Blog Posts

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.

EP84: The Thing About Annuities

2/28/2024

Transcript

Fanny Dashwood is offering up her services as a financial advisor and actuary, and John Dashwood is ready to be advised. This episode we break down the feckless fiduciary fraternalism of one Mr. John Dashwood, specifically as it relates to annuities.

Selected Source:

Annuity - Oxford Reference.” Accessed February 6, 2024. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198600800.001.0001/acref-9780198600800-e-46?rskey=NISyah&result=12.
Clery, Emma Juliet. Jane Austen: The Banker’s Sister. London: Bb. Biteback, 2017.
Kopf, Edwin W. “The Early History of the Annuity,” n.d.
Skwire, Daniel D. “Actuarial Issues in the Novels of Jane Austen.” North American Actuarial Journal 1, no. 1 (January 1997): 74–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/10920277.1997.10595593.
Smith, Phoebe A. “‘Sense and Sensibility’ and ‘The Lady’s Law’: The Failure of Benevolent Paternalism.” CEA Critic 55, no. 3 (1993): 3–25.

Ep83: The Thing About the Ha-Ha

2/7/2024

There's a bit of a brouhaha brewing over at the Sotherton ha-ha, and we've got front row, garden bench seats. Join us as we walk through the various comings and goings of the world's most awkward group date.

Below are a few images that illustrate the type of ha-ha Austen describes in Mansfield Park

Selected Sources

Brodey, Inger Sigrun. “Papas and Ha-Has: Rebellion, Authority, and Landscaping in Mansfield Park.” Persuasions 17 (1995). https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions/no17/brodey/.
Heydt-Stevenson, Jill. “‘Slipping into the Ha-Ha’: Bawdy Humor and Body Politics in Jane Austen’s Novels.” Nineteenth-Century Literature 55, no. 3 (2000): 309–39. https://doi.org/10.2307/2903126.
Repton, Humphry. The Landscape Gardening and Landscape Architecture of the Late H. Repton, Being His Entire Works on These Subjects, with ... Introduction, ... Analysis, Biographical Notice, Notes and Index by J. C. Loudon, 1840.
Russell, Tilden A. “On ‘Looking over a Ha-Ha.’” The Musical Quarterly 71, no. 1 (1985): 27–37.
Taylor, Patrick. “Ha-Ha.” In The Oxford Companion to the Garden. Oxford University Press, 2006. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198662556.001.0001/acref-9780198662556-e-0714.
Toner, Anne. “Jane Austen, Frances Sheridan, and the Ha-Ha: A New Aﬃliation for Mansﬁeld Park,” no. 32 (n.d.).

EP82: The Thing About Astley's

1/11/2024

Transcript

Come one, come all! Step right up and witness amazing feats on horseback! This episode we're headed to Astley's Amphitheatre where Harriet Smith and Robert Martin are getting nice and cozy. If you have ever found romance at the circus, this is the episode for you.

Selected Sources:

“9 (Vol. 1) | Reconstructing Early Circus.” Accessed December 14, 2023. https://dhil.lib.sfu.ca/circus/clipping/287.
Austen, Jane. Selected Letters. Edited by Vivien Jones. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Booth, Michael R. “Astley’s Amphitheatre.” In The Companion to Theatre and Performance. Oxford University Press, 2010. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199574193.001.0001/acref-9780199574193-e-218.
Burke, Helen. “Jacobin Revolutionary Theatre and the Early Circus: Astley’s Dublin Amphitheatre in the 1790s.” Theatre Research International 31, no. 1 (March 2006): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0307883305001847.
Byrne, Paula Jayne. “Jane Austen and the Theatre.” Doctoral Dissertation, University of Liverpool, 2000. https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3175545/1/DX215839.pdf.
Frost, Thomas. Circus Life and Circus Celebrities. Tinsley Bros., 1875.
Hall, Monica. A Visitor’s Guide to Georgian England. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword, 2017.
HathiTrust. “Astley’s System of Equestrian Education: Exhibiting the Beauties and Defects of the Horse, with Serious and Important Observations on His General Excellence, ...” Accessed December 7, 2023. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mmet.ark:/13960/t16m3rz2w?urlappend=%3Bseq=9.
Kwint, Marius. “Astley, Philip (1742–1814), Equestrian Performer and Circus Proprietor.” In Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/821.
Lybeck, Eleanor. All on Show: The Circus in Irish Literature and Culture. Cork, Ireland: Cork university press, 2019.
Mattfeld, Monica. Becoming Centaur: Eighteenth-Century Masculinity and English Horsemanship. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2017.
Victoria and Albert Museum. “The Story of Circus · V&A.” Accessed December 14, 2023. https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-story-of-circus.
Ward, Steve. Father of the Modern Circus “Billy Buttons”: The Life & Times of Philip Astley. Great Britain: Pen & Sword History, 2018.

Ep81: The Thing About Gold Paper

12/14/2023

This episode we're closing out the year with a visit to the homey confines of Uppercross Hall. There's a large group of children assembled, and festive merriment is afoot. Break out your favorite scissors and your glue of choice — it's time to get crafty with gold paper.

We'll be back with a new episode in 2024!

Selected Sources

Burgess, Miranda. “Jane Austen on Paper.” European Romantic Review 29, no. 3 (May 4, 2018): 365–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/10509585.2018.1465696.
Clarke, Hewson, and John Dougall. The Cabinet of Arts: Or, General Instructor in Arts, Science, Trade, Practical Machinery, the Means of Preserving Human Life, and Political Economy. T. Kinnersley, 1817.
Dyer, Serena. Material Lives: Women Makers and Consumer Culture in the 18th Century. London ; New York: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2020.
Ketzer, Roswitha. “Metallic Paper: Its Manufacturing Process and Comparing Analysis.” Journal of Paper Conservation 21, no. 1 (January 2, 2020): 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/18680860.2020.1716928.
Saint Louis University Special Collections. “Dutch Gilt Paper · The Binder’s Art.” Special Collections Past Exhibits. Accessed November 29, 2023. https://pius.slu.edu/special-collections-exhibits/exhibits/show/binder-s-art/decorative-papers/dutch-gilt-paper.

From Ketzer's article: Nine pamphlets with gold paper covers (The British Library, RB 23.a.4296, RB 23.a.4292, RB 23.b.455)

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.

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.

Transcript

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.

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/

Ep77: The Thing About the Longbourn Entail

10/19/2023

Was it Mr. Bennet in the library with the entail? Or was it Mr. Collins in the dining room with the strict settlement? Mrs. Bennet is on the case, but regardless of her findings, she is not happy. Grab your Clue notepad and join us as we delve into 18th-century property and inheritance law and get into the specifics of the Longbourn entail.

Selected Sources

Appel, Peter A. ““A Funhouse Mirror of Law: The Entailment in Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’.” Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law 41, no. 3 (2013): 612–36.
Buck, Andrew R. “Entail.” In An Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age. Oxford University Press, 1999. www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199245437.001.0001/acref-9780199245437-e-223.
———. “Primogeniture.” In An Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age. Oxford University Press, 1999. www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199245437.001.0001/acref-9780199245437-e-564.
Collins, Maureen B. “The Law of Jane: Legal Issues in Austen’s Life and Novels.” Persuasions On-Line 38, no. 1 (2017). www.jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol38no1/collins/.
Grover, Christine. “Pride, Prejudice, and the Threat to Edward Knight’s Inheritance.” Persuasions On-Line 35, no. 1 (2014) .www.jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol35no1/grover.html?
Le Faye, Deirdre. Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels. London: Frances Lincoln, 2003.
Macpherson, Sandra. “Rent to Own; or, What’s Entailed in Pride and Prejudice.” Representations 82, no. 1 (2003): 1–23. doi.org/10.1525/rep.2003.82.1.1.
Mahony, Stephen. Wealth or Poverty: Jane Austen’s Novels Explored. London: Robert Hale, 2015.
Treitel, G.H. “Jane Austen and the Law.” Law Quarterly Review 100, no. 4 (October 1984): 549–86.

EP76: The Thing About Harriet's Sore Throat with guest Dr. Rena Jones

10/1/2023

Poor Harriet is stuck at home with a bad sore throat, and Mr. Elton is very concerned. For Emma. This week we're joined again by Dr. Rena Jones to talk about illness and medical knowledge in Austen's time. If you have ever been in an extremely lopsided love triangle, this episode is for you.

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

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EP85: The Thing About Henry's Great Coat

EP84: The Thing About Annuities

Ep83: The Thing About the Ha-Ha

EP82: The Thing About Astley's

Ep81: The Thing About Gold Paper

EP80: The Thing About the Pump-Room

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

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

Ep77: The Thing About the Longbourn Entail

EP76: The Thing About Harriet's Sore Throat with guest Dr. Rena Jones

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