Category: Pastimes

Ep59: The Thing about the Bath Assembly Rooms

1/21/2023

Catherine Morland has arrived in Bath, and she is ready to be introduced to a man with a keen knowledge of muslin. This episode we explore both the Upper and Lower Assembly Rooms, including breaking down the role of the Master of Ceremonies, aka Bath's best matchmaker.

Selected Sources

Berg, Maxine. Luxury and Pleasure in Eighteenth-Century Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.
Byrne, Paula. “‘The Unmeaning Luxuries of Bath’: Urban Pleasures in Jane Austen’s World.” Persuasions 26 (2004): 13–26.
Chambers, Ephraim. Cyclopedia: Or, an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. Vol. 1. London, 1728.
Kingsbury, Pamela D. “Assembly Rooms.” In Oxford Art Online, by Pamela D. Kingsbury. Oxford University Press, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T004633.
Lane, Maggie. A Charming Place: Bath in the Life and Times of Jane Austen. Bath: Millstream Books, 1988.
New Bath Guide or Useful Pocket Companion for All Persons Residing at or Resorting to This Ancient City. Bath: R. Cruttwell, 1791. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_New_Bath_Guide_Or_Useful_Pocket_Comp/y65ayAEACAAJ?hl=en.
Stabler, Jane. “Cities.” In Jane Austen in Context, edited by Janet Todd, 204–14. Cambridge University Press, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316036525.020.
Thompson, Allison. “The Rules of the Assembly: Dancing at Bath and Other Spas in the Eighteenth Century.” Persuasions On-Line 31, no. 1 (2010). https://www.jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol31no1/thompson.html.

Ep58: The Thing About Sir John's Club

1/18/2023

Boodle's and Brooks's and White's, oh my! Gentlemen's clubs were a large part of the elite social landscape in Austen's time, and we're here to give you a look inside these exclusive gatherings.
If you have ever wanted to be in the room where it happens, this episode is for you.

Select Sources

Capdeville, Valérie. “The Ambivalent Identity of Eighteenth-Century London Clubs as a Prelude to Victorian Clublife.” Cahiers Victoriens et Édouardiens, no. 81 Printemps (September 6, 2015). https://doi.org/10.4000/cve.1976.
Heath, Sidney. Exeter. London: Blackie and Son Limited, 1912. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/24635/24635-h/24635-h.htm.
Marsh, Charles. The Clubs of London; With Anecdotes of Their Members, Sketches of Character, and Conversations. Vol. 1. London: Henry Colburn, 1828.
Milne-Smith, Amy. “Coffeehouses to Clubhouses: Understanding the Gentlemen’s Clubs of London.” In London Clubland, by Amy Milne-Smith, 17–34. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137002082_2 .
Morrison, Robert. The Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Bryon Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern. New York: Norton, 2019.
Murray, Venetia. An Elegant Madness: High Society in Regency England. New York: Viking, 1999.
Rendell, Jane. The Pursuit of Pleasure: Gender, Space & Architecture in Regency London. London: Athlone Press, 2002.
Tomalin, Claire. Jane Austen: A Life. London: Viking, 1997.

Ep48: The Thing About the Meryton Assembly

8/30/2022

It's dancing time! This week we are covering the origins of public assemblies before taking a look at the Meryton assembly scene in Pride and Prejudice. If you have ever wished your bestie would just let you sit one out, this episode is for you.

Select Sources:

Castelow, Ellen. “Assembly Rooms.” Historic UK. Accessed August 7, 2022. https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Assembly-Rooms/.
Chamber, Ephriam. Cyclopedia: Or, an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. London, 1728.
Girouard, Mark. The English Town: A History of Urban Life. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1990. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_English_Town/ny2HA2-ZHpEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=assemblies.
Kingsbury, Pamela D. “Assembly Rooms.” In Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T004633.
Ray, Joan Klingel. “Do Elizabeth and Darcy Really Improve ‘on Acquaintance’?” Persuasions 35 (2013): 34–49.
Richardson, Kristen. The Season: A Social History of the Debutante. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2020. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Season_A_Social_History_of_the_Debut/WPuKDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.

Ep36: The Thing About Regency Theatre with Guest Lauren Wethers

4/28/2022

Raise the curtain! Guest Lauren Wethers is here this week to provide us with an introduction to attending the theatre in Austen's time. We also chat a bit about Bridgerton, so mild spoiler warnings for season one. If you have ever wanted to be on stage, this episode is for you.

Thank you so much to Lauren for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Twitter @LaurenWethers. You can learn more about the Reclaiming Jane podcast at www.ReclaimingJanePod.com and follow them on Twitter and Instagram @ReclaimingJane.

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.

EP26: The Thing About Fanny's Stargazing

2/3/2022

Pack your telescope and grab your star charts! This episode we're headed to a very specific location at Mansfield Park to examine Fanny's foray into celestial poetry.

If you have ever wished upon a star, this episode is for you.

Bonus Nerdery: If you are at all interested in looking at star charts for the times, dates, and locations that we discuss in the episode, here are a few resources.

Sunrise and Sunset calculator for England: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=136&month=8&year=1811&obj=sun&afl=-13&day=1
Horizon Views of Stars for any date and time: http://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/#Horizon

Selected Episode Sources

“Boötes | April 1-7.” Star Gazers. South Florida PBS, March 27, 2019. https://www.stargazersonline.org/episodes/.
Cammack, Susanne S. “Fanny Price’s Social Cartography in Mansfield Park.” Nineteenth Century Studies 29 (2016): 37–52.
Jane Austen Centre. “A Visit to Stoneleigh Abbey.” Accessed February 3, 2022. https://janeausten.co.uk/blogs/landscape-and-property/a-visit-to-stoneleigh-abbey.
Lane, Maggie. “Star-Gazing with Fanny Price.” Persuasions 28 (2006): 150–65.
Roberts, Ken. “Jane Austen and Stargazing.” Logic, Astronomy, Science, and Ideas Too (blog), January 30, 2014. https://lasi2.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/jane-austen-and-stargazing/.
Zook, Alma C. “Star-Gazing at Mansfield Park.” Persuasion 8 (1986): 29–33.

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.

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.

EP16: The Thing About Harriet's Riddle Book with guest Dr. Lynn Festa

10/24/2021

There's this very cool trend called acrostic and chill, and we're here to tell you all about it. This episode we're diving into Emma and taking a look at Harriet's riddle book with our guest, Dr. Lynn Festa. Will we uncover any salacious tidbits? Let's just say that Mr. Woodhouse might know a dirty joke or two. Consider yourself warned. Thank you so much to Lynn for joining us for this episode!

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