Gentle Readers, ‘The Many Lovers of Jane Austen’, a television special hosted by Amanda Vickery, was aired in Great Britain just before Christmas. Frequent contributer Tony Grant, who lives in Wimbledon and is the blog author of London Calling, graciously sent in his review. Those who cannot watch the show might enjoy this BBC radio [...]
Archive for December, 2011
A review of “The Many Lovers of Jane Austen,” hosted by Amanda Vickery
Posted in Austenesque novels, jane austen, Jane Austen's World, Popular culture, Regency World, tagged Amanda Vickery, Andrew Davies, Cheryl Kinney, Janeites, JASNA Fort Worth, Rudyard Kipling, The Many Lovers of Jane Austen on December 31, 2011 | 40 Comments »
Merry Christmas!
Posted in Jane Austen's World, tagged 19th century christmas, Victorian Christmas on December 25, 2011 | 13 Comments »
Christmas is for taking time with family and chats by the fireside, for love and devotion, for celebrating the birth of the Christ child. May all who believe in this holiday have a most special, wonderful day.
Gathering Mistletoe
Posted in 19th Century England, Christmas, Jane Austen's World, Regency Christmas Traditions, Regency Life, Regency Period, Regency World, tagged 19th century christmas, Christmas in the Olden Time on December 24, 2011 | 8 Comments »
Dear Readers, Happy Holidays! If you happen to stand under a sprig of mistletoe (these days it is most likely artificial), you will probably hug or kiss the person standing nearest you. This tradition did not appear in English literature until the 18th century. The practice of gathering mistletoe began in the second century BC [...]
Jane Austen’s seagoing brothers, Francis and Charles.
Posted in 18th Century England, 19th Century England, jane austen, Jane Austen's World, Napoleonic Wars, Regency Customs, Regency Life, Regency Period, Regency World, tagged Charles Austen, Francis Austen, Jane Austen's brothers, Regency navy, Sir Francis William Austen on December 21, 2011 | 9 Comments »
Gentle Readers, Tony Grant’s latest contribution to this blog centers around Jane Austen’s two sailor brothers. What a delightful read just before the Holidays. His blog, London Calling, is worth visiting. Francis was the older of Jane’s two brothers who joined The Royal Navy. He was twelve years old in 1786 when he travelled to [...]
Cold Comfort Farm, Flora Poste, Jane Austen and Persuasion
Posted in Emma, jane austen, Jane Austen's World, Persuasion, tagged Cold Comfort Farm, Flora Post, Jane Austen film adaptation, Kate Beckinsale on December 19, 2011 | 18 Comments »
Gentle readers, Recently I had the pleasure of watching Cold Comfort Farm, a film adaptation of the comic 1932 novel by Stella Gibbons. In 1995, Kate Beckinsale played the delightful Flora Poste, the girl who likes to organize things and tidy up. Kate also portrayed Emma Woodhouse at this time, before she turned Hollywood glam [...]
Women’s Riding Outfits in the Early 18th Century
Posted in 18th Century England, Georgian Life, Jane Austen's World, Regency Life, Regency Period, Regency style, tagged Regency Fashion, riding costumes, Riding habits on December 16, 2011 | 13 Comments »
The riding habit, was first introduced in the 17th century. They were tailored by men in the manner of men’s dress: a fitted jacket worn over a long skirt, often worn with a masculine hat. Samuel Pepys, ever helpful with observations of his time, wrote in 1666 of seeing the Queen’s ladies of honor “dressed [...]
A Victorian Christmas Feast
Posted in 19th Century England, Christmas, Jane Austen's World, Victorian Era, tagged Charles Dickens, Charles Elme Francatelli, Eliza Acton, Historical food, Victorian Christmas on December 11, 2011 | 10 Comments »
Gentle Readers, Frequent contributor Patty from Brandy Parfums recently attended a cooking class that featured classic recipes. She says of her experience: “When we think about our wonderful holiday dinners coming up, it is good to remember the origins of mid-winter celebrations, so ingrained in our DNA.” I can’t think of two more interesting recipes [...]
New Portrait of Jane Austen?
Posted in 19th Century England, jane austen, Jane Austen's image, Jane Austen's life, Jane Austen's World, Regency Life, tagged Austen family, Jane Austen's portrait on December 8, 2011 | 37 Comments »
Let’s face it. Cassandra Austen’s tiny watercolour of her famous sister simply does not satisfy viewers. Jane Austen’s fans have been dying to find another authentic portrait of their favorite author. Has Dr. Paula Byrne accomplished this task? The Guardian.UK features an article with an imaginary portrait that Dr. Byrne believes was drawn from life. [...]
A Short History of Floors
Posted in 18th Century England, 19th Century England, Architecture, Regency Life, tagged Georgian interiors, History of Floors on December 5, 2011 | 12 Comments »
In researching floors and floor coverings of Georgian houses, I came across these interesting tidbits of information. During the middle ages, the floors of simple peasant households consisted of dirt. Hay and straw were strewn on top of the surface, and often cow dung and household wastes were tossed on top of the rushes. This [...]
The Dependable Cabbage in the 18th and 19th centuries
Posted in 18th Century England, 19th Century England, Jane Austen's World, Regency food, Regency gardens, tagged cabbage, Hannah Glasse, Historical food, Maria Rundell, Mrs. Beeton on December 1, 2011 | 6 Comments »
Amongst herbs to be eaten I find gourds, cucumbers, coleworts, melons disallowed, but especially cabbage. It causeth trouble-some dreams and sends up black vapours to the brain . . .” – Richard Burton, 16th century Cabbage was first introduced in Great Britain by the Romans. In ancient times the Greeks revered it for its medicinal [...]
-
Blog Stats
- 3,877,597 hits
Downton Abbey Season 2 Starts January 8th on PBS
Downton Abbey Season One Posts on this blog
Jane Austen Today, My Other Blog
The Obituary of Charlotte Collins by Andrew Capes
Click on image to read the story.
Jane Austen Made Me Do It: A Review
Click on image to read the review
This blog has no commercial purpose
Links to Jane Austen Blogs
Please note my new links page. I have moved the blog roll and links to other Jane Austen and related topic - including Regency fashion, historic foods, Jane Austen societies, British sites, related topics, and more - to the top of the blog. Click on image.Bookmark
Find Jane Austen on Google
Jane Austen’s Advice for Writers
Click on image to read the article.Doctors and Medical Care in the Regency Era
Click on image.Join Me on Twitter
Twitter Updates
- Death Comes to Pemberley and Other Matters Pertaining to Jane Austen Sequels http://t.co/vhnT6xhd #BookReview via @janeaustenworld 3 days ago
- @JD_Ellevsen So sorry. The twitter party is sponsored by PBS, which is airing the series. 5 days ago
- Secrets of the Manor House: Recap and Review #DowntonPBS http://t.co/sYLl8Qk8 5 days ago
- Ethel, you poor ambitious thing. #DowntonPBS 5 days ago
- Matthew and Mary sing song. #DowntonPBS 5 days ago
- @PirateQueenKate Let's see. Given the background of changing social classes, I think he might be cheeky enough to think himself her equal. 5 days ago
Join me on Facebook
Hello, my name is Vic and I live in Richmond, VA. I work in program and professional development at Virginia Commonwealth University, and I have adored Jane Austen almost all of my life. I am a proud member of the Jane Austen Society of America. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I do not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, I do accept and keep books, DVDs and CDs to review.
Contributors to this blog include: Tony Grant and Shelley DeWees.
If you would like to share a new site, or point out an error, please email me. (Yes, I am fallible. I'll own up to my mistakes and will make the corrections with a polite smile on my face.) Write me at
Spam protecting image courtesy: Nexodyne.comThank you for visiting my blog. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.
Copyright Statement
Regency Fashion: Ladies Outerwear and Shawls
Click on the image.Colors of 19th Century Wedding Dresses
-
The Distinctions of Regency Dress: Undress, Half Dress, Full Dress and Their Meaning
Click on the image to read the article.
-
Recent Posts
Tags
Ad Disclaimer
Pages
My Other Blog – Art & History Tour
I created this blog so that I could write historical posts and reviews not dealing with Jane Austen or the Regency era.
Petticoats in the Regency Era
Jane Austen’s Writing Desk and Writing Table
Click on image to read this fascinating article.
-
Top Posts
- Social Customs During The Regency Era
- Watch Downton Abbey Online: PBS Masterpiece Classic
- The Green Baize Door: Dividing Line Between Servant and Master
- The Servant's Quarters in 19th Century Country Houses Like Downton Abbey
- Everything You Wanted to Know About the Entail in Downton Abbey, and More
- Upstairs in Downton Abbey: The Three Crawley Sisters
- Dressing for the Netherfield Ball in Pride and Prejudice: Regency Fashion
- Death Comes to Pemberley and Other Matters Pertaining to Jane Austen Sequels
- Downton Abbey: Surprising and Unforgettable Scenes
- Secrets of the Manor House: Recap and Review
-
Archives
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
Irresistible Attraction
My Regency Tea Cup Review Ratings
- Five Regency tea cups: The book is not perfect (few books are), but it was well worth its purchase and possesses many outstanding qualities that makes it stand head and shoulders above its counterparts.
- Four Regency tea cups: This book offered many hours of pleasant reading, and I found I could not put it down.
- Three Regency tea cups: Damned with faint praise. I put the book down often, but was intrigued enough to finish it. In this instance, the movie might be better.
- Two Regency tea cups: This book required major changes that the author and editor should have fixed before publishing deadline.
- One Regency tea cup: Oh dear. I do so feel for the trees that sacrificed their lives for this verbal garbage.
Click on image.
