Jane Austen and the Making of Desire
On being a Regency fanboy, and America’s weird relationship with sex
This week on the podcast, we’re talking about sublimated desires—and the repressed kind, too. William Deresiewicz expands on an essay he wrote for us about being a man in Jane Austen’s world—and how her novels are about so much more than Colin Firth-as-Mr. Darcy. And Hallie Lieberman explains how the history of sex toys—and the laws banning them—can illuminate America’s complicated relationship with sexuality.
Go beyond the episode:
- William Deresiewicz’s essay, “A Jane Austen Kind of Guy”
- Read an essay on the dark underbelly of Mansfield Park’s grand estates and country balls from Mikita Brottman
- Further proof of how everyone wants to be Mrs. Darcy from our Daily Scholar alum, Paula Marantz Cohen
- Hallie Lieberman’s Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy
- Anthony Comstock and his obscenity laws play a big role on another podcast episode, “Out of the Closet and Into the Courts”
Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.
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Our theme music was composed by Nathan Prillaman.
