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January 25, 2007
Jane on Courtship
There was a scarcity of men in general, and a still greater scarcity of any that were good for much.
--Jane Austen, Letter to her sister Cassandra
Jane's Letters to her Sister Cassandra. You have read and loved Jane's novels, now you are going crazy because there's nothing left to read. Wrong. Dig into her letters to sister Cassandra. You will get to know Jane in a way you never imagined. A vast and deep treasure.
Jane Austen Society of North America Produces an excellent journal, "Persuasions," written and edited by members of the society. I've belonged to this group for years. Highly recommended. Though I do not attend their get-togethers and would never dress in period costume. Never, ever.
The Republic of Pemberley Discussion groups and information pages. Wonderful stuff. Here you'll also find a complete list of films based on Austen's novels. Nice graphics.
Jane Austen Information Page Lots of, um, information. Great pictures and illustrations if you drill down deep enough.
Austen.com Links, links and more links. Good links.
Jane Austen Centre December 1800. Jane Austen is informed by her father that the family is moving from Steventon, (population 114, excluding sheep) her cozy birthplace, to Bath. Jane promptly faints dead away. No matter, Bath has claimed her as their own. Thus: Jane in Bath.com. Regency Tea Rooms, The Jane Austen Gift Shop, and The Jane Austen Festival. Well done for a town Jane was, er, not very fond of.
Jane Austen Society of Australia Jane travels well. Some have suggested that Jane invented surfing and had a secret relationship with beer. We are not convinced.
Jane's Books on-line Free downloads if you don't want to bother with those pesky, you know, books. Hey, hug a tree.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at January 25, 2007 12:57 PM
Comments
Seraphic Secret is private property, that's right, it's an extension of our home, and as such, Karen and I have instituted two Seraphic Rules and we ask commentors to act respectfully.
1. No profanity.2. No Israel bashing. We debate, we discuss, we are respectful. You know what Israel bashing is. The world is full of it. Seraphic Secret is one of the few places in the world that will not tolerate this form of anti-Semitism. That's it. Break either of these rules and you will be banned.
You know, Robert. If it wasn't Karen who held a supreme, special place in your heart for these 45+ years, I'd say that Jane Austen comes in a close second.;)
Posted by: Pearl at January 25, 2007 02:13 PM
There was a scarcity of men in general, and a still greater scarcity of any that were good for much.
Not to mention that there was almost certainly a shortage of women capable of realising that those few men who were good for much genuinely were good for much. But that is life.
Posted by: Michael Jennings at January 25, 2007 02:51 PM
Pearl:
Good thing Jane isn't Jewish... is she?
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at January 25, 2007 03:49 PM
I love Jane Austen's books (especially Pride and Prejudice) but I used to enjoy Georgette Heyer - mostly set in Regency England, a little lighter and more fast paced than Austen.
Posted by: mata hari at January 25, 2007 04:11 PM
Michael:
Jane did not mention that one reason for the scarcity of men was the Napoleonic Wars. British men, especially those who Jane would have met and possibly wed, were in the British Army and Navy, and they were dying at an alarming rate.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at January 25, 2007 04:18 PM
Mata Hari:
I've never heard of Georgette Heyer. I'll have to give her a whirl. Thank you.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at January 25, 2007 04:20 PM
some of my favorites - the grand sophy, arabella, sylvester, venetia, faro's daughter
Posted by: mata hari at January 25, 2007 04:47 PM
"Good thing Jane isn't Jewish"
Or alive.
Posted by: kishke at January 25, 2007 06:12 PM
Kishke:
Good point.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at January 25, 2007 07:10 PM
She's dead? Is that why she doesn't have a blog?
Posted by: Jake at January 26, 2007 01:19 PM
Jane did not mention that one reason for the scarcity of men was the Napoleonic Wars.
I think she got pretty close to mentioning it when she wrote Persuasion. That's definitely the book where the world intrudes. The British economy is changing, and you can feel it in what the characters go through. And the wars are definitely there in the background, or perhaps even not too far from the foreground, given that most of the men in the novel are naval officers. (You can even figure out exactly when it is set, which is much harder for the other novels).
Posted by: Michael Jennings at January 26, 2007 02:42 PM
Jake:
I'm sure there's a blog out there in Jane's voice. There just has to be.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at January 26, 2007 03:04 PM
Michael:
Quite right, "Persuasion" is the book where The Ogre almost intrudes--but never by name. Of course, Jane's two brothers, Francis and Charles, were in the Royal Navy, so Jane knew first-hand, the effects of the Napoleonic Wars. But she kept it from her readers, maybe it was considered unladylike. Or, one can argue that simply bringing up the war would pull focus from her intensely focused stories and thereby ruin what Austen worked to achieve. I'd love to hear from others on this issue.
Posted by: Robert Avrech at January 26, 2007 03:15 PM