Category: Mr. Darcy

Ep79: The Thing About the Late Mr. Darcy's Steward

11/16/2023

Overrun with moles? Worried about this year's crop yields? Thinking about conducting a comprehensive estate survey? We know exactly who you should call. This episode we cover the profession of estate steward as it existed in Austen's time and get into the many (seriously, many) responsibilities that the job entailed.

Selected Sources

Adams, Samuel, and Sarah Adams. The Complete Servant: Being a Practical Guide to the Peculiar Duties and Business of All Descriptions of Servants ... with Useful Receipts and Tables. London: Knight and Lacey, 1825.
Cortese, Beth. “Home Economics: Female Estate Managers in Long Eighteenth-Century Fiction and Society.” In At Home in the Eighteenth Century, by Stephen G. Hague and Karen Lipsedge, 126–46. New York: Routledge, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429297267-6.
Hainsworth, D. R. “The Estate Steward.” In The Professions in Early Modern England, edited by Wilfrid Prest. Taylor & Francis, 1987.
———. “The Rise of the Estate Steward.” In Stewards, Lords and People: The Estate Steward and His World in Later Stuart England, 6–20. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511983412.
Hey, David, ed. “Steward.” In The Oxford Companion to Local and Family History. Oxford University Press, 2009. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199532988.001.0001/acref-9780199532988-e-1735.
Houston, R. A. “Stewards and Other Estate Officials.” In Peasant Petitions: Social Relations and Economic Life on Landed Estates, 1600-1850, by R. A. Houston, 37–47. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137394095_4.
Shields, Sarah. “‘An Old Maid in a House Is the Devil’: Single Women and Landed Estate Management in Eighteenth‐Century England.” Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies 44, no. 4 (December 2021): 423–38. https://doi.org/10.1111/1754-0208.12807.

Ep67: The Thing About Darcy's First Proposal with Meredith Ammons

5/16/2023

This episode we're joined by Meredith Ammons to break down the first proposal of one Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. We also get into the letter that follows and discuss the ways that this critical interaction between Darcy and Elizabeth sets up the second half of Pride and Prejudice. If you have ever wished for a do-over, this episode is for you.
Thank you so much to Meredith for joining us for this episode! You can learn more about Meredith and her work at www.meredithammons.com. You can learn more about the Jane Austen Summer Program at www.janeaustensummer.org.

EP21: The Thing About Christmas at Pemberley

12/15/2021

You have been cordially invited to Christmas at Pemberley! The Darcys have welcomed us to their home for the festive season, and we are here to walk you through the experience. If you have ever reached your hand into a flaming bowl of raisins, this episode is for you.

Selected episode sources

Brown, Ellen F. “A Brief History of the Holiday Card.” JSTOR Daily, December 20, 2015. https://daily.jstor.org/history-christmas-card-holiday-card/.
Davidson, Hilary. “A Jane Austen Christmas.” Yale University Press London Blog (blog), December 11, 2019. https://yalebooksblog.co.uk/2019/12/11/jane-austen-christmas/.
Gannon, John. “Fowl Play: Why A Christmas Carol Meant Our Goose Was Cooked.” The Conversation. Accessed January 28, 2022. http://theconversation.com/fowl-play-why-a-christmas-carol-meant-our-goose-was-cooked-35613.
Gaunt, Peter. “An Expert Explains… The Myth That Cromwell Abolished Christmas.” University of Chester, December 13, 2018. https://www1.chester.ac.uk/news/expert-explains%E2%80%A6-myth-cromwell-abolished-christmas.
Girouard, Mark. Life in the English Country House: A Social and Architectural History. New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Press, 1994.
Mortimer, Ian. Time Traveller’s Guide to Regency Britain. London: Bodley Head, 2021.
Vogler, Pen. Dinner with Mr Darcy: Recipes Inspired by the Novels and Letters of Jane Austen. London: Cico Books, 2020.

EP06: The Thing About Darcy's Pen

10/3/2021

This week we come to you live from Caroline Bingley's Pen Mending Emporium, where all your pens will be mended with utmost care and attention to detail. At least if your name is Fitzwilliam Darcy, that is. If you ever attempted to flirt over office supplies, this episode is for you. And for the extra observant listener — we had a bit of a technical difficulty, so The Thing About Rushworth's Divorce had to be postponed. Coming soon!

Selected Sources:
Blake, Erin. “Uncut, Unopened, Untrimmed, Uh-Oh.” Blog. The Collation, August 23, 2016. https://collation.folger.edu/2016/08/uncut-unopened-untrimmed-uh-oh/.
Jane Austen Centre. “Cutting a Quill Pen.” Accessed January 28, 2022. https://janeausten.co.uk/blogs/hands-on-crafts/cutting-a-quill-pen.
Hurford, Robert. “Handwriting in the Time of Jane Austen.” Persuasions On-Line 30, no. 1 (2009). https://jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol30no1/hurford.html.

EP01: The Thing About Mr. Darcy's Portrait

10/3/2021

We're diving deep into the pivotal moment in Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth gazes upon Darcy's portrait at Pemberley. And what a moment it is. If you've ever spent an evening scrolling through Instagram photos of your crush or had an awkward encounter with an ex, this episode is for you.

Episodes

Ep79: The Thing About the Late Mr. Darcy's Steward

Ep67: The Thing About Darcy's First Proposal with Meredith Ammons

EP21: The Thing About Christmas at Pemberley

EP06: The Thing About Darcy's Pen

EP01: The Thing About Mr. Darcy's Portrait

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