Gossip! Mr Elton is engaged and we discuss Jane Austen's own brief engagement

We tackle the important questions:- Does Austen name characters after herself?- Why is Jane a better heroine than Emma?- Was Austen secretly gay?- Is Emma secretly gay?

We ask the tough questions:- Is Mrs Bates hearing loss simply selective hearing? - Are the Bates scamming their neighbours for free things?We also discuss engineering hacks, the mail and how the story pivots to focus on Jane Fairfax.

We complain that Frank is a dick, compare him to Fabio; discuss Austen’s version of “if he wanted to, he would” and how Emma and Knightley love to argue-flirt.

Rachel and I tackle such important questions as:why has Emma never seen the sea if she lives on an island?when did Mr Woodhouse last leave Hartfield?why does Mr Elton suck so much?what's the best way to get over an ex?

Emma requires an entire chapter to process Mr Elton's disastrous proposal

Rachel and I are joined by a canine co-host, my niece, Daisy. We discuss the pains of managing family, politeness and unwanted male attention. 

Rachel and I discuss the difficulties of being polite and how Mrs Weston may be the best mother figure in Austen. 

We launch into the new year with un/lucky chapter 13, mixed signals, unclear communication, the Victorianisation of Austen, and the secret horror novel at the centre of Emma.We mention Driving Myself Home

Let's pretend I was drunk when we recorded to explain my many mistakes... we discuss gross age differences and segue into talking about Typhoid Mary.