Podcast appearances and mentions of charlotte bront

We learn: Jane is threatening to get a new job and Rochester is being a controlling jerk about it I can't find a new place to live, so I'm still at the rented mansion Mrs. Reed would rather keep a kid around to hate- than send her off to someone else who wanted her. Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/419eaeba-502f-438a-b0e4-7af2a0c0b906

We learn: Renting a mansion for a night sucks Rochester does a crap-load of gaslighting on Jane What is with having a crazed murderer in your house and trying to get everyone to be cool with it? Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/b661fdfb-38e1-4092-8aea-5db75d9305f5

In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, Jonathan Thomas is joined by Brendan Dowd — West Point graduate, Iraq War veteran, government consultant, and host of History Nerds United, one of the most respected history book podcasts in the business with over 220 episodes — for a pure, unfiltered book nerd conversation. Both hosts came with a stack of their favorite British history books and took turns sharing their picks, debating the merits, going gloriously off-topic about Darkest Hour, the new Wuthering Heights film, Bridgerton, and Dan Jones's upcoming castles book, and building what amounts to a British history reading list that will keep you busy for years. Between them, Jonathan and Brendan recommend over 20 books spanning Alfred the Great, the Tudors, the Regency, Victorian London, World War II, Thatcher, the Iranian Embassy Siege, and the hidden history of English wolves — plus a peek at what's sitting on each of their TBR piles right now. Links History Nerds United ~History Nerds United Podcast~ ~History Nerds United on YouTube~ ~Brendan's Top Episode: Helen Castor on Joan of Arc~ (update with direct episode link) ⠀Jonathan's Picks ~Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson~ ~The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson~ ~Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts~ ~My Early Life by Winston Churchill~ ~A Very English Scandal by John Preston~ ~London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd~ ~Citizens of London by Lynne Olson~ ~Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera~ ~Empireworld by Sathnam Sanghera~ ~The Iron Lady by John Campbell~ ~The Last Wolf by Robert Winder~ ~The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy by David Cannadine~ ~Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh~ ~The Regency Years by Robert Morrison~ ~Churchill's Citadel by Katherine Carter~ ⠀Brendan's Picks ~Alfred the Great by Justin Pollard~ ~The Six Loves of James I by Gareth Russell~ ~Battle for the Island Kingdom by Don Hollway~ ~Once a King: The Lost Memoir of Edward VIII by Jane Marguerite Tippett~ ~The Greatest Knight by Thomas Asbridge~ ~Henry V by Dan Jones~ ~Thomas More: A Life by Joanne Paul~ ~The Stolen Crown by Tracy Borman~ ~The Crown's Silence by Brooke Newman~ ~The Eagle and the Hart by Helen Castor~ ~The Invention of Charlotte Brontë by Graham Watson~ ~London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe~ ~The Siege by Ben Macintyre~ ⠀Also Mentioned ~Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe~ ~Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe~ ~Secrets of Great British Castles with Dan Jones on Netflix~ ~Darkest Hour (2017)~ ~Young Winston (1972)~ ⠀Anglotopia ~101 Oxford Travel Tips and Tricks by Jonathan Thomas~ (update with direct product link) ~Anglotopia Guide to the World of Bridgerton~ (update with direct product link) ~Friends of Anglotopia Club~ (update with correct URL) ⠀ Takeaways Both Jonathan and Brendan started their podcasts for exactly the same reason — frustration at the quality of existing coverage in their field — and both were shocked to discover how generous, enthusiastic, and collegial the history author community turned out to be. Brendan's gateway into British history was Alfred the Great by Justin Pollard — a compact, accessible biography of the only English monarch to earn the title "the Great," which he recommends as the perfect gateway drug for readers who think history books are intimidating. Jonathan's most-reread British book is Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island — a definitive outsider's portrait of British culture from the early 1990s that remains beloved by British readers themselves, and the book that most shaped his vision for Anglotopia. Andrew Roberts's one-volume Churchill biography is both Jonathan and Brendan's recommended starting point for anyone wanting a modern, comprehensive, and myth-busting account of Churchill — and Roberts's Napoleon biography is equally essential. Helen Castor is independently named by Brendan as one of his very favorite history writers — her Eagle and the Hart on Richard II and Henry IV, and her Joan of Arc episode of his podcast, are both highlighted as exceptional examples of humanizing complex historical figures without sanitizing them. Both hosts agree that the best history books share a quality: they humanize their subjects — showing the positive and the negative — rather than either condemning or canonizing them. The books they admire most leave the reader to make their own moral judgments. Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera and The Crown's Silence by Brooke Newman both generated significant controversy — particularly in British publications — but both Jonathan and Brendan recommend them as essential, rigorously evidenced correctives to popular myths about the British Empire and the monarchy's role in the slave trade. Ben Macintyre's The Siege — on the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege in London that made the SAS famous — is Brendan's pick for best recent true British history read, praised for building unbearable tension over hundreds of pages before releasing it all in a single extended final chapter. The new Wuthering Heights film gets a thumbs-down from both hosts — "it looks beautiful but just didn't land" — while Darkest Hour generates a spirited debate about the Underground scene that ends with both agreeing it's historically wrong but emotionally right. Both hosts are currently working through books about the interwar period, Cold War espionage, and upcoming releases from Dan Jones and Thomas Asbridge — and both agree that the single greatest problem with loving history books is that the TBR pile never gets shorter. ⠀ Soundbites "I lost it. I said, there's gotta be a better way. I don't want to continually torture my family with all my rants about books. So I started the blog." — Brendan on the one-star Amazon review that launched History Nerds United. "I sent 10 emails on the first day thinking if I get one back I'll be ecstatic. I got eight back within three days. And I've now sat on a boat with Dan Jones having drinks, overlooking Omaha Beach. Nobody tell me it didn't happen." — Brendan on the unexpected magic of the history community. "I have yet to interview a jerk. Everyone has been unfailingly nice and so excited to be there and just so game to talk about whatever." — Brendan on 220+ episodes of History Nerds United. "My long-term goal is to be like Bill Bryson. I've actually met him. He's a very nice chap. I can only hope to be 10% as good as him one day." — Jonathan on Notes from a Small Island and his writing ambitions. *"If you want to understand why everything is happening in Downton Abbey, read *The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy. I read it as research for a novel I was writing in college and it has never left me." — Jonathan on David Cannadine's masterwork. "Churchill wouldn't have done that. He was not that type of person. But you put Churchill in a period tube carriage, surrounded by Londoners during the Blitz, and it captures the essence of what the story is trying to tell. Was it real? Heck no." — Jonathan and Brendan on the Underground scene in Darkest Hour. "Helen Castor is constantly teaching you, but you feel like you're just having a conversation within the book. At the end of it, you hear Helen get emotional talking about this teenager burned at the stake — how scared she must have been, even with all her faith. She makes her human instead of an icon." — Brendan on his favorite episode of History Nerds United. "The thesis is that because Britain hunted wolves to extinction, it unleashed the economic powerhouse of sheep farming and wool — and as a consequence of that led to so much of what we know as Britain. I read it and I wanted to read it all over again immediately." — Jonathan on The Last Wolf by Robert Winder. "She stayed laser focused on the Elizabethan succession and somehow it's still interesting all the way through. She mentions the Spanish Armada for about three sentences. I said in my review: this book has been written. We don't need any more on this subject." — Brendan on Tracy Borman's The Stolen Crown. "No author has ever made me feel more lazy than Catherine Grace Katz — she wrote *Daughters of Yalta* while she was in law school. If you told me that I would one day be sitting there with Marsha Clark from the OJ Simpson trial, I would have called you a liar. But that's what this world does." — Brendan on the surreal privilege of the history podcast community. ⠀ Chapters 00:00 Introduction — Jonathan sets up the book conversation episode and introduces Brendan Dowd 01:41 How a Tank Platoon Leader Got a 220-Episode History Podcast — Long commutes, bad Amazon reviews, and one unexpected email 05:58 The History Author Community — Why everybody wants you to win, and the generosity of historians 08:10 Dan Jones on a River Cruise — Brendan's honeymoon, Omaha Beach, and a surreal life moment 09:01 What History Nerds United Is — The format, the philosophy, and why Brendan calls himself the laziest podcaster 10:26 BOOK PICKS BEGIN 10:39 Brendan Pick #1: Alfred the Great by Justin Pollard — The George Washington of England and the perfect gateway drug 12:18 Jonathan Pick #1: Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson — The definitive outsider's portrait of British culture and Jonathan's most-reread book 14:28 Brendan Pick #2: The Six Loves of James I by Gareth Russell — A party animal king, Scottish trauma, and the most uncomfortable compliment Gareth ever received 16:58 Jonathan Pick #2: Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts — The one-volume biography that settles the argument 18:15 Andrew Roberts's Napoleon — A brief but enthusiastic detour to France 18:56 Brendan Pick #3: Battle for the Island Kingdom by Don Hollway — 1000 to 1066, the most disgusting assassination in history, and setting up everything 20:05 Jonathan Pick #3: My Early Life by Winston Churchill — The only autobiography, the Boer War escape, and the Gary Stiles connection 21:50 Darkest Hour Debate — The Underground scene: historically wrong, emotionally right, and why it works anyway 23:18 The Perfect WWII Double Bill — Darkest Hour followed by Dunkirk as a single evening 23:50 Brendan Pick #4: Henry V by Dan Jones — Present tense biography, the greatest medieval king, and writing something when you feel ready for it 25:29 Jonathan Pick #4: A Very English Scandal by John Preston — Jeremy Thorpe, a murder plot, a dead dog, and the British establishment 26:57 John Preston's Robert Maxwell Book — And a certain imprisoned daughter 27:26 Brendan Pick #5: Thomas More: A Life by Joanne Paul — Saints, hair shirts, comedy gold, and debunking 500-year-old myths 29:24 Jonathan Pick #5: London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd — The definitive history of London and the gateway to a great corpus 30:25 Brendan Pick #6: Once a King: The Lost Memoir of Edward VIII by Jane Marguerite Tippett — He wasn't a Nazi, and the documentation proves it 32:03 Jonathan Pick #6: Citizens of London by Lynne Olson — Americans in London during the Blitz and how they helped save Britain 33:24 Brendan Pick #7: The Stolen Crown by Tracy Borman — The Elizabethan succession, new evidence, and calling Henry VIII a few four-letter words 34:56 Tracy Borman on Inside the Tower of London — And Dan Jones's upcoming Castles book 36:03 Jonathan Pick #7: Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera — Deconstructing myths of the British Empire and why the author quit social media 37:32 Brendan Pick #8: The Crown's Silence by Brooke Newman — The monarchy's direct financial involvement in the slave trade and British publications' predictable response 39:34 Jonathan Pick #8: The Iron Lady by John Campbell — The definitive Thatcher biography and why she's Churchill's true successor 41:45 Brendan Pick #9: The Greatest Knight by Thomas Asbridge — William Marshal, four kings, King John, and a life that reads like a Hollywood script 43:22 Jonathan Pick #9: The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy by David Cannadine — The book that explains Downton Abbey and everything behind it 44:29 Brendan Pick #10: The Eagle and the Hart by Helen Castor — Richard II, Henry IV, and why taking the crown makes you a marked man 46:48 Jonathan Pick #10: Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh — Fiction that illuminates aristocratic decline and the companion read to Cannadine 48:18 Brendan Pick #11: The Invention of Charlotte Brontë by Graham Watson — Jane Eyre as a gateway, the weird genius of the Brontë family, and more autobiography than you realized 50:18 Wuthering Heights Film Discussion — Brendan defers, Jonathan gives a verdict: beautiful but it didn't land 51:43 Jonathan Pick #11: The Last Wolf by Robert Winder — No wolves, lots of sheep, and the surprising hidden springs of Englishness 53:10 Brendan Pick #12: London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe — A body off a balcony opposite MI5, true crime that leaves you profoundly uneasy 54:54 Jonathan buys London Falling at Barnes & Noble — And finds it in the fiction section 55:24 Jonathan Pick #12: The Regency Years by Robert Morrison — What Bridgerton gets wrong, what Jane Austen's world actually was, and the Anglotopia Bridgerton guide 56:23 Bridgerton vs. The Patriot — Two hosts agree: know your genre, leave accuracy at the door 58:15 Brendan Pick #13: The Siege by Ben Macintyre — The Iranian Embassy siege, the SAS, and a final chapter that takes an hour to read 1:00:06 Jonathan Pick #13: Churchill's Citadel by Katherine Carter — Chartwell as weapon, the wilderness years, and the best first book Jonathan has read in years 1:01:31 What's on the TBR Right Now — Ike and Winston, Three Weeks in July, A Shellshocked Nation, the Nord Stream conspiracy, Dan Jones's Castles, and more 1:07:37 The Book Neither Host Can Find Anyone to Write — Brendan's gap in the market involving Joan of Arc's most disturbing companion 1:10:24 The Book Jonathan Should Write — Brendan makes his pitch; Jonathan firmly declines 1:11:06 Jonathan's Gap in the Market — Churchill's second term as Prime Minister: underexplored, fascinating, partially covered by The Crown 1:12:29 John Lithgow as Churchill — Too tall, earned it on The Crown, also very scary in Dexter 1:12:36 Brendan's Proudest Episode — Helen Castor on Joan of Arc, two hours that felt like twenty minutes 1:16:52 Wrap-Up — Where to find History Nerds United, the full book list in the show notes, and promises of a return visit Video Version

May has flown by — here's a listen back at some of the conversations we've had this month on The TLS Podcast.We hear from Merlin Holland on the afterlife of his grandfather Oscar Wilde, David Horspool on the luscious world of the lido, Samantha Ellis on Charlotte Brontë's relationship with material reality, and Dinah Birch finds solace in letters and diaries from the past.Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi! My name is Terry J. Aman, marking my 109th episode of VideoFuzzy titled "Luther, Earnest and The Doctor," reporting the progress I've made in cataloging thousands of VHS transfers and digital recordings, and as of this coming month, June of 2026, I'm marking nine years of VideoFuzzy! [2:20] I celebrate that milestone in part with Part 2 of my conversation with musician, media critic and longtime friend Mikey Heinrich from Minneapolis. Part 1 posted as part of sister podcast effort VideoFuzzy the Soundtrack "Ep. 17: Long Way Down" at https://bit.ly/3MJkPkK  In part 2, we chatted primarily about "Knives Out 3: Wake Up, Dead Man" and "Doctor Who." [IG] Mikey Heinrich can be found at his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MikeyHeinrich and blogs Doux Reviews: https://www.douxreviews.com/ and 42nd Vizsla: https://the42ndvizsla.blogspot.com/ [31:06] My Fuzzy Feature talked in some detail about the series premiere of BBC's "Luther," [IG] starring Idris Elba in the title role, Detective Inspector John Luther. CONTENT WARNING: Some discussion of animal cruelty was critical to the investigation and therefore unavoidable. I talked about the child abduction case he took on at the top of the episode, and the parents of astrophysicist Alice Morgan, played by Ruth Wilson. They were found shot dead in their home along with the family's dog. Luther's investigation loops in his supervisor, DSU Rose Teller, and his new partner, DS Justin Ripley, and coincides with developments in his separation from Zoe, his wife, played by Indira Varma, namely her lover Mark North, played by Paul McGann. [1:01:30] In Cross Connections, I trace connections for Idris Elba and Ruth Wilson through my media collection. I identify Stephen Root, Jon Curry and Ben Schwartz as Golden Threads. Also Colin Salmon, David Allan Grier, Robert Englund, Ken Jenkins, Rob Morrow, Maura Tierney, Tzi Ma, Patrick Fischler, Todd Stashwick, Caterina Scorsone, Frances Conroy, Diane Farr and Christian Clementsen. Fond Reflection to Eric Dane and his many years on "Grey's Anatomy." [1:14:14] In my Classic Collection [VHS-to-DVD transfers], I cataloged discs 2001 through 2025. Comments on "Grey's Anatomy," Chelsea Handler's appearance as host of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and comments at the recent roast of Kevin Hart on Netflix. Also, "The Simpsons," [IG] "Glee," [IG] "Mike & Molly," "Undercovers," "Castle," "Rubicon," "The Office" and "Community." [1:29:38] In my Current Collection [direct to digital], I archived the National Theatre presentation of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" [IG] starring Ncuti Gatwa, Hugh Skinner, Sharon D. Clark, Ronke Adoluejo, Eliza Scanlen and Amanda Lawrence. [1:31:28] In Book Reports, I chat about Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre," Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights," Daphne du Maurier's "Rebecca" and Margot Douaihy's "Scorched Grace," all of which I can trace as recommendations at one time or another by the "All About Agatha" podcast. Quite enjoyable! SPREADING THE WORD! "VideoFuzzy: The Video - Celebrating 100 Episodes!" is posted at https://youtu.be/eWfcCDiOZ2I. Please share as you're able to with anyone you feel might enjoy this production. For PROMOS, scroll all the way down at https://videofuzzy.libsyn.com. Also, there's a "Top Fifteen" episode guide for people looking for a quick read-in on this blog and podcast effort at: https://videofuzzy.libsyn.com/about. Enjoy! [IG]  Reference featured in VideoFuzzy's Instagram page.

We learn: I don't have a home anymore Rochester plays ‘pranks' apparently I don't have home insurance Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/bda12084-ced6-4c5e-8854-54a4b233ae77

This week, David Streitfeld takes us to Earthsea and the wonderful imagination of Ursula K. Le Guin; and Samantha Ellis on Charlotte Brontë's relationship with material reality.'The Word for World: The maps of Ursula K. Le Guin', edited by So Mayer and Sarah Shin'Searoad: Chronicles of Klatsand', by Ursula K. Le Guin'Ursula K. Le Guin's Book of Cats''So Far So Good: Final Poems: 2014-2018''A Larger Reality', edited by Conner Bouchard-Roberts'Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes', by Eleanor HoughtonProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Renowned Brontë scholar, historian and illustrator ⁠Eleanor Houghton⁠ joins us to discuss her recently published book ⁠Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes⁠. Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?  Our ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠classes⁠⁠⁠ Our ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ Our ⁠⁠⁠bookshelf⁠⁠⁠ with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We learn: They play charades with WHOLE COSTUMES and everything I LOVE snausages The mansion is on fire Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/3d3ff830-e35e-4c03-b038-efcbab26c43e

We learn: My cat-servants are FINE Jane is really jealous of Rochesters guests- and they're ALL UGLY One of the cats has a gun Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/eff91f26-bac7-401a-ab54-3287cb3ed064

We learn: Rochester took off to hang out with hot rich people Jane gets REALLY weird about it You're jealous that I have kids Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/0b9683d2-4c4a-4554-97a9-7f83a1d3ea6c

We learn: I'm still really sick Turns out? Rochester is kind of a loser I pee in the basement Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/9ecac6d4-6614-446a-9859-b1881a7f2909

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Claire O'Callaghan for a rich and thought-provoking conversation on Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, a novel that continues to unsettle, challenge, and captivate readers across generations. Together, we explore the wild and untamed landscape of the moors, not just as a setting, but as a force that shapes the emotional and psychological terrain of the characters themselves. Even for those who haven't read the novel, the names Catherine and Heathcliff seem to exist out in the cultural ether, familiar and almost mythic. Many readers come to the book expecting a sweeping romance, shaped in part by film adaptations that present their story as one of enduring love. But this is not that kind of novel. Our discussion grapples with the book's deeply unhealthy and often destructive portrayals of love, relationships marked more by obsession and vengeance than tenderness or mutual care. Violence, both physical and psychological, looms large, and we consider how Brontë uses it not merely for shock, but as a lens into grief, trauma, and the human capacity for endurance. As we reflect on how the book changes depending on when and how it's read, we ask why Wuthering Heights feels so different at various stages of life, and how what once seemed romantic can later reveal itself as deeply tragic. We also explore the novel's ghostly supernatural elements and how the house itself seems haunted. And yet, despite its darkness, Wuthering Heights is not without hope. In the relationship between Cathy and Hareton, we see the possibility of renewal, a quiet but powerful redemption that hints at healing, growth, and a break from the destructive patterns of the previous generation. By the end of this conversation, you may find yourself not only reconsidering the novel, but also longing to step into its world, because if you haven't yet visited Haworth, home of the Brontë family, you'll likely want to now. And for those eager to go even deeper, be sure to explore more of Dr. O'Callaghan's work, including her recent contribution to the transcription of a long-lost manuscript by Charlotte Brontë, a discovery that continues to expand our understanding of one of literature's most remarkable families. https://claireocallaghan.com/

We learn: I'm really sick Rochester STILL sucks. Christ what an asshole Nurses that get high, suck Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/454696a4-96c5-4406-aaa6-14a0b2f2bfbc

Purple Ranger! Gold Ranger! Carmine Ranger! Asparagus Ranger! The Intergalactic Regency Rangers must face their most powerful foe yet (no, not Charlotte Brontë). Featured Music: aster by cherry pick and Precious Word by Jo Passed Dungeon Punks is recorded and produced by Kirk Hamilton. This bonus episode was played using Sentai & Sensibility from 9th Level Games. ----- Support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/dungeonpunks Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! Follow us on Bluesky @dungeonpunks.bsky.social, Instagram/Threads @DungeonPunks or subscribe on YouTube Come hang out on our Discord channel! Find the Songs From Bands We Like on our Spotify and YouTube Music playlists. ——— EPISODE CAST: Stu Popp as the MC Taylor Ramone as Pearl Marsington, Purple Ranger Leigh Eldridge as Charlie Marsington, Copper Ranger Kirk Hamilton as Stephen William Marsington, Asparagus Ranger Mel Shim as Eliza Marsington, Carmine Ranger

On The Literary Life Podcast with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks this week, we will wrap up our discussion of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. After sharing their commonplace quote for this week, Thomas and Angelina jump right into recapping the important plot points of this last section of the book. They start with some contrasts between St. John and Rochester, then they talk about the journey of the soul and the image of marriage. They also consider the parallels of her return to Thornfield and the reversals in these scenes, as well as how Brontë fulfills the various fairy tale endings she set up earlier in the book. You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past. Find everything at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, where you can also sign up for the HHL newsletter to stay in the loop about all the latest happenings! Join us back here next week for an introduction to Alexander Pope and the Neo-classical Poets, followed by an episode on Pope's "The Rape of the Lock". In May, we will have a special guest interview of Malcolm Guite all about his new book, Galahad and the Grail. You can check out the full version of our show notes for this episode at https://theliteray.life/324. 

We learn: Mr. Rochester is a dick The kid keeps speaking in French, which, for the rest of us, is useless I don't have time for this episode Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/46d327ce-e875-48f9-82c4-3dd3afa3f2cb

This week on The Literary Life Podcast with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks, we continue our series on Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. In today's episode, they talk about the main plot points and follow threads of meaning in chapters 27-33. Some of the ideas they discuss include Romanticism in literature, Rochester's Byronic qualities, pictures of Jane's awakening, the eucatastrophe in this section of the book, parallels to the story of Cupid and Psyche, and more contrasts between fire and ice. You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past. Find everything at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, where you can also sign up for the HHL newsletter to stay in the loop about all the latest happenings! Don't forget to visit https://theliterary.life/323 for the full show notes for this episode.

Eleanor Houghton, in conversation with Duncan McCargo and Alexis Wolf Meet the real, thinking, feeling woman that was Charlotte Brontë, as told in this biography by the surviving witnesses to her life – the clothes that she once wore.These garments were present as she penned Jane Eyre, as she walked the cobbled streets of Haworth, and as she stood with her fiancé at the altar in the summer of 1854. Yet, until now, their testimonies had remained unheard.Renowned Brontë scholar and dress historian Eleanor Houghton's innovative, richly illustrated biography, Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes (Bloomsbury 2026), finally gives voice to the gowns, bonnets, shawls, corsets, parasols and boots that make up the novelist's wardrobe.Secrets are revealed in their very fibres. Brontë's steel busked corset tells the story of corporate espionage and forbidden love, whilst her striped, silk dress shows how she coped with the new-found pressures of fame. When exposed to 21st century technology, a tiny sample of fabric from her 'Thackeray Dress' reveals important innovations of the Industrial Revolution going on around her and a black lace veil, worn after the deaths of her siblings, expresses how she dealt with repeated familial loss.These clothes, some of which still bear the imprint of her foot or the sweat from her pores, prove themselves to be far more than mere celebrity curios. When 'read' alongside letters, portraits, her novels and the recollections of those who knew her well, Charlotte emerges as a woman altogether braver, more vulnerable, less isolated, less provincial, more fashion conscious than anyone ever expected. Myths are shattered, preconceptions challenged, and, the real Charlotte Brontë, beyond the famous author, finally emerges. Eleanor Houghton is a Brontë scholar, writer and illustrator. She studied English at the University of Oxford before being awarded a Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarship in History. In 2022, in collaboration with the Brontë Parsonage Museum, she curated a large-scale exhibition on the surviving wardrobe of Charlotte Brontë. An expert in 18th and 19th century clothing, literature and social history, she often works as consultant for film and TV, novelists and museums. Her detailed drawings are widely sold and exhibited. Duncan McCargo is President's Chair in Global Affairs and a Professor of English at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is a patron of the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton. Alexis Wolf is a researcher of women's literary history and a lecturer at Canterbury Christchurch University. She is the author of Transnational Women Writers in the Wilmot Coterie, 1798-1840: Beyond Borders & Boundaries, Boydell Press, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Eleanor Houghton, in conversation with Duncan McCargo and Alexis Wolf Meet the real, thinking, feeling woman that was Charlotte Brontë, as told in this biography by the surviving witnesses to her life – the clothes that she once wore.These garments were present as she penned Jane Eyre, as she walked the cobbled streets of Haworth, and as she stood with her fiancé at the altar in the summer of 1854. Yet, until now, their testimonies had remained unheard.Renowned Brontë scholar and dress historian Eleanor Houghton's innovative, richly illustrated biography, Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes (Bloomsbury 2026), finally gives voice to the gowns, bonnets, shawls, corsets, parasols and boots that make up the novelist's wardrobe.Secrets are revealed in their very fibres. Brontë's steel busked corset tells the story of corporate espionage and forbidden love, whilst her striped, silk dress shows how she coped with the new-found pressures of fame. When exposed to 21st century technology, a tiny sample of fabric from her 'Thackeray Dress' reveals important innovations of the Industrial Revolution going on around her and a black lace veil, worn after the deaths of her siblings, expresses how she dealt with repeated familial loss.These clothes, some of which still bear the imprint of her foot or the sweat from her pores, prove themselves to be far more than mere celebrity curios. When 'read' alongside letters, portraits, her novels and the recollections of those who knew her well, Charlotte emerges as a woman altogether braver, more vulnerable, less isolated, less provincial, more fashion conscious than anyone ever expected. Myths are shattered, preconceptions challenged, and, the real Charlotte Brontë, beyond the famous author, finally emerges. Eleanor Houghton is a Brontë scholar, writer and illustrator. She studied English at the University of Oxford before being awarded a Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarship in History. In 2022, in collaboration with the Brontë Parsonage Museum, she curated a large-scale exhibition on the surviving wardrobe of Charlotte Brontë. An expert in 18th and 19th century clothing, literature and social history, she often works as consultant for film and TV, novelists and museums. Her detailed drawings are widely sold and exhibited. Duncan McCargo is President's Chair in Global Affairs and a Professor of English at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is a patron of the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton. Alexis Wolf is a researcher of women's literary history and a lecturer at Canterbury Christchurch University. She is the author of Transnational Women Writers in the Wilmot Coterie, 1798-1840: Beyond Borders & Boundaries, Boydell Press, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Eleanor Houghton, in conversation with Duncan McCargo and Alexis Wolf Meet the real, thinking, feeling woman that was Charlotte Brontë, as told in this biography by the surviving witnesses to her life – the clothes that she once wore.These garments were present as she penned Jane Eyre, as she walked the cobbled streets of Haworth, and as she stood with her fiancé at the altar in the summer of 1854. Yet, until now, their testimonies had remained unheard.Renowned Brontë scholar and dress historian Eleanor Houghton's innovative, richly illustrated biography, Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes (Bloomsbury 2026), finally gives voice to the gowns, bonnets, shawls, corsets, parasols and boots that make up the novelist's wardrobe.Secrets are revealed in their very fibres. Brontë's steel busked corset tells the story of corporate espionage and forbidden love, whilst her striped, silk dress shows how she coped with the new-found pressures of fame. When exposed to 21st century technology, a tiny sample of fabric from her 'Thackeray Dress' reveals important innovations of the Industrial Revolution going on around her and a black lace veil, worn after the deaths of her siblings, expresses how she dealt with repeated familial loss.These clothes, some of which still bear the imprint of her foot or the sweat from her pores, prove themselves to be far more than mere celebrity curios. When 'read' alongside letters, portraits, her novels and the recollections of those who knew her well, Charlotte emerges as a woman altogether braver, more vulnerable, less isolated, less provincial, more fashion conscious than anyone ever expected. Myths are shattered, preconceptions challenged, and, the real Charlotte Brontë, beyond the famous author, finally emerges. Eleanor Houghton is a Brontë scholar, writer and illustrator. She studied English at the University of Oxford before being awarded a Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarship in History. In 2022, in collaboration with the Brontë Parsonage Museum, she curated a large-scale exhibition on the surviving wardrobe of Charlotte Brontë. An expert in 18th and 19th century clothing, literature and social history, she often works as consultant for film and TV, novelists and museums. Her detailed drawings are widely sold and exhibited. Duncan McCargo is President's Chair in Global Affairs and a Professor of English at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is a patron of the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton. Alexis Wolf is a researcher of women's literary history and a lecturer at Canterbury Christchurch University. She is the author of Transnational Women Writers in the Wilmot Coterie, 1798-1840: Beyond Borders & Boundaries, Boydell Press, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Eleanor Houghton, in conversation with Duncan McCargo and Alexis Wolf Meet the real, thinking, feeling woman that was Charlotte Brontë, as told in this biography by the surviving witnesses to her life – the clothes that she once wore.These garments were present as she penned Jane Eyre, as she walked the cobbled streets of Haworth, and as she stood with her fiancé at the altar in the summer of 1854. Yet, until now, their testimonies had remained unheard.Renowned Brontë scholar and dress historian Eleanor Houghton's innovative, richly illustrated biography, Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes (Bloomsbury 2026), finally gives voice to the gowns, bonnets, shawls, corsets, parasols and boots that make up the novelist's wardrobe.Secrets are revealed in their very fibres. Brontë's steel busked corset tells the story of corporate espionage and forbidden love, whilst her striped, silk dress shows how she coped with the new-found pressures of fame. When exposed to 21st century technology, a tiny sample of fabric from her 'Thackeray Dress' reveals important innovations of the Industrial Revolution going on around her and a black lace veil, worn after the deaths of her siblings, expresses how she dealt with repeated familial loss.These clothes, some of which still bear the imprint of her foot or the sweat from her pores, prove themselves to be far more than mere celebrity curios. When 'read' alongside letters, portraits, her novels and the recollections of those who knew her well, Charlotte emerges as a woman altogether braver, more vulnerable, less isolated, less provincial, more fashion conscious than anyone ever expected. Myths are shattered, preconceptions challenged, and, the real Charlotte Brontë, beyond the famous author, finally emerges. Eleanor Houghton is a Brontë scholar, writer and illustrator. She studied English at the University of Oxford before being awarded a Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarship in History. In 2022, in collaboration with the Brontë Parsonage Museum, she curated a large-scale exhibition on the surviving wardrobe of Charlotte Brontë. An expert in 18th and 19th century clothing, literature and social history, she often works as consultant for film and TV, novelists and museums. Her detailed drawings are widely sold and exhibited. Duncan McCargo is President's Chair in Global Affairs and a Professor of English at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is a patron of the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton. Alexis Wolf is a researcher of women's literary history and a lecturer at Canterbury Christchurch University. She is the author of Transnational Women Writers in the Wilmot Coterie, 1798-1840: Beyond Borders & Boundaries, Boydell Press, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Eleanor Houghton, in conversation with Duncan McCargo and Alexis Wolf Meet the real, thinking, feeling woman that was Charlotte Brontë, as told in this biography by the surviving witnesses to her life – the clothes that she once wore.These garments were present as she penned Jane Eyre, as she walked the cobbled streets of Haworth, and as she stood with her fiancé at the altar in the summer of 1854. Yet, until now, their testimonies had remained unheard.Renowned Brontë scholar and dress historian Eleanor Houghton's innovative, richly illustrated biography, Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes (Bloomsbury 2026), finally gives voice to the gowns, bonnets, shawls, corsets, parasols and boots that make up the novelist's wardrobe.Secrets are revealed in their very fibres. Brontë's steel busked corset tells the story of corporate espionage and forbidden love, whilst her striped, silk dress shows how she coped with the new-found pressures of fame. When exposed to 21st century technology, a tiny sample of fabric from her 'Thackeray Dress' reveals important innovations of the Industrial Revolution going on around her and a black lace veil, worn after the deaths of her siblings, expresses how she dealt with repeated familial loss.These clothes, some of which still bear the imprint of her foot or the sweat from her pores, prove themselves to be far more than mere celebrity curios. When 'read' alongside letters, portraits, her novels and the recollections of those who knew her well, Charlotte emerges as a woman altogether braver, more vulnerable, less isolated, less provincial, more fashion conscious than anyone ever expected. Myths are shattered, preconceptions challenged, and, the real Charlotte Brontë, beyond the famous author, finally emerges. Eleanor Houghton is a Brontë scholar, writer and illustrator. She studied English at the University of Oxford before being awarded a Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarship in History. In 2022, in collaboration with the Brontë Parsonage Museum, she curated a large-scale exhibition on the surviving wardrobe of Charlotte Brontë. An expert in 18th and 19th century clothing, literature and social history, she often works as consultant for film and TV, novelists and museums. Her detailed drawings are widely sold and exhibited. Duncan McCargo is President's Chair in Global Affairs and a Professor of English at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is a patron of the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton. Alexis Wolf is a researcher of women's literary history and a lecturer at Canterbury Christchurch University. She is the author of Transnational Women Writers in the Wilmot Coterie, 1798-1840: Beyond Borders & Boundaries, Boydell Press, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eleanor Houghton, in conversation with Duncan McCargo and Alexis Wolf Meet the real, thinking, feeling woman that was Charlotte Brontë, as told in this biography by the surviving witnesses to her life – the clothes that she once wore.These garments were present as she penned Jane Eyre, as she walked the cobbled streets of Haworth, and as she stood with her fiancé at the altar in the summer of 1854. Yet, until now, their testimonies had remained unheard.Renowned Brontë scholar and dress historian Eleanor Houghton's innovative, richly illustrated biography, Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes (Bloomsbury 2026), finally gives voice to the gowns, bonnets, shawls, corsets, parasols and boots that make up the novelist's wardrobe.Secrets are revealed in their very fibres. Brontë's steel busked corset tells the story of corporate espionage and forbidden love, whilst her striped, silk dress shows how she coped with the new-found pressures of fame. When exposed to 21st century technology, a tiny sample of fabric from her 'Thackeray Dress' reveals important innovations of the Industrial Revolution going on around her and a black lace veil, worn after the deaths of her siblings, expresses how she dealt with repeated familial loss.These clothes, some of which still bear the imprint of her foot or the sweat from her pores, prove themselves to be far more than mere celebrity curios. When 'read' alongside letters, portraits, her novels and the recollections of those who knew her well, Charlotte emerges as a woman altogether braver, more vulnerable, less isolated, less provincial, more fashion conscious than anyone ever expected. Myths are shattered, preconceptions challenged, and, the real Charlotte Brontë, beyond the famous author, finally emerges. Eleanor Houghton is a Brontë scholar, writer and illustrator. She studied English at the University of Oxford before being awarded a Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarship in History. In 2022, in collaboration with the Brontë Parsonage Museum, she curated a large-scale exhibition on the surviving wardrobe of Charlotte Brontë. An expert in 18th and 19th century clothing, literature and social history, she often works as consultant for film and TV, novelists and museums. Her detailed drawings are widely sold and exhibited. Duncan McCargo is President's Chair in Global Affairs and a Professor of English at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is a patron of the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton. Alexis Wolf is a researcher of women's literary history and a lecturer at Canterbury Christchurch University. She is the author of Transnational Women Writers in the Wilmot Coterie, 1798-1840: Beyond Borders & Boundaries, Boydell Press, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/popular-culture

We learn: We finally meet Rochester, and he's a puss We're back in the mansion for some reason The weirdo from New Jersey followed us home Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/cb4a65b9-d14d-4a95-a2de-3d77b96cf7cd

Welcome back to The Literary Life Podcast and our series on Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. This week Angelina and Thomas discuss chapters 20-26, especially looking at the character of Bertha and the symbolism of "the woman in the attic." They talk more about the medieval idea of the well-ordered person in contrast to the person ruled by the passions, as well as how Bertha is a mirror for Jane's inner turmoil. Angelina highlights more ways in which we see glimpses of the stories of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella in this section, as well as a hint at Sleeping Beauty. Other ideas Thomas and Angelina bring out are the story of Griselda, Jane's journey of the soul, images of the Garden of Eden, and so much more! You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past. Find everything at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, where you can also sign up for the HHL newsletter to stay in the loop about all the latest happenings! You can pre-order Jason Baxter's new book Falling Inward in its revised and expanded 2nd edition now! Also, if you missed it, here is the podcast episode in which he shares more personal thoughts on how this book came to be. And to view the full show notes for this episode, head over to https://theliterary.life/322. 

We learn: It was a long chapter- no time for fun We REALLY got to hear all about how cool this house was Adele sucks Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/8fcb6722-3f22-4fdb-89dc-a53fcf3e51bc

On The Literary Life Podcast this week, Angelina and Thomas cover chapters 13-19 of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. Today's episode includes more discussion of the important symbols and images in these chapters. Angelina highlights the stories of Bluebeard, Beauty and the Beast, and Cupid and Psyche and their connections to this book. She and Thomas also talk about the trope of the "reformed rake" and how it relates to Brontë is setting up that possibility here. In these chapters we see more fire images, as well as several things that point to this story as a journey of the soul for both Jane and Mr. Rochester. You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past. Find everything at HouseofHumaneLetters.com, where you can also sign up for the HHL newsletter to stay in the loop about all the latest happenings! Don't forget to visit https://theliterary.life/321 for the full show notes for this episode!

We learn: I somehow ended up at the Iowa State Fair I feel like I've run into the hot dog vender and the farmer before Turns out? You can be a 12yr old teacher if you want Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/d5a7e449-9e46-4aea-8052-5170e258b669

On today's episode of The Literary Life Podcast with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks, we continue our series on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Before jumping into chapters 6-12, Angelina and Thomas re-cap chapter 5 so that they can keep the entire Lowood School storyline together. They discuss the character of Helen and how she mirrors Jane, as well as the images of fire and ice throughout this book. In looking at the character of Miss Temple, they also highlight her as the picture of a well-ordered person. When Jane arrives at Thornfield, we find more fairy tale and Gothic novel elements, specifically the reference to the story of Bluebeard. Finally, when Mr. Rochester is introduced, Angelina shares some thoughts on the medieval understanding of the soul and the passions. Registration is now open for all year-long classes at The House of Human Letters! You can also check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past. Find everything at HouseofHumaneLetters.com. Please visit our podcast website for the full show notes on this episode: https://theliterary.life/320. 

We learn: I somehow ended up in New Jersey Helen Burnes makes sure to spread her disease all over Jane before the big sleep ‘Born to Run' is growing on me Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/16818bba-c07a-43ce-a238-0f19381b156a

This is a special episode of Strong Sense of Place in which we announce that we're doing it again — we're taking a group of readers back to Trevor Hall. In October 2025, we took over Trevor Hall — a Georgian manor house in Llangollen, Wales — with forty members of the Strong Sense of Place community. It was the best book club ever. We took walks in the countryside, talked about (so many) books, enjoyed ridiculously delicious meals, and told spooky stories by candlelight. And we made lifelong friends. We're doing it again — and you're invited to join us! Together, we'll make ourselves at home in this historic mansion surrounded by the picturesque North Wales countryside. We'll have a book club, share gourmet meals in the Great Hall, play parlor games, ramble in the hills, and stomp our feet at a Celtic ceilidh. Our weekend begins in Manchester, England — a UNESCO City of Literature. We'll check into our rooms at a design hotel and enjoy our first IRL meetup in a historic library. After a good night's sleep, we're off to Elizabeth Gaskell's House for a private tour of the Victorian villa where she wrote ‘North and South' (and entertained literary friends like Charlotte Brontë and Charles Dickens). After a restorative tea-and-cake break, we'll ride together via private motor coach through the rugged countryside to Llangollen, a charming town on the River Dee in North Wales. Our destination: Trevor Hall. The Hall sits on a wooded hilltop overlooking green slopes dotted with sheep and horses. After a tour of the house and gardens, we'll ease into country living in the Hall's luxurious (and tastefully eclectic) rooms. With bookish activities, entertainment, and surprises planned throughout the weekend, you're sure to be delighted — and have plenty of time to connect with old and new bookish friends. DatesThis is a five-day, four-night trip: Thursday through Monday. It will be held on two consecutive weekends; each weekend is limited to 19 guests. Weekend 1: Thursday, November 5 through Monday, November 9 Weekend 2: Thursday, November 12 through Monday, November 16 Also! Click here for the complete details about the weekend and to enjoy the pretty photos For early access to tickets, join our Patreon. To be notified the minute tickets go on sale, join our free Substack newsletter. If you're curious about last year's trip, listen to our podcast episode That Time We Rented a Manor House in Wales. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fox Hunt by Caitlin Breeze follows students at an elite university concealing a dark and deadly secret. Caitlin joins us to talk about the publishing process, attending Cambridge, patriarchy within academia, tradition, the gothic, fairy tales and more with cohost Isabelle McConville. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Isabelle McConville and mixed by Harry Liang.                     New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): The Fox Hunt by Caitlin Breeze Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce Metamorphoses: Translated by Stephanie McCarter Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë  

Welcome to The Literary Life Podcast with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks. This week we begin our much-anticipated series on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë! After sharing their commonplace quotes, Angelina and Thomas set the stage for this book by covering some of Charlotte Brontë's personal and literary background. Angelina points out some symbolic things that we will be looking for in this book, as well as the important fact that it is a journey story. They also discuss the history and characteristics of the Gothic novel. In discussing the first five chapters of Jane Eyre, Angelina again highlights repeated scenes that will show Jane's spiritual development throughout the story, while Thomas makes some comparisons of this book to other stories such as Mansfield Park and Pamela. You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past, at HouseofHumaneLetters.com. Click here to find the episodes we published covering Anne Brontë's book Agnes Grey. You can also listen to our series on Mansfield Park here. For the full show notes on this episode, including book links, today's poem, and commonplace quotes, please visit https://theliterary.life/319. 

We learn: I got pulled over for tabs Jane is vindicated! The DMV blows Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/82425650-a396-47e2-b548-e02e299845a8

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing JANE EYRE (1943) from Charlotte Brontë's novel and a screenplay by Robert Stevenson and Aldous Huxley.  In director Robert Stevenson's atmospheric 1943 Gothic masterpiece, the resilient orphan Jane Eyre (Joan Fontaine) escapes a childhood of abuse to become a governess at the gloomy and isolated Thornfield Hall.  She soon finds herself drawn to the brooding, temperamental master of the estate, Edward Rochester (Orson Welles), whose cynical exterior masks a deep-seated pain that Jane's quiet strength begins to heal.  As their unlikely romance deepens toward a marriage proposal, Jane is haunted by eerie laughter and mysterious occurrences emanating from the house's locked attic, suggesting a dark secret that threatens to shatter her hope for a new life.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 37 m, is rated approved and is available through a quick Google search but also available to buy/rent on Amazon.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review. #CharlotteBronte #JaneEyre #RobertStevenson #AldousHuxley #JohhnHouseman #KettiFrings #HenryKoster #JoanFontaine #JaneEyre #OrsonWelles #Rochester #PeggyAnnGarner #YoungJane #ElizabethTaylor #Helen #JohnSutton #DrRivers #SaraAllgood #Bessie #HenryDdaniell #Brocklehurst #AgnesMoorehead #MrsReed #Drama #Romance #CostumeDrama #DarkRomance #PeriodDrama  @Amazon  #FridayFamilyFilmNightOpening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

In Episode 218, Sarah chats with Enneagram author, speaker, and podcaster Sarajane Case about Reading Through the Enneagram. After a brief introduction to the Enneagram and how it differs from other personality systems, they dive into how Enneagram types show up in our reading lives — from guessing an author's type to rethinking our own habits as readers. Sarajane walks through the nine types, shares a book recommendation for each, and offers her own personal picks. Note: This episode was republished due to an Apple Podcasts feed glitch that prevented it from appearing for some subscribers. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights Books by Sarajane Case: The Honest Enneagram and The Enneagram Letters A brief introduction to the Enneagram — and how it differs from other personality systems Sarajane's personal approach to working with the Enneagram A quick overview of the nine Enneagram types How each Enneagram type might approach reading Whether (and how) we can discern an author's Enneagram type through their work (and the Enneagram types most and least likely to be authors themselves) Practical tips for using your type to improve your reading life Reading Through the Enneagram [29:51]  Type 1: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [30:08] Type 2: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [30:50]   Type 3: In Five Years by Rebecca Serle (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:27] Type 4: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:42]  Type 5: Fourth Wing (Empyrean, 1) by Rebecca Yarros (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [32:56]  Type 6: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:32]  Type 7: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:56]  Type 8: Crook Manifesto (The Harlem Trilogy, 2) by Colson Whitehead (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [34:20]  Type 9: Severance by Ling Ma (2018) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [36:16]  Other Books Mentioned The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, 1) by J. R. R. Tolkien (1954) [32:08]  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) [33:49]  The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez (2019) [34:57]  Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022) [35:23]  Sarajane's Book Recommendations [36:37]  Two OLD Books She Loves The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [36:50]  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [38:08]  Two NEW Books She Loves Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:09]  A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [43:14]  Other Books Mentioned Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2019) [42:05]  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017) [42:16]  Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2021) [42:28]  Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2022) [42:37]  The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (2022) [43:28]  One Book She DIDN'T Love Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (1987) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:14]  Other Books Mentioned South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami (1992) [44:20]  1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (2009) [44:49]  One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About Theodora's Tea Shop by Christy Anne Jones (July 28, 2026 — no US release date set yet) | Link to Blackwell's for US Orders [45:52]  Other Links Truity | Enneagram Personality Test

In Episode 218, Sarah chats with Enneagram author, speaker, and podcaster Sarajane Case about Reading Through the Enneagram. After a brief introduction to the Enneagram and how it differs from other personality systems, they dive into how Enneagram types show up in our reading lives — from guessing an author's type to rethinking our own habits as readers. Sarajane walks through the nine types, shares a book recommendation for each, and offers her own personal picks. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights Books by Sarajane Case: The Honest Enneagram and The Enneagram Letters A brief introduction to the Enneagram — and how it differs from other personality systems Sarajane's personal approach to working with the Enneagram A quick overview of the nine Enneagram types How each Enneagram type might approach reading Whether (and how) we can discern an author's Enneagram type through their work (and the Enneagram types most and least likely to be authors themselves) Practical tips for using your type to improve your reading life Reading Through the Enneagram [29:51]  Type 1: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (2020) | Amazon| Bookshop.org [30:08] Type 2: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [30:50]   Type 3: In Five Years by Rebecca Serle (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:27] Type 4: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:42]  Type 5: Fourth Wing (Empyrean, 1) by Rebecca Yarros (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [32:56]  Type 6: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:32]  Type 7: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:56]  Type 8: Crook Manifesto (The Harlem Trilogy, 2) by Colson Whitehead (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [34:20]  Type 9: Severance by Ling Ma (2018) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [36:16]  Other Books Mentioned The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, 1) by J. R. R. Tolkien (1954) [32:08]  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) [33:49]  The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez (2019) [34:57]  Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022) [35:23]  Sarajane's Book Recommendations [36:37]  Two OLD Books She Loves The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [36:50]  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [38:08]  Two NEW Books She Loves Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:09]  A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (2025) | Amazon| Bookshop.org [43:14]  Other Books Mentioned Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2019) [42:05]  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017) [42:16]  Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2021) [42:28]  Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2022) [42:37]  The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (2022) [43:28]  One Book She DIDN'T Love Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (1987) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:14]  Other Books Mentioned South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami (1992) [44:20]  1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (2009) [44:49]  One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About Theodora's Tea Shop by Christy Anne Jones (July 28, 2026 — no US release date set yet) | Link to Blackwell's for US Orders [45:52]  Other Links Truity | Enneagram Personality Test

Today on The Literary Life podcast, Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks are here to offer some helpful ideas for reading Shakespeare plays and how to approach the Bard. They start off sharing their own stories of first being exposed to Shakespeare. Next, Thomas and Angelina address the idea that Shakespeare is too high-brow for the ordinary reader. Angelina also gives her hot take on whether you should watch or read a Shakespeare play first. She also tells some stories about reading the Bard with her children and students. Some other helpful topics they cover are the different types of plays and their forms, the cosmology behind the plays, and potential problems with some modern interpretations of Shakespearean drama.  Please visit our website to view the full show notes for this episode with links to previous episodes we have done on Shakespeare, as well as the books mentioned as resources in this discussion: https://theliterary.life/318.  Join us back again here next week when we begin our series covering Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë! You can check out all the latest offerings of mini-classes and webinars, both upcoming and recorded in the past, at HouseofHumaneLetters.com.

This week, we’re talking to director and screenplay writer Maggie Gyllenhaal about her upcoming film, The Bride! Maggie reveals how she gave a character from the 1930s with only a few minutes of screentime a big dose of main character energy. Danielle and Maggie also discuss the unthinkable thoughts of Mary Shelley, IMAX screenings, and what it was like to narrate a 48-hour audio book. Plus, get a sneak peek of the March Reese’s Book Club Pick, Lady Tremaine. BOOKS MENTIONED: Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Mating by Norman RushSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Witches of Wuthering Heights: Folklore and Wild Things of YorkshireIn today's journey, we touch on the lives of:Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855) – Jane Eyre (1847), Shirley (1849), Villette (1853)Emily Brontë (1818–1848) – Wuthering Heights (1847)Anne Brontë (1820–1849) – Agnes Grey (1847), The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848)In their own way, all three embraced a gothic vibe, drawing on Yorkshire folklore and the mists of the moors that permeate their work. And I've had fun exploring the ways witches and folkloric figures appear in their writing. And we'll meet witches, goblins, ghouls and gytrash on the moors, oh my!The Two Folktales I share are both from Legends of the North York Moors: traditions, beliefs, folklore, customs by Marion Atkinson, 1981

We learn: We got drive-thru! That was fun Jane finally becomes the Helen. Man, this story moves slow. Reading books to old people sucks Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/d12ef279-7779-4048-84da-6779cb547af9

We learn: There are random amateur matches in Iowa! We get more info on how school sucks The saddest girl in the world actually likes it Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/0abe2ce8-1937-4c1b-a3f8-0c5a1a808674

We learn: My car makes weird sounds The kid gets to school and its really boring A party bus with hot women! Go on, read it for yourself: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/30bbc02a-bfc0-474f-ac07-465732360db7

After reading some of Charlotte Brontë's Tales of Angria (#682), John and Sophia go a-Brontë-ing again. They discuss Lucasta Miller's extraordinary survey of the Brontë cult and the durable, troubled legacy of their fiction.

I can't believe we're already through the first month of 2026, but here we are. This month, Ian started us off with László Krasznahorkai's: Sátántangó. The Hungarian author was last year's Nobel Laureate, so we decided that we'd better take a look at his oeuvre. Sátántangó is a bleak novel that describes the lives of the people living on an "estate". The people lie, cheat, and steal from each other, wallowing in their own problems, until Irimiás, a man they thought dead returns. The residents think that he's going to better their lives, but Irimiás is a conman. Sátántangó is a difficult text, especially only having read it once, but upon discussing the text, had more to say than we thought. We hope you enjoy our discussion! Maybe you have your own theories about what is really going on in this book?    February's book is a classic: Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Brontë. Ronnie chose this one because Emerald Fennel's new movie!

We learn: This kid is never going to get sent to school Jane finally snaps - I'm convinced she's going to be a serial killer She's been living in an actual closet? Go on, read it for yourself:  https://bookshop.org/p/books/jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte/8f4e2a65f574e8aa?ean=9780141441146&next=t Listen anywhere: nuzzlehouse.com Your bedtime story read aloud for grown ups. Support Nuzzle House by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/nuzzle-house Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/nuzzle-house/9bc38f6e-a30d-4b12-966c-76327b2a44bc

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 13, 2026 is: umbrage • UM-brij • noun Umbrage refers to a feeling of being offended by what someone has said or done. It is often used in the phrase “take umbrage.” // Some listeners took umbrage at the podcaster's remarks about the event. See the entry > Examples: “The one item on offer was considered to be so good that the chef took umbrage at being asked for mustard.” — The Irish Times, 31 Oct. 2025 Did you know? Umbrage is a word born in the shadows. Its ultimate source (and that of umbrella) is Latin umbra, meaning “shade, shadow,” and when it was first used in the 15th century it referred to exactly that. But figurative use followed relatively quickly. Shakespeare wrote of Hamlet that “his semblable is his mirror, and who else would trace him, his umbrage, nothing more,” and by the 17th century this meaning of “vague suggestion; hint,” had been joined by other uses, including the “feeling of resentment or offense” heard today in such sentences as “many took umbrage at the speaker's tasteless jokes.” The word's early literal use is not often encountered, though it does live on in literature: for example, in her 1849 novel, Charlotte Brontë describes how the titular Shirley would relax “at the foot of some tree of friendly umbrage.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 26, 2025 is: unabashed • un-uh-BASHT • adjective Someone who is unabashed is not embarrassed or ashamed about openly expressing strong feelings or opinions. // Unabashed by their booing and hissing, the artist continued with the musical performance. See the entry > Examples: “Take the melodramatic storyline of a telenovela and tell it through the unabashed mediums of opera and drag, and you'll have ‘Inebria Me,' the subversive experimental opera by San Cha ending its West Coast tour at REDCAT this month. Latin dance fuses with queer storytelling as the sounds of ... punk, classical and electronic make up the performance, which pulls from creator San Cha's 2019 album ‘La Luz de la Esperanza.'” — Katerina Portela, The Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2025 Did you know? To abash someone is to shake up their composure or self-possession, as illustrated by Charlotte Brontë in her 1849 novel Shirley: “He had never blushed in his life; no humiliation could abash him.” When you are unabashed you make no apologies for your behavior, nor do you attempt to hide or disguise it; but when you are abashed your confidence has been thrown off and you may feel rather inferior or ashamed of yourself. English speakers have been using abashed to describe feelings of embarrassment since the 14th century, but they have only used unabashed (brazenly or otherwise) since the 15th century (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Charlotte Brontë wasn't born the eldest child, but she was thrust into a leadership role at the age of ten, as the Brontë children dealt with the tragic deaths of their mother and two eldest sisters. How did this affect their family dynamic? And when the younger two sisters, Emily and Anne, had their novels accepted while Charlotte's alone was rejected, how did Charlotte respond? In this episode, Jacke talks to author Catherine Rayner, expert in the Brontës and a qualified nurse who's studied the effects of childhood on the development and psychology of adults, about the swirl of sibling psychologies explored in her book The Brontë Family: Sibling Rivalry and a Burial in Paradise. PLUS author Keith Cooper (Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact) stops by to discuss his choice for the last book he will ever read. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England (signup closing soon)! The History of Literature Podcast Tour is happening in May 2026! Act now to join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠John Shors Travel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Scheduled stops include The Charles Dickens Museum, Dr. Johnson's house, Jane Austen's Bath, Tolkien's Oxford, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and more. Find out more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Or visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠History of Literature Podcast Tour itinerary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠John Shors Travel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices