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 [email protected]. Host: Anna WalkerReporter: Jane WrightSenior Producer and Sound Design: Eloise StevensExecutive Producer: Gemma WareArtwork: Naomi Joseph and Alice MasonThe 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. What was Jane Austen’s best novel? These experts think they knowWho was Jane Austen’s best heroine? These experts think they know
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