Austenised

Jane Austen’s Love Mystery: Part 5

2011-09-01T15:19:00.001+05:30

5. “The nameless, dateless lover” – Jane Austen’s seaside romance

According to family tradition, the most likely person to have touched Jane Austen’s heart, was someone whom Jane met during a seaside holiday between 1801 and 1804. Jane’s nephew James Edward and niece Caroline both mention this event as Jane’s most significant romantic alliance.

Image from http://bit.ly/qgZBBQ.

In her letter, Caroline remembers that at the time when the Austens lived in Bath, they went to the Devon seaside in the summer, where they met a “charming man”. She wrote, “I never heard Aunt Cass. speak of anyone else with such admiration – she had no doubt that a mutual attachment was in progress between him and her sister. They parted – but he made it plain that he should seek them out again – & shortly afterwards he died! - My Aunt told me this in the late years of her own life.”

No one in the family has confirmed the identity of the person, apart from Jane’s niece Catherine Hubback who seemed to think that Dr Blackall was the person in question. Author Dr Andrew Norman recently wrote a book, resulting in wide publicity, about Dr Blackall being Jane’s true love, her one and only “Mr Darcy”.

However, Catherine was not sure about Blackall being the person in question and did not seem to think that their parting caused Jane great misery. She wrote that her aunt “always said her books were her children, and supplied her sufficient interest for happiness; and some of her letters, triumphing over the married women of her acquaintance, & rejoicing in her own freedom from care were most amusing”.

Although Caroline thought that the seaside lover may have been the greatest of all of Jane’s loves, she did not seem to think that the relationship had gone on long enough to overcloud her happiness. After all, Jane had her books, her freedom and her leisure – to write and dream about her perfect Mr Darcy.

Jane Austen’s Love Mystery: Part 4

2011-08-31T19:51:00.001+05:30

4. Edward Bridges

To this day, mystery surrounds Jane’s relationship with Edward Bridges. You may have seen him as one of Jane’s persistent suitors in Miss Austen Regrets, but in actual fact there is very little that we know about the nature of their relationship.

Mr Bridges played by Hugh Bonneville in Miss Austen Regrets.

Image from http://bit.ly/mOP2c5.

The Reverend Brook Edward Bridges of Goodnestone Farm was Jane’s brother, Edward’s brother-in-law. Son of a baronet, he became a clergyman like his other brothers. Jane became familiar with Edward during her visits to Godmersham in the mid-1790’s and seemed to enjoy his company.

During a visit in 1805, Jane noticed that Edward was being particularly attentive to her. She wrote to Cassandra, "We could not begin dinner till six. We were agreeably surprised by Edward Bridges's company to it. . . . It is impossible to do justice to the hospitality of his attentions towards me; he made a point of ordering toasted cheese for supper entirely on my account". As I wrote before, toasted cheese was a favourite supper of Jane Austen’s.

A few years later, in 1808, Jane wrote to Cassandra from Godmersham, “[Lady Bridges’] son Edward was also looking very well, & with manners as un-altered as hers". In another letter written later that year, Jane mentioned an “invitation” that Edward had made to her: “I wish you may be able to accept Lady Bridges's invitation, though I could not her son Edward's”.

Now whatever this invitation may be, remains a mystery to us. Biographers Deirdre La Faye and the flighty Jon Spence certainly seem convinced that Edward proposed to Jane in 1808 and was politely rejected. If his proposal was indeed turned down, there seems to have been no hard feelings on either side, as the friendship continued after that. When Edward became engaged to Harriet Foote later in the same year, she wished him well.

Jane Austen’s Love Mystery: Part 3

2011-08-30T16:08:00.001+05:30

3. Harris Bigg-Wither

The story of Harris Bigg-Wither’s proposal to Jane must have baffled her biographers for years. What made Jane Austen accept an offer of marriage and then turn it down overnight?

Harris Bigg-Wither. Image from Wikipedia.

In December 1802, Jane and Cassandra were invited to stay with their friends, the Bigg sisters, at Manydown Park. Alethea and Catherine Bigg were childhood friends of the Austen children and Jane and Cassandra enjoyed staying with them. Their brother, Harris Bigg-Wither, was heir to the Manydown estate, and Jane remembered him from her childhood as being a plain and awkward boy with a stammer. He had by now grown somewhat more confident and was of a good height.

On the eve of 2 December, Harris proposed to Jane and was accepted. She was fond of him, liked the family, and was comfortable at Manydown, being so close to Steventon. Everyone rejoiced and celebrated the engagement that evening. However, Jane must have spent the night going over her decision, considering the fact that Harris was 6 years younger than her, she was not attracted to him, and that she could not be happy being married to someone she didn’t love. She explained her change of heart to Harris in the morning, and asked her brother James to take her and Cassandra back to Steventon immediately and from there on home to Bath.

The situation must have been awkward for both the families, but fortunately the Austen and the Bigg sisters’ friendship was not affected by it. Later, though, Caroline Austen asked Jane’s biographer, James Edward Austen-Leigh, not to mention the event in his memoirs, as it would have caused embarrassment to the family.

No doubt, Jane must have occasionally regretted her decision. As mistress of a large estate, her future would have been secured, she would have been able to help her ageing parents and sister, and she would have lead a life of comfort. However, for Jane, marrying without love was not an option. As she advised her niece Fanny later on, “Anything is to be preferred or endured rather than marrying without Affection.” And she certainly did not love Harris Bigg-Wither, as her niece Caroline remembered in her old age.

Jane Austen’s Love Mystery: Part 2

2011-08-29T18:10:00.001+05:30

2. Dr Samuel Blackall

Image: An unknown young scholar.

There are several references to Dr Samuel Blackall in Austen’s biographies. Dr Blackall was a theology student and fellow of Emmanuel College in Cambridge. Jane and Dr Blackall met in 1798 when he was staying with his family friends, the Lefroys. Despite the Tom Lefroy affair, Jane had remained friends with Mrs Lefroy and was a frequent visitor to Ashe.

At the time, Dr Blackall was believed to be “in want of a wife”, as he was about to give up his fellowship and settle down at a parish. Perhaps Mrs Lefroy thought that Dr Blackall would be a good match for Jane. However, despite several matchmaking efforts, it appears that neither party warmed up to the idea. Mrs Lefroy later showed her a letter from Dr Blackall, of which Jane wrote, “There seems no likelihood of his coming into Hampshire this Christmas, and it is therefore most probable that our indifference will soon be mutual, unless his regard, which appeared to spring from knowing nothing of me at first, is best supported by never seeing me.'

Despite the “mutual indifference” admitted by Jane herself, some people do believe that Dr Blackall was Jane’s one true love. Amongst these was her niece Catherine Hubback who wrote, “if she ever was in love, I believe it was with Dr Blackall whom they met at some watering place…there is no doubt she admired him extremely, and perhaps regretted parting”. We do know that she met someone at a watering place years later, but there is some confusion between the nieces and nephews as to the identity of this person. I will come back to the seaside mystery in Part 5.

Jane Austen’s Love Mystery: Part 1

2011-08-28T22:28:00.001+05:30

1. Tom Lefroy

Biographer Jon Spence is convinced that Thomas Langlois Lefroy was Jane Austen’s one and true love and that she suffered for years following her loss. His book Becoming Jane Austen inspired the film, Becoming Jane, in which Jane’s relationship with Tom is portrayed as a full-blown romantic affair. Other biographers have also stressed the importance of the affair in Jane’s life.

Young Tom Lefroy. Image from Wikipedia Archives.

Jane and Tom met during the Christmas season of 1795, when Jane was 20 years old. He was visiting his aunt and uncle, George and Anne Lefroy, at Ashe Parsonage, on his way to London where he was to study law. Anne Lefroy was a close friend of Jane Austen’s and a neighbour to the Austen family. Jane and Tom met at 4 balls and danced together. Jane obviously liked him, describing him as “a very gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man”.

Jane told Cassandra, “imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together”. Lively Jane must have flirted with Tom very openly, as Tom was “excessively laughed at about me at Ashe”, to the point that he once ran away when she visited Ashe!

Jane always describes Tom with light humour in her letters. Before a ball at Ashe, she wrote “I look forward with great impatience to it, as I rather expect to receive an offer from my friend… I shall turn it down, however, unless he promises to give away his white coat”. She also joked, “I mean to confine myself in the future to Mr Tom Lefroy… for whom I do not care a sixpence.”

The flirtation with Tom was not to last. Before their last ball together, Jane ironically wrote, “at length the day is come on which I am to flirt my last with Tom Lefroy & when you receive this it will be over. My tears flow, as I write, at the melancholy idea.” Tom was to proceed to London and the young couple never met again. It was Mrs Lefroy who sent him away, realising that the youngsters were about to form an attachment and neither of them had money to sustain a good living. He was certainly a practically-minded man, as on his return to Ireland, he married a rich heiress and moved on in life.

Tom Lefroy later became Chief Justice of Ireland and lived up to the old age of 93. In his last years his nephew asked him if he had loved Jane Austen, and he admitted that he had been in love with her, although it had been “a boyish love”.

The Chief Justice. Image from Wikipedia.

It is clear that there was a romance between the two, but how much this affected Jane Austen is unknown. According to Jane’s nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh and niece Caroline, the romance had been nothing out of the ordinary. Caroline wrote, “there was something in it, is true – but nothing out of the common way…nothing to call ill usage & no very serious sorrow endured” - a youthful, innocent flirtation, perhaps. There is no evidence to suggest that she had been deeply touched by this affair.

Jane Austen’s Love Mystery

2011-08-27T22:21:00.001+05:30

- For a mystery it is, thanks to the lack of biographical data from the bulk of her twenties and the discreteness with which Jane Austen handled her personal feelings in her letters.

I am sure that all fans of Jane Austen are intrigued to know if Jane Austen was ever in love, and why she never married. What inspired her to write 5 such influential novels about love and marriage? No one knows for sure, but all her biographers seem to have their own ideas about Jane’s romantic leanings.

You must have seen the heavily dramatised, fictional film, Becoming Jane, based on Jon Spence’s biography, which portrays Jane Austen madly in love with Tom Lefroy in her early twenties, up to the point of nearly eloping with him. And the slightly more biographical, yet fictional Miss Austen Regrets, which assumes that later in life, Jane probably regretted having never married and secured a safe future for her and the ladies in her family.

Why did Jane Austen decide not to marry? Did she ever love a man enough to marry him, and lose him? Or was she simply not a romantic person at all?

In this series of articles I will now discuss some of Jane’s romantic connections and how they might have influenced the choices she made in life.

Before I begin, can you identify any of these 5 people thought to have been Jane’s lovers? And who – if any - do you think was Jane’s great love?

1	2	3

4	5

Meet Kaitlin Saunders, Author of “A Modern Day Persuasion”

2011-08-20T20:19:00.001+05:30

About the Author

Kaitlin Saunders, a fresh name in the Austenite world, is inspired by the works of Jane Austen. She first began writing at the age of sixteen with a period-style screenplay called “Caroline”, which was later made into a film. She has now brought Jane Austen to the 21st Century with her novel “A Modern Day Persuasion”, a modern but faithful adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

Book Synopsis

Nearly eight years ago, Anne’s family, specifically her father, convinced her that she was too young to wed and insinuated that her fiancé Rick was solely interested in her wealth and status. Against her better judgment, Anne agreed to postpone the marriage, only to watch the love of her life walk away, never to be heard from again. Since then, time has not been kind, and with the family fortune now gone and Anne unable to move on with her life romantically, she struggles to make a name for herself as a greeting card designer. However, a series of serendipitous events causes Rick to re-enter her life, and at the same time a new beau seeks to claim her affections. The question that needs answering, however, remains the same: Can Anne recover from her previous rejection and love again?

Meet Kaitlin

Anna: Hi Kaitlin! Welcome to Austenised. Congratulations on publishing your book “A Modern Day Persuasion” and bringing Jane Austen to life. It was interesting to read your novel and see how Persuasion would fit into the modern context. I would like to know more about your experience of writing the novel and your inspirations for writing it.

Could you start by describing your biggest challenge in adapting a Jane Austen novel?

Kaitlin: My biggest challenge was taking Jane's premise for Persuasion and placing it into a modern context without perverting her original intent. Sure, you can write a modern day tale of her original idea, but will it really be Austen's beloved characters brought to life in our century? My number one goal while writing this novel was to simply modernize the circumstances and occupations of her characters, not alter who they are or how the story plays out.

Anna: In your dedication, you mention that your mother introduced you to Jane Austen. How did this happen and what was it that made you fall in love with her novels in the first place?

Kaitlin: My mother and I would have regular “girls nights” when I was growing up and watch old classics, including the 1980's Pride and Prejudice and any other adaptations we could get our hands on. I became entranced with the language, the manners and style of dress. As I grew older, I read the novels for myself and later, it was my mother who encouraged me to write A Modern Day Persuasion.

Anna: Which is your favourite Jane Austen novel? How did you choose to adapt Persuasion in particular?

Kaitlin: Persuasion is my favourite Jane Austen novel with Mansfield Park and Sense and Sensibility tying for a close second. I think I appreciate these three novels in particular because Anne, Fanny, and Elinor are so overlooked yet, because they are good and patient, they are given their heart's desires in the end. I chose to adapt Persuasion because I've heard it's one of the least popular of Austen's Major Six, and that's a pity if you ask me! Hopefully my modern day re-telling will help it gain popularity.

Anna: Your novel carefully follows the sequence of events in the original novel. How did you set off planning your novel?

Kaitlin: If you want the inside scoop, I first wrote A Modern Day Persuasion as a screenplay—which is why some readers comment that if flows like a movie and easily creates images. And Anna, I'm so glad you noticed how closely I tried to follow the original's sequence of events.

Anna: You have set your novel in modern California and Oregon. How did you select the settings for your novel?

Kaitlin: I am an Oregon-born and bred woman with family in California. Not only did it ease the writing process by keeping some familiarity to my story, but it also accommodated much of the settings necessary for the book's plot.

Anna: Your story is very faithful to the original. Did you face any difficulty in adapting any of the storyline or characters to the modern day context?

Kaitlin: Thank you! Yes, I did face some complications when adapting Persuasion. For starters, Rick couldn't make a fortune through the Navy like in days past; Anne would have a career; and it would be gross if Mr. Elliot, Anne's first cousin, was still pursuing her in this present day world!

Anna: Jane Austen’s main character, Anne, is a reserved and sensible, yet sweet woman with strong moral feelings. How do you think the character of Anne relates to a modern reader?

Kaitlin: It was important to me that Anne remain Jane's Anne. Anne is that shy girl in the background whom when you get to know one-on-one might have a lot to say! She's loyal, sensible, will listen to you, and feels things very deeply. Anne is the type of friend we all want standing beside us through the ups and downs, and that's what I call an ideal lady.

Anna: I enjoyed your hilarious adaptation of the hypochondriac Mary Musgrove. Who is your favourite character in “A Modern Day Persuasion” and why?

Kaitlin: Mary is a handful, isn't she! You should have heard my mother reading Mary's dialogue when completing some editing for me—hilarious! Mary was definitely one of the funniest characters to write, but it is Anne whom I so admire. Her patience, strong character, sweetness and especially her caring attitude is an everyday inspiration and standard to aspire to.

Anna: Jane Austen wrote in a unique style of her own, and there have been many attempts to replicate it since her lifetime. How is your style of writing inspired by Jane Austen?

Kaitlin: I want my stories to be relatable and Jane, I believe, was the master at making a circumstance hit home. She wrote about what she knew and had learned from those around her. Jane was a very observant lady! She brought to life characters that ring true even in this day and age and it inspires to me to likewise capture some of the ironic things we all encounter everyday.

Anna: Who is your target audience with “A Modern Day Persuasion”? Do you think that your novel will inspire new readers to explore the classic?

Kaitlin: My target audience is anybody and everybody! And yes, I hope my novel will inspire new readers to explore Austen's work as well as other classics. Ideally, after completing my novel, readers will desire to read the original and see how it compares and differs from mine.

Anna: Last, but not least, I would be curious to know if you are planning to write any more adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels - or are you planning to venture to something completely different?

Kaitlin: That's a great question. I'm currently working on two more modern day adaptations while writing several new and completely different stories. I like to keep busy!

Anna: Thank you for the interview, Kaitlin – looking forward to seeing more of you!

You can read more about Kaitlin Saunders on her website at http://www.kaitlin-saunders.com/.

Snippets of Georgian Pop Music by Lady Georgianna

2011-07-31T22:36:00.001+05:30

Jane Austen is known to have played classical music on the pianoforte and attended classical concerts. However, there existed a more light-hearted, teasing, popular style of music in the Georgian times that you may not be aware of: the music of the pleasure gardens of London, which reminds one of various scenes in Fanny Burney’s Evelina with its rogues and harlots.

Image from http://www.lady-g.co.uk/.

The newest issue of Jane Austen’s Regency World (52) writes about an 18th-century girl band called Lady Georgianna (purposefully with two n’s to differentiate themselves from Lady Georgiana Cavendish, a famous 18th-century socialite). The band consists of three members who dress up in elaborate, 18th-century costumes to perform pop music of the Georgian times:

Allegra (Abigail Seabrook) – Mezzo Soprano
Isabella Wrighten (Hetti Price) – Cello
Signora Storace (Micaela Smitz) – Harpsichord

To get a feel of the humorous, light-hearted music performed by this fun-loving group of musicians, click http://www.lady-g.co.uk/media/audio. The group will be performing at the Jane Austen Festival in Bath this September, so some of you may get the opportunity to hear them live.

Jane Austen’s Colonial Connections

2011-07-24T20:32:00.001+05:30

Having lived in India and travelled widely across the country, it has been fascinating for me to explore the connections between Jane Austen and India’s colonial past. While Jane Austen herself never travelled beyond southern England, the affairs of her well-travelled aunt Philadelphia Hancock (née Austen) and captivating, beautiful cousin Eliza De Feuillide were widely discussed at the rectory. According to Jane’s nephew, William Austen-Leigh, these discussions must have generated an interest in Jane in the affairs of France and India.

Philadelphia Hancock. Image from: http://bit.ly/nVVc2W

Jane’s aunt, Phila, certainly lead an eventful life. A penniless orphan, she ventured to India at the age of 21 in search of a husband. At the time, men would travel to India to make a fortune in trade, while women would travel East in search of a profitable marriage.

Fort William, the centre of British power in Calcutta. Image from http://bit.ly/n3VODN

Six months later, Phila was married to Tysoe Hancock, a man 20 years older than herself, who was working as a surgeon for the East India Company. The marriage was unlikely to have been a happy one. Hancock was apparently a melancholy, sickly man who seemed older than his years. Jane wrote about her aunt as follows:

“She had been… unhappily married…united to a man of double her own age, whose disposition was not amiable, and whose manners were unpleasing, though his character was respectable.” (p. 27, Austen-Leigh)

In 1759, the Hancocks moved from Madras to Calcutta and formed a friendship with Warren Hastings, an administrator with the East India Company, who was later made the first Governor General of Bengal. Hastings was an influential administrator who laid the foundation for British power in India but had respect on the local ways of government or culture. In Calcutta, the Hancocks became close to Hastings and they set up various business ventures together.

Warren Hastings. Image from: http://bit.ly/nmdmRv

Warren Hastings had lost a daughter, and he soon became a widower as his wife, Mary, died at childbirth. At Phila’s recommendation, Hastings sent his son, George, to England to be under the care of Mr Austen who may have been acquainted with Hastings from his youth. Frail George, however, died of diphtheria at the age in of 6. Mrs Austen is said to have felt great grief at the demise of George and Hastings always remained grateful to the Austens for looking after him.

Warren Hastings’ house in Calcutta. Image from: http://bit.ly/qIf56J

In the meanwhile in India, Phila became pregnant and in 1761, a daughter was born: Elizabeth, to be known as Bessy and, later, Eliza. Hastings was made her godfather and she was probably named after Hastings’ stillborn daughter, Elizabeth.

The Hancocks’ marriage had been childless for 8 years and there is some speculation amongst biographers as to whether Bessy really was Hancock’s son. Unsurprisingly, malicious rumours began to spread about a possible affair between Phila and Hastings. Lord Clive, who was the Governor of India at the time, wrote to his wife, saying Mrs Hancock “abandoned herself to Mr Hastings”, urging his wife not to keep company to Philadelphia. We do not know whether these rumours reached Steventon, but perhaps the Austens had their own doubts about Bessy’s father.

Bessy Hancock/Eliza de Feuillide. Image from http://bit.ly/oadRhx.

The Hancocks later moved to England. While Warren Hastings never officially acknowledged paternity, he stayed closely in touch with the Hancocks , supervising Bessy’s education and providing for her upkeep. He set up a trust fund of £10,000 for Bessy, which would support her for years to come. When Eliza was 10 years old, her mother told her that her godfather had left her a fortune. Mr Hancock warned his wife not to talk to anyone about it.

“Let me caution you not to acquaint even the dearest friend you have with this circumstance. Tell Betsy only that her godfather has made her a great present, but not the particulars” (AP, p. 68) .

Perhaps Mr Hancock was insecure about his status as Bessy’s father?

After Mr Hancock died in 1774, Phila’s income reduced more than expected, and she decided to take Bessy to the Continent where the cost of living was lower than in England. They stayed in touch with Hastings, who was becoming more influential in India. In a letter, Hastings affectionately writes to Phila,

“My dear and ever-valued friend…Kiss my dear Bessy for me, and assure her of my tenderest affection. May the God of goodness bless you both!” (AP, p. 59-60).

Later in life, Bessy – then known as Eliza – married a French count, Comte De Feuillide, and had a son whom she called Hastings in honour of her loyal godfather. After the Comte was guillotined in the French Revolution, she went on to marry her cousin, Henry Austen (Jane’s brother), who also corresponded with Hastings.

The Austens had a lasting admiration for Warren Hastings. When Hastings was in England, the Austens probably met him. With a taste for classical learning as well as a great knowledge of the Indian culture, Hastings was an inspiration for the Austens. The scholarly Mr Austen was impressed by his knowledge and urged his sons to emulate his learnings. When Hastings stood trial for charges for corruption in London, the Austen family were ready to defend him. Mr Austen also approached Hastings for help with Jane’s brother, Frank’s naval career in the East Indies.

An older Warren Hastings. Image from http://bit.ly/nAAPFo.

During his reign in India, Hastings was a patron of the arts and literature, and it is no wonder that Jane Austen approved of him. When Pride and Prejudice was published, Hastings wrote about it admiringly. Jane was delighted and wrote to Cassandra,

“I long to have you hear Mr H.’s opinion of P. & P. His admiring my Elizabeth so much is particularly welcome to me.” (p. 197, Austen-Leigh)

This imposing structure is the Victoria Memorial in Calcutta, which I visited in 2006. It was built in 1921 in honour of Queen VIctoria and houses a statue of Warren Hastings, his ivory chair and pistols.

Hastings had a successful career and he died in India at the mature age of 86. While it is not known whether Hastings really was Eliza’s natural father, the evidence does seem to point towards his paternity. If you look at their portraits carefully, you can actually see a resemblance between godfather and goddaughter. But perhaps we will never know for sure…

References:

Austen-Leigh, R.A. (ed.) 1942. Austen Papers, 1704-1856. (cited in Tomalin, C. )

Austen-Leigh, W. /Austen-Leigh, R. (2009) Jane Austen, Her Life and Letters - A Family Record. Echo Library.

Le Faye, D. (2002) Jane Austen – The World of Her Novels. Frances Lincoln.

Tomalin, C. (1997) Jane Austen – A Life. Viking.

In Memoriam– Jane Austen 16.12.1775-18.7.1817

2011-07-18T22:27:00.001+05:30

Jane Austen lived her last days in Winchester, and she is buried in the north aisle of Winchester Cathedral. Here is a photo of Jane Austen’s gravestone, words of which have been written by Jane’s loving brother, Henry Austen.

In Memory of

JANE AUSTEN,

youngest daughter of the late

Revd GEORGE AUSTEN,

formerly Rector of Steventon in this County

She departed this Life on the 18th of July 1817,

aged 41, after a long illness supported with

the patience and hopes of a Christian.

The benevolence of her heart,

the sweetness of her temper, and

the extraordinary endowments of her mind

obtained the regard of all who knew her and

the warmest love of her intimate connections.

Their grief is in proportion to their affection

They know their loss is irreparable,

but in their deepest affliction they are consoled

by a firm but humble hope that her charity,

devotion, faith and purity, have rendered

her soul acceptable in the sight of her

REDEEMER.

Exploring the Domestic Lives of the Georgians

2011-07-13T17:16:00.001+05:30

I enjoyed watching the first part of the documentary series “At Home With the Georgians” by Amanda Vickery that explores the domestic lives of the Georgians. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get hold of the rest of the series as yet, but the other day my husband surprised me with a copy of Vickery’s book “Behind Closed Doors – At Home in Georgian England” that the documentary is based on. I was keen to read this, as I felt that I could learn a lot from reading about the topic in more detail.

In her study, Vickery delves into historical archives, records and letters to bring out the histories of individuals who lived in that era and discusses their ideas and feelings about the home. She examines everyday household objects to get an idea of the lifestyles and of the aesthetic and practical values of people who lived in the 18th Century.

With her work, Vickery highlights the vital significance of the home for the Georgians. Marriage signified an important transition from being single to becoming a housekeeper – economical, practical and wise. The ideal Georgian home was one that was economically managed, comfortable, yet aesthetic. As one married and became a housekeeper, one’s status would rise immeasurably; it was infinitely better to be married or a widower with a home of one’s own, than to be a spinster dependent on others for support – just as our favourite spinster, Jane Austen, brings out in her novels. Just think of poor Miss Bates…

Amanda Vickery obviously considers Jane Austen’s literature as a valuable source of information for her study, as she frequently cites her characters when exploring the value systems of the Georgian era. Chapter 3, in particular, would interest any reader of Jane Austen, as the chapter is largely dedicated to the voices of Jane Austen’s characters. Here is a summary of some of the interesting themes that Vickery discusses in Chapter 3:

Catherine Morland is shown around Northanger Abbey to tempt her with the beauty of the building and its potential to a future householder. Viewing the house in such a way would imply an imminent offer of marriage.
Willoughby’s taking Marianne to view his house, Allenham, in Sense and Sensibility, leads others to assume that the couple are engaged. Only a betrothed couple would discuss the details of a future home in such an intimate manner as they do in the novel.
Its is Elizabeth’s visit to Mr Darcy’s estate in Pride and Prejudice that begins to change her feelings towards him. Although she jokes that she began to love Mr Darcy from her “first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley”, there is a hint of truth in that; the visit would show her the true taste an elegance of the proprietor of the estate and shed light to his domestic happiness. His providing a feminine sitting room for his sister would demonstrate his kindness as a person and a readiness to take care of the women around him.
In Persuasion, as Mary, the youngest daughter of the baronet, Sir Walter, marries the young squire Charles Musgrove, his house is elevated with pretty features. On the entrance of a young wife, femininity would bring about changes in the architectural features of a home.
In Sense and Sensibility, Mrs Dashwood fails to appreciate the comforts of a cottage, as she is disinherited and her status is lowered to a cottage-dweller. The fact that she has unrealistic dreams for improvements to Barton Cottage reveals that she is unable to accept that she is no longer a lady of the manor.
Mansfield Park’s stylish Mary Crawford refuses to marry a clergyman, as the idea of Edmund Bertram’s mere parsonage would counterfeit her dream of a “respectable, elegant, modernised and occasional residence of a man of independent fortune”. As a result of his heartbreak, Edmund Bertram delays the renovations to his parsonage, telling Fanny that improvements will only be made for the benefit of the mistress of the home.
In Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Lucas is prepared to put up with the folly of her husband, Mr Collins, in return for a comfortable home and an elevated status. In her new home of Hunsford Parsonage, Charlotte displays her clever organising skills and resourcefulness as a mistress.

According to Vickery, “Austen relied on the social, economic and emotional importance her readers would attach to the drama of setting up a home” (p.87). Vickery is right to recognise that homes have a huge significance in each of Austen’s novels, and an understanding of Georgian home life would certainly help any of Jane’s readers in following her novels.

It has to be noted, however, that despite the name “At Home in Georgian England”, Vickery’s work concentrates on the entire 18th Century and not only on the times of Jane Austen. While her book is a useful read, I enjoyed watching the TV series more, with its fascinating visual input and frequent dramatisations.

Bleeding Hearts and Other Parts

2011-06-21T23:19:00.001+05:30

** Disturbing post alert! Not for the faint-hearted! **

As I was watching Sense and Sensibility 1995, I noticed something peculiar about the scene where the ailing Marianne is on her sickbed and gets treated by a physician. In fact, I never noticed this detail before until my husband pointed it out to me.

As part of Marianne’s treatment, the doctor uses bleeding (or blood-letting) to release blood from her body. While bleeding is not mentioned in the novel, this detail from the film prompted me to look into the history of this peculiar treatment to find out if it could indeed have formed part of Marianne’s treatment in the novel.

I found out that, a common remedy for any illness at Jane Austen’s time, bleeding could have happened in real life. Many doctors and laypeople alike in the Georgian and Regency eras, well into the Victorian times, believed that blood-letting would release the ‘bad blood’ from the system and remove the cause of the illness – whatever the illness may have been.

Image from http://to.pbs.org/jGHjNM.

Bleeding was done by opening a vein with a small knife and letting the blood run until the doctor thought that enough blood had been released. The method was highly unscientific, as there was no standard amount for the blood to be let, depending on the whim of the surgeon, barber or layperson handling the patient.

Thumb Lancet Used for Bloodletting. Image from Wikispaces.

It was also common to use leeches and the cupping method to release blood from the body. Interestingly, as Linda Robinson-Walker mentions in her article, blood-letting was used among Jane Austen’s family, too, to heal various illnesses and ailments. Jane’s father, Rev. George Austen, was cupped during his last illness in 1805. Her mother, on the other hand, had her blood drawn by leeches in 1813. Jane’s brother, Henry Austen, also had forty ounces of blood taken over two days in 1815.

Image from http://bit.ly/kMP70L.

In her letters, Jane Austen mentions various remedies and, for example, tells Cassandra on 23 June 1814 that “we [at Chawton] had handsome presents from the Gt. House yesterday – a ham and the four leeches”. Now what a delightful gift those must have made!

While blood-letting did occasionally relieve pain, it could not be considered a valid method of medical treatment by modern standards, as the risks involved would be much higher than the possible advantages. At the time when medical knowledge and expertise was limited and much in the hands of superstition, blood-letting must have functioned as a sort of a placebo medicine, occasionally resulting in disastrous results, with patients dying from the loss of blood.

To all of us Austenites, here’s another reason to delight in the joys of modern medicine. If you ever wish that you’d lived during Jane Austen’s lifetime, think again – you wouldn’t want to get ill!

References and further reading:

R.W. Chapman, ed. (1932) Jane Austen’s Letters to her Sister Cassandra and Others. Oxford University Press.

Kloester, J. (2008) Georgette Heyer’s Regency World. Arrow Books.

On illness in the Austen family:

Kaplan, L. & R. “What is Wrong with Marianne? Medicine and Disease in Jane Austen’s England.” Persuasions, Vol 12: JASNA.

Robinson-Walker, L. “Jane Austen’s Death: The Long Reach of Typhus?” Persuasions, Vol 31: JASNA.

On the history of blood-letting: http://www.cardiologytoday.com

Interviewed!

2011-06-08T19:54:00.001+05:30

Aurora from The Secret Dreamworld of a Jane Austen Fan interviewed me for her lovely blog. You can access the interview through this link.

Jane Austen Regency Week

2011-06-05T19:09:00.001+05:30

Jane Austen Regency Week is a week of events taking place in Alton and Chawton, Hampshire, where Jane Austen happily spent the last years of her life. The event takes place from 18th to 26th June, 2011.

Jane Austen Regency Week is an event run by a group of local volunteers and features events varying from talks and tours of Alton and Chawton, music evenings and drama, films and a fun-sounding Alton Regency Day fair.

Chawton village

Chawton Cottage (Jane Austen’s House)

St Nicholas Church, Chawton

Chawton House

Alton High Street

To get a feel of these places, you can see my tour of Alton and Chawton from last summer.

What I would give to participate in these events! But we are expecting a baby and I will not be able to travel in the last trimester. Looking forward to seeing the reports from participants!

From Prada to Nada (or From Riches to Rags)

2011-05-30T23:35:00.001+05:30

Just as I was writing about how I imagined a modern Elinor and Marianne to be, I had the chance to see a modern adaptation of Sense and Sensibility – From Prada to Nada. As opposed to rural Devon, this light comedy, directed by Angel Gracia, is set amongst the palm trees of modern L.A.

The opening scene shows two Mexican-American sisters, Nora (Camilla Belle) and Mary (Alexa Vega), out shopping designer-style. They drive into their Beverly Hills mansion, where their father is celebrating his birthday. But – as we already know – he is soon to die and the two sisters are ousted from their home, following the arrival of their (illegitimate) brother, Gabe (Pablo Cruz).

Shopaholic Mary (Marianne)

Studious Nora (Elinor)

The girls find a new place to live with their aunt and other relatives, on the other side of town. You get to see a totally different side of L.A. to what we are used to seeing in films and on TV. The Mexican East L.A. is an L.A. of immigrants and the proletariat, shabby and run-down - but also vibrant, colourful, noisy and full of life.

From this setting…

…to this ‘hood.

Enter Edward Ferris (Nicholas D’Agosto), brother of her sister-in-law and a well-to-do lawyer - a less awkward version of Edward Ferrars without the imposing family connections. He soon becomes interested in law student Nora who, however, has a “10-year plan” for life and is not interested in a relationship – or so she thinks.

Nora and Edward

The younger sister, Mary, is soon swept off her feet by Rodrigo (Kuno Becker), her charming teacher of literature – love over literature, as with Marianne and Willoughby – who of course turns out to be the villain of the story.

Mary with Rodrigo

What makes this storyline less convincing is the fact that this version of Colonel Brandon, helpful neighbour Bruno (Wilder Walderrama), is actually far more charming and attractive than Rodrigo. (You might remember Walderrama from his silly role as Fez in the 70’s Show – in From Prada To Nada, however, he acts well and has plenty of charm.)

Nora with Bruno

As one might expect from a modern adaptation, the roles of the two sisters differ somewhat from the novel. While Mary (Marianne) is portrayed as snobbish and super-confident, Nora (Elinor) is the opposite - down-to-earth and hesitant. You would not describe them as ‘emotional’ vs. ‘reserved’ as you might characterise the polarities of the characters in the novel.

From Prada to Nada is a light take on Sense and Sensibility, which certainly doesn’t match up to the wit of Jane Austen. A harmless chick flick, it is a pleasant enough watch, as long as you don’t expect a mind-blowing artistic experience. After a bimbo beginning, the film does get more enjoyable towards the end, thanks to the colourful Mexican flavour – though I would have preferred having “less cheese on my nachos”!

Looking forward to seeing Scents and Sensibility next…

The King’s and Queen’s Baths

2011-05-16T17:19:00.001+05:30

During the Georgian and Regency times, people believed in the curative effect of hot springs. In Bath, water had been pumped from the city’s hot springs since the Roman times, and visiting Bath became especially popular during the Georgian era.

In addition to drinking the healing Bath water at the Pump Room, many people liked to bathe in the hot springs. Around the corner from the Pump Room, as part of the same building, stand the King’s and Queen’s Baths, which were amongst the most popular bathing places in Bath. The Austen family were known to frequent these Baths during their stay in Bath.

The King’s Baths were built on the foundations of the Roman Baths as early as in the 12th Century. In the 16th Century, the Queen’s Baths were built on the south side of the building. The Baths were mixed with the exception of the Queen’s Baths, which admitted women only.

The interiors of the King’s and Queen’s Baths resemble the baths at the Roman Baths Museum (as below).

The style of bathing has changed somewhat throughout the centuries… during the Georgian times, men were dressed in shirts and drawers while the ladies were clad in a linen shift. The ladies and gentlemen, with water up to their necks, would wade through the warm water and mingle.

You might remember the haunting scene from (the equally haunting film) Northanger Abbey (1986) where Catherine visits the Baths and meets Ms Tilney for the first time.

Catherine meets Ms Tilney while bathing.

The King’s and Queen’s Baths were used for bathing until 1939, after which the Baths have been closed, as it is now considered unhealthy to bathe in the waters, for fear of infection.

You can read more about the history of the King’s and Queen’s Baths at the following sites:

King’s Baths

City of Bath

What Made Willoughby a Scoundrel?

2011-05-11T16:49:00.001+05:30

Austen’s villains, such as Willoughby, could be considered villains even by our modern-day standards. Willoughby was a man who abandoned girl after girl for want of a richer bride. But what was it that made Willoughby a scoundrel by the standards of Regency society, and resulted in a scandal?

Images from: imdb.com.

In Georgette Heyer’s Regency World, Jennifer Kloester writes that it was acceptable for a Regency gentleman to have several affairs before and after marriage, as long as he played the part of a responsible husband and father. “Only a scoundrel…would stoop to seducing a respectable girl of good family and subsequently deserting her and their bastard child. …society perceived his sin not in having fathered an illegitimate infant or having multiple affairs but in his not providing for the child.” (p.48)

So, according to the rules of Regency society, it was just about acceptable for a man to be a libertine, but not to ignore his moral duty, which is what ultimately labelled Willoughby as a scoundrel.

Rules and Etiquette of Regency Society

2011-05-07T18:48:00.001+05:30

It is sometimes perplexing to read a Jane Austen novel as we do not always relate to the rules and customs of the period. Understanding what did and what did not constitute acceptable behaviour at the time, we can follow the plot and the character references better.

One book to shed light on the social etiquette of the time is Georgette Heyer’s Regency World, written by Jennifer Kloester. Although she writes with specific reference to Georgette Heyer’s novels, we can equally well use this book as a guide to the world of Jane Austen.

Here is an interesting and helpful list of rules and etiquette in Regency Society, from Chapter 8.

Social connections were usually formed through a series of meetings, usually beginning with morning calls to the homes of those in fashionable society.
Morning calls were generally undertaken in the afternoon.
A morning call did not usually exceed half an hour.
In London, a woman paid morning calls to her social equals or inferiors but not to her social superiors until they had called on her or left a card.
A person new to the city or country area waited for calls of ceremony to be made to them by those already established before they made a call of their own.
In the country it was acceptable for a man to make a call or leave a card with someone of higher social standing if they were new to the neighbourhood.
A gentleman calling on a family asked for the mistress of the house if the visit was a social one, and the master if it was a business call.
A card was left if the lady of the house was indisposed or not at home. It was acceptable for a gentleman to call on a daughter of the house if she were well above marriageable age or a long-standing friend.
Callers were received by men in their business room or library, by women in the morning room or in their drawing-room.
A lady, either married or single, did not call at a man's lodging.
A lady was permitted to drive her own carriage, but only about the town attended by a groom, or by herself on the family estate.
A lady never drove on he open road or engaged in any kind of public contest or race.
It was acceptable to go out riding or driving with a man as long as a groom or other chaperone was in attendance.
It was acceptable to go out driving or riding with a man without a chaperone if he was a relative of close family friend.
Galloping in Hyde Park was prohibited.
During the season it was essential to be seen in Hyde Park during the promenade hour of 5.00 to 6.00 pm.
Servants and social inferiors were always kept at a proper distance but without arrogance, pride or aloofness.
Servants were spoken to with exactly the right degree of civility and never with the casual informality with which a person would speak to an equal.
Neither a lady nor a gentleman discussed private business in the presence of servants.
Servants were generally ignored at mealtimes.
It was essential to dress for dinner.
When going in to dinner, the man of the house always escorted the highest-ranking lady present. The remaining dinner guests also paired up and entered the dining room in order of rank.
Dinner guests were seated according to rank, with the highest-ranking lady sitting on the right-hand side of the host, who always sat at the head of the table.
When dining informally it was acceptable to talk across or round the table.
At a formal dinner one did not talk across the dinner table but confined conversation to those on one's left and right.
Ladies were expected to retire to the withdrawing room after dinner, leaving the men to their port and their 'male' talk.
A hostess should never give the signal to rise from the table until everyone at the table had finished.
It was acceptable to offer one's snuff-box to the company but not to ask for a pinch of snuff from anyone else.
Overt displays of emotion were generally considered ill-bred.
Laughter was usually moderated in polite company, particularly among women.
Men could give themselves up to unrestrained mirth, provided they were in the company of other men or among women of low repute.
Well-bred persons controlled their features, their physical bodies and their speech when in company.
A lady always spoke, sat and moved with elegance and propriety.
A bow or curtsy was always made when meeting or speaking to royalty.
Children always bowed or curtsied on meeting their parents for the first time each day.
A bow or curtsy was executed according to the status and relationship of the person encountered and with regard to the particular circumstance.
A bow was made on entering or leaving a room, at the beginning and end of a dance, and on encountering any person one wished to acknowledge.
Debutantes did not stand up for more than two consecutive dances with the same partner.
Only those young ladies who were 'out' danced the waltz and then only with an acceptable partner, usually someone she already knew, or to whom she had been formally introduced.
Full mourning dress was worn for an appropriate period, which varied depending on the mourner's relationship to the deceased. A person did not go into society while in full mourning. Half mourning (usually grey or lilac) could be worn after an acceptable period of mourning had been observed and the mourner could choose to attend social functions but not fully particpate in them.
To be thought 'fast' or to show a want of conduct was the worst possible social stigma.
A lady never forced herself upon a man's notice.
No lady was to be seen driving or walking down St James's Street where several of the gentlemen's clubs were located.
No lady was to walk or drive unattended down Piccadilly.
No female was to refer to any of those male activities about which a lady should feign ignorance.
A husband was expected to keep his indecorous activities and less cultured friends separate from his marriage.
A wife was expected to be blind to her husband's affairs.
A married woman could take a lover once she had presented her husband with an heir and so long as she was discreet about her extramarital relationships.
Women were expected to be ignorant of any proposed duel.
A lady did not engage in any activity that might give rise to gossip.
Subjects of an intimate nature such as childbirth were never discussed publicly.
When out socially a lady did not wear a shawl for warmth no matter how cold the weather.
A gentleman was expected to immediately pay his gambling debts, or any debt of honour.
It was unacceptable to owe money to a stranger.
It was acceptable to owe money to a tradesperson.
It was considered bad form to borrow money from a woman.
A female did not engage in finance or commerce if she had a man, such as a husband, father or brother, to do it for her.
A lady did not visit a moneylender or a pawnbroker.
Extremes of emotion and public outbursts were unacceptable, although it could be acceptable for a woman to have the vapours, faint, or suffer from hysteria if confronted by vulgarity or an unpleasant scene.
A well-bred person behaved with courteous dignity to acquaintance and stranger alike, but kept at arm's length any who presumed too great a familiarity. Icy politeness was a well-bred man's or woman's best weapon in putting 'vulgar mushrooms' in their place.
A well-bred person maintained an elegance of manners and deportment.
A well-bred person walked upright, stood and moved with grace and ease.
A well-bred person was never awkward in either manner or behaviour and could respond to any social situation with calm assurance.
A well-bred person was never pretentious or ostentatious.
Vulgarity was unacceptable in any form and was to be continually guarded against.
Indiscretions, liaisons and outrageous behaviour were forgivable but vulgarity never was.

Elinor and Marianne in the 21st Century

2011-04-30T18:22:00.001+05:30

I’ve never been a fan of reading sequels to Jane Austen’s novels, as I feel that they simply don’t do justice to her writing. However, as I was reading Sense and Sensibility the other day, I couldn’t help but visualise what Elinor and Marianne would be like, had Jane Austen set the novel in the 21st Century. I will now share some of the ideas that came to me.

First of all, the modern-day Elinor and Marianne would certainly have pursued careers. Perhaps their characters would have been older, too, as marriages nowadays rarely take place during the late teens as they do in the novel.

Image from: http://imdb.to/iQOGyG

Houses and homes are an important theme throughout Sense and Sensibility. Elinor, who has plenty of common sense and is the first to take an initiative to find a suitable family home for the Dashwoods, might have made a good estate agent. She would have good business acumen and, although she might not make much money as an estate agent, she would be able to live comfortably within her means, being so economical and wise. On the other hand, she might make a good architect, too, what with her excellent skills at sketching.

Marianne, on the other hand, being a dreamer and an artistic soul, might be less practical about her career choices. Perhaps the modern-day Marianne would dream of the career of a singer/songwriter, living on very little but loving her freedom. I visualise her living in a small but quaint flat in a romantic, leafy area, where she would spend her evenings playing her guitar and singing melancholy love songs.

Image from: http://bit.ly/jymQJA

John Willoughby would probably have a penchant for fast motorbikes with which he would impress the modern-day girls, taking them on wild rides around the countryside. This modern scoundrel who would drift from one girl to another, would not be a hard-worker in the traditional sense and would probably earn his money by making risky investments in the stock market.

Image from: http://imdb.to/iU4YhB

The more laid-back Edward Ferrars, on the other hand, would be unlikely to have a well-payed, fashionable job and would live in a less fancy area. He might be a struggling academic living within modest means on a university campus and drive an old Fiat.

Image from: http://imdb.to/aEVyKw

The middle-aged Colonel Brandon – or simply known as Brandon – would be well-to-do and in an established position, perhaps a business man with plenty of work experience behind him. He would have worked abroad and seen much of the world, and live in a comfortable house of his own…

…I could go on!

Have you ever tried imagining any of Jane Austen’s heroes living in the modern day and age and if so, what did you visualise them to be like?

Metropolitan Youth Under the Guidance of Jane Austen

2011-04-25T10:05:00.001+05:30

Metropolitan, a film directed by Whit Stillman in 1990, is said to be loosely based on Mansfield Park. Therefore it may come as no surprise that I was keen to see how one of my favourite novels has inspired a modern film-maker.

Like Mansfield Park, Metropolitan is a comedy of manners, but it is a modern take, set amongst a group of upper-class urban youth in Manhattan. A group of young girls and men are on holiday from college and get together for the debutante season. Dressed in smocks and white ruffles, they attend formal ball room parties and after parties at each others’ houses and get into intense discussions on social status and mobility.

Nick Smith, a Harvard student, introduces Tom Townsend, a less well-off Princeton student, to the group as an escort for the girls. One of the girls, Audrey Rouget, is soon charmed by his nonconformist views and strong principles. However, like Mansfield park, Metropolitan is largely a story of unrequited love. While Audrey – our modern day Fanny – likes Tom, Tom - as our Edmund - is obsessed with his not-so-faithful ex-girlfriend, Serena Slocum. It takes a few twists and turns before Tom realises that Audrey is what Serena will never be – a good person with strong morals who truly cares about him.

Interestingly, Audrey is a great fan of Jane Austen. She tells Tom that her two favourite books are Mansfield Park and Persuasion. To her dismay, Tom – without ever having read the book – disagrees with her.

“Mansfield Park…is a notoriously bad book”. “The whole story revolves around the immorality of a group of youngsters putting on a play.” “The context of the novel, and nearly everything that Jane Austen wrote looks ridiculous from today’s perspective.”

To this, Audrey argues back,

“Has it ever occurred to you that today, from Jane Austen’s perspective, would look even worse?”

Tom continues to say what the literary critic, Lionel Trilling, says about Austen:

“No one would like the heroine of Mansfield Park.”

Audrey aptly argues,

“Do modern people resent Mansfield Park because its heroine is virtuous?”

To Audrey’s relief, Tom later gets round to reading some Jane Austen and tells her that he “liked” Persuasion and was “surprised” at it being so good!

While the story is only very loosely based on Mansfield Park, Jane Austen is always there in the background as a strong moral backbone for the youngsters. Amongst the girls and young men, there is a conflict between what constitutes right and wrong behaviour, and who is a good person and who is not. The film has its Austenesque romantic seducer-villain, Rick Von Sloneker, who stands as a rival to the men. The men are convinced that he is not a good person and are desperate to show this the girls, rushing off to rescue them from his charms. Mansfield Park is the most moralistic of all of Jane Austen’s novels, and this moral tone carries on to Metropolitan as well.

What Audrey sees at a shop window…

In the novel, Fanny is against setting up a play, “Lover’s Vows”, as she feels that it may not be a good influence during Sir Thomas’s absence. In the film, the others suggest playing a game of “Truth”, while Audrey is strongly against playing it. Like Fanny, she morally argues against it:

“There are good reasons why people don’t go around telling people their most intimate thoughts… I just know that games like this can be really dangerous”.

Incidentally, it is Audrey who has to give in and who, in the end, suffers from the consequences of “Truth”.

The screenplay is an excellent take on Austenesque dry wit and clever dialogue, and Nick Smith’s sarcastic remarks - in a style not unlike Woody Allen’s - are particularly enjoyable. While I wouldn’t go as far as to call Metropolitan an adaptation of Jane Austen, I would say that it is a comedy of manners and morals in the style of Jane Austen with plenty of references to her work.

Have you seen Metropolitan, and if yes, and what was your impression?

The Fashion Revolution of 1795

2011-04-17T14:25:00.001+05:30

In her blog Austen Only, Julie Wakefield recently wrote an intriguing article, analysing whether Thomson’s illustrations for Sense and Sensibility from 1896 were accurate, as they portray Jane Austen’s characters dressed in the old, pre-revolution fashions. Fascinated by the fashion of Jane Austen’s time, the article inspired me to look into of the changing fashions of the time.

At around the time when Jane Austen was 20 years old and writing her first great novels, social change brought about a great change in fashion, too. 1794-1795 was a turbulent time in Europe, with the French revolution shaking the foundations of feudal society and with it, the upper classes. Marie Antoinette preferred the simpler ‘English’ styles to the prevailing fashion of ornate gowns and hoops, which she hated wearing. Rousseau agreed with the more casual styles, as these were viewed to be more ‘democratic’, and this also encouraged the shift in style.

Napoleon’s wife Josephine in an empire dress. Image from Wikipedia.

With France at the forefront of European fashion, the social change in France had a marked influence on fashion all across Europe. During these years, fashions shifted from the large, hooped, frilly styles to easy flowing, thin silhouettes. Fashion reverted back to the classical, neo-Grecian style, emulating the democratic republics of the ancient world. Marie Antoinette was the first person to embrace the so-called ‘empire style’ in dress, which was soon adopted by gentry and nobility all over.

The 20-year-old Jane – and her characters – probably underwent these changes, although we fail to see this in the more recent film adaptations of her novels, which tend to display only the newer Regency fashions.

This engraving by Chataignier from 1797 shows the contrast between old and new fashions, the followers of new fashion mocking the old “Oh! What relics!” and the more conservative dressers disapproving of the new “Oh! What a foolish new fashion!”

Image from the British Museum.

The new styles brought great relief to ladies, as the tightly-laced corsets and hoops were abandoned and the dresses had a more comfortable, natural flow to them. The gowns were short-sleeved, made of soft, thin muslins, which were tied with a ribbon right below the bosom. Underwear consisted of simple petticoats and cotton bodices. Men ridiculed the fashions, as the natural waistline had disappeared and the shape of the body was largely hidden below the chest; however, the new fashion was welcome to women, as it was less restricting and easy flowing, the footwear was more comfortable and the hairstyles were easier to manage.

While the old fashion had men and women wearing buckled, heeled shoes, the new fashion introduced flat shoes for ladies, which resemble the modern ballerina slipper. For men, boots were in fashion. This caricature contrasts the hoop-skirts and high-heeled shoes of 1742 with the high-waisted narrow skirts and flat shoes of 1794.

Image from Wikipedia.

The gowns before the Revolution were heavily ornamented, with plenty of ruffles and bows adorning the dress. The ornamentation changed into simple designs, and the empire dress would nearly always be white and often transparent, at the most embroidered with intricate patterns.

The changing silhouette:

A hooped ornamented dress.

Delicate muslin gowns.

(Images taken at the Fashion Museum in Bath).

As the earlier fashion was characterised by large silhouettes, the hairstyles were large as well. Hair was gathered in a huge pyramid, backcombed, powdered and decorated with ornaments. On top of the pyramid, there might be a tall hat as well. The men, on the other hand, would either wear a wig, or wear their powdered hair long, clubbed with a black ribbon to hold the pigtail. All this changed when a tax on hair-powder was introduced in 1795, and men would gradually move towards cropped hairstyles. Women, on the other hand, now preferred shorter hair with loose curls around the face. Instead of large hats, long ostrich feathers were worn to display high status for evening gatherings.

For men, it was a time of more masculinity in style. It was goodbye to white stockings and buckled shoes, and hello to a more outdoors, sporty style suited to an active life in the countryside. While the earlier fashion placed a great deal of importance to shirts, with lace ruffles on the front and in the cuffs, shirts were now less important and neck-cloths were more prominent. Men would wear long riding coats with long tails, and breeches lengthened into skin-tight pantaloons tucked into boots. Later on, the fashion guru of the time, Beau Brummell, introduced trousers, and there was no going back. The new style was complete with stylish top hats, which emerged later in the period.

Towards a more natural style:

A man’s outfit from 1790. Image from V&A.

A model of a Regency outfit.

Image taken at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath.

Predictably, there was a generation gap between those who sported the new styles with enthusiasm and those who disapproved of the new fashions, preferring to cling to the fashions of their youth. While we may assume that the characters from Jane Austen’s later novels - Emma, Mansfield Park and Persuasion – certainly followed the new style, the characters from the earlier novels – Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey – written in 1795-6, 1796-7 and 1798 respectively – will almost certainly have portrayed a mixture of old and new fashion. The older, more conservative and rustic characters would have stuck to the old fashions, while the younger, more fashionable characters would have proudly embraced the new styles.

References and further reading:

Downing, S.J. (2010) Fashion In the Time of Jane Austen. Shire Library.

This book gives a very interesting and useful introduction, with a clear outline of the fashion in the time of Jane Austen and excellent images.

Le Faye, D. (2002) Jane Austen – The World of Her Novels. Frances Lincoln.
Articles on Regency fashion: Jane Austen Centre online magazine
A comprehensive list of links on fashion history: La Mode Historique
Several well-researched articles on fashion: Jane Austen’s World
Information on 18th century fashion: La Couturiere: 18th Century
Costume history from the late 18th century to 1820: Fashion Era

Notebook Win!

2011-04-14T12:32:00.001+05:30

I was the lucky one to win this beautiful notebook from Raquel Sallaberry’s one-year anniversary Giveaway Contest on Jane Austen Today. The notebook has been handmade by Raquel Sallaberry to celebrate the bicentenary of the publication of Sense and Sensibility.

The cover beautifully captures the famous scene from Sense and Sensibility where Willoughby rescues Marianne after she falls in the rain and hurts her foot.

“A gentleman carrying a gun, with two pointers playing round him, was passing up the hill and within a few yards of Marianne, when her accident happened. He put down his gun and ran to her assistance. She had raised herself from the ground, but her foot had been twisted in the fall, and she was scarcely able to stand. The gentleman offered his services, and perceiving that her modesty declined what her situation rendered necessary, took her up in his arms without farther delay, and carried her down the hill.”

Sense and Sensibility p. 31

There was also a ribbon bookmark that came with the notebook.

Thank you, Raquel and Vic!

“Weep You No More Sad Fountains…”

2011-04-08T18:10:00.001+05:30

I loved the soundtrack of Sense and Sensibility 1995, and when I came across the CD at a jumble sale, I just had to buy it.

Now I don’t usually listen to instrumental music, but this score really touched me. Having listened to it, I understood why Ang Lee’s adaptation stands out from the rest – good music really does arouse various strong feelings in you while you are watching a film.

Patrick Doyle’s orchestrated version perfectly follows the moods of the characters throughout the film, reminding me of the various scenes, whether happy or sad…

You can get a taster of all the tracks here.

They lived happily ever after… and then?

2011-04-02T19:36:00.001+05:30

As we all know, Jane Austen’s heroes and heroines all had their share of happy endings (and the villains perhaps less happy ones, deservedly). Although Jane Austen never wrote sequels to her novels and gave little indication of what would happen to her characters after the wedding, she is known to have shared these little secrets with her close friends and family, such as her nephews and nieces.

Let’s have a look at these intriguing nibbles of information!

Sense and Sensibility

Ann Steele, Lucy Steele’s older sister, who can’t stop talking about the eligible Dr Davies, never managed to catch him in the end.

Pride and Prejudice

One of the foolish younger Bennet sisters, Kitty, ended up marrying a clergyman near Pemberley, being close to Elizabeth and enjoying a wider, classier social circle.

The plain younger sister, Mary, married one of Uncle Phillips’ clerks and was content with the small social circle of Meryton.

Emma

Mr Woodhouse continued to live for 2 years after Emma’s marriage, keeping Emma and Mr Knightley from settling down at Donwell Abbey until then.

While playing the alphabet game that irritated many of those present, Frank Churchill placed some letters in front of Jane Fairfax, which she brushed aside in anguish, without reading them. These letters contained the word ‘pardon’.

The weak, poorly Jane Fairfax only lived for another 9-10 years after her wedding, succumbing to tuberculosis.

Mansfield Park

The ‘considerable amount’ of money given by the insufferable Mrs Norris to Fanny’s brother, William, was one pound.

Jane Austen had a high regard for her heroes and felt that they were of higher calibre than the real men of her acquaintance. Edmund Bertram was along with Emma’s Mr Knightley, one of her two favourite characters. “They are very far from being what I know English gentlemen often are”, she described (A Memoir, p. 118).

* * *

Unfortunately, Jane Austen never got to share her secrets of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, as these novels were published after her death and those close to her never had the chance to give their views to the author.

If you had had the chance to meet Jane Austen, what would you have asked her about her characters?

References:

Austen-Leigh, J-E. (2002). A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections. Oxford World Classics.

Le Faye, D. (2002) Jane Austen – The World of Her Novels. Frances Lincoln.

Images from: http://sharetv.org

Jane Austen’s Regency World

2011-03-13T17:33:00.001+05:30

I’ve done it - I’ve become a proud subscriber of Regency World – a magazine produced by the Jane Austen Centre in Bath. I’ve been wanting to read this magazine for a long time now, and I’ve finally managed to get my act together and make an annual subscription. Now I can stay up-to-date with happenings in the world of Jane Austen.

Can’t wait to get my hands on my first issue!

Do any of you read the magazine and if so, would you recommend it?

Left Speechless by the King’s Speech

2011-03-07T16:23:00.001+05:30

At the weekend, I finally had the chance to see the long-awaited King’s Speech. Many blogs have been paying tribute to Colin Firth’s performance as King George VIth and, needless to say, having seen the film, I too feel that the Golden Globes and the Oscars were well deserved.

For a man who will always be remembered as Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice (1995) – and who will probably always remain my favourite version of Mr Darcy – Colin Firth fails to disappoint in each role that he undertakes, and this is one of his most powerful performances to date.

Seeing the film triggered off some intense discussions on monarchy between us. Although I am hardly what you would call a monarchist, what I did like about The King’s Speech was that it shows the human side of a a monarch and the heavy burden of responsibility inflicted on you as a member of the royal family, despite your will and your level of competence to do the job.

It’s great to see Colin Firth go from strength to strength and still now, 16 years after his most memorable performance as Mr Darcy, surprise us with his amazing talent and ability to assume a role so unlike his own in real life.

You can also spot two other actors from the 1995 Pride and Prejudice in this film: Jennifer Ehle (Elizabeth) as the King’s speech therapist, Lionel Logue’s wife, and David Bamber (Mr Collins) as a theatre director. A wonderful cast make a wonderful film!

Jane Austen and the Evangelicals

2011-03-01T23:24:00.001+05:30

As I visited the Paragon in Bath, where Jane Austen spent a few weeks in 1799 with her Uncle and Aunt Leigh-Perrot, I came across this quaint little chapel across the road from the Leigh-Perrots’ lodgings.

On the gate, it read “The Countess of Huntingdon’s Chapel”.

I became intrigued and was left wondering if this Countess of Huntingdon lived at the time when Jane Austen stayed in Bath, and whether Jane had anything to do with this undoubtedly formidable lady. I decided to find out what the story was behind the church.

Countess of Huntingdon. Image from Wikipedia at http://bit.ly/heuxFG.

I discovered that the chapel was an evangelical connection set up by Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, in the 18th Century. The Countess was born in 1707, became a born-again Christian at the age of 32 and, after she became a widow at the age of 39, she started to devote her time to religion. The Countess opened several private chapels like this for the public preaching of the gospel. After her death in 1891, there were local trusts running the chapels, and this small congregation is still active in Bath.

In Jane Austen’s times there was an evangelical revival, which would later have a great effect on the pious Victorians. The principle of the evangelicals was to express faith and to share the gospel actively and publicly. They were known for showing plenty of emotion in their worship and for singing hymns with fervour.

Is this why Jane Austen wrote in a letter to her sister Cassandra, on January 24, 1809 [66], "I do not like the Evangelicals", refusing to read a piece of religious fiction written by Hannah More, an evangelical reformer? Perhaps she first came across evangelicals during her first visit to Bath and, staying so close to the chapel, found them to be noisy and even vulgar?

Cover page for Hannah More’s “Calebs”, which Jane did not wish to read. Image from the Open Library: http://bit.ly/fkIy2b.

For Jane Austen, religion was a more private affair. Being brought up as a moderate 18th Century Anglican clergyman’s daughter, religion was a part of her daily life, but it was demonstrated in a discreet manner. While Jane was well versed in her scriptures and attended morning prayer without fail, in her public writing she preferred to steer away from these topics, perhaps feeling that it wasn’t her place to preach. She did compose several sermons and prayers, but was otherwise undemonstrative in her approach to religion. In the Austen family, religion was demonstrated through action rather than feeling – through acts of charity and through their responsibility to the parish. The public preaching by the chapel might have put Jane off Paragon for good. She vastly preferred the location of her next lodgings at Queen’s Square, and wrote that the view from the drawing room windows was ‘far more cheerful than Paragon’.

The Paragon as seen from the chapel.

It may be surprising, therefore, that five years later in 1814, Jane wrote in a letter to her niece, Fanny Knight, “I am by no means convinced that we ought not all to be Evangelicals, & am at least persuaded that they who are so from Reason & Feeling, must be happiest & safest.” This statement suggests that Jane may have become more religious as she grew older, perhaps growing up to see the permissive, indulgent Regency society, of whose monarch she despised. During the first two decades of the 19th Century, the evangelical movement did indeed become popular within the Anglican church, perhaps to counter the low morality of the time and to educate people of vice and virtue.

At the time when Jane Austen first stayed in Bath, she was still young and perhaps resisted restrictions on behaviour. Her later, more serious novels, such as Mansfield Park and Persuasion, reflect a less permissive approach. Fanny’s character in Mansfield Park, in particular, stands for morality and even saintliness, considering her forgiving and principled nature.

But do Jane Austen’s novels actually show religious influences? Surely her characters make moral choices without any reference to god or religion? The debate on Jane Austen’s religiousness vs. her ambivalence towards religion continues, but I think we can safely say that Jane Austen was a practising Anglican with religion in her heart, even if she preferred not to show it to the outside world.

Further reading:

Jane Austen’s Letters:

Jones, V. (2004). Selected Letters by Jane Austen. OUP.

On the history of the Chapel of the Countess of Huntingdon:

http://www.cofhconnexion.org.uk/history/

Frequently cited work on Jane Austen’s religion:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/27028479/Christian-Encounters-Jane-Austen-by-Peter-Leithart
Collins, I. (2002) Jane Austen and the Clergy. Hambledon and London.

Nancy Meyer–Regency Researcher

2011-02-20T20:05:00.001+05:30

I have just received a wonderful link from the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, for an extensive site for research on Jane Austen. Nancy Meyer has been collecting information on Jane Austen for years, and this information is free to access on her website:

Nancy Meyer – Regency Researcher

On her site, you can also ask her questions on a variety of topics that you would like to learn more about, such as:

Was it legal for an Earl to have a fox hunting party on his own estate in June?

How soon could a Regency widow remarry?

Did Mothers wear mourning clothes for stillborn infants?

Images from Wikipedia Commons.

Jane Austen a-Shopping with Burney’s Evelina

2011-02-13T14:35:00.001+05:30

It is interesting to know that the 18th Century author, Fanny Burney, introduced several new words into the English language through the literary form. Through Evelina, she is the first known person to use words which are still so commonplace now, such as a-shopping, seeing sights, break down and grumpy.

Have you ever wondered what inspired Jane Austen to use dialogue as a clever way to personify her characters? Was the romantic charlatan, Mr Willoughby, a product of Jane’s imagination or an imprint of her early reading? Read on!

In her novels and letters, Jane Austen made several references to her favourite authors, and amongst her favourites were always Frances (Fanny) Burney and Maria Edgeworth. Fanny Burney wrote Evelina in the 1770’s, when Jane Austen was still an infant, and Cecilia soon after, and Jane grew up reading these stories. As you read through her novels, it becomes evident that Jane Austen drew inspiration from them.

Image from: http://bit.ly/ephcyO

Evelina is a lengthy novel, which was originally written in 3 volumes, according to the custom of the time. Like Northanger Abbey, Evelina is a coming-of-age novel, with the apt subtitle “The History of the Young Lady’s Entrance Into the World”. The heroine is a girl of obscure birth who has been raised by her loving foster father, Mr Villars, in a comfortable home. Like Catherine, Evelina is set to ‘come out’ and enter the society to lure the attentions of eligible young men.

Evelina is chaperoned to London, where she visits the numerous theatres, operas and pleasure gardens frequented by fashionable society. As Evelina enters into society, she comes across one odious character after another and must defend her virtue against characters of low morals. Not unlike Catherine, Evelina is all innocence and youthfulness and is shocked to experience the realities of London society. She is repulsed by the lewd behaviour of men that she meets and soon wishes that she had never left Berry Hill, her home. In short, her trips are a journey from innocence to experience (to quote Blake).

Fanny Burney. Image from http://bit.ly/eiFQ4S.

Evelina is a satire of fashionable life. Like Jane Austen, Frances Burney is an excellent satirist and parodies characters through her excellent mimicry. It is in the dialogue that she really shows her ingenuity. In the preface of Evelina, Burney describes her style as follows:

“To draw characters from nature, though not from life, and to mark the manners of the times, is the attempted plan…”

As a key component of her style, Burney reveals personality through her use of language. Her highest-ranking characters (e.g. Lord Orville, Lady Louisa) use extremely formal register, as opposed to the lower-ranking, more vulgar characters (e.g. Captain Mirvan, Madame Duval), who Burney mimics endlessly.

The grotesque Captain Mirvan who enjoys abusing the would-be French woman, Madame Duval, uses crass language with plenty of nautical references.

“The old buck is safe – but we must sheer off directly, or we shall be all aground.”

On the other hand, Madame Duval’s bad grammar reveals her lack of breed and education.

“This is prettier than all the rest! I declare, in all my travels, I never see nothing eleganter.”

As Evelina meets her ‘vulgar’ cousins in London, the scene reminds me of Mansfield Park where Fanny meets her real family in Portsmouth after several years and feels out of place, having got used to the genteel, polished manners of a country house (Burney uses the word “low-bred” to describe Evelina’s relatives).

Like Austen’s novels, Evelina too is written in somewhat archaic 18th Century language with a preference for long, complex sentences – a style that Jane Austen certainly assumed. Thankfully, this Oxford edition has been carefully edited by Edward Bloom, with detailed notes on 18th Century vocabulary and manners.

As it was popular at the time, the novel is written in epistolary form – in letters. The epistolary form, which may not always seem realistic, does give the novel a lovely personal touch with its 1st person narration. Perhaps Jane Austen’s early style was much closer to Burney’s, as her early novels were also written in epistolary form, such as the first version of Sense and Sensibility (“Elinor and Marianne”) and Lady Susan. Only Lady Susan survives to this day, and it is a novel cleverly written. Lady Susan retains much of the certain mischievous flavour present in Austen’s early novels, which is lacking in her later work. Evelina reminds me not only of Lady Susan, but of Jane Austen’s juvenilia with the likes of “Love and Freindship” and “The Three Sisters”, with their profligate, even evil characters, speedy plot turnings and plenty of slapstick.

The scenes in Evelina do reveal much more of the period than Jane Austen does. While Jane Austen chooses to leave out details, which she felt were unnecessary or perhaps unpleasant to narrate, Evelina contains plenty of references to prostitution, rape, racism, and other things, which were certainly prevalent in the society of her time.

Did the frivolous seducer, Sir Clement Willoughby, inspire Jane Austen as she created the character of Mr Willoughby to seduce Marianne in Sense and Sensibility? Like Mr Willoughby, Sir Clement is a romantic character with no intention of marrying Evelina. Luckily, as a smart enough girl, Evelina is not lured by his charms, seeing through his false pretentions, and turns down his attentions (which were becoming a bit too much anyway!).

The initial scene with Evelina’s future husband, Lord Orville, reminds me of the first meeting between Elizabeth and Darcy at the ball in Meryton. In this scene, Elizabeth overhears Darcy describe her as ‘tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me’. Similarly, at a ball, Evelina’s friend overhears Lord Orville put Evelina down as a “pretty modest looking girl…a silent one…a poor weak girl” and she recounts this to Evelina. As a result, Evelina is in awe of him and like Elizabeth, feels embarrassed of her obscure status and her “low-bred”, vulgar relations. Interestingly enough, the title for Pride and Prejudice was famously taken from the last chapter of Burney’s Cecilia, which I shall attempt to read next. It will be interesting to see if there is any further similarity between the two novels.

Frances Burney has certainly influenced Jane Austen in her creation of storylines and her literary style. The clever use of dialogue to personify the characters is something that Jane, like Burney, adopted from early on. During Jane’s lifetime, Burney was a far more popular writer - perhaps because Austen wrote more about everyday life and Burney was better versed with the fashions and amusements of the day – her novels would probably have made better popular literature.

However, it was Jane Austen who is considered the first great female writer and one of the pioneers of the novel. Her wit and depth in depicting the human character are beyond comparison. It is writers such as Fanny Burney who paved the way for Jane Austen and certainly contributed to her later success.

A Beautiful Bound of Pride and Prejudice

2011-02-06T16:27:00.001+05:30

I recently found this beautiful copy of Pride and Prejudice in a book sale. It is an old edition printed by Century Hutchinson in 1985 and I simply had to buy it because it was so lovely to look at.

The skin is made of fabric and shows a scene which could well represent the beautiful grounds of Pemberley.

The inside illustrations are quite grainy, however, but I don’t mind as you don’t often come across a novel with illustrations in the first place.

Are you a sucker for beautiful covers?

Exploring the First Film Adaptation of Sense and Sensibility

2011-01-29T22:59:00.001+05:30

The other day I came across the first film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility on a DVD - what better way to celebrate the bicentenary of its publication!

The TV series from 1981, dramatised by Alexander Baron and directed by Rodney Bennett, is probably the least known of all the three notable adaptations. Like its contemporaries, it has a somewhat dated feel to it, with little background music and drab costumes, ill-fitting coats and hairstyles that are clearly an early 80’s representation of Regency fashion. The actors’ performances border the theatrical, with rolling r’s and such like. Nonetheless, as a Jane Austen fan I enjoy watching any adaptation of her work and this one, too, kept me engaged for hours on end.

What I liked about this version was that the theme of the novel was very clear from the very first scene. Marianne sits with her mother in a coach, on the way back from Mr Dashwood’s funeral. Both the ladies express their indignation at having to leave Norland, the family estate.

The sensible, less emotional Elinor who sits opposite, suggests finding another suitable place to live.

Marianne asks her, “Where are your feelings?”, to which Elinor replies, “I govern them”. The screenplay may not follow the original text faithfully, but stays well within the framework of the novel.

Marianne, played by Tracey Childs, is not that different from the later representations of the same character. Here, too, she is shown to be passionate and emotional and she always speaks her mind with fervour.

Marianne despairs at having to leave her beloved Norland.

Elinor, on the other hand, governs her feelings until the very end, but Irene Richard’s lack of expression and “toothy beauty” fail to convince me.

“Sense will always have its attractions for me.”

Enter Edward Ferrars. Bosco Hogan as Edward lacks the looks and the charming awkwardness that his character demands. We are rushed too quickly into the next scene to understand how their feelings develop into love.

On the other hand, Willoughby, played by Peter Woodward, compares to the later versions and has both the looks and the charm.

Attractive Willoughby rescues Marianne.

He also has a good singing voice to boost!

This rather bushy version of Colonel Brandon, played by Robert Swann, makes me miss Alan Rickman!

The series does have its advantages. We get to see a more thorough portrayal of the minor characters, such as the unbearable Lucy Steele, the motherly Mrs Jennings (less comic in this version) and the conniving Fanny Dashwood.

Lucy Steele tells Elinor that she has finally managed to get into the good books of Mrs Ferrars.

In this ludicrous scene, Fanny is in hysterics when she hears about Edward and Lucy’s engagement.

The scene where Edward proposes to Elinor is very governed, indeed (and it’s slightly distracting to see his hair styled like Mr Collins’).

As for Marianne, the series ends in an anti-climax when Colonel Brandon gives a chest full of books for Marianne to read. No proposal, and no wedding!

Well, it is hard to beat Ang Lee’s beautiful 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility, with Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson in the lead. I’ve grown up with it and seen it too many times to dissociate myself from it. The newer adaptation by Andrew Davies from 2008 comes as a close second, with excellent acting and a realistic touch to it.

Which is your favourite adaptation of Sense and Sensibility?

1981 (Baron/Bennett)
1995 (Ang Lee)
2008 (Andrew Davies)

A Delightful Creature to Appear as a Doll

2011-01-23T10:44:00.001+05:30

Jane Austen was clearly proud of her creation of Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice, saying famously that Elizabeth was “as delightful a creature to have ever appeared in print”.

I have always liked Elizabeth and have created a page for her in one of my scrapbooks.

Do you remember playing with paper dolls as a child? I found this beautiful paper doll with its clothes and accessories on the Internet, painted them, and stuck them with blu-tack on the page with a sketch of Longbourn as a backdrop.

You can print these dolls here.

The site seems to have started to charge for printing, but it’s very inviting as there are so many familiar characters from Jane Austen’s books as well as other classic heroes and heroines.

Perhaps Mr Darcy will get his page next…?!

Revisiting the Regency House Party

2011-01-16T21:55:00.001+05:30

I have just finished watching the Regency House Party. The 4-part series was broadcast on Channel 4 in 2004, and is available to watch on You Tube in 36 parts.

The Regency House Party is a reality TV show, bringing together five gentlemen from the modern world and five ladies with their chaperones to spend a summer (9 weeks) is a Regency country house. Brought back to the year 1811, the idea is to pair off the amiable bachelors with their beautiful counterparts, with match-making efforts made by the ladies’ chaperones.

Guests arriving at Kentchurch Court.

Staff welcoming the guests.

The Regency House Party is a very well-designed production with plenty of period detail down to chamber pots and a Regency-style shower. The costumes are fantastic, some of which have been recycled from earlier period dramas. The men in the show, in particular, look stunning in their long coats, breeches, cravats and top hats. The country house, Kentchurch Court, which is located in Herefordshire, has been decorated in 19th Century style and really brings the Regency period into life.

Miss Braund and her chaperone inspecting their bedroom.

Guests at dinner - the highlight of the Regency day.

The highest-ranking gentlemen leading the way to church.

We follow the ladies and gentlemen, as they get used to living according to the Regency decorum and etiquette, with various degrees of success. The series shows that life was fun-filled for the idle gentlemen, who get to drink all day long, take snuff, splay sports etc. while the women are obliged to sit indoors with their books and needlework.

Ladies feeling bored while the men are allowed to play.

Miss Hopkins struggling to come to terms with her Regency identity.

Initially, the women struggle living within the confines of the Regency etiquette and throw fits at their chaperones, finding the environment oppressive. Perhaps, it would be difficult for a modern woman to lead a Regency life for as long as 2 months; few of us are as ‘accomplished’ as the Regency ladies, who could easily switch between needlework, French and Italian literature and playing the harp. Personally, I would love to have some time out to attend an experiment like this. Instead of sitting around and moaning, I could imagine spending my time perfecting my skills at the piano, writing or painting, not having enough time to hone my skills given the hectic modern struggle of work/life balance.

Ladies in muslin.

The ladies and men have been assigned particular roles, matching their real-life personas to roles they might have had within the Regency society. The casting has been carefully done and most of the people seem very well suited to their roles, coming from privileged backgrounds themselves, with posh accents to match. A real-life industrial heiress, Victoria Hopkins, plays a newly rich heiress Miss Hopkins. Countess Griaznov is a countess in real life, with limited powers. One the other hand, the musician, James Carrington, has the role of a Regency charmer, with plenty of sex appeal and little money.

Mr Gorell-Barnes writing a letter. Image from Channel 4.

The men are certainly very well adjusted to their roles from the very beginning of the show (apart from a hairdresser turned army officer who leaves early). The Mr Darcy of the show, Mr Gorell Barnes, is a very good host, and so like Mr Darcy in his manners that he rarely smiles or shows emotion. Captain Glover is a charming Regency gentleman, with manners and personality to boost. The handsome Mr Carrington with his dimples makes a great Wickham/Willoughby, with plenty of charm but few prospects on his side.

Captain Glover in his naval uniform.

I found Miss Hopkins quite crass for a Regency lady, but incidentally she turns out to be very popular with the men who are obviously used to strong-minded, independent modern ladies. Some of the personalities in the show can be quite annoying, and they have probably been cast on purpose to bring out some drama in the show.

The series does have its moments; seeing the men in breeches ride their horses, bombing French miniature ships to celebrate the victory against Napoleon’s army, Captain Glover making a life-size ‘be happy’ sign of hay and flower petals as a love token to Miss Braund, the ladies wondering whether Mr Everett is ‘good in the sack’ as he participates in a sack-race…

…let alone the wet-shirt scene with Mr Gorell Barnes, our true Mr Darcy!

The series does have its flaws, with some factual mistakes here and there, but is certainly fun to watch. I would love to enter an experiment like this, but perhaps attending the Jane Austen Festival would be more realistic to start with. Would you like to go on a show like this?

Have you seen the Regency House Party and did you enjoy it?

To watch the series on You Tube, click here.

To read an interview of Mark Foxsmith and Lady Devenport on their experiences at the Regency House, click here.

Supper Jane Austen Style

2011-01-11T21:41:00.001+05:30

The other night I had supper that Jane Austen would have approved of: toasted cheese – in all its simplicity.

In 1805, Jane Austen wrote, "We were greatly surprised by Edward Bridge's company...It is impossible to do justice to the hospitality of his attentions towards me; he made a point of ordering toasted cheese for supper, entirely on my account."

To make toasted cheese in period style, I used the following recipe by Martha Lloyd, Jane Austen’s dear friend, who lived with her at Chawton.

***

Toasted Cheese
Grate the cheese and add it to one egg, a teaspoonful of mustard, and a little butter. Send it up on toast, or in paper trays.

***

I added some salt and pepper, poured the lot on the bread and roasted the bread in the grill. Voila! A tasty supper was ready - similar to what Jane Austen would have enjoyed having at Chawton.

Interesting to know that Regency people will have enjoyed simple comfort food as much as we do now…

References:

Quote and recipe from: The Jane Austen Centre Online magazine

The recipe is originally from: Hickman, P. (1977). A Jane Austen Household Book. David & Charles, Ltd.

Jane Austen and the Prince of Whales

2011-01-04T15:21:00.001+05:30

Although Jane Austen is often linked to the Regency period, she was not actually a product of the Regency. Jane Austen was born in 1775, when George III had reigned England for 15 years.

George III (from Wikipedia at http://bit.ly/mQDJD)

George III was of German lineage, but had British interests at heart. He was described as being modest and kind, with a genuine interest in the world around him. In 1810, the King who suffered from stress had a severe attack of mental illness, and was never to recover. The state was was in national mourning, and even Jane Austen dressed in black, although the King would live for another 9 years in seclusion.

During the King’s illness, from 1811 to 1820, the heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales – George Augustus Frederick – became the Prince Regent who would reign the country in lieu of the King. On the one hand, the Prince was considered handsome, witty and intelligent, and became an enthusiastic patron of literature and the arts. On the other hand, he was extravagant and irresponsible, lavishing money on women and clothes and huge building projects for his residence at Carlton House.

The Prince Regent (from Wikipedia at http://bit.ly/fYeBis)

Known for his gluttony, drunkenness and vulgar lifestyle, the overindulging Prince Regent became an object of ridicule. Cartoonists would depict him as the Prince of Whales!

“A Voluptuary under the Horrors of Digestion” (From Wikipedia at http://bit.ly/eIRL15)

The Prince Regent also gained fame for his womanising. In 1785, the Prince had married Maria Fitzherbert without the King’s consent. 10 years later, in order to have his debts paid off, he bigamously married his cousin, Princess Caroline, but the marriage was unsuccessful from the start. The couple drifted apart and the Prince spent more and more time with his mistresses. They soon separated, but the public sided with Caroline, feeling that she was the innocent party who had been wronged.

Princess Caroline (from Wikipedia at http://bit.ly/gkBTr)

In February 1813, Jane Austen wrote to her friend Martha Lloyd as follows:

"I suppose all the World is sitting in Judgement upon the Princess of Wales's Letter. Poor woman, I shall support her as long as I can, because she is a Woman, & because I hate her Husband -- but I can hardly forgive her for calling herself ``attached & affectionate'' to a Man whom she must detest -- & the intimacy said to subsist between her & Lady Oxford is bad -- I do not know what to do about it; but if I must give up the Princess, I am resolved at least always to think that she would have been respectable, if the Prince had behaved only tolerably by her at first. --"

So when Jane Austen was approached by the Prince’s librarian, Rev. Clarke, for Emma’s dedication to the Prince Regent, we can only imagine how she would have felt about the suggestion. She highly disapproved of the Prince’s profligate lifestyle, and the request must have placed her in a difficult position. However, in 1815, just before the publication of Emma, she added a dedication to the Prince Regent and sent a special copy to Carlton House.

The Regency era ended in 1820, 3 years after Jane Austen’s death, when George III died and the Prince became King.

Jane Austen was, in essence, a Georgian, brought up with Georgian values, morals and manners. It is in the fashions and style of her later characters that we get a taste of the Regency world.

References:

Chapman, R.W. /Austen, J. (1985) Jane Austen – Selected Letters. OUP.

Le Faye, D. (2002) Jane Austen – The World of Her Novels. Frances Lincoln.

Spot Jane Austen in Downton Abbey

2010-12-30T17:37:00.001+05:30

(Spoiler Alert - This post contains parts of all the six episodes of Season 1.)

The new glossy costume drama, Downton Abbey, is a contemporary take on life upstairs and downstairs. Set in Edwardian times, the events begin in 1912 and finish right at the onset of the First World War.

In the series, we follow the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants. With a splendid cast – including the impressive Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess and the extremely likeable Hugh Bonneville as the Earl of Grantham – the series is a captivating take on life back in the days.

Maggie Smith fails to disappoint as the Dowager Countess.

Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) is a picture of benevolence and kindness.

There are several interesting references to the changing world; the Titanic has just sunk, the suffragette movement is up and running, and people are just getting used to electric lighting, driving “motors” and using telephones. While the series is a little slow-paced from the beginning, it holds your attention with its intriguing mysteries and humorous moments.

The Crawleys reading about the Titanic in the newspaper: Butler Mr Carson (Jim Carter), Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), Lord Grantham and Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery).

But what really took my attention was the fact that the series has got plenty of inspiration from Jane Austen’s classics. The first instance of an Austen-inspired moment is when a distant cousin, Matthew Crawley, arrives.

Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens – Edward Ferrars in the 2008 Sense and Sensibility) with his mother Mrs Crawley (Penelope Winton).

With no son to be heir of the estate, Matthew as the third cousin and closest male relative is to inherit the estate after the passing of the Earl. As Matthew arrives at Downton Abbey, everyone has their doubts of him, but there is strong pressure on the eldest daughter, Mary (above right), to marry him to secure the future of the estate. Doesn’t this remind of you of Mr Collins’ arrival at Longbourn?

Initially, Lady Mary is unwilling to marry Matthew, as she finds him too common. As she gets to know him better over time, she begins to fall in love with him…

Matthew reminds her of some of the choicest remarks that she made to him when he first arrived at Downton…

…and she goes on to say, “you must pay no attention to the things I said”. Déjà-vu in Pride and Prejudice?

Mary tells her mother about Matthew’s proposal and confesses to her that she loves Matthew, saying “I think I may have loved him for much longer than I knew!” Think Elizabeth Bennet again…

Then, the story turns into Persuasion. Lady Mary’s aunt, Lady Rosamund (Samantha Bond – Maria Bertram in Mansfield Park 1983) persuades her to turn down Matthew’s offer.

Later, Mary’s sister, Lady Edith, vindictively says to Mary – in an analogy to Jane Austen in Persuasion - “I believe that she who loves last, loves the longest”. This reminds me of Anne Elliott, talking about her love for Capt Wentworth...

To my disappointment, the events in this Austenesque drama were left open and have yet to unfold. I’m left looking forward to the new season in 2011 to find out if Mary and Matthew can overcome their pride and be persuaded to marry.

Watch this space!

Jane Austen’s Christmas

2010-12-24T12:24:00.001+05:30

In Jane Austen’s time, Christmas was celebrated from December 6th to January 6th. The Regency Christmas was not celebrated with the same grandeur as it is today; there was no Santa and no stockings, and Christmas trees and cards did not become widespread until the Victorian era decades later. It was a time of charity and goodwill.

Christmas was also a time with plenty of parties, balls and lively plays and card games. In 1806, Fanny Austen, Jane Austen’s niece, wrote “We have all spent a very merry Christmas…We had different amusements every evening. First we had Bullet Pudding , then Snap Dragon. In the evening we dance or play at cards…”

Christmas feasts were common in Jane Austen’s days. Emma and her circle of friends are all invited to Randalls, Mr and Mrs Weston’s home, for dinner at Christmas. Mr Elton says (Chapter 13), "This is quite the season indeed for friendly meetings. At Christmas every body invites their friends about them, and people think little of even the worst weather. I was snowed up at a friend's house once for a week. Nothing could be pleasanter. I went for only one night, and could not get away till that very day se'nnight."

Christmas must have been a lively, even noisy occasion. In Persuasion (Chapter 14), Jane Austen describes the atmosphere like this:

"Immediately surrounding Mrs. Musgrave were the little Harvilles, whom she was sedulously guarding from the tyranny of the two children from the Cottage, expressly arrived to amuse them. On one side was a table occupied by some chattering girls, cutting up silk and gold paper; and on the other were trestles and trays, bending under the weight of brawn and cold pies, where riotous boys were holding high revel; the whole completed by a roaring Christmas fire, which seemed determined to be heard in spite of the noise of the others."

Lady Russell remarks, "I hope I shall remember in future not to call at Uppercross in the Christmas holiday."

Holly clipart from http://bit.ly/Fygnq

At the time, Christmas decorations were not quite as elaborate as they are these days. As we read in the previous passage, gentlefolk obviously used silk and gold paper to decorate their homes. It was also common to decorate the house with greenery, such as holly, mistletoe, rosemary, bay and laurel. Candles and fires were also an integral part of the Regency Christmas.

12th Night cake from http://bbc.in/6s1lng

The 12th Night, marking the end of Christmas, on January 6th, was certainly a grander celebration than Christmas Day. On the 12th Night, families would get together for a feast and have a special cake. What a wonderful way to end the Christmas season!

For those interested in learning more about the Regency Christmas, the Jane Austen Centre in Bath are hosting an exhibition on how Christmas was celebrated in Jane Austen’s days. The exhibition will continue until 31 December 2010. Read more about the exhibition here.

You can read more about the Georgian and Regency Christmas on the Jane Austen Centre website here and here.

Jo Beverley, author of many romantic Regency Christmas stories, has written a thorough article on the Regency Christmas.

To learn more about the 12th Night celebrations, you can visit Austen Only and the BBC History website.

To learn about Christmas games and food, you can visit the Christmas Archives and the Literary Liaisons.

To read about Christmas decorations, visit Jane Austen’s World and Austen Only.

Season’s greetings to one and all!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

2010-12-23T13:14:00.001+05:30

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me…

12 wedding bells a ringing

11 balls for dancing

10 thousand a year

9 lords proposing

8 officers in red

7 ponds for swimming

6 single men of fortune

5 Bennet sisters

4 shelves in the closet

3 daughters married

2 Fitzwilliam brothers

and…

I came across this hilarious card at cafepress.com.

Merry Christmas to all my readers!

The Home Is Where the Heart Is

2010-12-21T10:06:00.001+05:30

Image from: http://bbc.in/dEvv51

Forgive me the clichéd title – I could think of nothing better to describe my learnings from Part One of At Home with the Georgians.

The documentary shows the historian, Professor Amanda Vickery delving into family histories from the Georgian era. In the series, she discusses the significance of having a home of your own and what it meant for the men and women of the Georgian era. For her research, Vickery visits houses both grand and modest and reads through the letters and account books of Georgians.

From the first episode, I have learnt the following about the Georgians:

1) A home would define an individual’s status in society and be a matter of pride.

2) Like Jane Austen, the Georgians in general were very transparent about money and property, with open directories displaying the funds of eligible bachelors.

3) If you were a spinster dependent on family support or a bachelor, you would be an object of ridicule and lead a lonely life, perhaps ending up either depressed or drinking.

4) Everyone wanted to be married, and had a clear idea of what a good wife or husband would be.

5) A good husband would have a good income and a comfortable home to offer his wife. He would appreciate his wife’s wishes and taste, and give her a lot of power in the running of the household.

6) A good wife would be an efficient manager of the home, a multi-tasker, who would also have the energy to be good in bed.

7) Only in a comfortable home would you feel you had achieved your aim in life and be able to lead a productive, happy life – like Jane Austen at her permanent home in Chawton.

I enjoyed watching Vickery’s visit to Chawton Cottage. I also had the chance to look into Chawton House, which I have yet to see from inside. A grand house indeed!

The first episode is a fascinating account of the Georgian lifestyle and domestic values. The dramatisation pieces make the documentary all the more interesting to watch, and Vickery’s humour and expressive face make it personal for viewers. A real treat for any history lover – or a new history lover for that matter, as this documentary truly makes history come alive.

For a more thorough recount of the episode, you could visit the following blogs:

Austen Only

Jane Austen’s World

Happy Birthday, Jane Austen!

2010-12-16T07:28:00.001+05:30

Jane Austen was born on this day, 235 years ago. December 16th, 1775, was a bitterly cold winter’s day.

Mr Austen wrote, “We have now another girl, a present plaything for her sister Cassy, and a future companion. She is to be Jenny, and seems to me that as if she would be as like Henry as Cassy is to Neddy”. Baby Jane looked like her brother Henry.

Personally, for me it’s fascinating how close Jane Austen’s birthday is to my own – just 5 days apart! My birthday is on December 21st, which makes us both Sagittarians…hmmm.

References:

Austen-Leigh, W. /Austen-Leigh, R. (2009) Jane Austen, Her Life and Letters - A Family Record. Echo Library.

Celebrating Jane Austen’s Birthday at Walcot Church

2010-12-10T20:31:00.001+05:30

The Jane Austen Centre in Bath are organising a celebration on the occasion of Jane Austen’s birthday on December 16th. The event takes place at St Swithin’s church, Alcot, where Jane Austen’s parents got married and her father, George Austen, is buried. St Swithin’s Church is located off the Paragon (below), where Jane Austen stayed with her uncle and aunt Leigh-Perrot when she first visited Bath in 1797 at the age of 22.

A wonderful chance for those in the UK to celebrate our favourite author!

(I wish I could be there)

Here’s the invite:

Celebrating Jane Austen's Birthday

with

Music, Mulled wine, Mince pies and Musings!

on

Thursday 16th December 2010

St Swithin's Church, Paragon, Bath BA1 5LY

Doors open 7pm starts at 7.30pm till 9.30pm

Tickets £5 each includes interval refreshments

Available from our online giftshop www.janeausten.co.uk

By telephone 01225 443000 ext 202

By post and in person from:-

Jane Austen Centre, 40 Gay Street, BATH BA1 2NT

Writing Jane Austen (with difficulty)

2010-12-07T18:17:00.001+05:30

Meet Georgina, an author with a highly acclaimed (yet not successful) debut novel behind her, who has just been told (not asked) by her publisher to write a sequel to an unfinished Jane Austen novel with a deadline of 2 months. Georgina, a researcher of the Victorian era, has never read a Jane Austen novel but is highly critical of her style. The first half of the book describes her struggle to learn to like Jane Austen, until she finally opens Pride and Prejudice, and gets hooked.

Then starts writer’s block. Until p. 221, Georgina has not been able to produce a page for her novel. Once she eventually starts writing, she is faced with one hurdle after another… and with the publishers watching her progress like a hawk and spying on her to get the job done, the process is daunting.

Elizabeth Aston - with a name similar to Austen’s but a style entirely her own - has written a story about the difficulty of writing a book in the style of Jane Austen. We follow the main protagonist through her struggle to write a book, trying to find motivation to start writing, doing research into the period, drawing out characters and a plot in the style of Jane Austen… living and breathing Jane Austen during the writing process.

At the beginning, any Jane Austen fan likely to read this book would not be able to relate to the main character, who has a deep dislike of Jane Austen. It is only when she “discovers” the ingenuity of Jane Austen in chapters 16-17 that you start to identify with the character. I enjoyed these chapters where Georgina reads one novel after another, unable to put a book down… comparing the experience of discovering Austen to seeing Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro for the first time or a magical performance of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, which “left her floating on air for days afterwards”.

This noteworthy piece of modern chicklit delights you with some sharp dialogue and lively characters. Many of the characters resemble those of Jane Austen, such as the snobbish, Lady Pamela – a modern-day reference to Lady Catherine De Bourgh – very disagreeable indeed! Some of the characters, such as the hideous publisher, Livia Harkness, border the ridiculous and are too unlikely to be realistic.

The novel does include plenty of delightful references to Jane Austen’s life, showing the author’s familiarity with and love for Jane Austen. She has also picked out dozens of character names from Austen novels, from Mrs Goddard and Harriet Smith to Dr Perry and a dog called Wickham… but personally, I found this mildly annoying.

Though fairly well written and partly entertaining, the negative vibes from the beginning of the book leave you exhausted. If you are planning to write a book of your own, I would steer clear of this, as Writing Jane Austen will do anything but encourage to write!

The Charming Villain Vs The Boring Hero?

2010-12-01T20:47:00.001+05:30

In her recent post, Raquel from Jane Austen in Portuguese discussed how she’s always in doubt if Marianne would have been happy, or not, had she married John Willoughby. She asked her readers if that was simply a female romanticist view on life and would men think in a different way.

Lovely collages provided by: http://community.livejournal.com/jausten_daily

Interestingly, I’ve had this conversation over and over again with a Jane Austen-sceptic friend. He is a typical Brontë-ite, believing that literature should bring out our passions and our deepest emotions and describe characters that are vivacious and passionate, even mischievous.

“Why do Jane Austen’s heroines always end up with the boring type? Why are the charming, handsome men always portrayed as villains?” “Look at Sense and Sensibility – Marianne ends up marrying the old, brooding Colonel Brandon, in Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth goes for Mr Darcy instead of the charismatic Wickham, Emma ends up with the patronising Mr Knightley instead of the mysterious, irresistible Frank Churchill…the pattern repeats itself again and again.”

Strictly speaking, that isn’t always the case - Persuasion’s Mr Wentworth is certainly as charming as any man, beating Mr Elliott any day. In Northanger Abbey, Mr Tilney is far more attractive than the bragging John Thorpe. In Mansfield Park, Mr Crawford appears too snooty and self-important to strike one as an attractive character.

What I feel Jane Austen is trying to imply is that a woman will always be happier with a sensible man with good morals. In her stories, she often “tests” her heroes to find out if they are responsible characters. Mr Darcy shows his kindness by paying off Wickham. Colonel Brandon rescues Marianne and looks after her, showing that he has been there all along despite her flirtation with the irresponsible Willoughby. We also know that the Jane Austen heroes improve on acquaintance, once we have seen their true colours.

What are your views on this?

Sense and Sensibility the Tamil Way

2010-11-26T17:01:00.001+05:30

I enjoyed seeing Aisha – the Hindi version of Jane Austen’s Emma – recently, so I decided to get hold of the Tamil version of Sense and Sensibility, too. The film from 2000 is called Kandukondain Kandukondain (translating “I Have Found it”) and is a typical South Indian film with its colourful song and dance sequences and plentiful tears and drama.

The film features some of the biggest actors and actresses from Tamil cinema, such as Ajith, Aishwarya Rai and Tabu, as well as a score by A. R. Rahman who recently received an Oscar for his score for Slumdog Millionaire.

The film begins with an action scene, showing an Indian army commando fighting Tamil rebels in the jungle. We then move onto the beautiful setting of South Indian countryside, with scenic images of swaying palm trees and lush paddy fields and characters dressed in brightly coloured sarees.

You soon begin to see similarities to Sense and Sensibility. The film is about two very different sisters: Sowmya (Elinor - right) – the quiet and sensible big sister, Meenakshi (Marianne - left) – the romantic, passionate younger sister. They live with their mother, little sister and grandfather in a grand family house.

Sowmya (Tabu)

Sowmya is the village school principal, whereas Meenakshi, full of energy, dreams of becoming a singer and is shown to spend her days running on fields, singing and reading classical poetry.

Meenakshi (Aishwarya Rai)

As their grandfather is about to die, the girls face the dilemma of marriage. Both sisters have differing views on marriage; Sowmya is determined not to marry a man of her own choice, whereas Meenakshi wants to marry for love. They both know that the wisest thing would be to marry a wealthy doctor or engineer to ensure a comfortable future for all of them.

Sowmya and Manohar (Ajith).

Manohar (Edward), an aspiring film director, has decided not to continue his father’s business against the parents’ wishes. He comes to shoot a film at the family home, and falls in love with Sowmya. However, he can’t get married until he becomes more successful in his career. In the meanwhile, Major Bala (Colonel Brandon), a wounded ex-officer (shown fighting as a commando at the beginning) who now runs an attractive florist business, falls in love with Meenakshi.

Meenakshi is not interested in this older man and falls desperately in love with a well-known businessman, Srikanth (Willoughby). The scene is a direct copy from S & S; Meenakshi is out in the rain, slips off a stone and falls, Srikanth miracuously appears from nowhere and rescues her – the next day they are seen romancing over poetry.

Srikanth (Abbas) rescues Meenakshi in the rain.

Love over poetry.

Following the original story, the grandfather dies, and the ladies are ousted from their family home. While everyone else despairs, the sensible Sowmya suggests that they move to Chennai – the capital city – and find work. Both the girls succeed in their careers – Sowmya at a software company and Meenakshi as a singer – and make enough money to buy a flat for the family.

In the meanwhile, Srikanth goes bankrupt and marries a rich girl for money. Meenakshi hopes to meet Srikanth in Chennai, but he never answers her calls. When she finds out that he has got married, she runs out in the rain and (instead of falling ill) falls in a drain and gets hurt. It is Major Bala that rescues her and this heroic act makes Meenakshi fall in love with this older man.

Meenakshi walking in the rain.

Major Bala comforting Meenakshi at the hospital.

Sowmya, on the other hand, reads in a tabloid that Manohar has been romancing an actress from his movie. When he comes to see her, she refuses to see him. Manohar convinces her that he has done nothing wrong, proposes to her, and is accepted. The film ends in an Austenesque double wedding and everyone is happy.

Manohar proposes to Sowmya who is watching him from the balcony.

Once again, I have to reiterate how well Jane Austen’s stories adapt to Indian culture, India being a traditional, class-conscious society with strong family values. Jane Austen’s characters are so much at home in a traditional and modern Indian setting. Thanks to Jane Austen’s wonderful characterisations, it is no wonder that Kandukondain Kandukondain became one of the biggest hits in the history of Tamil cinema.

So if you don’t fall asleep while watching a film extending to three hours in length, don’t feel too sorry for the gorgeous sisters ending up with revolting looking men with various amounts of facial hair, and don’t mind the endless song-and-dance sequences, I recommend this experience to any fan of Sense and Sensibility.

My Regency Ball Gown

2010-11-18T21:32:00.001+05:30

When I was 17 years old, we had a prom at school. For the ball, we rehearsed traditional ballroom dances for months before the event. It was a custom to dress in a period dress for the ball, and the style of dress was an obvious choice for me. It was to be a Regency-style dress: a long gown with a high waistline.

My mum designed and stitched the dress for me overnight, and I loved it! She still has the dress in her wardrobe, so I asked her to send a picture of the dress.

Here are some photos of the gown, with mum’s beautiful friend as a model:

The fabric is a heavy silk (unlike the light muslins of the period) with lace trimmings on the puffy sleeves and neckline.

At the back, there are four buttons for dressing and undressing.

The dress flows beautifully and is a delight to dance with.

I wonder if the dress still fits me… I hope to wear it to the Jane Austen festival in Bath one day. :)

Now where can I find a bonnet to match?

‘Twas about time…

2010-11-14T17:32:00.001+05:30

…to laminate the covers my paperback copy of The Complete Novels of Jane Austen. It was starting to become tattered due to over-usage. Now I can safely continue browsing through my favourite novels!

Jane Austen and The Oxford Connection

2010-11-06T22:13:00.000+05:30

During my trip to the UK, I stayed with my brother in Oxford. Through family connections, Oxford was also a place familiar to Jane Austen in many ways.

Jane Austen’s father and two of her brothers, James and Henry, studied at Oxford. Her father, and later James, became Fellows of St John’s College.

Jane’s maternal grandfather, Thomas Leigh, was a Fellow at All Souls College (below).

Thomas Leigh’s brother, Theophilus, was President of Balliol College (below) in the early 18th Century.

From the Balliol College website: http://bit.ly/ay4oFs

In the spring of 1783, when Jane was just seven and Cassandra was ten, the sisters were sent to a boarding institution in Oxford. Being so young, Jane was probably sent there as a companion to Cassandra. At the time, Theophilus Leigh was President at Balliol and James was resident at St John’s, and could chaperone the girls. The sisters were tutored in Oxford by a Mrs Ann Cawley, who was the widow of the former Principal of Brasenose College. Mrs Cawley was in the family – her brother, Dr Cooper, was married to Jane’s Aunt. Jane Cooper, Jane’s cousin, accompanied the sisters to Oxford.

Oxford appears to have been a gloomy place for young Jane to stay in. Mrs Cawley is said to have been “stiff and solemn” in her approach, imposing petty rules and regulations on the girls. James took the girls sightseeing through “dismal chapels, dusty libraries, and greasy halls than Jane at least could bare to remember” . Later, Jane described the experience, saying “it gave me the vapours for 2 days afterwards”. Luckily the girls were soon moved to another boarding school, which is another story altogether…

Oxford certainly influenced Jane in many ways, indirectly if not directly. With limited formal education, Jane learnt literature from her father and poetry from James, both Oxford scholars. As suggested by Issawi, her vivid style of writing may have been influenced by The Loiterer, the weekly periodical edited by James and Henry between 1789-90, while they were at Oxford.

What is interesting is that many of Jane’s prominent male characters, all clergymen, went to Oxford: Edmund Bertram, Henry Tilney, James Morland and Edward Ferrars. These are all respectable characters with strong moral values.

In Sense and Sensibility (Chapter 19), Edward describes his unfashionable choice of profession, saying “I was… entered at Oxford and have been properly idle ever since."

In Mansfield Park (Chapter 28), “Fanny proceeded in her journey safely and cheerfully, and as expeditiosly as could rationally be hoped in the dirty month of February. They entered Oxford, but she could take only a hasty glimpse of Edmund's college as they passed along”. Fanny, of course, admired Edmund for his choice of profession and was excited to see where he studied to become a clergyman.

Oxford must have left an impression on Jane, as in 1816, Jane wrote to her nephew Edward, persuading him to go to Oxford. “You must go to Oxford…a little change of scene may be good for you”, she wrote.

I can only conclude that you must go to Oxford, if you wish to know Jane Austen better!

References:

Austen-Leigh, J. E. (2002). A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections. Oxford World Classics.

De La Faye/Austen-Leigh, W. (2004) Jane Austen - A Family record. CUP.

Issawi, C. (1983). Jane Austen, Oxford and Cambridge: Pride and Prejudice. Persuasions. Jane Austen Society of North America.

The First Biography of Jane Austen

2010-11-01T21:16:00.001+05:30

I’ve finally got my hands on the most authentic piece of work on Jane Austen’s life – the memoir written by her nephew, James Edward Austen-Leigh, who knew Jane Austen when he was still young. No longer do I have to rely on an e-book!

Interestingly, this edition has been edited by Kathryn Sutherland of the disputed Austen manuscripts fame.

James Edward Austen-Leigh

In 1870, over 50 years after Jane Austen’s death, Austen-Leigh asked for letters, opinions and reflections from his sisters, brothers and cousins - all those who knew Jane - and wrote this memoir with what little information he had. The memoir also features Jane’s brother, Henry Austen’s brief Memoir from 1833, Jane’s niece, Anna Lefroy’s Recollections and Caroline Austen’s Memoir, as well as letters from Jane’s nieces.

Henry Austen

Although the Memoir is the most authentic piece of work ever written on Jane Austen’s life, we have to bear in mind that it has been written with Victorian sensibilities in mind. Some interesting details of her life were shunned to maintain the reputation of the family, such as the existence of Jane’s handicapped brother, George, and other family histories of negative connotation, such as the arrest of Jane’s aunt, Mrs Leigh-Perrot.

Anna Lefroy Caroline Austen

The interesting letters included in the contemporary edition truly shed light to the work behind this memoir and to what was omitted and what was included in the final edition, e.g:

Caroline Austen asks Austen-Leigh not to mention the name of Harris Bigg-Wither (who proposed to Jane and was later turned down), as his family were, at the time, still living in the neighbourhood.
Caroline also asks Austen-Leigh not to “rake up” the “old story” about the “Chief Justice” (her youthful romance with Tom Lefroy).
Caroline says to Austen-Leigh that he has been “merciful” in omitting the most ridiculous parts of Mr Clarke’s (The Prince Regent’s librarian) letter, where he made suggestions to Jane on what she should write about in her novels (Jane subtly ignored his suggestions).

It was fascinating to read all the different accounts – while reading the memoirs and letters, you almost feel like these people are still alive and sharing all these beautiful memories of their aunt… I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to become well acquainted with Jane Austen!

Indeed, Talk Like Jane Austen Today

2010-10-30T10:55:00.001+05:30

Today, the 30th October, The Jane Austen Society of North America are organising an event called “Talk Like Jane Austen Day”, in celebration of the 199th anniversary of the publishing of Sense and Sensibility.

To get you started with the fun, you can visit their website for a large list of language typical of Jane Austen’s time and of her novels and letters. Here are some more features of Jane’s English that I could think of:

Formal style in speech; using phrases, such as “I declare” and “I assure you” and “I daresay” to begin dialogue

The auxiliary verb ‘is’ used instead of ‘has’ in present perfect sentences: e.g. “He is come home this morning”.
Double negative sentences, e.g. “she could not be insensible of”, “Fanny was not unamused”, “he was not without charm”
Common use of the word “indeed” to intensify speech
‘Morning’ refers to the afternoon as well - “morning” represents the whole day before ‘evening’
Using the word “Town” to refer to “London”
Addressing the eldest sister “Miss”, e.g. “Miss Bennet” (for Jane) and the younger sisters with their first names, e.g. “Miss Elizabeth Bennet”, “Miss Mary Bennet”
Using the word “countenance” to refer to looks, the word “spirits” to refer to feelings and the word “air” to refer to general appearance
The phrase “a great deal” when referring to large quantities
Using the word “most” for “very”, e.g. “most insufferable woman”

To begin the day, you could entertain yourselves with Emma Thompson’s Oscar speech from 1995, where she pretended to be Jane Austen – after this, I assure you that you will indeed find yourselves in excellent spirits!

Win a Regency dress!

2010-10-23T10:48:00.001+05:30

I just came across this – the gift shop at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath have set up a draw in which you can win a made-to-measure Regency style gown. The draw closes on 20th November, so all those planning to participate in next year’s dress parade, don’t miss this exciting opportunity!

From: http://giftshop.janeausten.co.uk/acatalog/info_687.html

Darcy’s Musings on Love … Drooling

2010-10-19T23:00:00.001+05:30

My favourite part in Pride and Prejudice has to be towards the end (Chapter 60) after Mr Darcy’s second proposal to Lizzie. Lizzie asks Darcy how he first fell in love with her.

"I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun."

Whenever I take my bike out, I see the smug look on “Mr Darcy’s” face on the key ring and recall this beautiful scene from my favourite book…

Visiting the Georgian House Museum

2010-10-11T23:40:00.000+05:30

On my trip to Bath, I had the opportunity to visit the Georgian House Museum. The museum is located at 1, Royal Crescent – one of Bath’s finest localities.

The Royal Crescent is an elegant Georgian terrace of 30 classically designed houses in golden Bath stone. The Crescent was designed by architect John Wood the Younger between 1767 and 1774. Located close to the Circus and the Victoria Park in the Upper Town, the Crescent is an impressive sight, with lovely views across the city.

The below picture from 1829 is from the Bath In Time website, which provides image archives of Bath throughout the ages.

In Jane Austen’s days, the Crescent provided luxurious lodgings to Bath’s aristocratic elite who came in to take waters and to enjoy the pleasures of the “season”. People would go to the Crescent for an afternoon stroll, take in a bit of fresh air and meet other members of the gentry.

Jane Austen mentions the Royal Crescent in Northanger Abbey (Chapter 9).

As soon as divine service was over, the Thorpes and Allens eagerly joined each other; and… they hastened away to the Crescent, to breathe the fresh air of better company.

Mrs Allen tells Catherine that she met with Mrs Thorpe and “We walked along the Crescent together for half an hour.” “We agreed to take a turn in the Crescent, and there we met Mrs. Hughes, and Mr. and Miss Tilney walking with her.”

It appears that meeting people was an integral part of an afternoon stroll by the Crescent. In 1801, Jane writes to Cassandra, “On Sunday we went to church twice, & after evening service walked a little in the Crescent fields, but found it too cold to stay long.” In 1805 she writes, “We did not walk long in the Crescent yesterday, it was hot & not crouded enough; so we went into the field & passed close by Stephen Terry & Miss Seymer again”.

From: http://bit.ly/bw2R1O

The Museum is the first house on the right. The Georgian town house has been restored to its former glory and a tour of it creates a vivid picture of Georgian lifestyle. The house has been furnished in a style that a rich family would have preferred; richly decorated rooms with heavy draping, grand paintings, authentic china, textiles and furniture.

The drawing room, dining room, bedroom and study were interesting and had plenty of detail. The guides to the rooms were knowledgeable, with plenty of stories to share! The downstairs kitchen was a fascinating place to visit. It was well stocked with period gadgets, bake moulds, pots and pans… such a working kitchen that I could almost imagine myself rolling up my sleeves and starting to cook there and then!

Jane Austen herself did not live in a grand house like this, but will have been familiar with many similar houses on her visits to friends and family. For anyone interested in the Georgian lifestyle, I would warmly recommend a visit to No 1!

Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the museum, but you can see some photographs and further information on the museum at their website here.

References:
Jones, V. (2004). Selected Letters by Jane Austen. OUP.

Elizabeth Gaskell and Jane Austen

2010-10-02T11:28:00.000+05:30

From: http://bit.ly/adyzh1 From: http://bit.ly/aK498V

Thanks to the recent flow of articles on Elizabeth Gaskell to mark her bicentenary, I was inspired to explore the links between Austen and Gaskell.

Although Elizabeth Gaskell lived and wrote some 40-50 years after Jane Austen, Austen’s influence can clearly be seen in her writing. In the 1860’s, Austen’s novels were being republished and were perhaps more popular than ever. It would not be surprising if Gaskell herself followed Austen’s style, or if her books were compared to those of Austen.

It is not difficult to find similarities between both writers. Both authors captured English country life proficiently. They both lead a quiet life in a country parish, surrounded by clergymen; Jane Austen’s father and two brothers were clergymen, while Gaskell was married to one. With their limited experiences, they both describe the milieu and society of small country towns and villages vividly with immense imagination.

Girls blinded by pride and prejudice.

Margaret From: http://bit.ly/bMOpRu Lizzie From: http://bit.ly/d0MAJs

Both authors manage to capture a wealth of characters and portray their personalities through lively dialogue. Gaskell’s Cranford with its country spinsters reminds you of Austen’s Highbury in Emma – in both novels, we meet the typical gossiping, conspiring, yet kind and charitable personalities. Like Austen, Gaskell has an array of lively female characters, who are brought to life through excellent dialogue and witty repartee. Margaret, Gaskell’s strong, dynamic female character in North and South, is not a far apart from Pride and Prejudice’s Elizabeth in attitude and intelligence – and in her prejudice of the Northern industrialist, John Thornton.

As noted by Janine Barchas in her article, both authors selected a very similar, limited array of first names for their heroes and heroines. Like Austen, Gaskell has chosen names very typical of the period: Fanny, Margaret, Frederick, Susan, Henry and John.

Austen’s rural idyll.

While Austen chose places, imaginary and real, situated in Southern England, where she grew up, Gaskell’s stories take place in the North -compare Austen’s rural Devon, Hertfordshire and Surrey to Gaskell’s native Cheshire. This is where we come to the major differences between the writers. English country life, as Austen describes it, was still agricultural and idyllic. By Gaskell’s time, the emergence of railways and industrialism had changed the scenery, and people had had their taste of excessive realism, which entered the world of literature and the arts.

Manchester as Gaskell knew it. From: http://bit.ly/dzB03S

Compared to Gaskell, Jane Austen’s world view was still limited and narrow. Being a single woman, she always writes from a female point of view, and there is no scene in her books in which no woman is present. In comparison, Gaskell’s social sphere was larger, she was married with children, she had travelled more and seen more. Manchester, where she lived for a long time, was at the heart of the industrial revolution, and perhaps through her charitable work, she was aware of the disadvantages and grievances experienced by the laboured class of the time.

While Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters and Cranford remind you of Austen’s novels, North and South and Ruth are somewhat closer in style and content to fellow Victorian writers, such as Dickens, Bronte and Hardy. They describe hardships, illness and emotions with pathos, from a drastically different perspective. They are concerned with themes, such as feminism, social reform and workers’ rights well ahead of many other authors.

Gaskell, as an author, had a social consciousness and, through her literature as well as through her charity, she wanted to make the world a better place. As opposed to Austen, who describes her immediate society from her personal experience, Gaskell deals with the society at large.

Jane Austen wrote from her limited experience and famously declared to the Prince Regent’s librarian, Rev. Clarke, to be “the most unlearned and uninformed female who ever dared to be an authoress.” Austen has been criticised for being too shallow in her approach, and writing from a tiny microcosm of society. However, the difference lies in focus; while Gaskell is clearly a social novelist, Austen goes deeper in her dealing with the human nature and its foibles. Through her sense of irony and witty dialogue, she explores the manners and morals of people and produces a wealth of timeless characters, who are still realistic and relevant in our society.

Whose literature you prefer, is clearly a matter of taste – do you prefer to read about the society at large, or about the human being as a member of a microcosm of the society?

In conclusion, I think that both the authors are brilliant and both deserve to be appreciated as classic authors of English literature. My choice would still be Austen – I can read her books again and again and still learn new things that I didn’t notice before.

This article is but a scratch on the surface of the link between Gaskell and Austen, but you can study this topic in more detail through the following fascinating articles on the life and works of Gaskell:

Jane Austen in Vermont: Elizabeth Gaskell Bicentenary Blog Tour: Your Gaskell Library

Jane Austen’s World: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810-1865): A Short Description of Her Life and Career

London Calling: 84, Plymouth Grove

Not to forget this detailed and interesting article:

The Free Library: Mrs. Gaskell's North and South: Austen's early legacy.

What did Jane Austen look like?

2010-09-26T23:03:00.000+05:30

All Janeites, I’m sure, wonder what their favourite author looked like. We have a strong idea of how George Eliot, Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy looked, based on the professional portraits and photographs that we have seen; however, to our knowledge, Jane Austen never had a formal portrait made. No doubt, this is because she never became a notable author in her lifetime and her family perhaps never expected her to rise to great fame.

From http://bit.ly/bXEtHa

The most reliable source that we are all familiar with, is the tiny pencil and watercolour sketch (above) made by Cassandra Austen, Jane’s sister, when Jane was around 35 years old. The portrait can be seen in Room 18 of the Romantics Gallery, in London’s National Portrait Gallery.

Although Cassandra was an accomplished artist, she was not a professional and the portrait has a rather unfinished look to it. While the portrait does display some of the Austen family features, Jane’s family members weren’t entirely happy with it. Years later, Jane’s niece, Anna Lefroy, claimed that the portrait was “hideously unlike”. Jane’s other nephews and nieces have the portrait only “very guarded and qualified approval…perhaps it gave some idea of the truth.”

The portrait shows us that Jane had round, rosy cheeks, a long, pointed nose, large, hazel eyes and dark brown curls around her face, corresponding to the description of her by Jane’s niece, Caroline: “Her face was rather round than long – she had a bright, but not a pink colour – a clear brown complexion and very good hazle eyes… Her hair, a darkish brown, curled naturally – it was in short curls round her face…She always wore a cap.”

From: http://bit.ly/aK498V

The portrait above is, perhaps, the most common one by which Jane is known all across the world. The engraving was commissioned by Jane’s nephew, James Edward Austen-Leigh, for his book, “A Memoir of Jane Austen”, in 1870. The Victorian engraving by Lizars is based on Cassandra’s sketch, but it shows a Jane with slightly different features. In the second version, Jane even wears a wedding ring! One does wonder what Austen-Leigh thought about the portrait, having met Jane when he was a child.

From: http://bit.ly/cfxCFQ

The second most reliable source, though disappointing, is a watercolour sketch of Jane painted by Cassandra (above), showing her from behind. This was painted when Jane was 29, and Anna Lefroy referred to it as “a sketch which Aunt Cassandra made of her in one of their expeditions – sitting down out of doors on a hot day with her bonnet strings untied.”

From this portrait we can only gather that Jane probably had a good posture and wore pastel-coloured gowns with bonnets, which were in fashion in her time.

From: http://bit.ly/cxwpJ3

There is a silhouette, which is often used to portray Jane Austen (above). It was found pasted in a volume of the second edition of Mansfield Park in 1944 and had the handwritten inscription ‘L’aimable Jane’. Now why would someone put a silhoutte of someone called Jane inside a Jane Austen novel, if it wasn’t of Jane Austen herself?

Think what you will, I find this inadequate evidence and would be very cautious of using the silhouette as a true portrait of Jane Austen. The silhouette does not correspond to my idea of Jane with a rather long and pointed nose, instead of the slightly upward turning, straight one portrayed here.

From http://bit.ly/apfrVP

The above picture was painted by Reverend James Daniel Clarke, the Prince Regent’s librarian, after Jane visited him in Carlton House, the Prince’s residence, in 1815. The painting was found in Clarke’s friendship book and shows Jane dressed in her finest for the visit. The picture has not been authenticated, but researchers have studied the portrait and found the features matching those in Cassandra’s portrait.

From: http://bit.ly/9dFxx4

The above portrait, known as the Rice portrait, was passed down generations of the Rice family, descendants of Edward Austen Leigh. Family tradition has it that this is a portrait of Jane Austen, but it is not known if it is of THE Jane Austen. I feel this is unlikely, as Jane will not have had a large, formal portrait made of her in her childhood, as there were none of Cassandra or her brothers when they were young.

* * *

In conclusion, we can only be certain that the two portraits painted by Cassandra Austen can be considered authentic images of Jane Austen, but they do not show Jane as the attractive woman that she was described by some to be. We need to rely on descriptions given by people who knew Jane Austen.

When Jane was young, she was described by her neighbour Anne Lefroy’s brother, Sir Egerton Bridges, as being “fair and handsome, slight and elegant, but with cheeks a little too full”. After her death, Jane’s brother Henry described her as follows: “Her stature was that of true elegance. It could not have been increased without exceeding the middle height… Her features were separately good… her complexion was of the finest texture.”

According to Austen-Leigh, "in person she was very attractive; her figure was rather tall and slender, her step light and firm, and her whole appearance expressive of health and animation. In complexion she was a clear brunette with a rich colour; she had full round cheeks, with mouth and nose small and well-formed, bright hazel eyes, and brown hair forming natural curls close round her face."

What we do know for sure is that Jane Austen was slim, and tall by the standards of her time, with a good posture and a light step. She had a brownish complexion and good skin, and dark brown hair, which curled around her face. Her face was round, and she had full cheeks. She had hazel eyes and looking at family features, probably a long, pointed nose and a small, straight mouth. From her late twenties onwards, she always wore a cap.

Did she look like the lady painted by forensic artist, Melissa Dring, for the Jane Austen Centre (above), who looked at Jane’s authentic portrait and tried to bring out the humour and sparkle in Jane’s eyes? Or did she indeed look old before her time, with a scowl on her face, as her portrait shows?

We can only imagine Jane with our minds’ eyes and paint our own portrait, using our imagination.

References:

Austen-Leigh, J-E. (2002). A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections. Oxford World Classics.

Laski, M. (1975). Jane Austen. Thames and Hudson.

Nokes, D. (1997). Jane Austen – A Life. UCP.

Tomalin, C. (1997). Jane Austen – A Life. Penguin.

The Jane Austen Companion to Life – Calendar 2011

2010-09-20T22:40:00.001+05:30

Thank you, Internet – I have just received a beautiful wall calendar for next year. The Jane Austen Companion to Life is complete with late 19th Century illustrations from Jane Austen novels, quotes from her books, trivia and excerpts from her personal letters. I also love the pretty pastel-coloured design of the calendar. Bring on 2011!

Austen Keepsakes in a Scrapbook

2010-09-12T19:55:00.001+05:30

Having returned from my UK trip, I suddenly had plenty of Austen-related paraphernalia with me: postcards, brochures, entrance tickets etc. I decided to keep these things and store them in a tiny scrapbook, which I could browse whenever I felt like reminiscing all the fascinating places I visited.

I purchased this postcard at the National Portrait Gallery, where I had the chance to see the one and only certain life portrait of Jane Austen, sketched by Cassandra Austen. The portrait was stored in a glass case in Room 18 of the Romantics Gallery, and I was surprised to see how tiny the portrait really was – the postcard is, in fact, larger than the portrait itself! It is a pencil sketch with light colouring on and around the face, appearing somewhat incomplete.

On the next page, I stuck two brochure cut-outs of other Austen portraits. The one on the left is a silhouette that was discovered in an early edition of Pride and Prejudice. Behind the silhouette were the words ‘L’aimable Jane’, convincing some that this was indeed a silhouette of Jane Austen. The picture on the right is an engraving of the original portrait by Cassandra Austen – pretty but with a slightly different look on Jane’s face.

I purchased this lovely postcard at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. It displays the various places in Hampshire that Jane lived in and visited.

On the next page, I stuck a helpful brochure for a Jane Austen trail in Alton and Chawton, provided by Alton Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I used this as a guide on my trip to Chawton and Alton.

The next page has pictures of Hampshire: Steventon Church, which I’m sorry to have missed on my trip, and Chawton. There is also a small introduction to the Jane Austen Exhibition, which I saw at Winchester Cathedral. I like the sentence at the top of the brochure: ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a visitor to Hampshire must be in search of an appreciation of Jane Austen’!

These pictures are of the various rooms in Jane Austen’s House at Chawton (from the museum brochure) and my entrance ticket to the museum.

This rather crumpled-up cut-out from a brochure, which I received at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, shows the Austen family tree.

I bought this crowded, yet informative postcard at the Jane Austen Centre, displaying the different places that Jane Austen stayed in and where the characters of her novels venture out in Bath.

The next page is dedicated to Bath, with my entrance tickets to the Georgian House Museum and the Fashion Museum/Assembly Rooms.

Jane Austen’s iconic writing desk deserved to have a page of its own.

This postcard from the Jane Austen Centre is of a letter sent by Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra – her friend and confidante. Jane sent this letter from Queen Square and in it she describes how pleased she is with their lodgings, as opposed to their earlier rooms at the Paragon. It is amazing, as always, to read her handwriting, which is as stable as print and a piece of art by itself.

Finally, the below cut-out from the Jane Austen Centre brochure displays the chronology of Jane Austen’s life, from her parents’ marriage to the posthumous publication of her books.

Have you made similar scrapbooks of your trips?

Following Jane’s Last Journey

2010-08-26T22:06:00.001+05:30

In 1816, when Jane Austen was 41, her health was becoming weaker and friends noticed a change in her. She suffered from fever and weakness, and was becoming more serious. Although she was very courageous, she must have been aware of the gravity of her situation, as in March, she made her will.

Jane was being treated by the Alton Apothecary, William Curtis, who called in a surgeon from Winchester, Mr Gyles King Lyford. As Jane was improving under his care, it was decided that Jane would travel to Winchester to be under his treatment.

Winchester was a convenient spot for me to travel to Chawton, and before heading off to Chawton by bus, I spent some time exploring the place where Jane breathed her last.

Winchester is a compact town to walk around, and has retained plenty of its traditional architecture. Walking down the quieter streets of Winchester, one could equally well be in the 19th Century if it wasn’t for the cars.

Most of the roads were narrow and winding, and the houses were a blend of the Georgian and the Victorian.

The house where Jane lived the last days of her life was in College Street, right behind the walls of Winchester Cathedral. It’s a quiet street, very much unchanged since the 19th Century.

The house in 8, College Street, remains on the facade as it was in Jane’s lifetime. She wrote, ‘Our lodgings are very comfortable. We have a neat little drawing room with a bow window overlooking Dr Gabell’s Garden.’

The view from Jane’s lodgings:

It was here that Jane lived, probably watching the cathedral that she admired very much. She would go out in a sedan chair, optimistic that she would be shifted to a wheelchair in the summer. However, as there was no knowledge of her disease at the time – now often referred to as Addison’s disease – there wasn’t much that Dr Lyford could have done.

On the morning of July 18th, 1817, Jane passed away in Cassandra’s arms. From the bow-shaped windows, Cassandra watched as her sister’s funeral hearse went past towards the Cathedral, where Jane was to be buried.

From College Street, I turned right to Kingsgate, which leads you to Winchester Cathedral.

In front of Winchester Cathedral.

Jane is buried in the north aisle of the church. The verses written on her grave, perhaps by her brother Henry, are beautiful, describing her as a person – however, there is no mention of her being an authoress.

It was comforting to know that Jane was buried in a place that she admired so very much. It did cross my mind, though, that perhaps she would have preferred to have been buried in Steventon – her birthplace, which she loved dearly.

At the time of my visit, there was an exhibition dedicated to Jane Austen’s life in the Cathedral. There was also a small set of Jane Austen memorabilia in the City Museum. Therefore I would say that Winchester was well worth a visit.

References: Edwards, A-M. (1991). In the Steps of Jane Austen – Walking Tours of Austen’s England. Wisconsin: Jones Books.

A Peek of the Abbey School

2010-08-26T22:00:00.000+05:30

I recently made a short trip to Reading. Why? It’s not the most fascinating city as such – especially to someone as interested in history as I am – but it does have one attraction that was on my list: the Abbey Gateway where Jane Austen went to school.

I wanted to get a glimpse of the building where Jane lived at around the age of 10. This was the second time that Jane went to school, and it was to be her last – the education provided at home turned out to be more useful for Jane and her sister Cassandra than that provided at the Abbey School.

Picture from http://bit.ly/9ScrYf

The school was kept by a Mrs Latournelle, who had a somewhat casual approach to education. Unlike the boys, who would spend hours cramming the classics, girls would study for an hour each morning and were free for the rest of the day. They were mainly taught accomplishments, such as dancing, drawing, French and needlework – subjects considered to be useful for girls who would never enter academics. Jane’s stint at the Abbey School ended at the age of 11, after just 18 months there, and she would never again receive formal education.

The Abbey School was situated in the Abbey Gateway, which was one of the many entrances to the medieval monastery. The monastery is now a ruin, but the Gateway has been heavily restored.

To reach the Gateway, I walked through the town centre to Forbury Gardens. The gardens are lovely and there is a small, quaint church, St James’s Church, on the other side. The gardens didn’t exist in Jane Austen’s days, when the area must have been covered by grassland and trees.

As I walked through the gardens, I could see the Abbey Gateway on the right hand side, right opposite the garden gates. It was in very good condition, yet it looked typically gothic, with the arched windows, towers and such. The abbey ruins themselves must have given Jane some inspiration for Northanger Abbey later in life!

As you can see, the surrounding buildings were a much more modern mixture of architecture. You really have to use your imagination to picture the milieu as it was in the old painting with stone walls and trees.

The building looked quite small, and most of the lessons did take place in a building next to the Gateway. Unfortunately the Gateway is being restored and is currently not open to visitors, so there was no chance to see the interiors of the building. Perhaps next time?

Visiting Jane in Bath

2010-08-20T21:08:00.001+05:30

On my second day in Bath, I continued my walking tour with my book.

I had the chance to see the Upper Rooms – Assembly Rooms – in Alfred Street where Jane Austen would dance and socialise in the fashionable style of the late 18th century.

The building now houses a small Fashion Museum, which is interesting to see, but visitors are also allowed to enter the ball rooms.

Here’s a view towards the hallway from the entrance:

I could only imagine the hustle and bustle of people leaving their carriages, walking in, removing their pelisses and changing their shoes, while greeting and being introduced to old and new friends.

Jane danced in the Great Ballroom (below). The room, designed by John Wood the younger, is beautiful, with five huge sparkling crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

Here, on a busy night, the only thing that Catherine Morland and Mrs Allen (Northanger Abbey) were able to see were the feathers of the ladies’ headdresses. It must have been hot, with fires on in the fancy fireplaces.

Music would be playing from the elegant curved balcony.

In the Octagon Room, gentlemen would play cards and lose fortunes.

In between dances, people would retire to the Tea Room for some refreshments.

After seeing the Assembly Rooms, I headed towards Bath’s hottest property – Royal Crescent - a short walk away. This is where people would go for a stroll and socialise with fine society.

At No 1. Royal Crescent, there is a very interesting Georgian house museum, where you can learn about the lifestyle in Jane’s times. The guides at the museum were very helpful and knowledgeable.

From here, I walked towards Pulteney Bridge. The old Bridge is large and sturdy and houses many shops.

I crossed the river and entered Pulteney Street.

These classical terraces are where, in Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland and the Allens have lodgings.

At the end of the street, there is a museum, which was a hotel in Jane’s days. The museum is situated in Sydney Gardens, which used to be a popular place for amusements. Jane saw a maze here and attended public breakfasts, musical evenings and fireworks in the gardens.

I turned to Sydney Place, which was the first place where Jane lived when the Austen family moved to Bath. Number 4 is a simple terraced house, which used to have lovely views over the gardens.

Jane lived here for 4 years and during this time, she revised Susan (later Northanger Abbey). She also started a new novel called The Watsons, which she never finished, perhaps feeling uninspired, as she was unhappy in Bath.

The current residents seem to have a sense of humour, as they have installed a cardboard life-size figure of Jane Austen behind the window, waving at all the dozens of curious tourists (myself included) that come and see the house.

I left Sydney Place and walked back to the city centre. I went to Gay Street (where I visited the Jane Austen Centre on the day before) to see Number 25. This is where Jane and her mother lived for a few months in 1805.

The family also resided in nearby Trim Street for some time.

As Jane’s father’s health deteriorated, the Austens moved to Charles Place, to be close to the Pump Rooms. It was in Bath that Mr Austen passed away.

To finish my walking tour of Bath, I walked uphill towards Belvedere. I walked down to Hedgemead Gardens, from where I had a beautiful view of Walcot Church, where Jane’s parents were married, and where her father is buried.

Although Jane grieved her father’s death, she must have been relieved to leave Bath, where she never felt at home. She was, after all, a country girl with a country girl’s values.

References: Edwards, A-M. (1991). In the Steps of Jane Austen – Walking Tours of Austen’s England. Wisconsin: Jones Books.