Blog
Treating a Regency Case of Childbed Fever
My previous blog posts examined the supposed causes of childbed fever as they were understood in late 18th-century England, when Jane Austen was a teenager, and also the treatments prescribed to manage the symptoms of this often fatal disease. In reading various books...
Childbed Fever: 18th-Century Cures
My previous post on childbed fever described the widespread belief that childbed fever — what today we call puerperal infections — was mainly caused by breathing foul, noxious air that arrived on the wind, permeated hospital furniture and people's clothing, or...
Childbed Fever: More 18th-Century Medical Moonshine
Earlier this month I took a detour and posted a blog about Whit Stillman's movie Love and Friendship, which is based on Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan. With this blog I am returning to the ever-fascinating topic of Regency medicine and specifically to a discussion...
Love and Friendship: A Middling 3.6-Star Movie
Whit Stillman's movie based on Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan came to town on Friday, May 27th. Austen is believed to have written the novella in the early 1790s, when she was 15 to 20 years old. I have not read either of Austen's novellas — Love and...
Quinsy: A Classic Example of Regency Ignorance
My previous blog post addressed the practice of "medical moonshine" during the Regency era. In Jane Austen's day miasma — the foul, noxious, polluted air arising from swampy ground or cesspools — was believed to cause most diseases. For chemists and glass-makers and...
Medical Moonshine in Jane Austen’s Day
Medicine and medical therapy during the Regency era fascinate me. Perhaps that isn't surprising, considering that I have worked with physicians and physician-researchers throughout my career. Unlike Jane Austen and everyone else of her era, however, I have enjoyed the...
Jane Austen, Llamas and Southern Settlers
My husband, Peter, took this photo of llamas when he approached the top of Mount LeConte after hiking up the Trillium Gap trail. (On the Great Smoky Mountains National Park map, Mount LeConte can be found pretty much due north of the word "National.") Check out...
5 Things I Learned Sewing Regency Clothing
All's well that ends well, Shakespeare wrote, and so it was with sewing my Regency patterns. I started with a muslin chemise and short stays and finished a long-sleeved, lined morning gown. Here's what I learned in the process. What I Learned 1) Adjusting the bodice...
A Regency Gown in the Making: Aargh
After sewing a Regency chemise and short stays — see proof of determination in the photo below — I moved on to greater things: sewing a Regency gown. With each type of clothing I had the pleasure (!?!) of learning something new: the chemise pattern required my sewing...
I Never Met a Gusset I Liked: Sewing a Regency Chemise and Stays
After giving a presentation in character as the opinionated 18th-century baroness Lady Purvis — I was the guest speaker at Ossoli Circle, the oldest federated women's club in the South (founded in 1885) — thanks, Ladies — I am relieved to find that my homemade Regency...
Rosings Park: A New Look for My First Book
Having had great success with the designers at CreateSpace, who developed the cover for my new novel, Cousin Anne, I decided it was time to make some changes to my first book, Rosings Park. I added a discussion section for readers and hired the CreateSpace design team...
Who Directs the Story: the Writer or the Characters?
Following on my previous blog post about Anne de Bourgh, I wish to address a quirky topic. Who controls the story? The writer or the characters? My first introduction to the idea that characters were in control of their stories occurred some twenty-five or thirty...
Let’s Talk about Anne de Bourgh
My new novel about Anne de Bourgh is nearly live—it's being processed by Amazon for both its website and Kindle store as I write. Today seems like a good day to write about this fairly minor character in Jane Austen's popular novel Pride and Prejudice. One thing...
Finding a Good Cover Image: An Indie Publisher’s Challenge
I’m thrilled with the cover for my second novel—Cousin Anne—which is a prequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The cover, shown at left, was designed by a team at CreateSpace. I love its colors, its ornamental border, the faded roses in the background, and the...
Cousin Anne: A New Novel for the New Year
My new novel, Cousin Anne, is due out in January -- a new novel for a new year. The book's cover is shown at right. Cousin Anne is a prequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The story focuses on three characters from Austen's most popular novel—Fitzwilliam Darcy,...
New Book “Cousin Anne” Explores Darcy and Anne de Bourgh’s Engagement
Have you ever wondered about arranged marriages? It must be awkward to build a life with someone you barely know or don’t like. It must be trying to submit to duty, especially if your heart lies elsewhere. In Jane Austen’s day arranged marriages were still common,...
8 Companies and Organizations Make My Work Easier
Next Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, my favorite holiday of the year. I love the turkey dressing, cranberry sauce and desserts; I love the colorful Fall place settings and flowers; I love having fun with family. I have much to be thankful for. In my business I am...
Mr. Darcy’s Breeding Problem
A Regency era gentleman was a man who knew his place in the world. He guarded his reputation; dressed elegantly; and treated lords, servants, and lowly commoners with great civility.1 By these criteria, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pride and Prejudice fame was every bit a...
A True Regency Gentleman Had Good Breeding
What did Jane Austen mean when she said that a gentleman had good breeding? For example, in Pride and Prejudice Jane Bennet tells her sister Elizabeth that in Mr. Bingley she never saw “so much ease, with such perfect good breeding.”1 In Persuasion Sir Walter Elliot...
I Am Illiterate by Regency Standards
The first lesson I learned researching the Regency era is that it’s hard to get the history right. The second lesson learned is this: if I were a man living in Jane Austen’s day, I would be considered illiterate. This point is driven home whenever I read a popular...
Is Mr. Darcy the Ideal Regency Gentleman?
My previous post addressed the issue of why Mr. Darcy—the much loved suitor in Pride and Prejudice—is a gentleman but not a lord. While working on that post I began to wonder: “What exactly is a gentleman?” As it happens I have a book here in my office that describes...
Why Isn’t Mr. Darcy a Lord?
The most frequently asked question that brings visitors to my blog is this: Why isn’t Mr. Darcy a Lord? In Jane Austen's popular novel Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy is a gentleman and a Derbyshire landowner with a beautiful estate (Pemberley). He has a handsome...
Researching the Regency: Looking through Vic Gatrell’s Eyes
I began researching the Regency era in earnest on August 1, 2009. I had written a story board outlining the plot for Rosings Park, my novel based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. (I later discarded the story board because my protagonist, Anne de Bourgh, refused...
Researching the Regency: Looking through Boswell’s Eyes
In my previous blog post, I mentioned two books that changed my view of the Regency period. The first of these was The Heart of Boswell: Highlights from the Journals of James Boswell, edited by Mark Harris. I bought it for $.75 at my local used bookstore, thinking it...
Researching the Regency: I Stand with Hilary Mantel
After a winter and spring spent writing about pregnancy and childbirth during the Regency era—a topic that fascinates me—I now turn my thoughts to what I’ve learned while researching the Regency era. My first and hardest lesson: feeling confident I have gotten the...