In episode 71 we talk with Gill Hornby, author of the best-selling novel Miss Austen which has been adapted for a 4-part series premiering on MASTERPIECE on PBS May 4, 2025 (check local listings). MISS AUSTEN seeks to unravel the historic literary mystery by reimanging Cassandra Austen’s act of sisterly love in burning the letters of her famous author sister Jane Austen after Jane’s death in 1817.
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TIMESTAMPS
0:57- MISS AUSTEN series overview and cast
3:14 - Introducing novel writer, Gill Hornby
4:06 - Motivation for MISS AUSTEN novel -- Cassandra Austen fan girl
9:44 - Adapting MISS AUSTEN for the screen
11:47 - Women's financial insecurity in Austen's time
16:56 - Mrs. Bennet as the heroine of Pride and Prejudice
18:14 - Was Sense and Sensibility a dig at Jane and Cassandra's sister-in-law?
20:16 - Sisterly bond of Jane and Cassandra Austen
22:57 - Cassandra as Jane's "great wife" behind the writer
26:50 - Casting Dr. Lidderdale as Black physician
28:58 - Jane Austen's global appeal
32:32 - Other Austen novels by Gill Hornby
34:49 - Where to watch MISS AUSTEN
35:23 - Purchase MISS AUSTEN novel from affiliate bookstore
35:43 - Podcast subscription information
37:07 - Disclaimer
Spoiler alert (if you haven't read the novel or seen the series yet)
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