In this episode, Shiara, Slava, and Jonathan dig into Volume 1 of Pride and Prejudice, and things get surprisingly heated. We break down why Jane Austen was basically living her own novel, why Mrs. Bennet is actually more tragic than she is crazy, and why Mr. Darcy is either the most misunderstood man in literary history — or just a really well-dressed snob.
Also: Jonathan was not bamboozled by Wickham (for the wrong reasons), Slava almost ruined Thanksgiving, and we had a full debate about the Georgian vs. Victorian era that started before church and ended on air.
Part 2 is coming. There is a lot more book to get through.
ABOUT THE BOOK
When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows us the folly of judging by first impressions. She superbly evokes the friendships, gossip, and snobberies of provincial middle-class life. This Penguin Classics edition, based on Austen's first edition, contains the original Penguin Classics introduction by Tony Tanner and an updated introduction and notes by Viven Jones.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jane Austen was born in 1775 in the small Hampshire village of Steventon, where her father was a Church of England clergyman. The household was large, creative, and deeply literary — a childhood that shaped everything she would become as a writer. She began writing seriously as a teenager and spent the following decades crafting some of the most beloved novels in the English language, publishing them anonymously, identified only as "A Lady."
She accepted a marriage proposal once but changed her mind the following day. She never married. In 1809, she settled into a cottage in Chawton, Hampshire — offered by her brother Edward — where her most productive years followed and where she wrote, revised, and published all six of her major novels.
In 1817 she fell ill, moved to Winchester to be closer to her doctor, and died on July 18 of that year at just 41 years old. The world didn't learn her name until after she was gone. Today she is considered one of the most famous and influential writers in English literature, celebrated for her elegant style, dry humor, and timeless explorations of love, reputation, and what it meant to be a woman with a mind of her own.
More info here: https://janeaustens.house/jane-austen/jane-austen-a-life/
ABOUT THE SIDE QUEST BOOK CLUB PODCAST
Reading is the ultimate side quest. Side Quest is a casual book club podcast full of literary adventures. Join Slava and Jonathan as they discuss the books they are reading, life, history, belief systems, and more. Explore world-building, characters, and story development, and share some laughs along the way.
New episodes drop every TUES.
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CREDITS
Hosts: Slava and Jonathan
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Intro/Outro Music: HoliznaCC0v
Editing by: CharacterNorth6081
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