The friend

In the fourth episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail from The Conversation, we explore who Austen made friends with, and ask what we can learn about friendship in the pages of her fourth novel, Emma.

We explore who Austen’s friends were, the significance of these relationships in her life, and how she depicted female friendship in her novels.

The Conversation's Jane Wright visits Box Hill in Surrey – site of an infamous picnic in Emma – with Emma Claire Sweeney, senior lecturer in creative writing at the Open University and expert in Austen's friendships. Later on, Anna Walker sits down with two more eminent Austen experts to discuss friendship in Emma -- emeritus professor Janet Todd of Cambridge University, and Bharat Tandon, lecturer in literature at the University of East Anglia.

Jane Austen's Paper Trail is a podcast from The Conversation celebrating 250 years since Jane Austen's birth. If you have a question you'd like to pose to Jane Austen experts for an upcoming Q&A special, please email us on podcast@theconversation.com.

You can also sign up to receive a free Jane Austen 250 ebook from The Conversation, bringing together a collection of our articles celebrating her life and works.

Host: Anna Walker

Reporter: Jane Wright

Senior Producer and Sound Design: Eloise Stevens

Executive Producer: Gemma Ware

Artwork: Naomi Joseph and Alice Mason

The Conversation is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. If you like the show, please consider donating to support our work. You can sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation here.

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