The History of Literature – Episode 746: Wild Jane Austen (with Devoney Looser) | #9 Greatest Book of All Time

Host: Jacke Wilson
Guest: Devoney Looser, Professor of English, Jane Austen Scholar, Roller Derby Skater "Stone Cold Jane Austen"
Release Date: November 3, 2025

Overview

In this vibrant and wide-ranging episode, host Jacke Wilson celebrates Jane Austen’s “wild” side with distinguished scholar and roller derby skater Devoney Looser. Looser’s new book, Wild: For a Rebellious, Subversive, and Untamed Jane, seeks to retire the image of Austen as merely prim and proper, advocating for a more nuanced, passionate, and unconventional view. Along the way, Wilson also continues his countdown of the 25 Greatest Books of All Time by unveiling #9: Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Greatest Books Countdown: #9 – Don Quixote (03:00–14:00)

• Don Quixote by Cervantes is revealed as #9 on Wilson’s “Greatest Books of All Time” list.
• Discussion of its contemporary reception, citing Dr. Johnson via Mrs. Thrale, who noted that Quixote was one of the rare books readers wished was longer.
  • Notable Quote:
    "Only three books, he said, does one ever want to be longer than they are: Don Quixote, Robinson Crusoe, and the Pilgrim’s Progress." (13:00)
• Highlights the book’s universal appeal and profound influence across cultures.
• Explores Cervantes's precarious biography and the book’s complex publication history—including shipwrecked first editions and rampant pirating.
  • “The novel was successful, beloved from the start, still is beloved. Collectors today would love to have a copy that was not only first, but rare even in its time.” (16:00)

2. Introducing Devoney Looser: Making the Case for a Wild Austen (19:43)

• Looser, known in roller derby as “Stone Cold Jane Austen,” is introduced not only as a top Austen scholar but also as an athlete with an eye for testing boundaries, just like her subject.

The Overlooked Porter Sisters (20:07–24:29)

• Jane and Anna Maria Porter, precursors to Austen, authored 26 books between them but faded from view just as Austen’s reputation ascended.
  • Looser: “They were important innovators in historical fiction… Jane especially really hit the zeitgeist of her time, writing about heroes based on real-life struggles of nations searching for independence in the face of despotism.” (21:07)
• Sir Walter Scott is often wrongly credited as the founder of historical fiction—Jane Porter’s Thaddeus of Warsaw (1803) and The Scottish Chiefs (1810) predate Scott’s Waverley.
• Recommendations for modern readers: The Scottish Chiefs (Broadview Press edition) for fans of historical fiction and those interested in the genre’s roots.

3. Austen in the Family—Discovering Her Comedy and Subversion (24:29–30:55)

• Looser describes how her mother urged her to read Pride and Prejudice, even though her mother had never read it herself (25:45).
  • “She wanted me to have access to a kind of history of strong and interesting women, and so Jane Austen made sense for her.” – Looser (25:52)
• Austen adaptations serve as family bonding experiences, not just for mothers and daughters but for sons as well.
• The humor and irony of Austen’s prose is often a revelation to young readers—once you “get” it, it’s transformative.

4. Reframing Austen as “Wild”—Feminism and Rebellion (29:48–31:46)

• Early recognition of Austen’s proto-feminism; Looser edited a collection on Jane Austen and feminism as early as 1995.
• Even before using the word “wild,” Looser saw Elizabeth Bennet’s repeated refusals as radical.
  • “Elizabeth Bennet saying no to the older women in her life was wild… she walks up to a kind of precipice, and she doesn’t go over it like her sister Lydia, but she’s really testing boundaries.” (30:40)
• Austen’s perception as mild or “safe” comes partly from her comparison with contemporaries like Mary Shelley and the Brontës—though the period teemed with even bolder, less-remembered women like courtesan Harriet Wilson.

5. Jane Austen’s Social World—Politeness, Boundaries, and Sympathy (33:49–38:09)

• Austen knew of, and sometimes interacted with, figures on the wilder fringes of polite society (such as Harriet Wilson); she observed without condemning, showing both distance and nuance.
• Her novels reflect a deep sympathy for women who cross society’s boundaries—her “punishments” for them are relatively mild compared to male contemporaries.
  • “She shows them being sent away from the family, and I think she doesn’t shy away from suggesting these are complex relationships… she’s very careful to show seducers as the ones drawing women to the wrong side.” (36:39)

6. Wild for Austen – The Book and Its Framework (39:18–46:21)

Structure and Meaning (39:18–40:42)

• Looser’s book takes a holistic approach: examining Austen’s writings, her life and social circle, and her posthumous legacy.
• The double meaning of “Wild for Austen”: both what counts as “wild” in Austen’s world and the wildness of modern Austen fandom.

Defining “Wild” in Austen’s Terms (40:42–43:25)

• “Wild” for Austen often meant bold, unconventional, passionate, and imaginatively free; it’s a positive designation.
• She used the OED to discover historical uses of “wild” that matched Austen’s self-characterization and application to her heroines.
  • “She’s describing bold women, their active imaginations, their strong feelings, unconventional choices… this positive female wildness is what I really wanted to try to make sense of, bring out, and just show how it’s functioning.” (41:59)

The Context of Wildness in Austen’s Era (45:01–46:21)

• The “wild” aesthetic in the Romantic era went beyond poetry—Austen’s works also partook in this prevailing sense of passionate rebellion.

7. Austen’s Writing and Family – The Wild Juvenilia & Cosmopolitan Connections (46:30–54:34)

Wild Writings—Jane’s Juvenilia (46:30–48:18)

• Austen’s early writings (juvenilia) bristle with wildness: drinking, theft, murder, adultery, even “a little light cannibalism.”
  • Looser: “It’s just over the top, making fun of formulas and conventions… you just don’t expect to see a little cannibalism in Jane Austen, but there it is.” (47:25)

Fierce Family Ties (48:30–54:34)

• The myth of Austen’s dull, provincial life is countered with specific stories, such as her meeting with international spy Count d’Entragues and his opera singer wife, both later assassinated.
  • “How is it that we don’t talk more about the fact that Austen was in the room with a man who is now known as an international spy… This is not the life we’ve been led to think she endured.” (49:46)
• Austen’s family viewed her as a successful novelist, especially after her identity became public knowledge.
• Austen referred to herself as a “wild beast” in correspondence, showing an awareness of public scrutiny and perhaps discomfort with some aspects of fame.

8. Austen’s Narrator—Resisting Simplicity, Inviting Complexity (54:34–56:02)

• Austen is careful not to moralize or dictate how to live—her narrator resists “perfection.”
  • “Pictures of perfection make me sick and wicked.” – Jane Austen, quoted by Looser (55:49)
• Her novels refuse complete resolution, maintaining ambiguity and inviting the reader’s interpretation.

9. Austen’s “Wild” Legacy—Shambolic Afterlives & Modern Interpretations (56:02–61:08)

• Wild engagements with Austen’s legacy go back to the 1820s—Jane as ghost, legal evidence, cultural icon.
• Austen-inspired erotica dates to at least 1980.
  • Looser: “I did the work so you don’t have to. I read it, and, you know, you can see whether you want to look at it or not.” (57:33)
• Austen’s reputation for safety is a legacy more of Victorian/Edwardian retconning than reality.
• Looser encourages readers to interrogate sanitized versions of Austen and to recognize the risk, instability, and complexity in her novels.

10. Audience Q&A and Final Thoughts (61:08–63:17)

• Wilson poses a hypothetical: Would Austen punish a modern, “wild” character (like roller derby-playing Looser) in her fiction?
  • Looser: She relates more now to the subversive Mary Crawford than the timid Fanny Price and would take such a characterization as a “badge of honor.” (62:10–62:21)
• Looser reflects on how reading Austen made possible “an amazing life…on the track and in the classroom and on the page.” (62:52)

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• On Austen’s Feminism and Strength:

  “She was giving her heroines, in particular, a kind of strength and independence that I was comfortable calling feminist or proto-feminist.” – Looser (29:48)

• On Austen’s Early Humor:

  “The language was a challenge… I just sort of got the comedy. And it became obviously a transformative book in my life.” – Looser (24:44)

• On Wildness as a Positive:

  “She’s describing bold women. She’s describing their active imaginations, their strong feelings, their unconventional choices.” – Looser (41:59)

• On Austen’s Unconventional Life:

  “She met an international spy and his opera diva wife… This is not the life we’ve been led to think she endured.” – Looser (49:46)

• On Austen’s Ongoing Relevance:

  “Her books are the opposite of [didactic]. They raise a lot of questions… her narrator is not someone who’s looking for us to strive for perfection.” – Looser (55:00)

• On Legacy and Erotica:

  “The late 20th century certainly had Austen and inspired erotica. Some of it is not fun… I did the work so you don’t have to.” – Looser (57:33)

Key Segments & Timestamps

• 03:00: Don Quixote announced as Greatest Book #9, reception and impact
• 13:00: Mrs. Thrale’s anecdote on Don Quixote and Dr. Johnson
• 19:43: Devoney Looser introduction; Austen’s reputation
• 20:07–24:29: Porter sisters, origins of historical fiction
• 24:29–30:55: Austen in the family, discovery of humor and feminism
• 33:49–38:09: Wildness, reputation, and Austen’s nuanced social insight
• 39:18–46:21: What counts as “Wild” for Austen—meanings in works and life
• 46:30–48:18: Austen’s Juvenilia, early wit and rebelliousness
• 48:30–54:34: Austen’s family dynamics and life beyond the myth
• 54:34–56:02: Austen’s narrative style, skepticism of perfection
• 56:02–61:08: Austen’s “wild” afterlife in culture and fandom
• 62:10–62:21: Would Austen punish a roller derby heroine?
• 63:17: Closing thoughts

Tone and Language

The episode is lively, engaging, and often humorous—much like Austen herself. Jacke Wilson’s warmth and curiosity draw out Looser’s equally energetic and insightful responses. There's an underlying respect for Austen’s complexity and a pushback against simplistic, sanitized readings.

Conclusion

This episode is essential listening for fans of Jane Austen eager to re-examine her legacy, or for anyone interested in the interplay between literary myth and reality. Devoney Looser brings both scholarship and personal passion, revealing a Jane Austen who is “rebellious, subversive, and untamed”—and who resonates all the more for it.

For more:

• Devoney Looser, Wild: For a Rebellious, Subversive, and Untamed Jane
• The Making of Jane Austen
• Sister Novelists: The Trailblazing Porter Sisters
• Jacke Wilson’s complete "25 Greatest Books" series on The History of Literature podcast