings in Fanny and Mary. Sir Thomas catches on to Henry's intentions with Fanny and decides to throw a ball. Mary gives Fanny an unexpected gift.

Topics discussed include falling in love for the bit, Molly's competitive side, whether Henry can change, predictions for William's hotness, Sir Thomas's Pinterest board, our first male pre-proposal POV, and team Hanny vs. team Fanmund.

Patron Study Questions this week come from A...

Surprise, bitch, bet you thought you'd seen the last of Henry Crawford. Fanny goes to dinner at the parsonage, it's revealed that Edmund will be taking his living sooner than Mary thought, and Henry decides he's going to woo Fanny. Plus, the return of William Price!

Topics discussed include Fanny's place in the parsonage, how many cats Fanny will have in her Brooklyn apartment, whether Henry is a dog person, and the danger of horseback riding vs. being in the navy.

Patron Study Questions this week come from Avi, G...

Henry is gone, and a gloom falls over the house. Sir Thomas suspects that Maria doesn't want to marry Rushworth, but she marries him anyway. Fanny and Miss Crawford start hanging out, and Fanny secures a dinner invitation.

Topics discussed include Fanny's glow-up, how Fanny and the Bertrams feel about the slave trade, Maria's revenge plot, flirt-harping, the Brontës' use of the word "ejaculate," Fanny's love of nature, the Doge at the court of Louis XIV, and Edmund and Mary's fundamental incompatibility.

Patron Study Questions this week come fr...

HEATED RIVALRY SPOILERS 4:40-5:00!!!!!

Volume 2 starting off uncomfortably with Sir Thomas's return and the shutting down of Mansfield Theatre. Plus, Henry Crawford's farewell tour. Topics discussed include Sir Thomas's change of heart about Fanny, rowing across the Atlantic, how to pronounce Antigua, and partiality.

Patron Study Questions this week come from Marija, Avi, and Angelika. Topics discussed include whether Maria's hopes for a proposal from Henry are realistic, divorce in the 1800s, how Sir Thomas's time in Antigua influenced his behavior toward Fanny, and the departures of Henry Crawford a...

Rehearsals continue for Lovers' Vows! The cast starts in-fighting, but Fanny enjoys watching rehearsals...until she ends up in the middle of one.

Topics discussed include anonymous valentines, justice for Julia, Henry Crawford as Molly's type, morally grey characters, ASMs, lazy insults, and SIR THOMAS'S RETURN!

Patron Study Questions this week come from Flying Cupcake, Marija, Avi, Spring, and Angelika. Topics discussed include Fanny's fun side, why Mary is a better friend to Fanny than her cousins, Fanny's refusal to act, everyone's moral compromises, morality vs. indulgence, and why M...

Lovers' Vows cast list is up! Fanny is offered the role of a lifetime, which she does NOT want, and Miss Crawford is the only one who comes to her aid. The company decides to search for their Anhalt amongst their neighbors but Edmund puts a stop to that by offering to play Anhalt himself.

Topics discussed include playing dress-up, horse betting, why Edmund DOESN'T want to play Anhalt, Mary's moment of kindness, and Fanny's studio apartment.

Patron Study Questions this week come from Avi and Ghenet. Topics discussed i...

Theatre kids, rise up! Today we meet John Yates and the young people decide to put on a play. Edmund is NOT a fan of this idea. Julia finally gets her answers about Henry's feelings.

Topics discussed include the pettiness of theatre kids, Edmund and Tom's power struggles, Jane Austen's involvement with theatre, Edmund's overall wussiness, the plot of Lovers' Vows, and Julia's comeback.

The young people of Mansfield Park are making theatre, and so is our very own audio producer, Graham! Come see him in a brand-new work...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE AUSTEN!!!! Sir Thomas's return looms on the horizon, Mary Crawford tells us how she really feels about Dr. Grant, Fanny gives us some real main character energy, Big T comes home from Weymouth, Henry Crawford continues to be a naughty boy, Fanny has her first ball, and a mysterious new person arrives.

Topics discussed include job security, how much we love our dental hygienists, a continued reminder of where Mansfield Park's wealth comes from, Mary's compliment for Fanny, Cassiopeia, the Jane Austen Cinematic Universe, Becca's mom's love life, and Edmund's lack...

The gang is headed to Sotherton! We tour the chapel, Mary learns that Edmund is planning to be a clergyman (much to her dismay), and Fanny gets left alone in the woods for an hour.

Topics discussed include Maria's men-juggling act, the stick up Fanny's butt, whether 5'9" is short, our nightmare blunt rotation, the debauchery of big cities, fences we've climbed in our youths, and how Mr. Rushworth runs.

Patron Study Questions this week come from Avi, Ghenet, Linnea, and Judith. Topics discussed include Jane Austen's commentary on t...

In this special bonus episode, we're talking with Emily and Masha Breeze about Are The Bennet Girls Okay? by Emily Breeze, an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that centers on the experience of the Bennet sisters. Are The Bennet Girls Okay? is playing at Bedlam Theatre Company in New York through December 21st.

Topics discussed include: was Jane Austen 6 men in a trenchcoat? What are Bluesky posts called? Is Mrs. Bennet right? What is the myth of Pride and Prejudice? Lizzie Bennet is a queer, fat woman!

For more...

Today, things begin to grow in the rice pudding. Mr. Rushworth has the hots for landscaping, Molly gets bitchcrackers for Miss Crawford, and the tides turn on our affections for Edmund when he lends out Fanny's mare.

Topics discussed include hear me out cakes, apricots, Mary Crawford's poor breeding, what values we take from our families, Jane Austen's beautiful descriptions of love and how we're getting it in a different way in this book, regifting, Fanny as a chronically ill and/or anxious girlie, and pug the basset hound.

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In today's episode, we're talking about chapters 3-5 of Mansfield Park. Mr. Norris is dead! Will Fanny move in with Mrs. Norris? Sir Thomas goes to Antigua! Will he come back? Fanny's horse dies! Will she ever ride again? We meet SEVERAL new characters. Will our girls marry them?

Topics discussed include the way incomes from livings work (correct us if we're wrong!), rice pudding lasagna, Molly's continued cousing-shipping, Sir Thomas's West Indies estate and the slavery funding the wealth in England during this era, abolitionist judge Lord Mansfield, our first proposal, whether the...

We're diving into Mansfield Park in this first episode of season five of Pod and Prejudice. In today's chapters, we're taking it back to the generation before our heroine. We meet the Ward sisters who all marry into different social strata and learn how Fanny Price came to Mansfield Park.

Topics discussed include the something borrowed, something blue tradition, Mrs. Norris as a charity case, cousins marrying, Sir Wobbles the Pug, the bashing down of Fanny Price, naming girls after their mothers, and wealth as access.

Patron Study Questions...

In honor of Jane Austen's 250th birthday, we teamed up with Hot and Bothered and blended our formats for a special crossover episode covering the 2007 fanfic Becoming Jane!

Topics discussed include why it's so hard to write dialogue for writers, the 2007 of it all, Anne Hathaway's terrible British accent, what this movie believes about love, the movie's lack of Austen's genius, digging your own potatoes, and Austen in popular culture.

Glossary of People, Places, and Things: Penelope, Atonement, The Last King of Scotland, Joe Wright, Shakespeare in Love, Les M...

What a delight to talk with Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding about their newest twist on an Austen novel, Anne of Avenue A, which will hit the shelves on October 28th!

Topics discussed include flashbacks, Jane Austen's fanfic of her own life, romanticizing New York in the fall, miscommunication, dead moms in Austen, living in a 16-unit walk-up in NYC, which characters were easiest/hardest to adapt, and what part of the book Audrey and Emily are most excited to share.

Glossary of People, Places, and Things: Persuasion (1971), The J...

We're joined by Graham today to answer YOUR questions for our season finale!

Topics discussed include our Persuasion dream adaptation, the theme of persuasion in other Austen novels, the way Taylor Swift defined our lives, Persuasion's message to modern audiences, chronic illness in Austen, our Persuasion murder mystery, our Mansfield Park predictions (and some spoilers), the Wuthering Heights remake, our Austen superlatives, and marzipan.

Glossary of People, Places, and Things: Anne of Avenue A, Sarah Snook, Succession, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Pedro Pascal, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, The L...

Today, we're continuing our summer book club with a discussion of Austenland - both the book by Shannon Hale and the 2013 masterpiece starring Kerri Russell directed by Jerusha Hess.

Topics discussed include why the modern woman loves Jane Austen, whether we would go to Austenland, which plot we'd be assigned, the ethics of Austenland (or lack thereof), and our favorite additions to the movie.

Glossary of People, Places, and Things: Waitress, Turn, Lost in Austen, Parks and Rec, Merlin, The 100, American Gods, Flight of the Conchords

We're joined today by Sarah Rose Kearns and Prerna Ramachandra, the creators of the short film Manydown to discuss the PBS miniseries Miss Austen, based on the novel by Gill Hornby. Plus, an exciting announcement!

Topics discussed include the similarities between the choices artists had to make in Austen's time and now, the themes of mental illness in the show, the real love story being about sisters, Jane's family supporting her writing, and the nods to Austen's novels throughout the show.

To support Rose and Prerna's film Manydown, check...

We're joined today by Laughing with Lizzie aka Sophie Andrews to discuss, one last time, Persuasion (2022), but this time with a positive spin.

Topics discussed include breaking the fourth wall, Anne as the center of the story's focus, Sir Walter and Elizabeth's fairly tale, the cinematography, unseriousness, our favorite supporting characters, taking creative risks, the accuracy of the letter scene and other book-accurate moments, the costumes, Dakota Johnson's hair, the octopus, Elliot's openness, and Lyme.

Cast and Crew of Persuasion (2022)

For more from Sophie...

Today we're covering Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld! Aside from reading Austen, this is our first ever straight-up book review! Spoiler alert for Eligible. This adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is set in 2013 Cincinnati. The eldest Bennet sisters are approaching 40 and Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are country club parents who don’t care that they’re deep in debt. Jane and Liz end up back in Cincinnati when Mr. Bennet has a heart attack.

Topics discussed include our honest criticisms of the book, the success of the class commentary, the splitting of Wick/Ham, Darcy and...

Finishing strong today with Sequoia Simone (@sequoiasimone) as we dive into the final part of the 2022 adaptation of Persuasion. Topics discussed include: ruching, whether Elliot is a villain, octopus dreams, the Mandela Effect, gelatinous tears, the bunny, Mary in therapy, Mrs. Clay's happy ending, and the NON-FLASHBACK!

Cast and Crew of Persuasion (2022)

Glossary of People, Places, and Things: Old Navy crinkle shirts, Bridgerton, Lizzie McGuire, Fleabag, David Lynch, Marianne Afertoft, Sexy Beast, The City and the City, Poldark, Death Comes to Pemberley, Bolthouse Farms, Quietly Yours, Joe Anderson

We're joined again today by Sequoia Simone (@sequoiasimone) to discuss this...movie? Topics discussed include: what is ART?, which Austen hero Pedro Pascal is playing, peegate, what if the other guy is an okay option, friendzoning, Regency-era bathing suits, rich Americans, Gaydy Russell and her lesbian European tours, and indoor plumbing. Today's episode covers the film through Anne's arrival in Bath.

Cast and Crew of Persuasion (2022)

Glossary of People, Places, and Things: Claude Debussy, Materialists, Past Lives, Pedro Pascal at Cannes, BoJack Horseman, Shadow and Bone, My Lady Jane, C...

It's the moment you've all been dreading--I mean, waiting for...Persuasion (2022)! We're joined by Sequoia Simone (@sequoiasimone) to discuss this most beloved film and at which point it lost each of us. Today's episode covers the movie through Anne and Mary's Italian chat.

Topics discussed include: modernizing Austen's language, flashbacks, thick teardrops, multiracial casting in period pieces, the Fleabag-ification of Anne Elliot, the breakup box, gay Lady Russell (happy Pride!), Mary as Emily Gilmore, Regency Era therapy, and the Anne/Wentworth friendship.

Cast and Crew of Persuasion (2022)

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We're joined again by Izzy from What The Austen? (@whattheausten) to discuss the second half of the 2007 adaptation of Persuasion starring Sally Hawkins and directed by Adrian Shergold. Today's episode covers the film from Lyme through the end of the movie.

Topics discussed include the film's opinion on moving on from lost love, the stormy Cobb, blood!!!, snuff, Harville as the ultimate bro, Bath locations, filming in the rain, the male loneliness epidemic, and the Great Bath Marathon of 1814.

Glossary of People, Places, and Things: Game of Thrones, Merlin, Th...