Ep. 55 - BRIDGERTON: What’s Jane [Austen] Got to Do With It?

Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan as Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington in BRIDGERTON (3rd season). Photo: Netflix

In episode 55, we talk with Black Girl Loves Jane creator DAMIANNE “DAMI” SCOTT about the Shonda Rhimes Shondaland series BRIDGERTON.

BRIDGERTON (now in its 3rd season + Shonda Rhimes’s prequel/origin story, QUEEN CHARLOTTE: A BRIDGERTON STORY on Netflix) is based on the characters in Julia Quinn’s series of historical romance novels set in Regency England. The stories center an aristocratic family of 8 siblings and their widowed mother who is navigating the marriage market with and for her children. 

One can’t help but wonder how the BRIDGERTON series is being received by passionate fans of Jane Austen and recent adaptations of her 19th century novels for film and limited series like PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, and SANDITON (inspired by an unfinished novel).

What has been the BRIDGERTON series’s impact on fan perceptions of the Regency era and the diversity of the society in that time? What would Jane think of the ton?

Jane Austen did not necessarily write about the aristocracies. She wrote about the gentry. She was out in the country. ‘In the sticks,’ says my mother….She knows of these lords and barons. She knows that they exist, but those are not her people.

Damianne Scott, creator, Black Girl Loves Jane

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Guest: DAMIANNE SCOTT (Dami)

Damianne Scott (Dami) garnered her love for Jane Austen after her beloved high school English teacher declared that Austen was too sappy for a person who loved reading Thomas Hardy. Damianne earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in English from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

After many years of defending her love of Austen and other Regency and Victorian authors, Dami created a Facebook Page, Black Girl Loves Jane in 2018, dedicated to her beloved Jane and the idea that it was perfectly wonderful to be an African-American woman who loves Austen novels. 

Since then, Dami has become a member of the Jane Austen Society North America (JASNA ) and has been a guest speaker, panelist, or presenter for numerous groups. Her most well-known presentation is for Jane Austen & Company’s “Race and Regency Series” regarding BRIDGERTON’s Queen Charlotte. 

Connect with Black Girl Loves Jane: Facebook | Twitter/X @BlackGirlLoves3 | IG @blackgirlloves76

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BRIDGERTON Season 3

BRIDGERTON, Season 3, Part 2

From Shondaland and new showrunner, Jess Brownell, BRIDGERTON is back for its third season and finds Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) has finally given up on her long-held crush on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) after hearing his disparaging words about her last season. She has, however, decided it’s time to take a husband, preferably one who will provide her with enough independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, far away from her mother and sisters. But lacking in confidence, Penelope’s attempts on the marriage mart fail spectacularly.

Meanwhile, Colin has returned from his summer travels with a new look and a serious sense of swagger. But he’s disheartened to realize that Penelope, the one person who always appreciated him as he was, is giving him the cold shoulder. Eager to win back her friendship, Colin offers to mentor Penelope in the ways of confidence to help her find a husband this season. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly. Complicating matters for Penelope is her rift with Eloise (Claudia Jessie), who has found a new friend in a very unlikely place, while Penelope’s growing presence in the ton makes it all the more difficult to keep her Lady Whistledown alter ego a secret.

BRIDGERTON also features Adjoa Andoh (Lady Agatha Danbury), Simone Ashley (Kate Sharma), Jonathan Bailey (Anthony Bridgerton), Hannah Dodd (Francesca Bridgerton), Ruth Gemmell (Lady Violet Bridgerton), Florence Hunt (Hyacinth Bridgerton), Martins Imhangbe (Will Mondrich), Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton), Jessica Madsen (Cressida Cowper), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton), Will Tilston (Gregory Bridgerton), Polly Walker (Portia Featherington), and Julie Andrews (voice of Lady Whistledown). (Source: Netflix)

BRIDGERTON Netflix series website

Enjoy more of our BRIDGERTON podcasts including episode 55

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