Category: courtship
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Valentine’s Day in Regency England
Valentine’s Day, associated with love since the late Middle Ages, became popular during the Regency era as a time for expressing romantic interest within societal norms. Common practices included exchanging handwritten Valentine cards with poems, small tokens, and light-hearted customs. It provided a unique opportunity for flirtation amidst strict social codes, despite some skepticism from…
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Two Women, A World Apart
Two books give me joy in the New Year. The first, by Sarah Emsley, is The Austens, a novel about Jane Austen’s relationship with her sister-in-law, Fanny Palmer Austen. The second, by Rebecca Romney, is Jane Austen’s Bookshelf, nonfiction about women writers who shaped the English author. Both works are part of the onslaught of…
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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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Was Jane Ever in Love? (Part 2: The Mysterious, Seaside Romance)
Jane meets an unnamed man on vacation…Was this her one true love?
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Return to Longbourn Part II
Hello, hello, hello! I hope that everyone’s 2025 is beginning on a fantastic note and that this year will be filled with a multitude of blessings. Mine has been a bit of a rollercoaster, but I am so glad to share the next excerpt of my current WIP with you. If you want to get…
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Return to Longbourn
Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and that 2025 is starting out well. I reread what I have written so far in this story, An Interrupted Proposal, and realized that there are sooo many threads that need to be tied up. Luckily, I will be taking a break after my…
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Return to Hertfordshire
Happy Holidays!! For those of you who celebrate it, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and now we are diving into the December holiday season. May I add my wishes for a joyous season and time spent with those we love most. Please remember to take some time for self-care and enjoy a cup…
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Does Jane Forgive Bingley Too Easily?
Jane is expecting a ring, and then Bingley disappears for 8 months! Does she take him back too easily?
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A Night at the Theatre
Hello, hello, hello! I hope everyone had a beautiful weekend and I am so pleased to help you start your week. This weekend was a whirlwind for me as I had three overlapping events (one that I just had to skip completely in order to make it through the others) and homework that was due…
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Woolf’s Fascination with Austen
Virginia Woolf is famous for two remarks about Jane Austen. In The Common Reader, Woolf says that Austen’s juvenilia and unfinished works “offer the best criticism of the masterpieces. Here her difficulties are more apparent, and the method she took to overcome them less artfully concealed.” A lack of development in these works, she remarks,…