Lydia Bennet's Recommended Reading: Redcoat, by Richard Holmes

Gentle Readers, If Jane Austen's character Lydia Bennet could ever be tempted to read a book, then Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket, by Richard Holmes might just do the trick. Filled with pages and pages of the personal memories of hundreds of British soldiers between Georgian and Early Victorian times, it also includes letters and memories of the wives and women who followed them. Here is the publisher's description.

"Redcoat is the story of the British soldier - those noncommissioned men whom Kipling called "the backbone of the army" - from roughly 1760 to 1860. Based on the letters and diaries of the men who served and the women who followed them, this book is rich in the history of a fascinating era. Among the highlights are Wolfe's victory and death at Quebec, Wellington's Peninsular War, Waterloo, the retreat from Kabul, the Crimean War, and the Indian Mutiny." The focus of Redcoat, however, is on the individual recollections and experiences of the ordinary soldiers in the wars of Georgian and early Victorian England. Through their stories and anecdotes - of uniforms, equipment floggings, wounds, food, barrack life, courage, comradeship, death, love, and loss - Richard Holmes provides a comprehensive portrait of an extraordinarily successful fighting force. "

Oh la! She will certainly be fagged just by looking at the pictures of all those glorious men in redcoats!

If you would like to read more about the Bennet families scandalous youngest daughter Lydia, then check out Lydia Bennet's Story: A Sequel to Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Odiwe which has just been released in a new international edition by Sourcebooks. You can also read two reviews of it from this blogs two co-author's Vic and Laurel Ann, and visit the author's web site devoted to Lydia's online journal.

posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

First Impressions: A Broadway Show About Pride and Prejudice That is Barely Remembered

Seen on the blogosphere is this quote from Theater Mania about the 1958-1959 season:

"One of the season's short-lived shows was First Impressions, a musical version of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, in which Polly Bergen took over the lead role of Elizabeth Bennett three weeks before opening. "I replaced Gisele MacKenzie and had to learn the score very fast," she told me. "Farley Granger [who played Mr. Darcy] and Hermione Gingold [who played Mrs. Bennett] were not singers, so I carried the vocal load of the show. It was a vicious dog-eat-dog atmosphere."

The action took place in the early 19th Century, causing one critic to snipe that "Polly Bergen is about as period as Mickey Mantle." She had the critique framed and hung above her desk. "I learn more from bad reviews than good ones. Everything was rushed; the last thing I gave any thought to was that it took place in 1813! It was a horrific experience, and I thought that was what Broadway was. But it's really the medium I love."

"As Darcy, Hollywood's Farley Granger is the stuff telephone poles are made of."

Here's more about Polly Bergen in an interview that Jane Austen would have appreciated for its satiric humor:

Polly Bergen. First Impressions. NYC (Photo: Polly Bergen, Stuart Hodes)
At the first full cast rehearsal, when Polly Bergen came in I recognized her perfume.

"Aah, Vent Vert!"
She stopped. "How come you know?"
"It's my favorite. I bought some in Paris."
I'd bought a bottle in Paris but had first sniffed it on Air France which had a full bottle in every john. I decided not to share that detail with Bergen.
The next day when Bergen arrived she approached, leaned close, and said, "Okay, what's this?"
I had no idea. "Chanel Number 5."
"No."
I took another sniff. "I got it! Pissoir d'amour."
She gave me a faint smile. "You're quite an expert."— Stuart Hodes



One may purchase the cast album on Amazon.com today for around a whopping $90. The following is an Al Hirschfeld cartoon of Polly Bergen in 1958.

• 1959 Time Magazine Review of the Play

• Click here for our other post about First Impressions

Seen on the Blogosphere

Olivia Williams as Jane Austen in Miss Austen Regrets was shown to drink a glass of wine or two, and Jane herself mentioned drinking orange wine in a letter to her sister. Seen on the blogosphere is the Jane Austen Drinking Game developed by the Comedy Scientists of Mostly Water Theatre. The troupe thanks Marnie Main for her literary acumen. Some of the rules include:

- The offer of an inadequate dowry - take one drink.

- Any show of conceited independence (ie. walking instead of taking a carriage, allowing oneself to be rained on, going anywhere unescorted, voicing an opinion) - take one drink.

- Small dogs - take one drink per dog.

And more! Click here to view all the rules.

• Audio version off of CBC Radio

• Video version of skit:

• What Would Jane Drink? Gift from Cafe Press

Jane Austen Character Throwdown

How close could a contest get? Our two well dressed ladies, Miss Eleanor Tilney and Miss Mary Crawford, started out even, drawing 50% of the votes on the first day. But then Miss Tilney, so elegantly dressed in white, drew slightly ahead in the polls and stayed in that position for the remainder of the week. Still, the results were 53% to 47%, not bad for a throwdown and our closest contest yet.

Our next series of throwdowns will pit two of the houses that Jane Austen’s characters lived in. We will ignore Pemberley for the time being, for (we strongly suspect) Mr. Darcy’s great estate would win hands down. His is the only mansion that Jane described as a tourist destination and that had a housekeeper who acted as a guide. Such housekeepers were not uncommon, by the way, and they earned extra pin money from tourists for pointing out the house’s architectural features and great works of art.

Finding no other mansion worthy of competing with Pemberley – and do feel free to correct us if we are wrong – we will concentrate on bringing you these two other dwelling fabulosities.

The Most Fabulous Family Estate

Rosings, Lady Catherine de Bourgh's estate:

Lady Catherine's house and estate must be imposing indeed for Mrs. Darcy to consider allying her son to her sister's infant daughter. The promise made at Anne’s birth was not legally binding, but it indicated the reason why Lady Catherine defended her proprietary stance on Darcy: He was destined for his cousin because his mother and his aunt had decreed it. The very thought of Rosings made Mr. Collins scrape and fawn with admiration. He could find no fault with that great house, for "of all the views which his garden, or which the country, or the kingdom could boast, none were to be compared with the prospect of Rosings, afforded by an opening in the trees......nearly opposite the front of his house." (P&P p.156). While Elizabeth thought Lady Catherine's estate was grand, - (Rosings was a handsome modern building, situated on rising ground. One ascended the steps to a hall made of fine proportions and finished with ornaments) -she wasn’t bowled over by its particular brand of conspicuous consumption. (Gunton Hall as Rosings)

Norland Park, Dashwood family seat in Sense and Sensibility

The Dashwood ladies lived high on the hog in Norland Park until the premature death of Mr. Dashwood, who did not have the foresight to plan for such an ill-timed event. It never entered Mr. Dashwood's mind that he might cock up his toes and shrug off his mortal coil just as he was entering his prime, for he made few provisions for his second family. The reader is treated to tantalizing glimpses of Mrs. and Misses Dashwoods’ former extravagant lifestyle before the ladies are plunged into middle class obscurity on an estate belonging to a distant cousin. Mrs. John Dashwood (Fanny née Ferrars) is shown avariciously holding on to every farthing that John Dashwood inherited– even the amount that her husband had promised to give to his sisters and stepmother. One gets the sense that neither John nor Fanny will be good stewarts of the place. Jane, genius that she was, used Norland Park with its beautiful grounds to introduce the characters of her first published novel in a most unforgettable manner. She then settled the widow and her three daughters in Barton Cottage, a modest house provided by Sir John Middleton. Oh, how the mighty had fallen. (Norland Park in S&S 2007)

Gentle Reader, Please keep in mind that we have deliberately left Pemberley out of the mix.

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Jane Austen Character Throwdown: Fabulous Family Estate

Rosings Norland Park

Seen on the Blogosphere

Reminder: Viva, a new t.v. channel that targets Canadian women between the ages of 40-64 will make its debut at 6:00 A.M. on November 3. According to a recent press release: "

"One of the highlights of VIVA's fall lineup is the Canadian premiere of Lost in Austen, a deftly post-modern four-part tale of a woman who worships the novels of Jane Austen and is suddenly transported one day to the world of Pride and Prejudice, swapping places with Elizabeth Bennet. A critical triumph in the U.K., Lost in Austen premieres on Sunday, November 9 at 8 p.m. ET. Each episode will be followed by a classic Jane Austen movie, starting with Sense and Sensibility, then Mansfield Park, Emma and Pride and Prejudice on the following Sundays."

I envy our lucky northern neighbors.

Here's a cool Jane Austen inspired blog banner:

And a Jane Austen inspired hat from the Victorian Trading Company for $39.95, U.S.


I love the personal quality of these photos by Dana Palladino of her 2001 tour of Bath, England - you feel as if you're right there, as with this photo taken inside the Jane Austen Centre.

Tom Carpenter describes in Jane Austen's Regency World, a publication of the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, how Chawton cottage became a museum.

Mr. Carpenter is the museum's resident trustee. Read more about him and the museum in this JASA article and in 24 Hour Museum.

Jane Austen Warholized!

Many say Jane Austen is a pop icon, so I thought it quite fitting that she should get Warholized at Big Huge Labs. For those of you who might not understand the term, it refers to pop artist Andy Warhol who made this repeating block style of portraiture popular in the 1960's. You might remember seeing his interpretation of Dame Elizabeth Taylor which actor Hugh Grant (Edward Ferrars in Sense and Sensibility 1996) sold in 2007 for 23.7 million dolars! Who needs a movie hit when your art is just hanging around making money for you, right?

Warhol died in 1987, but his influence lives on just like Jane Austen. Hugh Grant on the other hand is still with us, but his career may have died with Lyrics and Music in 2007. Meow!

These Austen Character Icons Will Reflect Your Mood

The moodlist on this LiveJournal entry allows you to pick an icon that reflects your current mood. You will have to log in to use the images, but after viewing them you'll probably agree with me that the extra step is worth the effort.

Happy All Hallow's Eve!

In distant times, Halloween was associated with an old agricultural festival that marked the beginning of winter. One can read a detailed description of the origins of the long tradition of this holiday in these two articles in Salon and History.com.

Seen over the blogosphere are these interesting Halloween nuggets of information:

• Trick-or-treating is an Irish tradition, based on a custom where wealthy landowners would give food to the poor on Halloween night, believing ghosts would look favorably on them for doing so and spare them from mischief.

• A popular Halloween drink in 18th century Ireland was "lambs-wool," which consisted of roasted, crushed apples mixed into milk.

• Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of souling, when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2).

• The legend of the Jack-o-lantern started with a man named Jack, who was a notorious drunk and practical joker. Jack was said to have tricked the devil into climbing into a tree. He then carved an image of a cross into the tree’s trunk, trapping the devil in the highest branches of the tree.

• Some superstitions associated with Halloween: If a girl puts fresh rosemary and a silver coin under her pillow on Halloween, she will see her future husband in a dream. Girls who carry a lamp to a spring of water on this night are said to be able to see their future husband in the reflection.

• To avoid being recognized by ghosts who returned to wander the earth, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. (The History of Halloween.)

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Go Gothic with Northanger Abbey: Last Chance for 17 Giveaways!

Today is your last chance to enter any and all of the 17 drawings for free giveaways during Go Gothic with Northanger Abbey. The grand prize is this complete and unabridged edition of Jane Austen: Seven Novels, part of the Library of Essential Writer's Series by Barnes & Noble. It includes Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Lady Susan - representing all of Austen's mature work as a novelist, and providing the reader with an introduction to the world she and her memorable characters inhabited.

All of the posts for the event can be found at this link to the archive. The other titles offered include editions of Northanger Abbey, The Mysteries of Udolpho, Jane Austen in Bath, music CD's and much more.

Don't miss your last chance to go Gothic. You won't regret it!

posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Gothic Classics: Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey Adapted into a Graphic Novel

Gearing up for Halloween this week? I am, and am happy to recommend a fun read to get you in the spirit, Gothic Classics: Graphic Classics Volume Fourteen. It includes five Gothic novels that have been cleverly adapted and illustrated by a very talented group of authors and artists. Get ready for peril and passion with five great tales of terror, danger and romance by the by the original creators of gothic literature:

Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu – adapted by Rod Lott & illustrated by Lisa K. Webster

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe – adapted by Antonella Caputo, illustrated by Carlo Vergara

The Oval Portrait by Edgar Allan Poe – adapted by Tom Pomplun, illustrated by Leong Wan Kok

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen – adapted by Trina Robbins, illustrated by Anne Timmons

At the Gate by Myla Jo Closser – adapted by Tom Pomplun, illustrated by Shary Flenniken

If you would like a chance to win a free copy of Gothic Classics, visit the Go Gothic with Northanger Abbey event at Austenprose and read about writer Trina Robbins and illustrator Anne Timmons thoughts on adapting and illustrating Northanger Abbey and leave a comment before October 30th to qualify for the drawing on October 31st.

Go Gothic with Northanger Abbey – you won’t regret it!

Posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Jane Austen Character Throwdown

Our closest Jane Austen Throwdown Match EVER was between Mr. Collins and Mr. Elton last week, but in the end there was no contest. Consistently over the week Mr. Collins won the dubious distinction of driving 57% of his congregation from his parish. Ouch!

Let us leave these clueless men of God, and consider more mundane, but ever more fascinating matters - fashion. Who is the best dressed woman in your eyes?

Most Fashionable Woman

Miss Eleanor Tilney, Northanger Abbey

In days of yore a lady of fashion needed laundresses and maids to take on the hard chore of keeping one's white dresses in immaculate condition. Water was laboriously hauled from a well or nearby stream then boiled so that clothes could be properly cleaned. Miss Tilney always dressed in white or or a light color, thus her attire denoted not only purity but wealth. Aside from being a nice lady, Ms. Tilney oozed social cache and was quite the catch, though we suspect her modesty was the key to her goodness.






Miss Mary Crawford, Mansfield Park

The always exciting and interesting Mary Crawford was a a woman of wealth and privilege; she also, possessed a refined sense of fashion. Lively and sophisticated, Mary attracted Edmund Bertram, a genuinely religious, caring and wholesome man. Miss Crawford was the epitome of a woman of her times - she could walk, ride, dance, and play games. Let us say Mary looked good even though she had a hard time charming Fanny Price with her wit and taste.

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Jane Austen Character Throwdown: Most Fashionable Lady

Miss Eleanor Tilney Miss Mary Crawford

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Mansfield Park Revisited: A Review

Mansfield Park Revisited: A Jane Austen Entertainment is a re-release of a Joan Aiken novel that was originally published in 1984. The book begins four years after Fanny and Edmund marry. Sir Thomas Bertram has died unexpectedly and his interests in Antigua need tending. Fanny and Edmund, now parents, are chosen to go, since Lady Bertram is hesitant to part with Tom, the heir. They take their son with them but leave their young daughter behind. As readers, we re-meet Fanny briefly, but the major protagonist is Susan Price, her young sister, who has turned into a sensible young woman - more forceful in her opinions and actions than Fanny - but equally devoted to Lady Bertram’s comfort.

Mrs. Norris has also died. Julia Yates, sister to the pariah Maria (did Jane Austen intend for those two words to rhyme?) takes over the Mrs. Norris role as a petty, peevish, mean, and spiteful woman.

“Miss Julia Bertram, having been so ill-judged as to marry the younger son of a peer, had soon, on becoming more closely acquainted with the limited extent of her huband’s fortune, decided to quit the doubtful pleasures of life in London on a straitened income, and console herself by becoming queen of a smaller society. She had persuaded her husband, the Honourable John Yates, to purchase a respectable property in Northamptonshire, not too far distant from Mansfield Park, therefore able to be illumined by some of its lustre. Since the, by almost daily visits to Mansfield, and by longer visits amounting to several months during the course of the year, Mrs. Yates was able to reduce materially her own domestic expenditure …”

While Julia tries to make Susan’s life miserable, she does not succeed, for Susan can see right through her. Thus she ultimately fails to put Susan in her place, despite her repeated attempts to lord it over her younger cousin. Tom and Susan are like oil and water for no discernable reason, except that Tom feels that Susan often oversteps her bounds and Susan thinks him lacking in substance and character. He spends his time learning the ropes as the heir to the Bertram fortune and pursuing his love of horses and racing. More sober and grown up than the man limned by Jane Austen, Tom still has much to learn about life and women.

Joan Aiken’s talent lies in developing Jane Austen’s characters further, and she captures Lady Bertram with exquisite perfection in passages such as this, when Edmund suggests leaving his daughter, Mary, behind:

“ The little dear. Of course we shall be happy to have her," sighed Lady Bertram, anticipating no inconvenience to herself in this arrangement, as indeed there would not be, for she could be quite certain that three-year-old Mary would be devotedly cared for by her aunt Susan.

Mary and Henry Crawford re-appear in the district shortly after Fanny and Edmund depart, which is when the plot truly becomes interesting. Without giving too much away let me just say that I was surprised by the turns this book takes. Mary Crawford has changed greatly, which is all I will reveal, except to mention that Tom becomes intrigued with her and that their association changes his life in a significant way. We also re-meet William, Fanny’s and Susan’s brother, who has now become the captain of his own ship. Several other new and interesting characters are also introduced, which keeps the story fresh.

Joan’s tale moves quickly and at times I could not put the book down. What I found missing from this very short but good novel was Jane’s sure sense of irony and wit. Ms. Aiken has writing talent (how could she not, being Conrad Aiken’s daughter and Jane Aiken Hodge’s sister?) but she fails to convey the tender emotions and human insights that distinguish a great author from a good writer. One key scene in the novel fell decidedly flat, and where I should have cried I could not. Ms. Aiken's description of the event was so matter-of-fact she might have been describing a simple farewell instead of a wrenching death scene. I kept contrasting this scene with the way Jane Austen wrote about Marianne's illness in Sense and Sensibility, and it was like comparing night to day.

As I said, the book is short (201 pages) and perhaps this is why I felt a bereft at the end. I wanted more time spent on how Tom and Susan finally change their minds about each other and begin to think of the other in a romantic way. As usual I am finding fault where others may not, for all in all I enjoyed the book thoroughly. Joan Aiken (1924-2004) might not have the stature of a Jane Austen, but she was a darned good writer and could spin an interesting yarn.

You can purchase the book from SourceBooks at this link.

• Joan Aiken, (1924-2004) the author, is the daughter of the distinguished author Conrad Aiken and sister to Jane Aiken-Hodge, an author who has written about Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer.

• Interview: Joan Aiken

• Joan Aiken Teacher Resource File
  

• Obituary, the Guardian

Reviewed by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Seen on the Blogosphere

Heather from The Duchess of Devonshire's Gossip Guide wrote an interesting post about birth control in the 18th century entitled Safe Sex? I chuckled while learning something new. Heather has also been writing a series of posts about Chatsworth House that are worth visiting.

The Jane Austen Centre offers an I Heart Darcy bag: Wear your heart on your sleeve with this highly desirable 'I Heart Mr Darcy' shoulder bag. Trendy and 100% eco-friendly, this is a must for any fan! Made by 'Bag It Don't Bin', help the world get rid of plastic bags that harm the environment by using an eco-friendly, ethically sourced alternative. Will make a lovely Christmas present. Online now - £4.99. Also available are men's top hats, fans, and parasols. Click here to enter the gift shop.

If you missed going to the JASNA meeting in Chicago earlier this month, as I did, you can live vicariously through Deb's experiences on Jane Austen in Vermont. This link will lead you to her description of Day 4 and to the other three posts about the meeting.

Posted by Vic, Jane Austen's World

Mrs. Elton Sez: Deplorable Table Manners Repulses Groom-elect!

Dear Mrs. Elton,

I am writing to you in the strictest confidence. While my name is of no consequence to you (and would be of no value to your readers), I solicit your advice. I am about to be engaged to a woman I do not wish to marry. Although she is respectable enough in looks and possesses a spectacular fortune, she laughs like a neighing horse, speaks in a volume that would still a crowd, and eats while talking. One can see the bread crumbs flying from her mouth and liquids dribbling on her fine satins. After a meal one can discern which dishes she ate by merely staring at her bodice. I understand that when the old and infirm are taken to exhibiting such manners they are forgiven, but the young lady in question is barely nineteen.

How could I possibly dine with her for the rest of my life? Please do not ask me to approach her parents about her table manners, for they are equally lacking in decorum. My father, you see, owes this young lady’s father an almost insurmountable debt, which shall be erased on the day of our nuptials. Adding to my dilemma, I am in love with another – the daintiest and sweetest of creatures, who would not for the life of her ever allow a morsel or a crumb to fall waywardly from her cherry red lips.

If I elope with my beloved, my father will disinherit me. If I marry the heiress, I shall never forgive myself. As you can see, I am in sore need of your words of wisdom.

Sincerely,

Miserable and in love.


My dear Miserable,

You need not dissemble. I can see through you; your secrets are visible to me. La! I have often prided myself on being cautious as a minister of state, to be sure, but the single quality most to be celebrated in me, I think, is my Penetration. Do not be alarmed; I do not know precisely who you may be (though I have a pretty good guess), and any way the secrets of the confessional, you know, are secret.

Your description of your unpleasing bride-elect, however, is far too exact to be mistaken. The neighing horse, the dribbling liquids down sattin, are unmistakeable. There is only one woman in England with the courage and the importance to allow herself to behave in that way, and it is the Princess Charlotte.

So! You aspire to marry the Princess, do you? Let me tell you then, in no uncertain terms, that would be a very bad course, and her manners, if not the least of it, form only a part of my objections. In the first place, you are, I shrewdly collect, a handsome young blade now, who enjoys life. How much would you enjoy, pray, when you are Prince or King Consort, and doomed to watching the bread crumbling down her chin, and all England watching? Life would not seem such a merry jest to you then, would it, Sir?

I know two other things against the Princess, which, good-humoured and amiable girl though I believe her to be, must be taken very seriously when considering her as a wife. First, she admires Miss Austen's Sense and Sensibility, as indeed she ought to do, but only because she feels that the character of Marianne is exactly like her, only better! Really, now, sir, Marianne as a wife - that mixture of hysteria and self-absorption - would you, or any prudent man, want to be married to such? And Marianne, to do her justice, had excellent table manners. But that is not all that I know against Princess Charlotte. Now mark what I say, though I am surprised you need to hear it from me as it was common London gossip, and you move in circles that should scarcely be ignorant of this sort of thing. It is said, however, that she exclaimed in wonder at a lady friend who had been married to her husband for many years, "Law! Lady ___, do you not get tired of just Sir John in bed?" For it is well known that she leaves a passage open from her bedchamber door to the street, and slips downstairs at odd hours to bring up any random gentleman for some bed sport - which she considers to be "the healthiest thing in the world."

Princess or not, I conclude, she is perfectly unfitted for a wife, and as you have not actually committed yourself to an engagement, you will be quite justified in ceasing to call at Windsor and Carlton House. I understand your wish to do away with your father's debt, but is it likely? Would the Prince Regent countenance it? I think not. You did not incur your father's debts and cannot clear them. With a clear conscience, you may propose for your own true love, and marry her, if, that is, she has a proper dowry of her own. As Miss Austen herself said, it is needful for a couple to have one independent fortune between them; so if she has one, it will do very well.

Faithfully yours,

Mrs. Philip Elton


Mrs. Elton Sez is written/channeled by Austen-esque author Diana Birchall, whose latest book, Mrs. Elton In America, is now available. Please join her once a week for her sage and sometimes sardonic voice, as she graciously condescends to advise on a variety of subjects. Laurel Ann and Vic admit to channeling their Regency doppelgängers as they take turns writing the letters. They are usually surprised by Mrs. Elton's responses, whose mind is as unpredictable and lively as her tongue.

Curious to read more of Mrs. Elton's advice? Click here to enter the archives.

Jane Austen Trading Card!

Create and share your own Jane Austen trading cards at Big Huge Labs online!

posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

A Regency Buck's Magazine Cover!

Click here to enter Big Huge Labs.