Category: Catherine Morland

EP85: The Thing About Henry's Great Coat

3/13/2024

If Catherine is now riding with Henry after stopping at Petty-France for two hours and there are X number of capes on Henry's great coat and Y number of inches separating Catherine from Henry in the curricle (and WOW does Henry's hat sit so well), exactly how blissfully happy is Catherine in this moment?
The answer is innumerable, friends.

Selected Sources

Cunnington, C. Willett, and Philis Cunnington. Handbook of English Costume in the Nineteenth Century. 3rd ed. Boston: Plays, Inc, 1971. http://archive.org/details/handbookofenglis0000cunn.
Davidson, Hilary. Dress in the Age of Jane Austen: Regency Fashion. New Haven ; London: Yale University Press, 2019.
Derry, Stephen. “Freud, The Gothic, and Coat Symbolism in Northanger Abbey.” Persuasions 18 (1996): 48–53.
Henderson, Robert. “‘Not Merely an Article of Comfort’: British Infantry Greatcoats During the War of 1812.” Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research 75, no. 301 (1997): 23–36.
Le Bourhis, Katell , ed. The Age of Napoleon: Costume from Revolution to Empire, 1789-1815. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989.
Somerset, Henry Charles FitzRoy. Driving. London: Longmans, Green, 1889.
Waugh, Norah. The Cut of Men’s Clothes: 1600-1900. Reissued. New York: Routledge, 1987.

EP80: The Thing About the Pump-Room

11/30/2023

There's nothing like a refreshing drink of mineral water under the watchful gaze of Beau Nash to get your day off to the right start. This episode we're headed to the pump-room in Bath to partake of the finest water on offer. And we promise that we actually do wash our glasses. Please exit on the left, and don't forget to tip your pumper.

Also, we have merch! Check out www.redbubble.com/people/aboutausten/shop to see the current offerings.

Selected Source

Eighteenth-Century Political Participation & Electoral Culture. “Bath: Constituency (Borough).” ECPPEC. Accessed November 18, 2023. ecppec.ncl.ac.uk/case-study-constituencies/bath/.
Haddon, John. Bath. London: Batsford, 1973.
Historic England. “Grand Pump Room, Non Civil Parish - 1394019.” Accessed November 18, 2023. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1394019.
Lane, Maggie. A Charming Place: Bath in the Life and Times of Jane Austen. Bath: Millstream Books, 1988.
———. Jane Austen’s England. London: Hale, 1996.
Lynch, Deidre. “Notes.” In Persuasion, by Jane Austen, edited by James Kinsley. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Murray, Venetia. An Elegant Madness: High Society in Regency England. New York: Penguin, 2000.
Nicolson, Nigel. The World of Jane Austen. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1991.
Savage, J. The Original Bath Guide, Considerably Enlarged and Improved, Comprehending Every Species of Information That Can Be Required by the Visitor and Inhabitant, Etc. J. Savage; Meyler & Son, 1811.
The Historic & Local New Bath Guide: Forming a Complete Pocket History of Bath (with a Map). J. Browne, 1802.
The Improved Bath Guide; Or, Picture of Bath and Its Environs. Wood & Cunningham, 1809.
Thicknesse, Philip. The Valetudinarians Bath Guide: Or, the Means of Obtaining Long Life and Health. 2nd ed. London: Dodsley, Brown, Pratt, and Clinch, 1780.

Ep78: The Thing About Catherine and Isabella's Horrid Novels with guest Dr. Hannah Doherty Hudson

10/30/2023

Catherine and Isabella are forming a very specific book club, and we've been given a sneak peek at their reading list. This episode we are joined by Dr. Hannah Doherty Hudson as we delve into the terrifying pages of the Minerva Press and uncover the many chilling secrets hidden within the so-called "horrid novels." If you have ever wished for more dramatic storytelling in your book marketing, this episode is for you.
Thank you so much to Hannah for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Twitter, Bluesky, and Mastodon by searching for Hannah Doherty Hudson, and you can sign up for her Ask a Georgian Magazine Substack at https://hannahdohertyhudson.substack.com/

Ep68: The Thing About Catherine's Love of Hyacinths

5/31/2023

Catherine has finally arrived at Northanger Abbey, and she and Henry are engaging in a bit of botanical discourse. This episode we dig into some horticultural history and try to get to the root of Catherine and Henry's chat about hyacinths.

Selected Sources

Edgeworth, Maria. Early Lessons: In Two Volumes. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. London: R. Hunter, 1803. https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/Stg_AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.
Hanson, Kristan M. “Plant of the Month: Hyacinth.” JSTOR Daily, March 30, 2022. https://daily.jstor.org/plant-of-the-month-hyacinth/.
Lynch, Diedre. “‘Young Ladies Are Delicate Plants’: Jane Austen and Greenhouse Romanticism.” LHH 77, no. 3 (2010): 689–729.
McMaster, Juliet. “‘A Surmise of Such Horror’: Catherine Morland’s Imagination.” Persuasions 32 (2010): 15–27.
Nakagawa, Tomoko. “Roses, Hyacinths, and Pineapples: Historical and Ecocritical Concerns in Northanger Abbey and The Mysteries of Udolpho.” Persuasions 41 (January 1, 2019): 138–49.
Roberts, W. “The Voorhelms of Haarlem.” Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society 60, no. 3 (1935): 199–208.
Voorhelm, George. A Treatise on the Hyacinth, Containing the Manner of Cultivating That Flower. Bartholomew Rocque, 1753. https://books.google.com/books?id=04xxMwAACAAJ.
Wenner, Barbara Britton. “‘I Have Just Learnt to Love a Hyacinth’: Jane Austen’s Heroines in Their Novelistic Landscape.” Persuasions 24 (2002).

Ep65: The Thing About Mrs. Allen's Muslin with guest Dr. Hilary Davidson

4/12/2023

Henry Tilney is discussing muslin with Mrs. Allen and Catherine Morland, and the ladies are impressed. This episode we're joined by fashion historian Dr. Hilary Davidson for an examination of muslin as both a textile and a fashion statement in Austen's time. There's also some busting of popular Regency fashion myths. If you have ever lost sleep worrying over your sartorial choices, this episode is for you.

Thank you so much to Hilary for joining us for this episode! You can learn more about Hilary and her work at http://www.hilarydavidson.net and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @FourRedShoes.

Ep37: The Thing About Petty-France

5/5/2022

If General Tilney's chaise leaves Bath at 10 am and Henry's curricle also leaves Bath at 10 am and there are x postilions and y outriders and Catherine really, really, really just wants to get to the abbey, how many capes are on Henry's greatcoat?

This episode we're all about schedules and mileage (and Henry's greatcoat), as we journey along with Catherine and stopover at Petty-France.

Selected Sources

Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey. Edited by James Kinsley and John Davie. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2008.
Cantrell, Dean. “Yes, There Is a Petty France.” Persuasions 9 (1987): 36.
Jones, Hazel. Jane Austen’s Journeys. London: Hale, 2014.
Lane, Maggie. Jane Austen’s England. London: Hale, 1996.
Le Faye, Deirdre. Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels. London: Frances Lincoln, 2003.
Mogg, Edward. Mogg’s Pocket Itinerary of the Direct and Cross Roads of England and Wales, with Part of the Roads of Scotland. London, 1828.
The Bodkin. “Stay.” Accessed April 30, 2022. https://thebodkin.co.uk/.

EP33: The Thing About Catherine's Love of Baseball

3/31/2022

Take me out to the ball game! This week we're getting sporty as we discuss Catherine Morland's love of baseball. If you have ever imagined a romcom moment for Catherine and Henry involving baseball, this episode is for you.

Selected Sources

Block, David. Baseball Before We Knew It: A Search for the Roots of the Game. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2005.
———. “The Story of William Bray’s Diary.” Medium, September 5, 2013. https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/the-story-of-william-brays-diary-ff56a31de58d.
Citron, Jo Ann. “Running the Basepaths: Baseball and Jane Austen.” The Journal of Narrative Technique 18, no. 3 (1988): 269–77.
Hooper, Simon. “Did Baseball Begin in 18th-Century England?,” CNN, June 9, 2010. http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/06/01/lords.museum.baseball.cricket/.
Miriam Webster. “No, Jane Austen Did Not Invent Baseball.” Accessed March 15, 2022. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/who-invented-the-word-baseball.
Britannica. “Rounders: English Game.” Accessed March 16, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/sports/rounders.
Thorn, John. "The 'Secret History' Of Baseball’s Earliest Days." Interview by Dave Davies. NPR Audio, March 16, 2011. https://www.npr.org/2011/03/16/134570236/the-secret-history-of-baseballs-earliest-days.
Wilson, John. “How Jane Austen Played Baseball.” First Things, March 22, 2019. https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/03/how-jane-austen-played-baseball.

EP28: The Thing About Blaize Castle

2/18/2022

Wave goodbye to Henry and Eleanor Tilney because this week we're headed to Blaize [Blaise] Castle. Except not really, because John Thorpe is a big liar.

If you have ever gone on an ill-advised outing, this episode is for you.

Selected Sources

Alexander, Christine. “The Prospect of Blaise: Landscape and Perception in Northanger Abbey.” Persuasions 21 (1999): 17–31. https://jasna.org/assets/Persuasions/No-21/1e6d94a95c/alexander.pdf
“Blaise Castle - Bristol.” Parks & Gardens. Accessed February 11, 2022. https://www.parksandgardens.org/places/blaise-castle.
“Blaise Castle House Museum.” Bristol Museums. Accessed February 11, 2022. https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/blaise-castle-house-museum/.
“Blaise Castle.” Historic England. Accessed February 11, 2022. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1208115.
Lane, Maggie. “Blaise Castle.” Persuasions 7 (1985): 78–81. https://www.jasna.org/persuasions/printed/number7/lane.html
Wenner, Barbara Britton. Prospect and Refuge in the Landscape of Jane Austen. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2006.

EP23: The Thing About Circulating Libraries

1/20/2022

This episode we cover the history of circulating libraries in the UK with a little help from our Northanger Abbey friends. We also discuss the reputation of novels in Austen's time and offer up at least one excellent hiding place for your most scandalous books. If you have ever hidden your novel behind a decoy dust jacket, this episode is for you.

Selected episode sources

Austen, Jane. Jane Austen’s Letters. Edited by Deirdre Le Faye. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.
Byrne, Paula. The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things. New York: Harper Perennial, 2014.
Erickson, Lee. “The Economy of Novel Reading: Jane Austen and the Circulating Library.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 30, no. 4 (1990): 573. https://doi.org/10.2307/450560.
Jacobs, Edward. “Circulating Libraries.” In The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature. Oxford University Press, 2006. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195169218.001.0001/acref-9780195169218-e-0102.
Nettleton, George Henry. “The Books of Lydia Languish’s Circulating Library.” The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 5, no. 4 (1905): 492–500.

EP17: The Thing About Catherine and the Black Veil

11/20/2021

It's spooky season, so we're headed to Northanger Abbey! This week we investigate the black veil that so fascinates Catherine, and uncover some of the faint-worthy Mysteries of Udolpho. If you have ever stayed up way too late reading a book, this episode is for you.

Selected sources

Castle, Terry. “Introduction.” In The Mysteries of Udolpho, edited by Bonamy Dobrée. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Radcliffe, Ann Ward, and Terry Castle. The Mysteries of Udolpho. Edited by Bonamy Dobrée. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.

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