Jane Austen & Dido Belle: A Visit with Renata Dennis Artwork

Austen Chat

Welcome to Austen Chat, the podcast of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA). Join us each month as we interview scholars, authors, and subject experts on a wide range of topics related to Austen’s writings, her life and times, and more. There is always more to learn and enjoy about Jane!

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Austen Chat

Jane Austen & Dido Belle: A Visit with Renata Dennis

January 04, 2024 • Jane Austen Society of North America • Episode 7

JASNA member Renata Dennis joins us to discuss the fascinating story of Dido Belle, a woman of color caught between two identities. Dido was the daughter of an enslaved woman and a British naval officer but was raised as a gentlewoman in the household of William Murray, Earl of Mansfield and Lord Chief Justice of the Court of the King's Bench. Until recently, she was lost to history. Renata also shares her thoughts on Dido Belle as the inspiration for Jane Austen’s character Miss Lambe in Sanditon.

Transcript and show notes: https://jasna.org/austen/podcast/ep7

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