Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Jeff O'Neal (0:00)

This episode of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by thriftbooks.com today. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.

I don't know what to say about Jane Austen right here that we won't say in the show, but one thing that's great about Jane Austen is you can get a complete matching set, and it's pretty wieldy, and because it's in the public domain, there are all kinds to choose from. I'm looking at a bunch on thriftbooks.com where it's 40, 50 bucks new, and if you wanna go used, you can find something else that is a little bit more affordable. The one I'm looking at is the Macmillan Collector's Library. All hardcover, really beautiful little books that can fit on your shelf really nicely, but you can also find something that's got a little bit more color, something that's got flowers, or something that feels a little bit more serious with black bindings or penguin or some other kind of collection like that. But the one I'm looking at is the Macmillan Collector's Library, but you can find whatever you want at thriftbooks.com. Time for the show.

Welcome to Zero to Well-Read, a podcast about the books you wish you read. I am Jeff O'Neal.

Rebecca Schinsky (1:13)

I'm Rebecca Schinsky. This week, we're diving into our first Jane Austen novel, first on the show, not our first ever, as Sense and Sensibility is heading back to theaters with a new adaptation starring Daisy Edgar Jones. Big day for us to finally get to Austen. I know a lot of folks were expecting it in the first season.

Jeff O'Neal (1:30)

Yeah. I mean, listen, you're going to hear it. I saw your notes. You're going to hear it mine too. This is not the signal Austen. This is her first novel.

I do not have a lot of personal affection for this book. It doesn't sound like this is going to make the all time reads for you, but we're going to get into the Austen of it. But it is her first published novel. She published it when she was very young, either 19 or 21 because of reasons, which we'll get into. So it's worth taking on on its own terms. Should you start with Pride and Prejudice? Maybe.

Is it interesting to start with this one, which is a traditional document in a lot of ways, and we have that adaptation coming out at the same time, which is always a good time to return to these things here. So it'll be really cool. I mean, Austen to me, she's one of my favorite writers and super important in the canon and the well-read. The well-reading of it all really matters. And I think you do get some extra Zero to Well-Read points, going back to the end of ours, for having read Sense and Sensibility, which most even of the Austen fans do not consider among the first rank of Austen. I think that's usually Persuasion and of course, Emma and Pride and Prejudice. And then you're getting down to sort of personal picks and Sense and Sensibility is a little bit lower. But an interesting book, of course, to talk about. Austen herself is worth doing many shows about. If you want more from us, you can join our Patreon to get access to guided read-alongs, early ad-free episodes and other bonus content. Go to patreon.com/zero to Well-Read. We're getting some nice emails from people who are working through their back episodes or I just wanted to email you this story about this. I love these. We're doing a mailbag episode very soon. These are always going to be candidates, Rebecca, for inclusion into our mailbag, our emails.

Rebecca Schinsky (3:10)

Yeah. Always fun to hear from folks. And just a quick reminder that you can rate and review the show wherever you're listening. It does us a huge favor by bumping us up in the algorithm.

It helps your friends who are looking for new podcasts find their way to us. And when we hit 1,000 ratings on Apple Podcasts, which we are getting close to... Close.

Jeff O'Neal (3:29)

927 this morning, I think. Yes.

Rebecca Schinsky (3:31)

And by the time this show airs, who knows? We'll be close to 1,000.

We'll be doing a Listener's Choice episode where y'all will get to vote on the book that we cover. And I know that you have some ideas about what you'd like us to be talking about. Yeah.

Jeff O'Neal (3:45)

It's which James Michener novel do they want us to cover? It's going to be real... We're going to be fun.

Rebecca Schinsky (3:52)

Stuff that...

Jeff O'Neal (3:53)

Yeah. I think a little bit more in the Twilight Zone of picks rather than the Jane Austen or Shakespeare or Tony Morrison kind of zone.