Blog Posts

Ep69: The Thing About Lizzy's Needlework with guest Dr. Jennie Batchelor

6/16/2023

Needlework in Jane Austen's novels is commonly referred to as simply "work." But what exactly does this work entail, and why is it important to characters like Elizabeth Bennet? Guest Dr. Jennie Batchelor is here to answer these questions and more. We discuss the difference between plain and fancy needlework, the significance of needlework in the pantheon of ladylike accomplishments, and the ways in which needlework functioned as a Regency woman's CV.

Thank you so much to Jennie for joining us for this episode! You can learn more about her and her work at www.jenniebatchelor.net. Jennie's digital catalogue of embroidery patterns from the Lady's Magazine can be found at ladysmagazine.omeka.net. You can find Jennie on Twitter @JennieBatchelor and on Instagram @BatchelorJennie.

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).

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.

Ep66: The Thing About Anne's Bloom

4/27/2023

What is bloom? And can you purchase it at Sephora? This week we're taking a look at the broader historical and cultural context surrounding Anne's bloom in Persuasion. If you have ever had your bloom restored by a brisk walk on the Cobb, this episode is for you.

Selected Sources

Charmantier, Isabelle. “Linnaeus and Race.” The Linnean Society, September 3, 2020. https://www.linnean.org/learning/who-was-linnaeus/linnaeus-and-race.
Eddleman, Stephanie M. “Past the Bloom: Aging and Beauty in the Novels of Jane Austen.” Persuasions 37 (2015).
King, Amy M. Bloom: The Botanical Vernacular in the English Novel. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Lynch, Deidre. “Introduction.” In Persuasion, by Jane Austen, edited by James Kinsley. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Müller-Wille, Staffan. “The Love of Plants.” Nature 446, no. 7133 (March 2007): 268–268. https://doi.org/10.1038/446268a.
Sturrock, June. “Dandies, Beauties, and the Issue of Good Looks in Persuasion.” Persuasions 26 (2004).

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.

Ep64: The Thing About the Bertram Sisters' Puzzle

3/26/2023

How do you solve a puzzle like Fanny? This episode we survey the Bertram sisters' map puzzle and discuss the social cartography of Mansfield Park.

Selected Sources

Cammack, Zan. “Fanny Price’s Social Cartography in Mansfield Park.” Nineteenth Century Studies 29, no. 1 (January 1, 2016): 37–52. https://doi.org/10.5325/ninecentstud.29.2015-16.0037.
Norcia, Megan A. “Puzzling Empire: Early Puzzles and Dissected Maps as Imperial Heuristics.” Children’s Literature 37, no. 1 (2009): 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1353/chl.0.0807.
Shefrin, Jill. “‘Make It a Pleasure and Not a Task’: Educational Games for Children in Georgian England.” The Princeton University Library Chronicle 60, no. 2 (1999): 251. https://doi.org/10.25290/prinunivlibrchro.60.2.0251.
Wenner, Barbara Britton. Prospect and Refuge in the Landscape of Jane Austen. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2006.

Ep63: The Thing About Polluting the Shades of Pemberley

3/11/2023

Lady Catherine has stopped by Longbourn for a little chat, and she clearly needs to read an article or two on appropriate guest etiquette. This episode we break down Lady Catherine's famous insult to Elizabeth and get into its many layers and possible meanings.

Selected Sources:

Curry, Mary Jane. “‘Not a Day Went by without a Solitary Walk’: Elizabeth’s Pastoral World.” Persuasions 22 (2000).
Ellington, H. Elisabeth. “‘A Correct Taste in Landscape’: Pemberley as Fetish and Commodity.” In Jane Austen in Hollywood, edited by Linda Troost and Sayre N. Greenfield, 90–110. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2001.
Gill, Richard, and Susan Gregory. Mastering the Novels of Jane Austen. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

Ep62: The Thing About Lucy's Filigree

2/28/2023

Lucy and Elinor are about to have a tense, coded conversation, and a bit of filigree work is the perfect accompaniment. This episode we're talking about the art of filigree, and the role that it plays in Lucy and Elinor's companionable confrontation.

Selected Sources:

Battisson, Clair. “‘Natural Born Quillers’ - Conservation of Paper Quills on the Sarah Siddons Plaque Frames.” Victoria and Albert Museum’s Conservation Journal, April 1998. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journals/conservation-journal/issue-27/natural-born-quillers-conservation-of-paper-quills-on-the-sarah-siddons-plaque-frames/.
Bethe, Monika. “Submerged Symbols in Jane Austen.” Kobe College Studies 24, no. 2 (December 1977): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.18878/00000682.
Heydt-Stevenson, Jillian. “Bejeweling the Clandestine Body/Bawdy: The Miniature Spaces of Sense and Sensibility.” In Austen’s Unbecoming Conjunctions: Subversive Laughter, Embodied History, 29–67. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Austen_s_Unbecoming_Conjunctions/F_8YDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.
The New Lady’s Magazine: Or, Polite and Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex: Entirely Devoted to Their Use and Amusement. Vol. 1. London: Alex Hogg, 1786. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_New_Lady_s_Magazine/RHlPAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=filigree&pg=PA529&printsec=frontcover.

Ep61: The Thing About Speculation with guest Dr. Regulus Allen

2/19/2023

This week we're dealing out an episode on the game of Speculation with our guest Dr. Regulus Allen. We discuss the rules of play and the ways in which the game serves the narrative in Mansfield Park. Dr. Allen also provides us with some fun speculation (see what we did there?) as to what Jane Austen's own favorite card game might have been.

Thank you so much to Regulus for joining us for this episode! You can learn more about her and her work at https://english.calpoly.edu/faculty/allen.

For an explanation of the rule for Speculation, see "How to Win at Speculation" from JaneAusten.co.uk

Ep60: The Thing About Frank's Haircut

1/29/2023

Our scissors are sharpened, and we're ready for a stylish new 'do. Lucky for us, Frank has just returned from London and can fill us in on all the latest trends. This episode we take a look at popular hairstyles for Regency gentlemen and delve into some of the reasons why these looks became fashionable.

Selected Sources

Burns, Robert. “On Mr Pit’s Hair-Powder Tax,” 1795. http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/robertburns/works/on_mr_pits_hair_powder_tax/.
Evans, Chris, and Alun Withey. “At the Edge of Reason: Shaving and Razors in 18th-Century Britain.” HistoryExtra. Accessed January 15, 2023. https://www.historyextra.com/period/georgian/at-the-edge-of-reason-shaving-and-razors-in-18th-century-britain/.
Higginbotham, Adam. “Scot Free.” The Observer, September 7, 2003, sec. Film. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/sep/07/features.magazine.
Issawi, Danya. “Thinking Hard About Their Hair.” The New York Times, November 11, 2021, sec. Style. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/style/tiktok-hair-boys-men.html.
Markiewicz, Emma. “Hair, Wigs and Wig Wearing in Eighteenth-Century England.” Doctoral Thesis, University of Warwick, 2014. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/66909/1/WRAP_THESIS_Markiewicz_2014.pdf.
Philips, R. The Book of Trades, or Library of the Useful Arts. London: R. Phillips, 1815. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_book_of_trades_or_Library_of_the_use/dfPNhd6vIRgC?hl=en&gbpv=0.
Rifelj, Carol de Dobay. Coiffures: Hair in Nineteenth-Century French Literature and Culture. University of Delaware Press, 2010.
Samuel Marknäs. “‘Casting Off Powder:’ The Death of the Powdered Wig and Birth of British Sartorial Modernity, 1795–1812.” Master’s Thesis, Uppsala University, 2021. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1560395/ATTACHMENT01.pdf.
Stewart, Alexander. The Art of Hair Dressing, Or, the Gentleman’s Director, Etc. London, 1788. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Art_of_Hair_Dressing_Or_the_Gentlema/4KA4YmUgpi4C?hl=en&gbpv=0.
Xin, Wendy Veronica. “The Importance of Being Frank.” Novel 52, no. 1 (May 1, 2019): 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1215/00295132-7330074.

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