250 years after her birth, Jane Austen remains a giant in the cultural zeitgeist. Her works have been adapted hundreds of times over multiple mediums, and she remains one of the most popular writers in the English language. Yet little is known about Jane Austen the person. The majority of her letters were likely destroyed, leaving us only 161. In the absence of her own direct testimony, where do we find the real Jane Austen? In her books? In her family and friends? In the "world" of Jane Austen or in the many iterations of her life and afterlife?
Finding Jane Austen is a scripted podcast that seeks to uncover the historical Jane Austen. This podcast will introduce both seasoned Janeites and new readers to the life and works of Jane Austen through accessible scripted programming and interviews with top Austen scholars to recreate Jane Austen's life and world.
Finding Jane Austen is researched, written, and narrated by Dr. Anne Fertig. Jeanette Patrick and Jim Ambuske are the executive producers.
Dr. Anne Fertig explores Jane Austen's early romance with Tom Lefroy through surviving letters, revealing the most significant relationship in her life.
21 Apr 2026
Episode Five: A Partial, Prejudiced, and Ignorant Historian
Even in rural, insular Hampshire, Jane Austen was exposed to a broad and vibrant popular culture. She was fed that culture through a steady diet of books, music, magazines, newspapers, social networks, and theater. On today's episode of Finding Jane Austen, we are diving back into her teenage writings to uncover more of the culture that inspired her.
Finding Jane Austen is researched and written by Dr. Anne Fertig. Jeanette Patrick and Jim Ambuske are the executive producers. Finding Jane Austen is a joint production of Revolutionary Histories and Primary Source Media.
17 Mar 2026
Episode Four: The Prodigy
Jane Austen's teenage writings reveal the stirrings of an early genius beginning to develop. Within them, we find thieves, murderers, and yet another intriguing mystery. On today's episode, we are following along as Jane reads some of the most popular works of her day and diving into some of her earliest pieces.
Do you think Jane Austen is Sophia Sentiment? Send us a voicemail or write us a note at www.revolutionaryhistories.com/voicemail.
Finding Jane Austen is researched and written by Dr. Anne Fertig. Jeanette Patrick and Jim Ambuske are the executive producers. Finding Jane Austen is a joint production of Revolutionary Histories (https://www.revolutionaryhistories.com/) and Primary Source Media.
17 Feb 2026
Episode Three: All the Masters Necessary
You might not realize it, but there was almost a world in which there was no Jane Austen. Or at the very least, no Jane Austen novels. No Pride and Prejudice. No Sense and Sensibility. In today's episode, we are exploring Jane's brush with death and the unusual cast of women who shaped her literary interests.
Want to be part of the series? Send us a voicemail or write us a note at www.revolutionaryhistories.com/voicemail. Tell us your answer to the question, why Jane Austen? Is there a reason you're drawn to her or a reason why you're listening to this podcast? What Austin Mysteries do you want solved?
Finding Jane Austen is researched and written by Dr. Anne Fertig. Jeanette Patrick and Jim Ambuske are the executive producers. Finding Jane Austen is a joint production of Revolutionary Histories and Primary Source Media.
20 Jan 2026
Episode Two: A Heroine is Born
Dr. Anne Fertig explores Jane Austen's formative years in Steventon, Hampshire, examining the ruins of her birthplace to uncover influences on her early life and work in this episode.
16 Dec 2025
Episode One: First Impressions
Dr. Anne Fertig explores the early life and historical context of Jane Austen, revealing the woman behind the novels and movie adaptations in this episode.
1 Dec 2025
Season One Trailer
This trailer introduces the "Finding Jane Austen" podcast, which explores Jane Austen's early life, family, and writings to uncover the origins of her literary genius.
6 Dec 2024
Finding Jane Austen
You've heard of Jane Austen. She's in our movie theaters, our high school classrooms, even on the British pound, she's inspired more than 400 novel adaptations and probably more than a few of your favorite movies and series. You might even consider yourself a big fan of Jane Austen. But do you know who Jane Austen was? Like, really, who was she as a person? In this podcast, we're finding Jane Austen. We're solving the mystery of one of the most important writers in the English language through the clues she left behind.
Along the way, we'll speak to some of the top Austen scholars in the world. Together with documentary, literary, and archeological evidence, we'll get to the bottom of some of the greatest debates about her life. Whether you love Jane Austen or if you haven't read her since high school, we invite you to join us in finding Jane Austen.
Finding Jane Austen releases early 2025 but you can subscribe now on your favorite podcast app, including Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. Finding Jane Austen is researched and written by me, Dr. Anne Fertig, and is a production of R2 Studios, part of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History New Media at George Mason University. Go to r2studios.org to learn more.
Inside a recent episode
6. My Dearest
Published 22 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] So that's possible. But Edward is the one who made lots of things economically possible for his family and his sisters, although he wasn't always as generous as I think, looking back on it, we wish he might have been. Fourth is Henry. Charming Henry. Lively Henry. Terrible decision-making Henry. […]
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