Category: British countryside
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Gamekeepers on Regency estates
Hunting scenes are plentiful in Regency-set novels. However, the events of the hunting season, the highlight of the gentry’s yearly calendar, did not come about just like that. One had to train the dogs, protect (in some cases, raise!) the game, and, in the end, organize the hunt proper. That was when the estate’s gamekeeper…
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Decorating for the Holidays, Regency Style
As the season in which it is traditional to gather with family and friends continues, I cannot help but reflect on the similarities in decorations in the many countries where I have spent some or all of the season. From evergreen, faux, or real, to twinkling lights and windows decorated to look like a wrapped…
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Harvest Feastings Were Not to be Missed
As the holidays are upon us, thoughts naturally turn to family, friends, and food. These special traditions have lasted centuries. Harvests are always celebrated, regardless of culture. In the Regency era, novels mention balls, harvests, and parties particularly anticipated and enjoyed during the autumnal season. September 24th was associated with the harvest, though the harvesting…
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Autumn in the Regency Era, a Post from Ann Hawthorne
Now that autumn is upon us, we are all awakening to the delights of crispy fallen leaves and misty mellow mornings. However, for Jane Austen’s contemporaries, especially those living in the country, the changing of the seasons would have meant far more than that. Ash trees, which were considered a great adornment of any country…
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The Hand of Fate: All Thumbs or Not?
Good morrow, dear readers. I hope that October is treating you well. As I’ve been reading lately – a Definite benefit to months of bedrest – I’ve been pondering coincidences. Amongst Janeites, some claim there is an inordinate number of them in Pride & Prejudice: Mr Collins’ connexion to Darcy through Lady Catherine de Bourgh;…
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Wandering through Wales
As I write this, I’m sitting in an old pub in Reading, England, on my way home after a fabulous visit to Wales. The primary purpose of this trip was to drop my daughter off at university there, but I had other plans as well. First, I wanted to visit friends in the UK. Some…
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North and South at Times Wanders Off Course
Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South is often described as an “industrial” Pride and Prejudice. Written a half-century after Jane Austen’s novel, Gaskell’s book features an intelligent, independent woman and a self-made man so confident he makes Darcy look indecisive. The protagonists clash every time they meet but are also attracted to the intellect and spirit…
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A Stillroom’s Tools of the Trade
One room that fascinates me most for a Georgian household is the stillroom. Though a genteel lady was considered poor if she could cook, for it was considered a servant’s work, ladies were encouraged to spend their days working in the stillroom. I discovered that the stillroom reflected the mistress as much as any other…
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What Do You Like About Pride & Prejudice Variations?
When I was thinking about my post for today, I went back to a topic that I’ve questioned in my mind for a while. There are a lot of variations of Jane Austen’s classic that go in different directions. Even though they still have the usual cast of characters, there are numerous ways to change…
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The Garden Most Valuable
With a grandmother who loved her gardens and would spend a dozen or more hours each week tending them and growing up weeding my mother’s kitchen garden, I love the fresh herbs and vegetables in a farmers market. When I read about fresh herbs and produce in Regency novels, I smile, wondering about they may…