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Anna Lou Walker

@annalouwalker.bsky.social
358 followers 330 following 69 posts

Senior Arts + Culture Editor at The Conversation UK | Host of Jane Austen's Paper Trail | Author | Runs Gallery_Gals: instagram.com/gallery_gals 🏳️‍🌈 she/her linktr.ee/AnnaLouWalker

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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 28/09/2026
The film reflects a truth that gen Z are painfully aware of: romance and property are often inextricable.
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Sense and Sensibility: gen Z will relate to the Dashwoods’ complicated relationship with romance and property
The film reflects a truth that gen Z are painfully aware of: romance and property are often inextricable.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
Catherine Duigan @cduigan.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
The #Bayeux #tapestry and the hidden history of the women who embroidered it. @uk.theconversation.com @annalouwalker.bsky.social theconversation.com/the-bayeux-t...
theconversation.com
The Bayeux tapestry and the hidden history of the women who embroidered it
The 70-metre embroidery will be displayed at the British Museum from September.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 06/06/2026
Victorians were acutely aware of the health problems which could come from devotion to the ‘gospel of work’.
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Victorians called burnout ‘overwork’ – and they cured it by holidaying in France
Victorians were acutely aware of the health problems which could come from devotion to the ‘gospel of work’.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 09/06/2026
Social change made leisure gardens accessible to all – not just kings and aristocrats – at the same time as ‘the great horticultural movement’.
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Why impressionists loved to paint gardens
Social change made leisure gardens accessible to all – not just kings and aristocrats – at the same time as ‘the great horticultural movement’.
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Pleased to introduce The Conversation Climate Poetry Award. We're inviting academics in the UK to write a poem inspired by climate change research. More info here, including a free poetry workshop: theconversation.com/introducing-...
theconversation.com
Introducing The Conversation Climate Poetry Award – for UK-based academics
The Conversation invites academics across the UK to write a poem inspired by climate change research.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 10/04/2026
Bait is a quietly devastating study of the pressures placed upon British‑Pakistani men navigating identity, racism and aspiration.
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Bait sheds light on British-Pakistani mental health struggles rarely seen on screen
Bait is a quietly devastating study of the pressures placed upon British‑Pakistani men navigating identity, racism and aspiration.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 16/03/2026
Every March, St Patrick is celebrated with shamrocks, parades and, of course, pints of Guinness. But did you know there might actually have been two Saint Patricks? tcnv.link/VOHmqQN
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- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 09/03/2026
The medieval church’s acknowledgement that signs were equivalent to a spoken language was transformative for deaf people.
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The deaf blacksmith who married in 1576 – and the history of sign as a legal language
The medieval church’s acknowledgement that signs were equivalent to a spoken language was transformative for deaf people.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 04/03/2026
For World Book Day, we asked ten academic experts to share a work of fiction that has challenged their assumptions and changed their thinking in a lasting way.
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The novel that changed my mind – ten experts share a perspective‑shifting read
For World Book Day, we asked ten academic experts to share a work of fiction that has challenged their assumptions and changed their thinking in a lasting way.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 10/02/2026
As a physical piece of a person that would outlast their human life, a lock of hair symbolised immortal love.
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Forget flowers: lovers in 18th- and 19th-century Ireland exchanged hair
As a physical piece of a person that would outlast their human life, a lock of hair symbolised immortal love.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 11/02/2026
Many couples were forced to undertake dangerous, daring escape attempts to overcome their separation.
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Love stories of the Berlin Wall – couples reunited via tunnels, hot air balloons and zip wires
Many couples were forced to undertake dangerous, daring escape attempts to overcome their separation.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 09/12/2025
Do you have any questions about Jane Austen's life and writing that you'd love to ask one of our experts? Send us an email or a voice note to podcast@theconversation.com or leave a comment below. Your question may be featured in our seventh BONUS Q&A episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail!
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Ask our experts about Jane Austen #janeausten250
Do you have any questions about Jane Austen's life and writing that you'd love to ask one of our experts? Send us an email or a voice note to podcast@theconversation.com or even leave a comment below Your question may be featured in our seventh BONUS Q&A episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail Over six episodes, we’ve been talking to experts leading research into Jane Austen and exploring places around England that were important to her. Listen to the full series wherever you get your podcasts and send us your questions about Jane Austen (or in the comment section)! #janeausten #janeausten250 #askanexpert #podcasts #podcastclips Listen to the full series: https://pod.link/1844385976
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
If you have five minutes spare today, George Orwell's short essay Some Thoughts on the Common Toad makes for some v hopeful reading amid the January gloom 🐸❄️ www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-f...
orwellfoundation.com
Some Thoughts on the Common Toad | The Orwell Foundation
"Is it wicked to take a pleasure in Spring and other seasonal changes?"
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 05/01/2026
Irish people have historically looked to the natural world to forecast the weather and make sense of their surroundings.
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Reading the sky: how Irish weather lore preserved a deep understanding of the natural world
Irish people have historically looked to the natural world to forecast the weather and make sense of their surroundings.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 19/12/2025
In the 17th century, patches were used to conceal blemishes like the scars left by diseases like smallpox or even syphilis.
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Pimple patches have hidden our blemishes for hundreds of years – historian explains
In the 17th century, patches were used to conceal blemishes like the scars left by diseases like smallpox or even syphilis.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 19/12/2025
December 16 marked 250 years since the writer’s birth – but at The Conversation, we have been celebrating all year.
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Our Jane Austen year – a free ebook, loads of expert insights and a six-part podcast
December 16 marked 250 years since the writer’s birth – but at The Conversation, we have been celebrating all year.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 18/12/2025
It is likely that Austen met one of her earliest romantic interests at a Christmas party.
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Jane Austen celebrated Christmas with dancing, dinner parties and dangerous games
It is likely that Austen met one of her earliest romantic interests at a Christmas party.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 10/12/2025
Free ebook! To celebrate Jane Austen's extraordinary talent in this special year, The Conversation published a series of articles by Austen experts to complement our six-part podcast, Jane Austen's Paper Trail. In this ebook, you can enjoy ten of those exceptional pieces: tcnv.link/RaEGIaY
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
📚🎧 I can't believe today is the final episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail! But it might just be my favourite of the series. Today we're exploring whether Austen was happy, using her last published novel, Persuasion, as our guide. theconversation.com/jane-austens...
theconversation.com
Jane Austen’s happiness was complicated – her last heroine in Persuasion knew why
The sixth episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail explores whether Austen was happy, through the pages of Persuasion.
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
📚 🎧 Episode five of Jane Austen's Paper Trail is out now! This week, we explore what Northanger Abbey reveals about Austen’s life as a professional writer, and how she viewed the novel as a moral force. Read more on what our experts had to say & listen here: theconversation.com/jane-austen-...
theconversation.com
Jane Austen shunned literary fame – but transformed the novel from the shadows
The fifth episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail explores Austen’s view of writing through the pages of Northanger Abbey.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 29/11/2025
It can feel daunting for modern film fans to know where to start with curating their taste.
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Five tips for becoming a cinephile in the age of streaming algorithms
It can feel daunting for modern film fans to know where to start with curating their taste.
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
📚 🎧 Episode four of Jane Austen's Paper Trail is out this morning! This week we're talking Emma – and exploring Austen’s female friendships, including one her family later tried to hush up… You can read more on what our experts had to say & listen here: theconversation.com/jane-austens...
theconversation.com
Jane Austen’s friendships defied social class – and empowered her writing
The fourth episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail uses the novel Emma to explore the writer’s views on friendship.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 18/11/2025
In the third episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail, we speak to Austen experts about her politics and views on slavery, as we dive into the pages of Mansfield Park.
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Why it’s so hard to know what Jane Austen thought about slavery
In the third episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail, we speak to Austen experts about her politics and views on slavery, as we dive into the pages of Mansfield Park.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 21/11/2025
Some peasants were entitled to up to a year and a day of leave if they were sick.
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Medieval peasants enjoyed a surprising range of sick, annual and bereavement leave benefits
Some peasants were entitled to up to a year and a day of leave if they were sick.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 18/11/2025
Did you know? Jane Austen only ever wrote one black character: Miss Lambe in the unfinished work Sanditon (1817). For more Austen facts, listen to Jane Austen's Paper Trail, wherever you get your podcasts. Read the article: tcnv.link/GRLHmZ4
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Jane Austen's character from Sanditon, Miss Lambe, is having a moment
One of the biggest and most urgent public debates of Jane Austen’s time wasslavery. It’s an issue most modern readers would like to see her coming down on the right side of. But did you know? Jane Austen only ever wrote oneblack character: Miss Lambe in the unfinished work Sanditon (1817). And the novel which deals most with the issue, Mansfield Park (1814), still only mentions slavery directly once. What we do know is that three of Austen’s brothers were engaged inanti-slavery activism. Her letters also show that she admired the abolitionists Thomas Clarkson and William Cowper. But while it’s tempting to assume Austen shared their convictions, it isn’t that simple – as Mansfield Park demonstrates. Listen to the latest episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail wherever you get your podcasts Listen to the latest episode: https://pod.link/1844385976 Read the article: https://theconversation.com/why-its-so-hard-to-know-what-jane-austen-thought-about-slavery-269053 #janeausten #mansfieldpark #janeausten250 #sanditon #podcastclips #podcast
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
🎧 📚 We're three episodes into Jane Austen's Paper Trail, a podcast series from @uk.theconversation.com. Today we talk Mansfield Park, and try to understand what Austen thought about the slave trade. It's one of my favourite episodes of the series. theconversation.com/why-its-so-h...
theconversation.com
Why it’s so hard to know what Jane Austen thought about slavery
In the third episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail, we speak to Austen experts about her politics and views on slavery, as we dive into the pages of Mansfield Park.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 11/11/2025
In the second episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail, we speak to Austen experts about her views on love, and the role of romance in Pride & Prejudice.
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Jane Austen perfected the love story – but kept her own independence
In the second episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail, we speak to Austen experts about her views on love, and the role of romance in Pride & Prejudice.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 04/11/2025
In the first episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail podcast, uncover Austen’s relationship with gossip, how surveillance played out during the time period and take a deeper dive into her first novel, Sense and Sensibility. Listen to the first episode: tcnv.link/7tBODqF
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 04/11/2025
In the first episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail, a new podcast marking 250 years since the author’s birth, we speak to Austen experts about her relationship with gossip.
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Jane Austen’s world ran on gossip – and she revelled in it
In the first episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail, a new podcast marking 250 years since the author’s birth, we speak to Austen experts about her relationship with gossip.
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
The first episode of Jane Austen's Paper Trail – a new podcast from @uk.theconversation.com hosted by me – is finally out! 🎧📚🫖 We visit Bath with Dr Andrew McInnes & over a plate of Sally Lunn’s famous buns (Austen's faves), he reveals the author's love of gossip. theconversation.com/jane-austens...
theconversation.com
Jane Austen’s world ran on gossip – and she revelled in it
In the first episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail, a new podcast marking 250 years since the author’s birth, we speak to Austen experts about her relationship with gossip.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
Gemma Ware @waresgemma.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
It's hosted by the wonderful @annalouwalker.bsky.social with help from Jane Wright and @naomijoseph.com and made by the fantastic Eloise Stevens.​ Read more about the first ep here theconversation.com/jane-austens... and here are links to follow wherever you get your podcasts pod.link/1844385976
theconversation.com
Jane Austen’s world ran on gossip – and she revelled in it
In the first episode of Jane Austen’s Paper Trail, a new podcast marking 250 years since the author’s birth, we speak to Austen experts about her relationship with gossip.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
Gemma Ware @waresgemma.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
New podcast 📣 ! Jane Austen's Paper Trail launched today and our first ep is all about gossip and why Jane revelled in it (particularly in Sense & Sensibility). Do listen - and share it with the Jane Austen fans in your life! player.captivate.fm/episode/090c...
player.captivate.fm
The gossip
Quickly and easily listen to Jane Austen's Paper Trail for free!
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
Loved being a guest on Books From My Bookshelf, chatting all things Jane Austen ahead of @uk.theconversation.com's new podcast, Jane Austen's Paper Trail. Rosamunde & I talked about Jane's elusive character, her love of curry & why her sister burned her letters: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Oze...
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Join Me for Jane Austen’s 250th Birthday: A Special Interview!
YouTube video by Books From My Bookshelf
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
📚🎧 Jane Austen’s Paper Trail is nearly here! For the past year the @uk.theconversation.com audio and arts teams have been working on this podcast to mark the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth. Learn more about the series and listen to our trailer her: theconversation.com/introducing-...
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
What does One Battle After Another say about fatherhood? Dr Mark Gatto breaks it down. theconversation.com/one-battle-a... @markgatto.bsky.social
theconversation.com
One Battle After Another: Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio Del Toro explore three visions of fatherhood
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson, a relatable, ‘good enough’ and involved father.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 27/08/2025
In the 14th century, Sundays were particularly deadly.
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Our medieval murder maps reveal the surprising geography of violence in 14th-century English cities
In the 14th century, Sundays were particularly deadly.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 27/08/2025
Six leading Austen experts have made their case for her ultimate novel, but the winner is down to you.
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What was Jane Austen’s best novel? These experts think they know
Six leading Austen experts have made their case for her ultimate novel, but the winner is down to you.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 27/08/2025
Statues continue to emerge, offering clues as to the physical appearance of the ancient city.
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New finds shed light on Canopus – the ancient Egyptian port city lost to the sea
Statues continue to emerge, offering clues as to the physical appearance of the ancient city.
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
The final Jane Austen Fight Club is upon us 🥊 This time we're debating Austen's best novel. Does Northanger Abbey's gothic satire have you in stitches? Or does Persuasion's rumination on regret have your vote? Read our expert opinions, then let us know yours: theconversation.com/what-was-jan...
theconversation.com
What was Jane Austen’s best novel? These experts think they know
Six leading Austen experts have made their case for her ultimate novel, but the winner is down to you.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 20/08/2025
We’re pitting her much-loved heroines against each other in a battle of wit, charm and sass
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Who was Jane Austen’s best heroine? These experts think they know
We’re pitting her much-loved heroines against each other in a battle of wit, charm and sass
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
@DramaMen @dramamen.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
The first rule of #JaneAusten #FightClub is.... They are all winners! But pick my entry on Elinor Dashwood, please!
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
The second instalment of Jane Austen Fight Club is now published 🥊 Does sharp-tongued Lizzie Bennet make you laugh? Are you cheering on the mistreated Fanny Price? Or does long-suffering Anne Elliot get your vote? Let us know your fave Austen heroine here: theconversation.com/who-was-jane...
theconversation.com
Who was Jane Austen’s best heroine? These experts think they know
We’re pitting her much-loved heroines against each other in a battle of wit, charm and sass
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 14/08/2025
Do you like Jane Austen? Do you like period dramas? Do you like scenes of men in wet shirts clambering out of lakes? If yes to any of the above, pls vote in our first instalment of Jane Austen Fight Club. Who is her best leading man?
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Jane Austen fight club: experts go head-to-head arguing for her best leading man
The winner is down to you!
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 15/08/2025
Each of these songs is a masterpiece in brevity.
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The ten best songs under one minute long
Each of these songs is a masterpiece in brevity.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 18/08/2025
Jane Austen’s novels work a romantic alchemy, and travel is their catalyst.
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In Jane Austen’s Persuasion, respite is a key ingredient for romance
Jane Austen’s novels work a romantic alchemy, and travel is their catalyst.
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Introducing Jane Austen Fight Club! Over the next few weeks, academic experts will go head to head arguing for Austen's best leading man, heroine and novel. But the winner is up to you. Check out our first instalment and vote for your fave Austen heartthrob here: theconversation.com/jane-austen-...
theconversation.com
Jane Austen fight club: experts go head-to-head arguing for her best leading man
The winner is down to you!
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 11/08/2025
The sequel successfully recaptures the unapologetic girlish silliness that made the first film so beloved.
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Freakier Friday: nostalgia-soaked sequel explores grief and blended families
The sequel successfully recaptures the unapologetic girlish silliness that made the first film so beloved.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 11/08/2025
In the security of the Love is Blind pods, people may begin to reveal more intimate information about themselves at a faster rate than normal.
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Love is Blind returns – but is there truth to the show’s ‘social experiment’? Here’s what the research says
In the security of the Love is Blind pods, people may begin to reveal more intimate information about themselves at a faster rate than normal.
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Reposted by Anna Lou Walker
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 28/07/2025
Romanticism centred on the idealisation of human freedom in all its forms.
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My new history of romanticism shows how enslavement shaped European culture
Romanticism centred on the idealisation of human freedom in all its forms.
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Anna Lou Walker @annalouwalker.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
With AI wingmen and algorithmic echo chambers, the dating world is more confusing than ever. That's why our latest Quarter Life series is Love IRL – a toolkit of research-backed articles that will help you to find more meaningful connection, offline and on. theconversation.com/love-irl-a-n...
theconversation.com
Love IRL: a new Quarter Life series on modern dating from The Conversation
Whether you’re single, dating, married or somewhere in between, our love lives are increasingly mediated by technology.
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