Last December, we gathered some of our favorite Emily Brontë experts into the basement of the Brontë Parsonage and made them explain the magic of Emily Brontë to Hannah. In this episode, we discuss Gondal, Wuthering Heights, and whether or not Charlotte Brontë was a funny gal.
Mar 06, 2019•50 min
Lady Susan’s ears must be burning, because we can’t stop talking about her. We also review the film Love & Friendship, bang on about WIves & Daughters and share some important season 3 updates.
Feb 20, 2019•50 min
This week, we’re talking chapters 31 - 60 of Wives and Daughters. Plus, Hannah gives you her controversial thoughts on the adaptation, and we reads your comments on Cynthia!
Feb 13, 2019•56 min
We’re back! And we’re ready to talk about the first 30 chapters of Elizabeth Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters and our favorite characters. Warning: there is some light swearing in this episode because we’re just so passionate about this darn book. Please note, we’re also raising a few dollars to purchase a book for Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. Check out our Go Fund Me for more details: https://www.gofundme.com/BonnetsAtDawn
Feb 06, 2019•1 hr 19 min
It’s finally here! The Brontë super special to close out Season 2! This week, we welcome a trio of wonderful guests, including bestselling author Rowan Coleman to discuss Ponden Hall and how the Brontës inspire her writing. Actress Siobhan Athwal talks about her role as Emily Brontë in the musical Wasted. And author Karen Kenyon discusses Charlotte’s letters and her new Brontë book. Follow Rowan on Twitter @RowenColeman Follow Karen’s Publisher @Endeavour_Medi Find Siobhan Athwal @SiobhanAthwal...
Dec 20, 2018•1 hr
It’s the season 2 Team Austen finale! And we’re taking you to the Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. Listen along as we talk bonnets, interview naval officers, and force our friends to play Marrying Mr. Darcy during this celebration of all things Jane. Special thanks goes out to Mary Landrum, Shawntaye Hopkins, Amanda Beverly, Mary Kravenas, and Jennifer Swenson for getting us down there. If you would like to join us at the festival next year, then keep an eye on this space: http://ja...
Nov 29, 2018•56 min
S2, Episode 32: Remixing Jane Austen with Diverse Characters by Bonnets At Dawn
Nov 20, 2018•41 min
We marathoned all 4 hours of North and South with you lot, and now we’re returning to talk about some of the ways the text differs from the film. And John Thornton. Guys, we’re mostly going to talk about John Thornton. We also interview N&S expert Trudy Brasure about her North and South variations and, ya know, some dude named John.
Nov 09, 2018•50 min
This week on the show, we are celebrating 150 years of Little Women! We welcome back Anne Boyd Rioux - our resident Louisa May Alcott expert and author of the excellent Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters. And our listeners weigh in on why Little Women still matters to them.
Oct 31, 2018•43 min
In this Halloween special, Lauren and Mary Kravanas discuss the Elle Fanning Mary Shelley special, fantastic knitwear, and your spooky book recommendations.
Oct 26, 2018•56 min
Ready for some more Emily200? In this action packed episode, we welcome back Selene and Serena from The Sisters’ Room to discuss their new book on Wuthering Heights and translating Emily’s work. Plus, we debut our audio collage of Emily’s best lines sent in by our lovely listeners.
Oct 18, 2018•59 min
We’re coming off the high of another B@D read-along (and suffering from a nasty head cold), so we’ve asked YOU to do the heavy lifting this week. Alison, Maggie and Robin tell us about three naughty Austen and Alcott inspired stories they have read especially for us.
Oct 05, 2018•55 min
This week, we cover the last 7 chapters of The Shuttle, a giant portion of FHB’s life story, and a sleepy Hannah responds to listener comments. We’d like to thank everyone for going on this read-along journey with us. You’re all getting comment of the week.
Sep 29, 2018•1 hr 16 min
This week, we cover chapters 25 - 43 of FHB’s The Shuttle and discuss her early married life. #FranAndSwanForever
Sep 21, 2018•1 hr 27 min
We talk more about Frances Hodgson Burnett’s childhood, and dive into chapters 14 - 24 of The Shuttle. (If you listen really closely, you just might hear a cat in the background. Oh, Henry…)
Sep 14, 2018•1 hr
It’s read-along time! This month is dedicated to Frances Hodgson Burnett and her wonderful book The Shuttle. This episode, we discuss chapters 1-13 of the unabridged edition and your lovely comments.
Sep 07, 2018•1 hr 12 min
We talk comic adaptations and interview the lovely and talented artist Isabel Greenberg about her upcoming Brontë sister graphic novel.
Aug 23, 2018•54 min
Lauren and Hannah break down The Story of an Hour and discuss the life and times of Kate Chopin.
Aug 16, 2018•54 min
This week we’re left dazed and confused by the heat in Kentucky, but thankfully we have the delightful Jess and Esther from Sense and Spontaneity to lift us out of this stupor! Sense and Spontaneity is a comedic duo from Australia that performs Jane Austen inspired improv. They also make kickass videos, which you can watch on the internets like Dear Mr. Darcy and Obstinate Headstrong Girl.
Aug 09, 2018•52 min
It’s Emily Brontë’s birthday and eveeeeryone is talking about her. We jump into the fray with our take on that controversial Guardian piece. Plus, we interview Dr. Claire O’Callaghan about her new book - Emily Reappraised, which is available now on the Amazon machine!
Aug 02, 2018•56 min
We kick off this episode by reading some letters by Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë before taking a trip to Chawton House to interview their head librarian, Dr. Darren Bevin. To find out more about Chawton House, head on over to their website - https://chawtonhouse.org/
Jul 26, 2018•49 min
We must confess that the original title of this episode was Miss Chapman Regrets since Hannah has some retractions to make. We also compare and contrast the Jane Austen biopics Miss Austen Regrets and Becoming Jane.
Jul 19, 2018•55 min
This week we tackle The Yellow Wallpaper and things get heavy. Thankfully, we have the best listeners in the world - so we were able to lighten things up with your wonderful comments and book recommendations.
Jul 11, 2018•49 min
Hey, hey! Hannah listened to the latest BBC radio adaptation of Wuthering Heights, so now we can properly talk Heathcliff! We also interview Judith Pascoe, writer of On The Bullet Train with Emily Brontë, and discuss the popularity of Wuthering Heights in Japan. Follow Judith on Twitter - @JudithMPascoe Buy the book from University of Michigan Press - https://www.press.umich.edu/9373391/on_the_bullet_train_with_emily_bronte
Jul 05, 2018•49 min
We asked, and boy, oh, boy YOU answered - where does Mansfield Park rank on your list of favorite Austen novels? We read your comments, discuss the importance of theatre in Mansfield Park, and interview the charming creators behind the Waterperry Opera Festival in Oxford, which features an adaptation of Mansfield Park. Find out more about the Waterperry Opera Festival here: http://www.waterperryoperafestival.co.uk/
Jun 27, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Join us for the thrilling conclusion of our first ever panel LIVE from Elizabeth Gaskell's House! We talk Elizabeth, Charlotte and even a little Jane with our lovely guests Amy Rowbottom from the Brontë Parsonage and Jane Mathieson from the Gaskell Society.
Jun 06, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Robin Epley from Drunk Austen makes her second appearance on the show, and we do not talk about Jane Austen! Instead, we talk Little Women (1994) vs Little Women (2018). Later, we read your comments about the mini-series and Hannah's dirty mouth. Warning - this episode does contain swears.
May 31, 2018•59 min
We say goodbye to Uncle Alec as our Eight Cousins read-along finally comes to a close. Then, we we compare and contrast Eight Cousins with The Secret Garden. huge thanks to everyone who participated in our read-along! We truly valued your questions and comments. You're all top lads!
May 23, 2018•1 hr 30 min
We talk about women's work and Charlotte Bronte with author and professor Anne Boyd Rioux. And we check back in with Uncle Alec and Rose for the Eight Cousins read-along part 2! Remember, you can pre-order Anne's new book on Amazon, and find more of her work here: https://anneboydrioux.com/
May 17, 2018•1 hr 29 min
Anne Boyd Rioux joins us to discuss Louisa May Alcott's early years and we officially kick off the Eight Cousins recap with a discussion of chapters 1-8! Anne is a professor of English at the University of New Orleans. She is a member a of the Advisory Board of the Louisa May Alcott Society and had written about Alcott in two of her books. Find more of here work on her website: https://anneboydrioux.com/
May 10, 2018•1 hr 34 min