Jane’s Closet Episode 2

So to go with last weeks gowns a lady must have her accessories! These are not authentic reproductions (sadly) more like inspired by the Regency period, but lovely nonetheless!

Glamasaurus

ReduxJewelry

ParisienneGirl

TimelessTrinkets

and my favorite, also from TimelessTrinkets

Don’t forget your hair!

Happy Reading!

The Ultimate Jane Austen Trip

If only we could all jump on a plane and head to England. Of course, there is much more to see than just the following list. But I’ve promised myself that the next time I make it across the pond I will definitely be visiting these sites.

Chatsworth (aka Pemberley)

                    

When I went to England a few years ago, I desperately wanted to see Chatsworth, but unfortunately they aren’t open in January. They are open Mid-March through December every year however. For more information, check out the Official Chatsworth Website.


Jane Austen House

                             

There are 4 Great Women Writer’s Houses that I want to see, and Jane’s house is at the top of my list. Jane did much of her writing in this house, which she lived in from 1808 until her death in 1817. Info on tours can be found here.


Bath

                       

Two of Jane’s novels have events occurring in Bath, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. It is said that the differences in the way Bath is depicted in the two novels, demonstrates Jane’s changing feelings toward Bath. ( In Northanger Abbey Catherine Morland loves bath, Anne Elliot, Persuasion, does not) I actually have been to Bath and I loved every minute of it. You can tour an actual Roman Bath, go inside the beautiful Abbey Church of St. Peter, visit shops, see the Royal Crescent, the Fashion Museum, and The Jane Austen Museum. Everything I saw in this town was absolutely amazing!

Lyme

                   

One thing I love about British beaches, they don’t have sand, they have rocks! (I hate sand.) Lyme is the setting for some very important events in Persuasion. You can walk around The Cobb (the name of their harbor, seen in both versions of Persuasion, it’s the stone wall they walk around on), see the Jurassic Coast, and take boat tours. Lyme’s Official Website.


Brighton

                 

Brighton is the place Lydia Bennett runs off to (and then away from) in Pride and Prejudice. You can walk on the pier and visit the museums, and I would definitely visit the Royal Pavillion, which was built by the Prince Regent (Edward IV, hence the Regency time period). Jane actually hated the Prince, as did a lot of others, but still dedicated Emma to him, per his “request”.

London

                             

Certainly London today is nothing like the London Jane knew, but the city is beautiful and exciting, which is exactly what girls during her time were looking for. Be sure to tour the Tower of London, visit the Royal Palace and Hyde Park, and for my sake (because I love public transportation and London is where I first experienced it, seriously) ride the Underground. Mind the gap!


Happy Reading!

A Regency Soundtrack

When I study or write, I like to have music going in the background because it helps me focus. Aside from my nerdy tendency towards soundtracks in general, I think the soundtracks from Jane Austen movies are always a good choice. It takes you back to a time when gentlemen and ladies really danced, when letters were written by hand, and when Here are a few of my favorite songs.

                    

    
                   

                    

                     

                      

                      

What about you? Are there any songs you particularly like that I missed?

Happy Reading!

Jane Austen Quotes

Here is a list of 10 quotes from Jane Austen’s novels. If you know them, post which novel you think it’s from in the comments. Later, I will leave a comment with the answers. Just for fun. If you haven’t read that many of her novels (or you just aren’t a nerd like some of us) just enjoy the wisdom and wit that is Jane.

1. “The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!”

2. “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

3. “I may have lost my heart, but not my self-control. ”

4. “My idea of good company...is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.' 'You are mistaken,' said he gently, 'that is not good company, that is the best.”

5. “All the privilege I claim for my own sex (it is not a very enviable one: you need not covet it), is that of loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone!”

6. “Oh! Do not attack me with your watch. A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch.”

7. “Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart.”

8. But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of forty surrounding families cannot prevent her.  Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way.

9. “And have you never known the pleasure and triumph of a lucky guess? I pity you. I thought you cleverer; for depend upon it, a lucky guess is never merely luck. There is always some talent in it.”

10. “But there certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them.”


Happy Reading!

The Austen Awards Poll 4

Which character is the biggest rogue?


A) Wickam, who lies and then runs away in Pride and Prejudice       
                 
                    

B) Willoughby, who hides his past and marries for money in Sense and Sensibility


                    

C) Henry Crawford, who flirts with all the ladies, tries to win Fanny, then causes a scandal in Mansfield Park


                    

D) William Elliot (Anne’s cousin, not her father), who tries to keep it all in the family in Persuasion


                    

E) Captain Tilney, who flirts with, seduces, and ruins others in Northanger Abbey


                    

F) Frank Churchill, who pays attention to others in order to hide his secrets in Emma


               


Happy Voting!

Fun Jane Austen Media

Maybe you’ve seen these already. If you haven’t, you should absolutely watch them. If you have…how about another go?
             

                    

WHAT’S WITH THE SQUARE JAWS? Oi ve.

                      

The next one has some language and it’s a little crude in it but still pretty funny and surprisingly accurate.
                     

Happy Reading!

Austen Quizzes

No month of Jane would be complete without imagining how glorious life would be if we could live as one of Jane’s characters. (Lucky for us Jane wrote comedies.) Here are a few quizzes to find out who you would be in Jane’s world.



Which Austen Heroine Are You?
 http://quizfarm.com/quizzes/new/LadyDracona879/which-jane-austen-heroine-are-you/

http://quizfarm.com/quizzes/jane-austen/Shellsabells/which-jane-austen-character-are-you-for-females-long-quiz/#

I got Elinor Dashwood both times, so either Lady Dracona879 and Shellsabells are in cahoots with one another or they really know their stuff.

If a guy wants to take a quiz here’s the one for men:
http://quizfarm.com/quizzes/new/Shellsabells/which-jane-austen-hero-are-you--for-guys/#

It’s interesting that I answered this one like I thought my husband would and he ended up “being” Edward Ferrars. That’s just spooky. (Though Edward is not the first one who would come to mind, I think I tipped the scale when it asked me if he was awkward. Edward is quite awkward.)

Which Jane Austen Hero is the One For You?
http://quizilla.teennick.com/quizzes/5680809/which-jane-austen-hero-is-the-one-for-you

Mine was Mr. Knightley. Though I think the answer choices are a little too obvious if you’re a thorough Austen fan. (You can pretty much pick your favorite and answer accordingly, which I tried not to do. Mr. Knightley is great just not my favorite, but that’s okay.)

Unfortunately there is no “Who is your leading lady?” quiz available for guys. So whoever you are just assume that you get the type of girl he would get, I suppose.

Who are you? Who is your leading man?

Happy Reading!

Etiquette in Regency Times part 2

                
                         

(Do not try this at home, everyone will talk.)

Rules One Must Follow:
The eldest daughter is called “Miss” followed by her surname, such as “Miss Bennet.” The other daughters are called “Miss” followed by their first name then surname, such as “Miss Elizabeth Bennet.” Once the eldest is married, the next in line may be called “Miss” followed by surname.

Husbands and wives of the older generation call each other Mr. and Mrs. but the younger generation is beginning to dispense with this custom and use first names. (In P&P, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet do not call each other by their first name.)

A gentleman may not greet a lady in public unless she acknowledges him first.

Once introduced, you must acknowledge the presence of the other person in public. If you do not do so, you are “cutting” the other person – excluding them from your social network and revealing that you no longer view them as worthy of respect.

Married women have higher status than single women and are treated accordingly.

Young ladies “came out” at around age 17 (Lady Catherine finds the fact that Lydia Bennett is only 15 and “out” scandalous for good reason). Then they would attend balls and parties trying to find a suitable husband. If you were still unmarried by age 30 you were considered an old maid.

Here is a link for an interesting article on The Art of the Fan
http://www.freewebs.com/regencylady/theartofthefan.htm

Though I must say I’ve never seen any ladies in any Austen films (or noticed any in her books for that matter) who fluttered their fans in such a way at their admirers.

Do you think it was better back then or worse? Should society still have rules of expectations and propriety as they used to or are we better off today?

Happy Reading!

Etiquette in Regency Times Part 1

Most people are aware that there have been some bizarre expectations of women in the past. How was a woman expected to behave? How did she keep her person clean? Here are a few excerpts of some of those principles.

                   

In the Regency period - from 1790 to 1820 - women's fashion was dominated by short, puffed sleeves worn with long gloves, and moderately placed necklines which displayed no décolletage. In this era, the exposure of women's necks and often bare elbows were considered acceptable and very alluring. It was graceful slender necks and soft, supple elbows which were the traits that fueled men's desires.

That’s right ladies, elbows were considered sexy. Though, with the recent version of sexy I'm not sure I consider this a bad thing, just very, very odd.

Earlier in the nineteenth century the hands, feet and face were regularly washed as in previous centuries, and the rest of your body every few weeks or longer.

Teeth Cleaning in the Regency:
* Rubbing teeth with the ashes of burnt rosemary.
* Powdered sage rub used to whiten teeth.
* Vinegar, wine and alum mouthwash
* After dinner comfits were eaten to freshen breath
* A letter from Lord Chesterfield to his son urges the use of a sponge and warm water to scrub the teeth each morning.
* The recommendation of using one’s own urine in France was widely flouted by Fouchard, the French dentist.
* Gunpowder and alum were also recommended.

The one interesting thing I learned from watching Lost in Austen is when Jane gives the girl a bunch of sticks to brush her teeth with.

Using the Bathroom:
Even during Regency times sewage and waste could bring about illness. Some London homes had toilets, not like the standard toilets that we have today, but they did include piping, however these pipes frequently backed up causing fumes to carry throughout the house. Some people had “earth closets” that would periodically drop dirt into the pipes to flush out the waste. The poor had privies in the backyard that were emptied into a cesspool. “Night soil men” would come by and empty the muck. All the pipes from homes and the wagons full of muck were dumped into the Thames River. This led to plenty of epidemics until emptying waste at certain times and away from the water supply was developed.

Would you have been able to cope with those conditions? I must say it makes it a little strange to think of a man being attracted to my elbows and then being expected to kiss him (after marriage of course) when neither of us has very attractive teeth.

Stay tuned! More to come.

Happy Reading!

The Austen Awards Poll 3

Which is the most uncomfortable proposal?


A) Mr. Collin’s to Elizabeth

                            

B) Mr. Elton to Emma

                       

C) Henry Crawford and Fanny the morning after (Okay, so this one isn’t the actual proposal per se but it’s still a pretty uncomfortable situation.)

                  

(I couldn’t find one of them together, but I think they both look sufficiently upset.)

The other novels, while having other implied proposals, do not quite fit this category.


Happy Voting!

Jane’s Closet Episode 1

Today we have the Friday roundup of Jane related merchandise that I wish I had an excuse to purchase. So if anyone does get to own one of these lovely gowns (or one like it) please share so we can all be extremely jealous of you!

From SewManyTreasures
                                            


GoldSwanWeddingGowns

                                     

Threadhead

                            

and BonnyBlueArts

                            

Don’t forget your undergarments:

                         

Here’s a great video that shows what it would actually look like to get ready in Regency times. I must say, it looks much more complicated. Love the look though!

                          

           


Happy Reading!

Oh For An English Garden

Jane preferred the countryside instead of the city. Her novels are full of detail regarding the landscape and gardens of her characters. Can you blame her?

                   

        

If you ever have the chance to landscape your own garden and you like the English Garden look, here’s a good few tips:

• Pay attention to pathways (gravel is a good choice) and seating areas.
  
• Avoid straight lines and angles.
  
• Be sure to plant roses, lavender and other herbs.

It would be nice to have a garden to sit and read in, or go for a long lovely stroll. Ah, someday…

Happy Reading!

What Women Called “Work”

One of the main employments of a lady of genteel family was to spend hours doing fancy needlework. During morning calls especially, work baskets would be brought out and intricate designs embroidered. Girls would work on covers for pillows, dresses, slippers, screens, and many other home decorations.

                                   

(This sample is from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.)

Embroidery can be a lot of fun and it’s really not too hard to learn. It doesn’t have to be all flowers and birds either, there are tons of embroidery patterns. Just check out etsy and type embroidery to the search box. You’ll find tons of pieces for sale and patterns to make your own. Needlepoint is a great creative outlet and can be done while watching television or visiting with family. All you need are the following:

• Material to embroider (you could practice with an old shirt or buy handkerchief’s at a craft store)
  
• An embroidery hoop
  
• A sewing needle
  
• Thread in the color of your choice (they sell awesome packs of embroidery thread at Hobby Lobby and they aren’t very expensive)
  
• Scissors

                         

This sample is from Amy’s website.

There is an awesome website called www.amyistheparty.com which has a great series of tutorials on embroidery. (If you click on the link it will take you directly to the series page.) She takes you through step by step with the things you need, selecting a pattern, she has videos for the different types of stiches, and where to get more info.

If you’d like more information about this and other mad Regency skills check out the following site to learn about tatting (lacemaking), paper mache, crocheting, and many things that even I haven’t heard of.

Happy Reading!

The Austen Awards Poll 2

Which minor character would you most like to be friends with in real life?


A) Jane Bennet, she’ll like you, I promise

                            

B) Charlotte Lucas, poor taste in men but definitely nice

                    

C) Georgiana Darcy, young and naïve, plays the piano very well

                         

D) Harriet Smith, sweet and willing to go along with whatever you feel like doing

                       

E) Elinor Tilney, somebody get this girl out of the house, er…abbey

                              


Happy Voting!