In the year of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, this lively and thought-provoking discussion explores her life, legacy, and literary brilliance — her novels are charming, sure, but also radical, political, witty, and entertaining.

Presented in partnership with the State Library of NSW, this event brings together Kate Evans and Cassie McCullagh from The Bookshelf, with Scott Stephens from Radio National's The Minefield, and Sophie Gee, English Professor at Princeton, Vice-Chancellor's Fellow in the humanities at the University of Sydney, and co-host of the Secret Life of Books podcast, for a conversation that delves into Austen’s sharp observations on friendship, ambition, money, love, power, and equality.

This program was first broadcast on 12 September 2025

CREDITS

• Panellists: Kate Evans, Cassie McCullagh, Scott Stephens, Sophie Gee
• Producer: Kate Evans, Amanda Roberts
• Sound engineer: John Jacobs
• Editors: Muditha Dias, Rhiannon Brown