The Scholar's Armchair

Why the Victorians Needed Jane AUSTEN | Prof Cheryl Wilson

What did the Victorians really think of Jane Austen — and how did they reshape her legacy? In this episode of The Scholar’s Armchair, I speak with Prof Cheryl A. Wilson, author of *Jane Austen and the Victorian Heroine*, about the surprising afterlife of Austen in the nineteenth century. We often think of Austen as timeless — but as Dr Wilson shows, the Victorians didn’t just admire her. They *used* her. Through the figure of the heroine, Austen became a tool for thinking about reading, gender, class, and even national identity. We explore how Victorian writers: * turned Austen into a guide for “good reading” and moral taste * rewrote and adapted her heroines for a changing world * struggled with complex characters like Emma * used Austen in debates about femininity and the New Woman * transformed her into a cultural icon: “England’s Jane” We also discuss Dr Wilson’s fascinating work on *Persuasion*, where she argues that Austen structures the novel like a dance — even without a ballroom scene — revealing new insights into desire, movement, and social mobility. This conversation reveals a different Austen: not fixed, but constantly reinterpreted — and still shaping how we read today. --- Links: Cheryl's book Jane Austen and the Victorian Heroine: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-62965-0 Cheryl's article on dance and Persuasion: https://jasna.org/persuasions/printed/number25/wilson.pdf --- **Subscribe for more conversations with leading literary scholars exploring the big ideas behind classic literature.** #JaneAusten #VictorianLiterature #LiteraryCriticism #Persuasion #ClassicLiterature #Books #TheScholarsArmchair

Virginia WOOLF’s Philosophy of Reality | Prof Thomas Nail

What did Virginia Woolf really mean by her famous “moments of being”? Were they simply flashes of heightened consciousness… or was Woolf trying to reveal something deeper about reality itself? In this episode of The Scholar’s Armchair, I’m joined by philosopher Thomas Nail to discuss his fascinating new book The Philosophy of Virginia Woolf: Moments of Becoming. Nail argues that Woolf was not just a novelist of inner life, but a philosopher in her own right — one who saw reality not as made of fixed things, but of movement, flow, and interrelated processes. Together we explore: * Woolf’s “moments of being” * Why Nail calls them “moments of becoming” * Time, perception, and the unstable self * Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and The Waves * Woolf’s relevance to modern philosophy and new materialism * Whether literature can actually change how we perceive reality If you enjoy Virginia Woolf, modernism, philosophy, literary theory, or process thought, this conversation offers a fresh and deeply thought-provoking way into her work. ======================== Links: Thomas’s book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/philosophy-of-virginia-woolf-9781350526051/ Thomas’s university profile: https://liberalarts.du.edu/about/people/thomas-andrew-nail #VirginiaWoolf #Modernism #Philosophy #Literature #LiteraryTheory #ThomasNail #MrsDalloway #TheWaves #ToTheLighthouse #TheScholarsArmchair

What SHAKESPEARE really teaches us about how to listen | Prof Kent Lehnhof

What if ethics begins not with understanding… but with listening? In this episode of The Scholar’s Armchair, I’m joined by Professor Kent Lehnhof to explore his book Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare’s Late Plays — a fascinating rethinking of how we relate to one another through literature, philosophy, and everyday life. Drawing on the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, Lehnhof argues that Shakespeare’s plays are not just about misunderstanding or miscommunication, but about something more fundamental: our failure to truly hear one another. Moving beyond the traditional focus on sight and interpretation, this conversation explores the ethical power of the human voice — not just what is said, but the act of speaking and listening itself. Through plays like King Lear, Pericles, The Winter’s Tale, and The Tempest, we examine how voices can dominate, deceive, disrupt, and ultimately restore human connection. From the collapse of language in tragedy to the redemptive power of listening in Shakespeare’s late romances, this interview uncovers a quietly radical idea: 👉 Ethics begins in the ear, not the eye. This episode will change the way you think about Shakespeare — and perhaps the way you listen to others. Topics discussed include: Why listening is central to ethical life William Shakespeare and the power of voice in drama Levinas, responsibility, and the encounter with the Other The breakdown of language in King Lear The redemptive voice in Pericles Paulina and the ethics of difficult speech in The Winter’s Tale Voice, power, and colonialism in The Tempest ======================================== Links: Kent's book Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare's Late Plays: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/voice-and-ethics-in-shakespeares-late-plays/FEC6657771A30ED5A765AD89AE37C4A2 Kent's profile page: https://www.chapman.edu/our-faculty/kent-lehnhof.aspx 🎧 Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts

How ORWELL makes the mundane meaningful | Professor Nathan Waddell

We think we know George Orwell. The author of 1984. The prophet of surveillance, propaganda, and political control. But what if that version of Orwell is only part of the story? In this conversation, I’m joined by Nathan Waddell to discuss his book A Bright Cold Day: The Wonder of George Orwell. Rather than focusing on Orwell’s big ideas alone, Waddell invites us to see something often overlooked: Orwell as a writer of the everyday, of habits, routines, small observations, and the quiet textures of ordinary life. Together we explore a different way of reading Orwell, one that shifts attention away from grand political abstractions and toward the lived experience that underpins them. From the role of attention and memory, to the emotional life behind Nineteen Eighty-Four, this discussion asks a simple but important question: Have we been reading Orwell wrong? This is a conversation about literature, but also about how we live, about how meaning is found not only in the large forces that shape history, but in the small details that shape our days. 🔍 Topics discussed -Why Orwell is more than a political writer -The importance of the everyday in literature -Rethinking Nineteen Eighty-Four -Attention, memory, and lived experience -The relationship between the ordinary and the political -Which of Orwell’s other forgotten novels we should read 📚 Links A Bright Cold Day: The Wonder of George Orwell by Nathan Waddell https://oneworld-publications.com/work/a-bright-cold-day/ Nathan’s profile page (and links to his other works): https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/english/waddell-nathan 🎙️ About the channel The Scholar’s Armchair brings academic ideas into conversation with a wider audience. Each episode explores literature, criticism, and thought in a way that is accessible, reflective, and grounded in close reading.

Lone Genius? SHAKESPEARE’S Influences and Collaborators | Dr Darren Freebury-Jones

Did Shakespeare really write alone… or was he borrowing from the greatest playwrights of his time? In this episode of The Scholar’s Armchair, I speak with Darren Freebury-Jones about his fascinating book Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers, which rethinks one of the biggest myths in literary history. We explore the world Shakespeare actually lived and worked in: a vibrant, competitive theatre scene filled with extraordinary writers like Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd, Ben Jonson, and Thomas Middleton. Far from being a solitary genius, Shakespeare emerges as a playwright shaped by collaboration, rivalry, and creative borrowing. Together, we discuss: * The meaning behind the famous “upstart crow” insult * Whether Shakespeare collaborated on early plays like Henry VI and Titus Andronicus * How writers like Marlowe and Kyd influenced Shakespeare’s dramatic style * The role of modern attribution studies and stylometry in uncovering authorship * The legendary “wit combats” between Shakespeare and Jonson * What truly made Shakespeare Shakespeare This conversation offers a fresh and accessible way into one of the most exciting areas of literary scholarship today: the idea that Shakespeare’s genius lies not just in originality, but in his extraordinary ability to absorb and transform the work of others. If you love Shakespeare, theatre history, or the hidden stories behind great literature, this episode will change the way you think about the world’s most famous writer. ========================== Darren’s Books: 📖Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526177346/ 📖Reading Robert Greene: Recovering Shakespeare’s Rival: https://www.routledge.com/Reading-Robert-Greene-Recovering-Shakespeares-Rival/Freebury-Jones/p/book/9781032154091 📖Shakespeare’s Tutor: The Influence of Thomas Kyd: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526164742/ 👨‍🏫Darren’s website: https://darrenfj.wordpress.com/ ⸻