Universal Truths

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This beautiful hand-painted print from La Belle Ensemblee Magazine portrays the intricacy of the fashion plates during the Regency Period printing era. (Print compiled by Pauline Thomas)

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Some Things Never Change

"And Miss Esther must marry somebody of fortune too- She must get a rich husband. Ah! Young ladies that have no money are very much to be pitied!" (188).

Reference:

Austen, Jane. Sanditon. Middlesex: Penguin, 1982. Print.

No matter how much Austen's style changes in Sanditon, some concepts remain eternal. This little quip regarding the necessity for a dependent woman of no fortune to marry well cannot go unnoticed. 

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Mnnnn, no wonder Anne loves Wentworth?

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Mrs Smith on the validity of gossip!

"It does not come to me on quite so direct a line as that; it takes a bend or two, but nothing of consequence. The stream is as good as at first; the little rubbish it collects in the turnings, is easily moved away" (144).

Reference:

Austen, Jane. Persuasion. NY: Norton, 2013. Print.

I really enjoy this quotation regarding the validity of gossip as second-hand stories. Mrs Smith clearly acknowledges that the information doesn't come directly to her and consciously chooses to listen, judge and then separate the truth from the added nonsense. 

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The Ending of Persuasion (Ann W. Astell)

"If the ending of Persuasion is aesthetically satisfying, even haunting (and it is), that is because it is a story of love without end, a love that has been tested and become increasingly independent of outward circumstance- be it physical separation, the passage of time, the interference of others, or the outbreak of a Napoleonic war" (255).

Reference:

Astell, Anne W. "Anne Elliot's Education." Reanascene 40 (1987): n. pag. Rpt. in Persuasion. Jane Austen. NY: Norton, 2013. N. pag. Print.

Following our conversation on Monday regarding the two part format of Persuasion, I think that this particular reference is inherent as to why Austen made it so. The trials that Anne and Willoughby face both as individuals and a couple prove to be more significant to Austen's point when taken from the point after their initial separation.

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Austen's Commentary on Education and companionship

"Hers is a line for seeing human nature; and she has a fund of good sense and observation which, as a companion, make her infinitely superior to thousands of those who having only received "the best education in the world," know nothing worth attending to" (109).

Reference:

Austen, Jane. Persuasion. NY: Norton, 2013. Print.

I realize that Austen was a major advocate for education and I think that this point rather leans towards the Mr. Collins' we encounter within Austen's writing. What use is an education, if you still don't know how to think independently?

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I wonder if we could apply this persuasion model from "NeuroscienceMarketing" to Austen's Persuasion? 

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Oh Austen. :)

"Personal size and mental sorrow have certainly no necessary proportions. A large bulky figure has as good a right to be in deep affliction, as the most graceful set of limbs in the world" (49).

Reference:

Austen, Jane. Persuasion. NY: Norton, 2013. Print.

Austen never fails to insert her little witticisms within her text. I enjoy the little jokes, such as the one above, which need no translation and are merely added to characterize the text.

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Goldsmith's Advice on death as the solution to clearing a disagreeable character ;)

"Goldsmith tells us, that when lovely woman stoops to folly, she has nothing to do but die; and when she stoops to be disagreeable, it is equally to be recommended as a clearer of ill-fame" (363).

Reference:

Austen, Jane. Emma. NY: Penguin, 2003. Print.

I just love the horrendous truth behind this statement! Most people choose not to think ill of the dead, thus the solution to cure your disagreeable personality must be to die!

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Look at the Website "Belle Memorie" for awesome Regency Period style inspired wedding ideas! 

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Meaning of the Name Emma

http://www.behindthename.com/name/emma

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Emma Admits that She is Wrong!?

"I do own myself to have been completely mistaken in Mr. Elton. There is a littleness about him which you discovered , and which I did not: and I was fully convinced of his being in love with Harriet. It was through a series of strange blunders!" (110).

Reference:

Austen, Jane. Emma. NY: Penguin, 2003. Print.

One of the things I really appreciate about Emma is her shamelessness, and I think this quotation perfectly defines this. Emma actually admits to her mistake (which was actually a rather large one) and yet still shows no regret or remorse in having attempted the match between Mr. Elton and Harriet!

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Some Things Never Change

"The ladies here probably exchanged looks, which meant 'Men never know when things are dirty or not;' and the gentlemen perhaps thought each to himself, 'Women will have their little nonsenses and needless cares'" (236).

References:

Austen, Jane. Emma. NY: Penguin, 2003. Print.

The timelessness of Austen is demonstrated in so many ways in all her works and this snide little comment concerning views on the opposite sex is a great example.

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Anyone for Some Tongue?

"Langue de Bieuf Pique–Neat’s-Tongue Larded

Having removed the root and the gullet of a small neats-tongue, rub it well with salt; next day hang it to drain, and wipe it. Let it lie in salt one day, boil it half an hour, blanch and remove the skin; then, having rolled some fresh cured fat bacon in a seasoning of pepper, salt, cloves, mace, cinnamon and nutmeg, with parsley, knotted marjoram, chives or chibols, and a little morsel of garlic minced small, lard the tongue all over, except a little space from the root to the tip in the middle, where it is to be divided; braize and glaze as usual, having, after it is dressed, cut it in two, except at two extremities, and thus lay in on the dish in the form of a heart."

References:

Eliza Rundell’s A New System of Domestic Cookery

Boyle, Laura. "Neat's Tongue." Jane Austen Centre. Wordpress, 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.

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Emma on Practiced Charm

"That he should never have been able to indulge so amiable a feeling before, passed suspiciously through Emma's brain; but still if it were a falsehood, it was a pleasant one, and pleasantly handled. His manner had no air of study or exaggeration. He really did look and speak as if in a state of no common enjoyment" (180).

References:

Austen, Jane. Emma. NY: Penguin, 2003. Print.

I really love that Emma acknowledges the practiced charm of Frank Churchill here, whilst still excusing it because it comes across as pleasant and flattering. 

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Trim your Regency Bonnet

Fashion to Make, Hands On Regency

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Michael Chwe on Austen

"The discussion here introduces many topics analyzed more systematically..such as the distinction between strategicness and selfishness, strategic partnership as the best foundation for marriage, making good choices even when overpowered by emotion, the necessity of understanding others' minds as different from your own, and the risk that status consciousness can make you strategically stupid (Chwe, 50).

Resources:

Chwe, Michael. Jane Austen, Game Theorist. New Jersey: Princeton University, 1965. Print.

After the Chwe lecture and the particular emphasis he placed on socially inferior people being better strategists, I thought this quotation really highlighted the importance of understanding your opponent's mind when trying to strategically outplay them.