Bonnets At Dawn

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Austen vs. Brontë is a literary thunderdome! Listen each week as Lauren and Hannah compare and contrast the lives, work and fandoms of the Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters.

Bonnets At Dawn


    • Oct 21, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 1h AVG DURATION
    • 163 EPISODES

    4.8 from 107 ratings Listeners of Bonnets At Dawn that love the show mention: lauren and hannah, jane austen, literature, breakfast, book club, joined, authors, books, social media, pick, group, ladies, good stuff, discussions, knowledgeable, community, reading, side, glad, humor.



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    Latest episodes from Bonnets At Dawn

    S6, E8: The Haunting Tales of Charlotte Riddell with Dr. Melissa Edmundson

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2022 47:24


    This week, spooky story specialist Dr. Melissa Edmundson talks to us about her Broadview edition of The Uninhabited House by Charlotte Riddell and helps us understand why the Victorians were so obsessed with ghost stories. We also discuss “Business Gothic'' and recommend some scary stories by Edith Nesbit.

    S6, E7: Race, Romance, and Empire in the short works of Louisa May Alcott and Dinah Craik

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2022 52:41


    This week, we are discussing My Contraband by Louisa May Alcott and The Half-Caste by Dinah Craik. These stories may seem different on the surface, but share quite a few similarities. We talk about how these authors handle interracial relationships, the East India Company, and make comparisons to Sense & Sensibility and Jane Eyre. Spoilers ahead. You can find both stories for free online if you'd like to read before listening.

    S6, E6: Otherness and Horror in Wuthering Heights w/Dr. Lydia Craig

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2022 70:55


    This week is all about the beloved/hated novel, Wuthering Heights! We sat down with Dr. Lydia Craig to discuss Tylney Hall (a possible source text and inspiration for WH) and reading Heathcliff as a person of color. We also talk adaptations, Wuthering Heights as horror, Charlotte Brontë's Villette, and the musical Cats.

    S6, E5: Nella Larsen's Passing

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2022 72:35


    FINALLY. This week, we're talking about Passing by Nella Larsen. We also compare and contrast it to the 2021 film adaptation by Rebecca Hall and the short story Passing by Langston Hughes. Spoilers ahead.

    S6, E4: The Medicine, Murder, and Afrofuturism in Of One Blood w/Dr. Eurie Dahn & Dr. Brian Sweeney

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2022 78:37


    This week is all about Pauline Hopkins! Hopkins was an author, activist, and editor, who served as the driving force behind The Colored American magazine and her serialized novel, Of One Blood, has been described at Black Panther meets Indiana Jones. We're joined by Eurie Dahn and Brian Sweeney to discuss this fascinating novel, early speculative fiction, as well as The Colored American Magazine, which they are currently digitizing here: http://coloredamerican.org/

    S6, E3: Harriet Jacobs and Frances Harper w/Dr. Koritha Mitchell

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2022 74:11


    This week, we're continuing our conversation about Harriet Beecher Stowe and performative activism. And we are joined by Dr. Koritha Mitchell to discuss her upcoming edition of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, as well as the connections between Frances Harper and Harriet Jacobs.

    S6, E2: Abolitionist literature and Anti-Slavery Bazaars with Felicia Gabriele

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2022 81:36


    This week, we're talking about the business of abolitionist literature. We start by discussing the author and activist Lydia Maria Child and her short story The Quadroons. Then, PhD candidate Felicia Gabriele joins us to discuss her Rambling article entitled “The Problem of Fashionable Abolition: Performative Allyship Then and Now.”

    S6, E1: Harriet Beeecher Stowe's Pink & White Tyranny!

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2022 61:36


    We're baaack! This week, we're going on a micro-mini-roadtrip to Harriet Beecher Stowe's House in Cincinnati and talking about one of one of her most baffling books - Pink & White Tyranny (great band name, btw). We can't tell if this novel is a Mansfield Park fanfic or response to Wuthering Heights. Listen in and let us know! Spoilers ahead!

    B@D Mixtape #1: Poems About Authors

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2022 30:57


    Hey, hey, we're back with a new format! This is the first Bonnets at Dawn Mixtape, which is part audiobook and part podcast. In honor of National Poetry Month, we have asked some excellent voice actors to read poems about authors. Listen to hear what Dorothy Parker wrote about Harriet Beecher Stowe, a Tribute to George Sand by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, a spooky poem about the Brontë sisters, and more! Music Credits: Sad Heaven Piano #3 by PSOVOD Lo Fi 01 by Szmalix Lo-Fo Tokyo by YellowTree Late Nights In Osaka by YellowTree

    S5, Bonus: Best Reads of 2021, aka The Holiday Holiday Special

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2021 74:52


    This week, Dr. Arielle Zibrak and Dr. Sarah Mesle join us to discuss our love of Kate Winslet, The Holiday, the pleasures of knitwear, and our favorite reads of 2021. We also talk about romcoms, Austen and Ephron, comfort reading, and read just a few of your amazing book recommendations.

    S5.3, E5: Guilty Pleasures and Critical Bonnet Studies with Dr. Arielle Zibrak

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2021 66:12


    We're wrapping up our mini-series on Sex, Scandal, and Social Climbers with Dr. Arielle Zibrak, who is here to discuss the role of bonnets in 19th century literature, bodice rippers, and guilty pleasures. We also carry on our discussion about race in literature, Taylor Swift, and even get into Jane Austen's Emma and Keanu Reeves. Find Arielle on the internet at https://www.ariellezibrak.com/

    S5.3, E4: Scandal and Coffee and Mary Robinson with Clio O'Sullivan

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2021 33:14


    This week, we're talking ghosts, gossip, and gambling with Clio O'Sullivan from Chawton House Library! We discuss the scandalous actress and author Mary Robinson and the connection she shares with Scottish botanical illustrator Elizabeth Blackwell.

    S5.3, E3: Elizabeth Montagu and Bluestocking Drama w/Dr. Jack Orchard & Dr. Anna Louise Senkiw

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2021 58:33


    This week, we are talking to Dr. Jack Orchard and Dr. Anna Louise Senkiw, who are currently working on digitizing the letters of Elizabeth Montagu, noted literary influencer and Queen of the Bluestockings. We also discuss the poet Ann Yearsley, her feud with Hannah More, and how she is like Taylor Swift. You can access Montagu's letters online at http://emco.swansea.ac.uk/home/ And find Jack on Twitter @Jarona7

    S5.3, E2: Elizabeth Barrett Browning with Dr. Fiona Sampson

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2021 68:25


    This week, we're welcoming Dr. Fiona Sampson back to the show to discuss her new book entitled Two-Way Mirror: The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. We also get into specifics regarding EBB's family money, illness, legacy, and what should be included in her biopic.

    S5.3, E1: Upstarts, Social Climbers, and Alicia LeFanu's Fashionable Connections w/Dr. Lydia Craig

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2021 67:17


    We're kicking off our mini-season on Sex, Scandal, and Money with an episode about social climbers, upstarts, and Jamaican heirs in Regency England. We cover a lot in this one including Sanditon's Miss Lambe, Leigh Hunt's Black ancestry, Charles Dickens, the scandalous life of George Eliot, the Real Housewives, and Alicia LeFanu's novel Fashionable Connexions with our pal, Dr. Lydia Craig. Minor spoilers for Fashionable Connexions, which you can read online via Google Books.

    S5, Bonus: The Letters of Pride and Prejudice and Little Women with Barbara Heller

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2021 57:28


    This week, we're bringing together Dr. Eleanor Rust and curator Barabara Heller for an in depth discussion about the process behind creating the letters for the Pride and Prejudice and Little Women Letters editions for Chronicle Books. We also discuss Barbara's job as a set decorator for television and film, calligraphy and postal history.

    S5, Bonus: B@D Literary Ghost Tour

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2021 46:57


    We're back with an expanded version of our 2020 B@D Live Literary Ghost Tour! This week, we're talking about spooky books, the ghost of Charles Dickens, and whether or not Anne Brontë is haunting a certain staircase in New York.

    S5.2, Episode 6: Harriet Beecher Stowe Onscreen w/Fourth Wall Films

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2021 70:01


    This action-packed episode is our first ever entirely dedicated to Harriet Beecher Stowe. We discuss Harriet's time in Cincinnati, the unauthorized stage adaptations of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and her connection to The King and I. We also interview Kelly and Tammy Rundle from Fourth Wall Films about their documentary Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe, as well as their docu-drama about Stowe, entitled Sons & Daughters of Thunder.

    S5.2, Episode 5: Adapting Sense and Sensibility w/playwright Sharmini Kumar

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2021 90:40


    This week, we are talking to playwright Sharmini Kumar about the origins of 24 Carrot Productions, as well as the challenges of adapting Austen to stage, and diversifying her productions. We also read from Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility production diaries, and Lauren realizes that she is actually a Marianne.

    S5.2, Episode 4: Austen vs Brontë Onstage w/ playwright Christina Calvit

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2021 44:03


    This week, we're talking to Christina Calvit from Lifeline Theatre about adapting Austen and Brontë for the stage.

    S5.2, Episode 3: Wild Nights with filmmaker Madeleine Olnek

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2021 58:02


    This week, we're continuing our discussion about Emily Dickinson and the art of adaptation with filmmaker Madeleine Olnek. Olnek wrote and directed the romantic comedy Wild Nights with Emily starring Molly Shannon as Dickinson. You can find out more about the film, including where to stream or purchase it, at http://www.wildnightswithemily.com/

    S5.2, Episode 2: Emily Dickinson on Film

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2021 66:33


    This week, we're comparing and contrasting the ways Emily Dickinson has been portrayed on screen in Dickinson, Wild Nights with Emily, and A Quiet Passion. For those that are worried about spoilers - we do a basic synopsis of each, and discuss some moments that we like (or don't like). Light spoilers for Dickinson, medium for Wild Nights, and heavy for A Quiet Passion.

    S5.2, Episode 1: Comic Adaptations w/artists Kaley Bales and Glynnis Fawkes

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2021 75:39


    We're back and this season we are discussing stage, film, and comic adaptations! This week, we're talking about literary biopics, Brontë vibes, and comics, with artists Kaley Bales and Glynnis Fawkes. Bales is the illustrator for our book, Why She Wrote, and Glynnis is the writer/illustrator of Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre.

    S5, E4: L.M. Montgomery and Regionalism w/special guest Dr. Trinna Frever

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2021 65:54


    This week, we’ve invited L.M. Montgomery scholar Dr. Trinna Frever back to break down regionalism for us. We start with L.M. Montgomery and The Blue Castle and work our way towards a discussion about Zora Neale Hurston, Sarah Orne Jewett, and Willa Cather and what they all have in common. We also discuss James Thurber, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Wordsworth, Washington Irving Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Fuller, Ernest Hemingway, and Alice Carey, which might be a record for us in terms of names dropped.

    S5, E3: The Blue Castle Pt 3 w/Dr. Sarah Mesle

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2021 76:06


    Hannah returns to breakdown the final chapters of The Blue Castle! Dr. Sarah Mesle shares her takeaways from the book, and we talk about sex, women’s health, Henry David Thoreau vs. John Foster vs. Susan Fenimore Cooper, and read some listener comments. It’s an action-packed episode.

    S5, E2: The Blue Castle Pt 2 w/Dr. Brenton Dickieson

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2021 77:38


    This week, we are talking about soooo many women writers in relation to L.M. Montgomery including Christina Rossetti, Pauline Johnson, Charlotte Brontë, and Jane Austen (again). Dr. Amber Pouliot joins us in the co-host chair to discuss chapters 16-30 of The Blue Castle, Goblin Market, and sex. We also interview Dr. Brenton Dickieson, host of The Maud Cast, about L.M. Montgomery, John Foster, and Bluebeard. You can find The Maud Cast wherever you get your podcasts, or on Twitter @LMMIMaudCast.

    S5, E1: The Blue Castle Read-Along Pt 1 w/Dr Kate Scarth

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2021 70:23


    We’re kicking off season 5 with a read-along of The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. This week, we have not one, but two doctors in the house! Eleanor Rust joins us as co-host to discuss chapters 1-15, and Dr. Kate Scarth from the L.M. Montgomery Institute returns to talk about pairing L.M. Montgomery with Jane Austen. We also read some insightful listener comments about The Blue Castle, and discuss Isabella Valancy Crawford.

    S4, Bonus Episode: Best Books of 2020 w/special guest Bea Koch from The Ripped Bodice

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2020 56:31


    This week, we discuss YOUR favorite reads of 2020, and talk to Bea Koch about her book Mad & Bad: Real Heroines of The Regency. Stick around to the end for a very special announcement! And warning - this episode may contain a bit of adult language.

    S4.4, E9: Pauline Hopkins & Dorothy West w/Special Guest Prof Cherene Sherrard-Johnson

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2020 75:02


    This week, we’re talking about the parallel lives of African American writers Pauline Hopkins and Dorothy West, and our hopes for a sexy Harlem Renaissance mini-series. Our guest, Professor Cherene Sherrard-Johnson, is the President of the Pauline Hopkins Society and the author of Dorothy West’s Paradise: A Biography of Class and Color.

    S4.4, E8: The Diaries of Charlotte Forten & Louisa May Alcott

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2020 52:41


    This week, we’re going back to 1854 to compare and contrast the diaries of African American activist, educator, and writer Charlotte Forten and Louisa May Alcott. These two have so much in common, and we found their journals and letters highly relatable and excellent reads.

    S4.5, E7: The Lost Poetry of Sarah Piatt with Prof Elizabeth Renker and Jolie Braun

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2020 66:22


    This week, we’re bringing you another literary detective story. We’re talking to OSU Professor Elizabeth Renker and Special Collections Curator Jolie Braun about their work to uncover the life and work of American poet Sarah Piatt. If you’re an Emily Dickinson fan, check this one out!

    S4.5, E6: Phillis Wheatley and Rare Books w/Special Guest Patrick Olson

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2020 70:50


    This week, we’re talking about rare books, forgeries, and biblio curiosities with Patrick Olson, proprietor of Olson Rare Books. We also discuss Phillis Wheatley’s legacy and the new book of poetry by Honoree´ Fanonne Jeffers entitled The Age of Phillis. Find Pat online at www.olsonrarebooks.com

    S4.5, E5: Finding Sarah E. Farro with Lydia Craig

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2020 45:14


    Academic Lydia Craig returns to the show to tell us all about her quest to piece together the life of Sarah E. Farro, the lost 19th century African American novelist. Spoilers ahead, as we discuss Farro’s book True Love: A Story of English Domestic Romance.

    S4.5, E4: Dorothy Wordsworth’s Journals with Dr. Jo Taylor

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2020 61:46


    This week, we are going back to the Lake District to revisit Dorothy Wordsworth. We discuss her partnership with William, relationship with nature, and dive into some of our favorite journal entries with Dr. Jo Taylor.

    S4.5, E3: Mathilda & Mary Shelley w/Prof Rachel Feder

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2020 51:55


    This week, we’re chatting with the hilarious poet and academic Rachel Feder about Mary Shelley, Mathilda, and whether or not Percy would have been a contender on reality tv. Warning - this is a deep dive into Mathilda, so there are spoilers.

    S4.5, E2: The Woman of Colour w/Prof. Kerry Sinanan

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2020 60:15


    This week, we’re discussing The Woman of Colour: A Tale by Anonymous with Professor Kerry Sinanan. This unique 18th century text features a Black heiress in Regency England and draws comparisons to the film Belle. We talk about why it would make a great adaptation and revisit some thoughts from our Mansfield Park series.

    S4.5, E1: Jane Austen Fandom Roundtable

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2020 70:05


    We’re back! And this week, we’re discussing issues surrounding diversity and inclusion within the Austen community with our guests Nandita Shenoy (actress and playwright), Nikki Payne (reformed academic and JAFF writer), and Bianca Hernandez (JASNA regional coordinator).

    S4.4, Episode 4: Anne Brontë vs Louisa May Alcott with special guest Dr. Amber Pouliot

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2020 67:53


    This week, we’re comparing and contrasting Agnes Grey to Louisa May Alcott’s Behind a Mask. We’re also bringing you some highlights from Dr. Amber Pouliot’s B@D Live talk about Victorian Governess Life. You can get into contact with Amber via twitter @AmberTPouliot.

    S4.3, Spisode 3: Agnes Grey with Special Guest Sharon Wright

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2020 86:12


    We’re celebrating Anne Brontë’s bicentenary by reading her first novel Agnes Grey. This week, we’re covering chapters 16-25 and chatting with Sharon Wright, author of The Mother of the Brontës: When Maria met Patrick. Find Sharon online at Sharon-Wright-Agency.co.uk.

    S4.3, Episode 2: Agnes Grey with Special Guest Finola Austin

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2020 78:45


    We’re celebrating Anne Brontë’s bicentenary by reading her first novel Agnes Grey. This week, we’re covering chapters 9-16, and chatting with Finola Austin, author of Brontë’s Mistress. Find Finola online at FinolaAustin.com

    S4.3, Episode 1: Agnes Grey with Special Guest Adelle Hay

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2020 82:13


    We’re celebrating Anne Brontë’s bicentenary by reading her first novel Agnes Grey. This week, we’re covering chapters 1-8, and chatting with Adelle Hay, author of Anne Brontë Reimagined.

    S4.2, Episode 9: Literary Tourism Finale

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2020 45:48


    This week, we’re going on a literary graveyard tour with Roberta Wedge from The Mary Wollstonecraft Society. Plus, Ashley Olson, Executive Director of The National Willa Cather Center, gives us a crash course in all things Cather and we discuss some exciting plans for the future.

    S4.2, Episode 8: Man Up! at Chawton House

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2020 60:05


    This week, you’ll hear audio from Hannah’s trip to Chawton House where she spoke to Executive Director Katie Childs and went on a tour of the Man Up! exhibition led by curator Clio O’Sullivan. You find the entire exhibition online at https://chawtonhouse.org/the-library/library-collections/man-up-online-exhibition/introduction/

    S4.2, Episode 7: Dorothy & Wordsworth Grasmere

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2020 63:44


    This week, we’re taking you back to the Lake District to visit Wordsworth Grasmere, home of Dorothy and William Wordsworth. Thanks so much to Assistant Curator Poppy Garrett for busting out the white gloves and taking us behind the scenes to show us paintings, journals and camel phlegm.

    S4.2, Episode 6: Holdsworth House & Shibden Hall

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2020 53:02


    This week, we’re going on a roadtrip to Holdsworth House in Halifax to learn about diarist Elizabeth Wadsworth. Then, we’re going down the road to visit Shibden Hall, the home of Anne Lister.

    S4.2, Episode 5: L.M. Montgomery & The Alpine Path

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2020 50:18


    We’re back! This week, we’re talking you through The Alpine Path by L.M. Montgomery. This essay is full of great writing advice, childhood anecdotes, and quotes like, “I drained the cup of failure to the very dregs.” Put that on a postcard.

    S4.2, Episode 4: L.M. Montgomery & Prince Edward Island

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2020 60:37


    This week, we chat with L.M. Montgomery scholars Dr. Kate Scarth and Dr. Trinna Frever about L.M.’s critics, journals, and Prince Edward Island, before diving into their exciting project - Your LMM Story.

    S4.2, Episode 3: Lord Byron & Newstead Abbey

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2020 59:04


    We continue our series on literary homes with a discussion about Newstead Abbey, home of Lord Byron, with Curator Simon Brown. We also discuss the Harriet Beecher Stowe & Lord Byron controversy. If you’re playing the HBS drinking game with us, get the bottle out.

    S4.2, Episode 2: Beatrix Potter & Hill Top

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2020 43:14


    Sadly, Hill Top was closed for the season when we visited the Lake District last November, but we were able to persuade three members of The Beatrix Potter Society to meet us for a coffee. This week, you’ll hear snippets for our fascinating conversation with Trudy, Janet, and Carol about Potter’s life, career, and what it’s like to volunteer at Hill Top.

    S4.2, Episode 1: Literary Tourism: Brantwood & The Brontë Parsonage

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2020 44:09


    Welcome to our brand new mini-series on Literary Tourism! This week, we take you on the road to a Lit House conference in the Lake District, our pal Dr. Amber Pouliot gives us a crash course in the history of Literary Tourism, and we talk about Charlotte Brontë through the lens of contemporary art. Follow Dr. Amber on Twitter @DrAmberTPouliot Learn more about Brantwood here: http://www.brantwood.org.uk/ Find the art of Serena Partridge here: https://www.serenapartridge.co.uk/

    S4, Episode 5: Northanger Abbey vs Northanger Abbey

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2020 58:45


    We’re capping off our Northanger Abbey read-along by discussing the 1986 and 2007 film adaptations of the book. Big thanks to our special guests Janine Barchas, Lydia Craig, and Helena Kelly for helping us take a deeper look at the text during this series. Definitely check out their episodes if you missed those! And another special thanks to everyone who read and watched along with us and provided excellent commentary!

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