Jane Austen's World

I can hardly believe we’ve arrived at November in Jane Austen’s World! After 10 months of this series, it’s proved an experience I won’t soon forget. What a fantastic journey! As we turn now to Jane Austen’s life, letters, and novels in the month of November, I can’t wait to explore Jane’s Regency world in the fall!

If you’d like to catch up on previous months, you can find each post of the “A Year in Jane Austen’s World” series here: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, and October.

As is our tradition, let’s first take a look at Jane Austen’s beautiful Hampshire countryside this time of year. As you might imagine, the yellow and golds of fall are on display and the weather has changed. Here is a gorgeous photo of the Chawton landscape this time of year:

November in Hampshire

November is the time for crisp weather, rain, and pretty fall colors. I found this lovely description of November weather in Austen’s letters:

Castle Square (21 November 1808): 

“How could you have a wet day on Thursday? With us it was a prince of days, the most delightful we have had for weeks; soft, bright, with a brisk wind from the southwest; everybody was out and talking of spring, and Martha and I did not know how to turn back. On Friday evening we had some very blowing weather,—from six to nine; I think we never heard it worse, even here. And one night we had so much rain that it forced its way again into the store-closet; and though the evil was comparatively slight and the mischief nothing, I had some employment the next day in drying parcels, etc. I have now moved still more out of the way.”

Wouldn’t you love to walk with Jane in that beautiful soft, bright day with its brisk wind! I’ve enjoyed quite a few similar walks this past week where I live and it’s exhilarating.

Jane Austen’s House Museum and gardens are always so pretty. Here is a recent November photo:

November in Jane Austen’s Letters

We don’t have many letters from the month of November in Austen’s collection of surviving letters, but November produces a few interesting details such as these:

20 November 1800 (Steventon):

• Night out: “Your letter took me quite by surprise this morning; you are very welcome, however, and I am very much obliged to you. I believe I drank too much wine last night at Hurstbourne; I know not how else to account for the shaking of my hand to-day. You will kindly make allowance therefore for any indistinctness of writing, by attributing it to this venial error. Naughty Charles did not come on Tuesday, but good Charles came yesterday morning. About two o’clock he walked in on a Gosport hack. His feeling equal to such a fatigue is a good sign, and his feeling no fatigue in it a still better. He walked down to Deane to dinner; he danced the whole evening, and to-day is no more tired than a gentleman ought to be.“
  
• Dance partners lacking: “There were only twelve dances, of which I danced nine, and was merely prevented from dancing the rest by the want of a partner. We began at ten, supped at one, and were at Deane before five. There were but fifty people in the room; very few families indeed from our side of the county, and not many more from the other. My partners were the two St. Johns, Hooper, Holder, and a very prodigious Mr. Mathew, with whom I called the last, and whom I liked the best of my little stock.”
  
• Jane’s appearance for the ball: “Mary said that I looked very well last night. I wore my aunt’s gown and handkerchief, and my hair was at least tidy, which was all my ambition.”

21 November 1808 (Castle Square):

• First thoughts on Chawton Cottage: “There are six bedchambers at Chawton; Henry wrote to my mother the other day, and luckily mentioned the number, which is just what we wanted to be assured of. He speaks also of garrets for store-places, one of which she immediately planned fitting up for Edward’s man-servant; and now perhaps it must be for our own; for she is already quite reconciled to our keeping one. The difficulty of doing without one had been thought of before. His name shall be Robert, if you please.”

November in Jane Austen’s Novels

Sense and Sensibility

• Lucy Steele Visits Barton Park: Elinor tells Marianne, “I have known it these four months. When Lucy first came to Barton Park last November, she told me in confidence of her engagement.” 

Pride and Prejudice

• Mr. Collins Visits Longbourn: He writes to Mr. Bennet: “If you should have no objection to receive me into your house, I propose myself the satisfaction of waiting on you and your family, Monday, November 18th, by four o’clock, and shall probably trespass on your hospitality till the Saturday se’nnight following, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Lady Catherine is far from objecting to my occasional absence on a Sunday, provided that some other clergyman is engaged to do the duty of the day.”
• Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley leave Netherfield in November: “How very suddenly you all quitted Netherfield last November, Mr. Darcy! It must have been a most agreeable surprise to Mr. Bingley to see you all after him so soon; for, if I recollect right, he went but the day before. He and his sisters were well, I hope, when you left London?”

Mansfield Park

• Sir Thomas returns home: “November was the black month fixed for his return. Sir Thomas wrote of it with as much decision as experience and anxiety could authorise. His business was so nearly concluded as to justify him in proposing to take his passage in the September packet, and he consequently looked forward with the hope of being with his beloved family again early in November.”
• Maria marries in November: “Mrs. Rushworth was quite ready to retire, and make way for the fortunate young woman whom her dear son had selected; and very early in November removed herself, her maid, her footman, and her chariot, with true dowager propriety, to Bath, there to parade over the wonders of Sotherton in her evening parties; enjoying them as thoroughly, perhaps, in the animation of a card-table, as she had ever done on the spot; and before the middle of the same month the ceremony had taken place which gave Sotherton another mistress.”
• November gloom and dirt (mud): “Not only at home did [Fanny’s] value increase (‘with the departure of her cousins’), but at the Parsonage too. In that house, which she had hardly entered twice a year since Mr. Norris’s death, she became a welcome, an invited guest, and in the gloom and dirt of a November day, most acceptable to Mary Crawford.”

Emma

• Mr. Woodhouse argues autumn colds: “That has been a good deal the case, my dear; but not to the degree you mention. Perry says that colds have been very general, but not so heavy as he has very often known them in November. Perry does not call it altogether a sickly season.”
• Jane Fairfax catches a November cold: “Jane caught a bad cold, poor thing! so long ago as the 7th of November, (as I am going to read to you,) and has never been well since. A long time, is not it, for a cold to hang upon her? She never mentioned it before, because she would not alarm us. Just like her! so considerate!—But however, she is so far from well, that her kind friends the Campbells think she had better come home, and try an air that always agrees with her; and they have no doubt that three or four months at Highbury will entirely cure her—and it is certainly a great deal better that she should come here, than go to Ireland, if she is unwell. Nobody could nurse her, as we should do.”
• Emma and Mr. Knightley must return from their seaside honeymoon by November, so that Isabella and her husband can stay at Hartfield with Mr. Woodhouse:
  • “[Emma and Mr. Knightley] had determined that their marriage ought to be concluded while John and Isabella were still at Hartfield, to allow them the fortnight’s absence in a tour to the seaside, which was the plan.”
  • “But Mr. John Knightley must be in London again by the end of the first week in November.”
  • “[Emma] was able to fix her wedding-day—and Mr. Elton was called on, within a month from the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Martin (in September), to join the hands of Mr. Knightley and Miss Woodhouse.”

November Dates of Importance

And now for our monthly round-up of November dates of importance relating to Jane and her family:

Family News:

• November 1796: Jane’s brother James Austen engaged to Mary Lloyd, a close family friend.
• 17 November 1798: James Austen’s son, James-Edward, born.
• November 1797: Edward Austen moves his family from Rowling to Godmersham Park in Kent.

Historic Dates:

• 9 November 1799: Napoleon becomes First Consul of France.
• 20 November 1815: The Treaty of Paris is signed, officially ending Napoleonic wars.

Writing:

• 1 November 1797: Jane’s father, Reverend Austen, offers “First Impressions” to Thomas Cadell, a London publisher, but is ultimately unsuccessful.
• November 1797: Austen begins revisions on “Elinor and Marianne,” which later becomes Sense and Sensibility.
• November 1813: 2nd editions of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility released.
• November 1813: Mansfield Park accepted for publication (most likely).
• 13 November 1815: Austen visits the Prince Regent’s Library at Carlton House, where she receives the invitation to dedicate a future novel to him.

Sorrows: I am happy to report that I could not find any major family sorrows during the month of November in the family history, biographies, or letters.

Looking Toward December

This truly has been an enormous joy each month, and as this is the penultimate post for this series, I cannot tell you all how excited I am to round out the series next month as we explore December in Jane Austen’s World, Jane’s birthday, and all things Regency Christmas!

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RACHEL DODGE teaches college English classes, gives talks at libraries, teas, and book clubs, and writes for Jane Austen’s World blog. She is the bestselling author of The Little Women Devotional, The Anne of Green Gables Devotional and Praying with Jane: 31 Days Through the Prayers of Jane Austen. Now Available: The Secret Garden Devotional! You can visit Rachel online at www.RachelDodge.com.