Category: Living in the Regency
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Rules of the Road for Regency Language
Writers of Austen-based or broader Regency fiction regularly discuss the use of language by a modern writer for that period. I, too, reflect on my approach—which I considered for quite a while in my historical fiction based on Jane Austen’s life. For general language, I take the actor’s approach when preparing to play an historical…
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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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Pride, Prejudice, and the Royal Ascot
I just watched the final Downton Abbey movie this weekend. I won’t give a movie review here (unless someone asks!!), but I was struck by one scene in particular: the whole family attending the Royal Ascot races together. I was already vaguely familiar with the famous races, but wow! The crowds, the clothes, the elegance!…
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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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Vertigo in the Regency
In January of this year, after having 4 barometric migraines in 5 days, I found myself on the floor in my library, vomiting into the trash bin. For the next two weeks, I was told I had positional vertigo, but they didn’t want to treat it beyond medications to control the dizziness and nausea until…
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What Did Jane Austen Look Like?
What did Jane Austen look like? No one really knows. Which is to say: We know fairly precisely her size and shape, but only a little of what her face looks like. A forensic analysis done by clothing expert Hilary Davidson in 2015 details Austen’s figure. Davidson has since written books on Austen and Regency…
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Stitches in Time
Good morrow, dear readers! How are you this fine September morn? This week, we shall address what I learned of clothing during our time with the Amish and how that pertains to life in the Regency period. One of my biggest pet peeves with the 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation is their choice to deem…
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Apples Here, There, and Everywhere!
While the harvest season has those on tenant farms working to bring in crops, it has those in London enjoying fresh produce and an opportunity for seasonal dishes. From pumpkin or squash soup to roasted corn, the imagination might take a cook anywhere with such bounty. Fruits included pears, grapes, nuts, strawberries, cherries, melons, green…
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Blackbirds in Austen’s World
The war widow: sentimental depiction of a grieving woman whose husband has gone to fight in the South African War. Photograph of The Boer War, a painting by John Byam Shaw. &&&& These reflections upon military widowhood in Austen’s time found root in the first and seventh volumes of the Bennet Wardrobe Series, where Lydia…
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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.…