Why Should We Care About Jane Austen's Bookshelf?

About this episode

The episode discusses the novelists who influenced Jane Austen and argues for their inclusion in the literary canon.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of our greatest novelists. Her place in the literary canon is secure. Her influence on later generations is profound. But what about the novelists who influenced Jane Austen? Hardly anybody reads them nowadays, and they are not in the canon. Using Rebecca Romney's book Jane Austen's Bookshelf as a guide, Sarah, Matt, and Mandy discuss how strange this situation is. If Jane Austen thought a novel was great, shouldn't we want to read it? The co-hosts make the case for adding these forgotten authors into the literary canon.

People in this episode

Host: Matt

Topics covered

• Jane Austen
• literary canon
• forgotten authors
• influence on literature

Keywords

• Rebecca Romney
• Jane Austen's Bookshelf
• literary influence

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Jane Austen's Bookshelf

Books & works: Jane Austen's Bookshelf

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