Category: British countryside
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City Caro, Country Lizzy
Happy October, dear readers! In North America, autumn is upon us, and most of us associate this month with harvest time. It is likewise the month the Netherfield party arrives in Meryton. I feel like continuing one of my favourite themes: Bingley sister bashing! An aspect of the much be-hated Superior Sisters I failed to…
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Paths Retraced: Travels and an Anthology
As I write this post, I’m still dusting the final vestiges of jet lag from my shoulders, almost but not quite back into the routine and—yes—time zone of my normal, everyday life. We returned just a week ago from another visit to the United Kingdom. We were there to help my daughter settle into her…
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The Horses
Darcy stood silently, admiring the fearless way in which she approached the large, spirited animal. Many women were afraid of him, and indeed he seemed to tower over Miss Bennet. “Miss Bennet, I am glad we met this morning,” he began. Last May, I introduced you to two couples of deerhounds, one pair at Pemberley,…
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Another Stroll Through Bath’s Pleasure Gardens
In the middle of the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, many places in England—and especially Bath—have been awash in celebrations. I was unable to attend, but the busyness of the town, as related by residents and tourists, caused me to revisit and re-enjoy my own travels there a few years back.…
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Young Children’s Clothing in the 18th and 19th Centuries
Before the 20th Century, clothing for boys and girls lacked “gender” distinctions. Up until the 16th Century, both males and females worn some sort of gown or tunic. However, eventually, male and female clothing became more distinct. Boys and girls in the past both wore “gowns.” Many pictures, especially as photography developed after 1840, show…
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Setting the Stage
For a JAFF author, the plot is queen. A simple statement, I think, revealing a fundamental truth about our genre. An author can comfortably use the geography supplied by Austen to offer stories to readers thoroughly familiar with the lay of the land or building. Hundreds of stories have spoken of Pemberley glowing in the…
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A Rose by Any Other Name: Mr Collins’ Garden
“In the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love” – Alfred Lord Tennyson It’s the middle of May. The sky is blue, the birds are singing, and rather than love, my fancy is lightly turning to thoughts of gardening. I have no particular talent for such an endeavour, and my vast…
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“The Most Perfect Creature from Heaven”
Scottish Deerhounds combine a nobility of spirit with massive size and superb athleticism. What better dog could there be for Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley?
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No Phones, No GPS: How People Navigated England Before Maps Were Standard
One of my favourite 1-star reviews of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice was left on Amazon in July of 2010. It reads as follows: “Just a bunch of people going to each other’s houses.” Now, can you argue with that, really? It’s a very apt description of the main action and plot devices in our…
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Jane Austen’s Connections to the Stoneleigh Barony
For a chapter I did for a one of my releases, I explored questions of inheritance and the custom of primogeniture. Naturally, I could not do so without looking at Jane Austen’s family. It is said Austen’s family knew something of questions of inheritance for Jane Austen’s mother, Cassandra Leigh, was a distant relative of Sir…