Jane Austen & Needlework: A Visit with Jennie Batchelor

"Elizabeth took up some needlework, and was sufficiently amused in attending to what passed between Darcy and his companion." —Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen often wove needlework and other domestic crafts into her novels in thoughtful and meaningful ways. In this episode, Professor Jennie Batchelor joins us to discuss Austen’s own skill with a needle and explore how she used such “women’s work” to reveal her characters’ strengths and flaws, illuminate their social and power dynamics (think Mrs. Norris and Fanny Price), and reflect their thoughts and feelings.

Jennie Batchelor is a professor of 18th-century and Romantic studies and Head of English and Related Literature at the University of York. She was also the inaugural Postdoctoral Fellow in Women’s Writing (1660-1830) at Chawton House Library and the University of Southampton. She has published widely on women writers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, on early magazines, and on women’s work, dress, and craft. In 2020, she published Jane Austen Embroidery with Alison Larkin, which includes 15 stitching projects based on 18th-century patterns. 

Many thanks to Jennie for joining us on Austen Chat!

Listen to Episode 33

You can stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and on our YouTube Channel. Or listen to the interview and read the transcript and show notes on the Episode 33 webpage.