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The Venerable Dr Rachel Mann, Anglican priest, poet, & writer:

‘There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves.’ Jane Austen’s words might be taken as a summary of a relationship most highly prized by contemporary society: Friendship. Yet, Austen gives them to one of her flightiest characters, reminding us that it is also a readily misused and exploited relationship. Jesus himself presents friendship as a defining picture of love, suggesting that ‘greater love has no one than to lay down their life for their friends’. Drawing on the writings of Austen, Aristotle and others, this Lent talk interrogates modern pictures of friendship and suggests that behind them lies a richer, more demanding and uncomfortable vision of friendship, illuminated by the Christian story.

Producer: Carmel Lonergan
Editor: Tim Pemberton