Blog Posts

Ep50: The Thing About Michaelmas

9/29/2022

Netherfield Park is let at last! Mrs. Bennet has heard that a single man in possession of a good fortune will be moving into the neighborhood by Michaelmas, and she is very excited. This episode we cover the significance of Michaelmas, both as a holiday and as a marker of time in Austen's world.

Selected Sources:

Baublyté Kaufmann, Ruta. “Changing Seasons: The Cyclical and the Linear.” In The Architecture of Space: Time in the Novels of Jane Austen, 19–79. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90011-7.
Johnson, Ben. “Michaelmas.” Historic UK. Accessed September 19, 2022. https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Michaelmas/.
McGarry, Marion. “The Michaelmas Customs Associated with September 29th in Ireland.” RTÉ, August 17, 2021, https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/0926/1078446-september-29th-michaelmas-ireland/.
“Michaelmas Day (Feast of St. Michael and All Angels).” In Salem Press Encyclopedia. Salem Press, November 1, 2018.

Ep49: The Thing About the Bath Paper with guest Barbara Heller

9/24/2022

We are joined this week by guest Barbara Heller to discuss the Bath paper aka the Bath Chronicle. We cover Sir Walter's favorite “Arrived Here” column, as well as diving into other details of the paper of choice for Regency Bath society.

Barbara also chats with us about her new edition of Persuasion and her process for curating the various letters and ephemera included with the novel. Thank you so much to Barbara for joining us for this episode! You can find her website at www.barbaraheller.org and follow her on Instagram @barbarahellerletters.

Episode content warning: Brief passages from the Bath Chronicle are read where accidental death is mentioned, including that of a child (starting around minute 5:45).

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.

Ep47: The Thing About Depictions of Roma in Emma with guest Amanda-Rae Prescott

8/18/2022

Writer and period drama expert Amanda-Rae Prescott joins us for this episode to discuss depictions of Roma in Emma, starting with the novel and then moving on to the various adaptations. In addition to Emma, Amanda-Rae also talks about the representation of Roma in some other recent period dramas.

Thank you so much to Amanda-Rae for joining us for this episode! You can find her website at www.amandaraeprescott.com and follow her on Twitter @amandarprescott.

Ep46: The Thing About Queen Mab

8/11/2022

They say you should never look a gift horse in the mouth, but we're here to do just that. This episode we're investigating Willoughby's attempted equine offering, including a discussion of finances and the implied social significance of such a gift, as well as breaking down the meaning behind the name Queen Mab.

Selected Sources

Adkins, Roy, and Lesley Adkins. Jane Austen’s England: Daily Life in the Georgian and Regency Periods. New York: Penguin Books, 2014.
Doody, Margaret Anne. “Introduction.” In Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen, vii–xl. edited by James Kinsley, New ed. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Jones, Christine A. “On Fairy Tales, Their Sensitive Characters, and the Sensible Readers They Create.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature 25, no. 1 (2006): 13–30.
Ottman, Jill. “‘A Woman Never Looks Better than on Horseback.’” Persuasions On-Line 36, no. 1 (2015). https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol36no1/ottman/.
Pool, Daniel. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist; the Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England. New York: Touchstone, 2007.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Edited by Barbara Mowat, Paul Westine, Michael Poston, and Rebecca Niles. The Folger Shakespeare. Washington, DC: Folger Shakespeare Library. Accessed August 6, 2022. https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works/romeo-and-juliet/.
Vickery, Amanda. The Gentleman’s Daughter: Women’s Lives in Georgian England. New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Press, 2003.
Wilwerding, Lauren. “Amatory Gifts in Sense and Sensibility.” Persuasions 37 (2015): 208–17.

Ep45: The Thing About Weymouth

8/5/2022

This week we're headed to Weymouth to check out the scene of Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill's courtship. Join us as we first peruse the daily schedule of resort lifestyle activities and then examine the ways in which Austen uses Weymouth as a breadcrumb trail clue.

Selected Sources:

Brodie, Allan, Colin Ellis, and Gary Winter. Weymouth’s Seaside Heritage. Swindon: English Heritage, 2008.
Burney, Fanny. The Diary of Fanny Burney. Edited by Lewis Gibbs. London: Dent, 1972.
Crane, John. Cursory Observations on Sea-Bathing; the Use of Sea-Water Internally, and the Advantages of a Maritime Situation, as Conducing to Health and Longevity To Which Is Added, a Concise History of Weymouth. S. Margrie, 1795. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Cursory_Observations_on_Sea_bathing_the/3OS4-hCxKUQC?hl=en&gbpv=1.
Lyme Regis Museum. “Enslaving People.” Accessed January 28, 2022. https://www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk/related-article/enslaving-people/.
Love, John. A New Improved Weymouth Guide: Containing a Description of Weymouth, Portland, Lulworth Castle, and Every Place in the Neighbour Hood Worthy of the Observation of Strangers. Weymouth: Virtue, 1800. https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_New_Improved_Weymouth_Guide_Containing/VbGnWsr7znAC?hl=en&gbpv=0.

Ep44: The Thing About Gowland with guest Dr. June Oh

7/28/2022

Sir Walter is offering free beauty consultations, but we have some serious questions about this Gowland product that he won't stop recommending. Thankfully, guest Dr. June Oh is here to help us sort substance from scam. If you have ever regretted a cosmetic purchase, this episode is for you.

Thank you so much to June for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Twitter @JuneOh_.

Note: While Sir Walter refers to the product in question as Gowland, it was frequently marketed and advertised as Gowland's or Gowland's Lotion. We have stuck with Austen's spelling for our title but use the names interchangeably in the episode.

Ep43: The Thing About General Tilney's Breakfast China

7/21/2022

We hope you set an alarm! It's time for breakfast with General Tilney, and he does not like to be kept waiting. On the plus side, he will tell you exactly what he's planning to give you for a wedding present. This week we're joining Catherine for breakfast at Northanger Abbey and learning more about the General's taste in housewares.

Update: We had a few fabulous listeners explain Spode's underglaze transfer process mentioned in the episode and even provide a video explanation. So, for your viewing pleasure:

Selected Sources:

Austen, Jane. Jane Austen’s Letters. Edited by Deirdre Le Faye. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.
Burn, Matilda. “Collecting Guide: Sèvres Porcelain.” Christie’s, March 18, 2022. https://www.christies.com/features/Sevres-porcelain-collecting-guide-8706-1.aspx.
Johnson, Claudia. “Notes.” In Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen, edited by James Kinsley and John Davie, Reissued. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2008.
Jones, Hazel. “Tensions at the Table: Dining-Room Dynamics in Abbeys and Castles.” Persuasions 42 (2019): 13–23.
Lane, Maggie. Jane Austen and Food. London: Continuum, 2007.
Simpson, Dominic. “Collecting Guide: Meissen Porcelain.” Christie’s, June 26, 2019. https://www.christies.com/features/Meissen-Porcelain-Collecting-Guide-8158-1.aspx.
Slothouber, Linda. “Elegance and Simplicity: Jane Austen and Wedgwood.” Persuasions 31 (2009): 163–72.
Spode. “About Us.” Accessed July 4, 2022. https://www.spode.co.uk/spode-about-us.
Wedgwood. “Wedgwood History & Heritage - The Story.” Accessed July 4, 2022. https://www.wedgwood.com/en-us/welcome-to-wedgwood/the-wedgwood-story.
Wilkie, Jody. “How to Collect British Ceramics.” Christie’s, May 18, 2021. https://www.christies.com/features/how-to-collect-british-porcelain-11657-1.aspx.

Ep42: The Thing About Lady Catherine's Chimney-piece

6/23/2022

Mr. Collins is here, and he is ready to enumerate the many fine qualities of all the furnishings at Rosings Park. No really, sit down. This could take awhile. This episode we're all about Lady Catherine's very fancy chimney-piece. If you have ever been given a dubious compliment involving a small summer breakfast parlour, this episode is for you.

Selected Sources:

Baker, Malcolm. “Public Images for Private Spaces? The Place of Sculpture in the Georgian Domestic Interior.” Journal of Design History 20, no. 4 (January 1, 2007): 309–23. https://doi.org/10.1093/jdh/epm030.
Burton, Neil, and Lucy Porten. Georgian Chimneypieces. London: The Georgian Group, 2000.
Chambers, Sir William. “Of Chimney Pieces.” In A Treatise on the Decorative Part of Civil Architecture, 4th ed., vol. 2: 377–83. London: Priestley and Weale, 1825. https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Treatise_on_the_Decorative_Part_of_Civ/WJ4aAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.
Gunnis, Rupert. Dictionary of British Sculptors: 1660-1851. London: Abbey Library, 1957.
“John Nost II (d. 1729) - Chimneypiece.” Accessed June 14, 2022. https://www.rct.uk/collection/1080/chimneypiece-0.
Laing, Alastair. “The Eighteenth-Century English Chimneypiece.” Studies in the History of Art 25 (1989): 241–54.
Pevsner, Nikolaus. “The Architectural Setting of Jane Austen’s Novels.” Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 31, no. 1 (January 1, 1968): 404–22. https://doi.org/10.2307/750649.

Ep41: The Thing About Harriet's Treasure Box with guest Damianne Scott

6/13/2022

Nothing says "I'm over you" like a ceremonial burning with your bestie. Guest Damianne Scott joins us to break down the scene where Harriet finally moves on from Mr. Elton. If you have always known that Robert Martin was the real prize, this episode is for you. Thank you so much to Dami for joining us for this episode! You can find her on Twitter @BlackGirlLoves3 and on the Black Girl Loves Jane Facebook page.

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