There’s a sad sort of clangingFrom the clock in the hallAnd the bells in the steeple, too;And up in the nurs’ryAn absurd little birdIs popping out to say “coo-coo.”(Coo-coo, coo-coo.)Regretfully they tell usBut firmly they compel usTo say goodbye to you . . .So long, farewell,Auf Wiedersehen, good night. [“So Long, Farewell” from The Sound of…
There’s a sad sort of clangingFrom the clock in the hallAnd the bells in the steeple, too;And up in the nurs’ryAn absurd little birdIs popping out to say “coo-coo.”(Coo-coo, coo-coo.)Regretfully they tell usBut firmly they compel usTo say goodbye to you . . .So long, farewell,Auf Wiedersehen, good night. [“So Long, Farewell” from The Sound of…
Keep reading
I am sad to say that this will be my last post with Always Austen. To commemorate this moment, I thought I would share one more excerpt from 12 Months of Darcy. It is, of course, for March, and one of my favorites. This month, Elizabeth gets to see a softer side of Darcy. MARCH…
Keep reading
It seems impossible, being part of Always Austen for years and now we come our final posts. To say I was excited when I was invited to be one of the staple authors to write blogs is too simplistic. To do so alongside Don, Melanie, Cherith, Pam, Kelly, and so many others, either in guest…
Keep reading
As the Always Austen blog draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the many years spent typing away in the company of Darcy, Elizabeth, and an endless parade of tea cups. Writing Jane Austen fan fiction has taught me a few things—some practical, some philosophical, and some just plain ridiculous. Here’s a small…
Keep reading
I have a special guest today, an all-around favourite with so many of us. He’s dashing and charismatic, and everyone loves a man in uniform. Please welcome Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, here to talk about his recent adventures as recounted in the novel A Soldier’s Tale. Col F: Thank you, Riana. It’s a pleasure to be…
Keep reading
Forceps, anesthesia, and hot, spiced wine: What was it like to give birth in Regency England?
Keep reading
As with all things, ends are inevitable. This will be my last post for Always Austen as the blog site winds down. Hard to believe this will be my forty-second post here at Always Austen! However, posts and all that mean little without the presence of a woman, an author, and, I dare say, a…
Keep reading
What was Easter like in the Regency Era as opposed to now? Read on and find out what went on.
Keep reading
I recently posted a Middlemarch by George Eliot fan fiction on the free site Archive of Our Own (AO3). I was shocked to find myself making relationship tags. I was further blown away to find out that there are only 12 Middlemarch fan fictions on AO3 total. Checking other authors, even the famous Jane Eyre…
Keep reading
When people picture Regency England, they often imagine elegant ballrooms and whispered declarations of love. But for many young women, marriage was not a matter of choice at all. Arranged matches, family duty, and questions of property meant that girls—sometimes shockingly young—could be pressed into marriages they did not want. Legal Framework Under Lord Hardwicke’s…
Keep reading
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
She is an established literary figure in English literature. Austen’s skillful use of mixing together the narrator’s telling the story with a character’s thoughts and emotions and dialogue was just catching on in the late 1700s and early 1800s, but it is a mainstay in modern fiction. She created literary realism.
People speak of the greatness of Shakespeare, but falter when asked to read or explain his works. Not so, with Jane Austen. Because her works have been so easily consumed for more than 200 years, some forget how groundbreaking the six novels of the daughter of a simple rector in rural Hampshire, England, can be. We on this blog have not forgotten.
