Jane Austen and the Profligate Prince
<p>George IV’s impressive Library included all the novels of Jane Austen, for whom he had a particular fondness. But what was not known (until a receipt was discovered in the Royal Archives in 2018) was that the Prince Regent had almost certainly been Austen’s very first customer - buying a copy of ‘Sense and Sensibility’ for 15 shillings on 28th October, 1811.</p><br><p>His admiration for the anonymous 35 year-old author’s work lead to an awkward moment later in her career, when she felt obligated to dedicate ‘Emma’ to His Royal Highness - a task she clearly wished to avoid.</p><br><p>In this episode, Arion, Olly and Rebecca explain why Austen detested her royal patron; reveal the dry first draft of her dedication to him; and consider how the famously promiscuous, indulgent monarch could have so badly misread Austen’s manifesto for moderation…</p><br><p><strong>Further Reading</strong></p><p>• ‘One of Jane Austen's earliest buyers revealed as Prince Regent – who she 'hated'’ (The Guardian, 2018):&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jul/25/jane-austen-buyer-hated-prince-regent-sense-and-sensibility" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jul/25/jane-austen-buyer-hated-prince-regent-sense-and-sensibility</a></p><p>• ‘Jane Austen’s First Buyer? Probably a Prince She Hated’ (The New York Times, 2018):</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/books/jane-austen-prince-regent.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/books/jane-austen-prince-regent.html</a></p><p>• ‘JANE AUSTEN, PRINCE REGENT & SANDITON’ - excerpt from “<strong>Elegance and Decadence</strong>: The&nbsp;<strong>Age of</strong>&nbsp;the&nbsp;<strong>Regency”</strong>&nbsp;(BBC, 2011):&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzrlpIjwKv0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzrlpIjwKv0</a></p><br><p><strong>For bonus material and to support the show, visit</strong><a href="https://create.acast.com/episodes/ca1f94a1-0921-446a-ae00-4d4bfd2ba3ef/Patreon.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></a><a href="http://patreon.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Patreon.com/Retrospectors</strong></a></p><p><strong>We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:</strong><a href="https://create.acast.com/episodes/ca1f94a1-0921-446a-ae00-4d4bfd2ba3ef/podfollow.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></a><a href="http://podfollow.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>podfollow.com/Retrospectors</strong></a></p><br><p><em>The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.</em></p><p><em>Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.</em></p><p><em>Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2021.</em></p><br><p><em>#1800s #Royals #Person #Arts #Discoveries #UK</em></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Today In History with The Retrospectors
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Show Notes
George IV’s impressive Library included all the novels of Jane Austen, for whom he had a particular fondness. But what was not known (until a receipt was discovered in the Royal Archives in 2018) was that the Prince Regent had almost certainly been Austen’s very first customer - buying a copy of ‘Sense and Sensibility’ for 15 shillings on 28th October, 1811.
His admiration for the anonymous 35 year-old author’s work lead to an awkward moment later in her career, when she felt obligated to dedicate ‘Emma’ to His Royal Highness - a task she clearly wished to avoid.
In this episode, Arion, Olly and Rebecca explain why Austen detested her royal patron; reveal the dry first draft of her dedication to him; and consider how the famously promiscuous, indulgent monarch could have so badly misread Austen’s manifesto for moderation…
Further Reading
• ‘One of Jane Austen's earliest buyers revealed as Prince Regent – who she 'hated'’ (The Guardian, 2018): https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jul/25/jane-austen-buyer-hated-prince-regent-sense-and-sensibility
• ‘Jane Austen’s First Buyer? Probably a Prince She Hated’ (The New York Times, 2018):
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/books/jane-austen-prince-regent.html
• ‘JANE AUSTEN, PRINCE REGENT & SANDITON’ - excerpt from “Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency” (BBC, 2011): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzrlpIjwKv0
For bonus material and to support the show, visit Patreon.com/Retrospectors
We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/Retrospectors
The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2021.
#1800s #Royals #Person #Arts #Discoveries #UK
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