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Sanditon, Season 3: Well, it’s finally over

Posted in Jane Austen Sanditon PBS, Jane Austen's World, Sanditon on May 17, 2023| 25 Comments »

Inquiring readers,

When Sanditon Season 1 first aired, I reviewed every episode in such detail that I now realize I can no longer reclaim the hours I lost watching and rewatching the program, researching the actors and locations, and writing down my thoughts, albeit tongue in cheek. 

By Season 2, I had learned my lesson. I bundled the episodes together for fewer reviews  (tongue still firmly planted in cheek).

My tongue and cheek begged me not to use them for Season 3. Alas and alack, I could not make such a promise. Spoiler alert (and trigger warning for those who are still developing an appreciation for comedy, irony and sarcasm): I am giving my full-blown and personal opinion based on how many times Jane Austen rolled in her grave when her spirit realized how her unfinished novel was given the 21st century commercial, rom-com, Regency treatment. As I watched the 6 episodes back to back, with power naps inbetween, my essential question was: “Where’s Jane in all of this?” 

The season opens with Sir Eddy Denham suffering a Regency-style water rehabilitation (torture) treatment to unlearn his shifty and criminal ways. Jack Fox, who plays Lady Denham’s nephew, looks thin and wan, as if he’s been forced to fast every other day. Lady Denham (Anne Reid) sits on her silk sofa like a corseted spider who has woven a web so tight that Sir Eddy cannot escape his destiny – that of a loser. While his self-abasement is fueled by avarice and greed, this viewer wonders why his tired old storyline has been hauled out for the 3rd time. 

Charlotte Heywood arrives in style to Sanditon in the same carriage that spirited her bereaved self away at the end of Season 2. She’s still engaged to the young farmer her father thought would become a suitable husband. Cai Brigden plays Ralph Starling, a handsome enough fiancé, who’s besotted with his betrothed. Ah, but has she forgotten Mr Colbourne? Or Sydney Parker for that matter? At this point I decided to use my Before-During-After critical thinking teacher strategies to examine Season 3’s plot. 

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Before

Season 1: Charlotte fell passionately in love with the incomparable Sydney Parker. Alas, the actor, Theo James, saw richer beach resorts on his horizon, and left poor Char forlorn, for she would never see such a beautifully sculpted naked man rising from the sea again. (Neither will we, for that matter.) In that season, Sanditon was just a mishmash of old cottages, new buildings, and muddy roads. Its story line more or less followed Austen’s script for 15-20 minutes. Then the deviation from her plot had me laughing so hard, that the wine I was drinking snorted out of my nose. I must say that Rose Williams as Charlotte is lovely and likable, and a realistically feisty miss. But I wondered after the end of Season 1 – what now?

During 

Season 2: Of course the script writers had to kill Sydney off (Still, I asked: What if Theo changed his mind and wanted to come back? And what has become of young Stringer?) Oh, well. Charlotte’s journey without Sydney leads her to cold stiff Alexander Colbourne (Ben Lloyd-Hughes). He’s rich, I’ll give him that, but no amount of bronzer will make his body shine in glittering sunset-lit waters like Sydney’s. Sigh. 

In her grief, Char seeks work as a governess. She lands at the doorstep of Alexander Colbourne, a widower with a child, Leonora, and his charge, Augusta. From the moment they meet, Char and Alex dislike-hate each other. He’s too opinionated and stubborn. She’s too opinionated and stubborn. When she’s finally had enough of his strict ways, she stomps out of his mansion, nearly slamming the door in his self-important face. He follows her on his splendid steed and basically says, “Hey, come back. See ya tomorrow.” As for the girls, one is unruly, the other repellent, but Char’s no quitter. In no time, Alex begins to desire her, and her knowledge of horses seals the deal. Did everyone see this coming? Of course. I must confess being so bored by their predictable storyline that I fell asleep. I did have one question, for my nap prevented me from following the plot closely: “Why, gentle readers, did she leave him to go home to her family at the end of S2 and get engaged to a mere farmer?”

Season 3: (We’re still in the During phase of this 3-part tale.) At the beginning of season 3 Char is still engaged to her daddy’s choice of a fine working husband. While I’m sure Ralph is a nice guy, he’s out of his comfort zone and her league, and all but disappears. He shows his discomfort and  jealousy of the fine friends she’s made. Char’s only returned to Sanditon to celebrate Georgiana Lambe’s (Crystal Clarke) birthday. It is an auspicious occasion, for Georgiana will come into her substantial inheritance. Impoverished fortune hunters are waiting to crawl out of their expensive, unaffordable Sanditon boarding rooms to woo her.

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But let’s leave the ho-humness of these stale plots and examine the sidebar romances, which added some spice and much excitement this season.

Sidebar Romance #1

The torturer in charge of Sir Eddy’s rehab is Dr Fuchs, who was practically invisible in Season 2. Rev Hankins, the second person employed by Lady D to change Sir Eddy into a nicer person, is working on our villain’s soul. The reverend’s long suffering sister, Beatrice, abides by his edicts, for as a spinster with no home of her own she must suffer his insufferability. She has no choice unless she wants to make baubles like Mrs Smith of Persuasion fame. When Rev Hankins and Beatrice leave church, Dr Fuchs (rhymes with mucks) chances upon the pair. He makes goo goo eyes at her and she simpers in return. Rev Hankins will have none of that! Well, you know how that will go. This romance weaves many comedic moments throughout the season. More importantly, their awkward flirting kept me semi-awake.

Sidebar Romance #2 (A Triple Romance with a Twist)

Ah, who would have guessed that Arthur Parker (Turlough Convery) and Edward Lord Harry Montrose (Edward Davis) would provide the truest sidebar romance in this overlong adaptation of Austen’s unfinished novel? To ward off pesky fortune hunters, Georgiana Lambe agrees to a pretend engagement to the Duke, whose family is penniless (unbeknownst to her.) She knows, though, that the Duke is attracted to his own sex. And that’s alright with her. (This means mitts off her nubile body.) Harry wants Arthur. Arthur wants Harry, but cannot hurt Georgiana. Georgiana just wants to keep up the pretense until she’s in full control of her fortune. Edward’s momma is ecstatic at the thought of her son’s union with an heiress and the replenishment of the family fortune. Lord Harry’s spinster sister, Lydia’s, situation reminds me of Beatrice’s, but Lydia has more status and has kept a secret meant to keep us on the edge of our seats. The red herring in her plot is with Alex Colbourne, but we savvy viewers know better. Both have better chemistry with their horses than each other.

Sidebar Romance #3 Lady Denham (Anne Reid) and Rowleigh Pryce (James Bolam)

I won’t spend much time on this “romance.” Two aged, irascible and unlikable characters duke it out with each other. He left her at the altar when she was still nubile; she leaves him at the altar when he can still father a child and she can’t bear one. Lady Denham is based on Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mrs Norris, and Mrs Ferrars (mother of that odious Fanny Dashwood) – all rolled into one. The “romance” ends with an agreement that they will still see each other regularly, but as little as possible. 

Sidebar Romance #4 Augusta Markham (Eloise Webb) and Sir Eddy (Jack Fox)

Would anyone like to shout Lydia and Wickham and Georgiana Darcy and Wickham in Pride and Prejudice when following the trajectory of this unlikable couple? Yes, Sir Eddy at first only pretends to redeem himself to Lady D, but then he meets the attractive and intriguing Augusta Markham. He learns/knows of her fortune, woos her, twirls her susceptible cookies, AND absconds with her. Augusta is older than the very young Georgiana Darcy, and she can’t wait for Sir Eddy to hop in the sack with her. But seeing her eagerness, he suffers a sudden crisis of conscience. (Those water torture baths are finally working!) And so he rejects her. Ouch. Augusta languishes. He languishes but manages to keep a heroic stiff upper lip. Oh, dear, I think, as I awaken from my power nap, what will next happen to this hapless couple?

Romance #5  The Prince Regent Changes His Mind, and So Does his Mistress

Mature love in the form of Sophie Winkleman as Lady Susan and Liam Garrigan as Samuel Colbourne has been given an unroyal treatment. Lady Susan, taken out of mothballs from Season 1, has really no role other than to walk arm in arm with Char, look elegant and beautiful, and meet Samuel, Alexander’s brother. I must admit I was nodding off during his introduction, so I still have no idea why/how his presence was introduced into the plot. I believe, and please correct me if I am wrong (yes, this happens often) that he’s a lawyer or accountant of sorts. Lady Susan and Samuel banter in friendly exchanges at first and then experience such irresistible hots for each other that they kiss on a public beach! What if someone, like a fisherman or bather, saw them? Qu’elle horreur! After Samuel decides he’s finally found the woman of his dreams, the Prince Regent requests his former mistress’s return to London. Lady Susan, supposedly a sensible woman, plans to hie it back to her fat princely hedonist and leave the love of her life. Whaaaa?!! Samuel is bereft. She’s sad. As devotees of rom-com plots, let’s all together guess the ending! Hint: We are all correct.

Non Romantic Plot Developments:

Tom and Mary: Tom Parker (Kris Marshall) and Rowleigh Pryce unite in a common vision to build a luxury hotel in Sanditon, bulldozing anything standing in their way. 

Achieving their goal means demolishing fishermen cottages that sit on a stretch of beach with a splendid view. Meanwhile, Tom’s wife Mary (Kate Ashfield) has been tending to the poor, including a fisherman’s widow who has little income for herself or her children. Much like Emma Woodhouse, Mary visits the widow frequently with baskets of food and clothes, often accompanied by Char. Mary is horrified by Tom’s plans and they engage in a major row. Tom is adamant, as is Mary.

Then (shades of Marianne Dashwood lying on her deathbed), Mary falls mysteriously ill and, you guessed it, lies on her deathbed. A grieving Tom can only recall his last harsh words towards his beloved. After much hand wringing, Dr Fuchs tells the assembled family members and friends to prepare for the worst. Then, miracle of miracles – as if Mary’s mother hastened to her bedside à la Mrs Dashwood – Mary awakens. Tom turns into a precursor of Ebenezer Scrooge after the three visits from the spirits. Chastened, he follows Mary’s advice. In short order, Tom ditches his plans for the hotel, as well as Rowleigh Pryce, and promises Mary he’ll improve the fishermen’s cottages (and his sex life, no doubt) and the cottagers’ lives.Trifecta! Mary is now hale, hearty, and happy to have her dutiful Tom under her sensible thumb again.

The last is a story line I’ve entitled: “She Loves Me, I trust Her. She Loves Me Not, I’ll Ditch Her, She Still Loves Me.” This plot involves Georgiana’s momma, her sudden appearance, and the shell necklace that proves her motherhood.

We are so lucky in this century, for DNA tests proves irrefutably to whom we are related. But during the Regency one had to rely on one’s instincts. Georgiana, one smart cookie when it comes to defending herself from fortune hunters, practically melts into the arms of a woman who appears out of the Caribbean Blue to claim the closest kinship any orphaned child could want – a mother. The proof? A shell necklace that brings Georgina to tears and conjures memories of Antigua so ancient they might not be true. (I’ve made a number of shell necklaces that look remarkably like Momma’s proof.) After a few conversations and memory prompts, Georgiana cries “Momma!” and throws herself into her arms. Lord Harry’s avaricious Momma, hellbent on making sure her son marries rich Georgiana and wanting to keep her entire fortune, finagles to bribe Georgiana’s mother with enough money to make her disappear. Ah, but love is blind and conquers all. Georgiana’s momma ditches the money and tells her daughter she is more priceless than all the gold on earth. Oh, happy reunion. 

(If I’ve not mentioned that creep artist, Charles Lockhart, it was on purpose.)

After:

Major Sugar Overload

Diabetics should be warned to take their metformin or insulin before watching the treacly epilogue. The cynic in me guffawed my way through those last 10 minutes. Every major plot and most subplots were tied up neatly with pastel colored ribbons and rose colored glasses. I’m sure Jane A. rolled over in her grave once again. While we had indications that some couples in her novels reached marital nirvana (Lizzy and Darcy and Anne and her Captain, for example), most of her stories ended at the wedding. Jane hinted at some unhappy consequences. Well, hint is a weak word when we think about the character arcs she introduced in her novels. I could write an entire post about them, starting with Wickham and Lydia and Charlotte Lucas’s compromise marriage to Mr Collins to oversee her own household. (Me? I’d rather roll naked in hot tar than tolerate that man.) 

At the end:

  • Char marries Alex, becomes a school teacher, and has a baby.
  • Georgiana, through the machinations of her mama, marries her true love, Otis Molineux.
  • Lady Susan and her Samuel sit in bliss at Char’s wedding.
  • Lady Denham keeps her title and fortune, and relishes bossing Mr Pryce around every other month or so.
  • Augusta becomes a governess. Hahahahahah.

On and on. 

  • Unhappy is Char’s ex fiance, Ralph. And I still have one question – whatever happened to young Stringer?

More about Sanditon on this blog: Jane Austen’s World reviews, Seasons 1-2: https://janeaustensworld.com/category/sanditon/

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Regency Week in Alton and Chawton: A Summer Jane Austen Event

Posted in Austen Events, Jane Austen's World, tagged , , , , , on May 10, 2023| 8 Comments »

by Brenda S. Cox

A few years ago, on a trip to England, I discovered a wonderful summer Jane Austen event: Regency Week in Alton. Yes, the Jane Austen Festival in Bath in September is great. But for many people, it’s easier to travel in the summer.

And, Austen arguably had closer ties to Alton and Chawton than she did to Bath or Winchester. She spent her last years in the village of Chawton, writing or rewriting all of her novels for publication. Alton is the nearest large town, where her family shopped and visited.

This year’s Regency Week is June 17-25, 2023. I’m excited that I’ll get to speak at this one for the first time! My talk will be “Why Mr. Collins? The Church and Clergy in Jane Austen’s England.” And I will get to do it at Alton’s lovely, historic church, St. Lawrence’s. (When we visited there, the churchwarden showed us bullet holes from the English Civil War in the 1600s.)

The church will also host a Sunday evening choral evensong service, with a Regency theme, and an organ recital. The Friends (Quaker) Meeting House will host a teatime discussion of Sense and Sensibility, which I’m also looking forward to.  

The week kicks off with Regency Day, when you can wander around the town in Regency costume, if you wish. You can visit booths, watch military reenactments, musical entertainment, and dancing, and take a carriage ride. When I went before, I met a number of Austenesque writers, and enjoyed connecting with them. 

On a previous Regency Day, fencing was a highlight of the street events. (promo photo)

Of course a dance workshop, a ball (sold out for this year), and a country dance will be highlights of the week. Guided walks of Alton, Chawton, and the vicinity are offered, focusing on Austen’s connections with the area. Jane Hurst, an expert on the history of the area, leads those. I have met her and she was very helpful to me in my own research for my book.

At the Jane Austen House, tours of the house focusing on Sense and Sensibility and on Pride and Prejudice sound fascinating.  Nearby Chawton House offers a Curators tour of the Quills and Characters exhibit, about Austen-era letter-writing and “women’s experiences of travel, science, reading, and scandal.” A talk about botanical women and tours of the Chawton House Gardens will also be packed with interesting insights. I’m also looking forward to a tour of Gilbert White‘s house in Selborne and his gardens.

Alton Regency Day (promo photo)

Picnics, parades, cocktails, tours, Regency pastimes, craft workshops, talks, and much more fill out this year’s program. Check out the full schedule at their website.

At the 2015 Regency Week, I got to meet some wonderful Austen Variations authors (from left): Abigail Reynolds, Maria Grace, L. L. Diamond, Jane Odiwe, Cassandra Grafton, and Monica Fairview. Since then I have enjoyed many of their books. Booths this year will no doubt focus on other interesting items. Photo ©Brenda S. Cox, 2015

Why a Regency Week in Alton?

I asked the organizers to tell me more about Regency Week and its background. Marie Kelle said:

Jane Austen Regency Week is a 9-day festival held in Alton and Chawton in Hampshire (UK) each year to celebrate both our local internationally-acclaimed writer, and a very interesting period of history, encouraging people to explore their cultural heritage.  It started as just a weekend of events and grew into the 9 day festival we now have.

We have a varied programme covering walks, dancing, tours, talks and much more. The ball is already sold out, but the very enjoyable and less formal Country Dance event still has tickets available.  The week begins with Alton Regency Day which includes a craft and gifts market, Regency and Napoleonic War era re-enactors, Mill Cottage Farm Experience and entertainment from The Kings Pond Shantymen and Alton Morris Dancers.

If you have never been to Regency Week before some highlights for this year are of course Regency Day where, if you wish, you can stroll around dressed in your Regency era outfits, and a Horse and Carriage ride is a must!  Other highlights are Garden Cocktails at Chawton House,  and lunch at the Allen Gallery followed by a tour of the ceramics exhibits. You can also view the Hampshire Libraries Jane Austen Collection at Alton Library. Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility themed tours at Jane Austen’s House, and House Tour and Cream Teas at Wyards Farmhouse are more of the week’s highlights.  

We have some sewing workshops on offer this year: you can make your own flower pot broach at Gilbert White’s House in Selborne and you can make a Regency Era Reticule. Another workshop will show you how to finish and embellish your own bonnet (this workshop includes a ‘posh tea’).  All this along with three guided historical walks, circular countryside walks of the beautiful scenery around Chawton, and much more!

***

I’d love to see you there! Or, if you can’t come this summer, I hope you’ll put it on your wish list for a future summer. :-)

Schedule, Tickets, and Accommodations

The schedule can be found at www.janeaustenregencyweek.co.uk

Tickets for the 2023 Jane Austen Regency Week are now on sale, both on Eventbrite and also from our office by calling Marie on 01420 85057. Contact marie@altoncommunitycentre.org.uk

Regency Week 2023 eventbrite tickets can be found by clicking this link (please note there is a booking fee per ticket at eventbrite, but if you buy direct from Alton Community Centre there is a £3.00 booking fee per transaction no matter how many tickets are booked.

For options for local accommodation see Places to stay. There are also some local rooms/homes etc on AirBnB.

Jane Austen Regency Week is run by a group of volunteers and participating organizations under the auspices of the charity, Alton Community Association CIO. It is funded through ticket sales, sponsorship and advertising.  Jane Austen Regency Week is a fundraising activity for Alton Community Association CIO (reg charity 1173885).

St. Lawrence’s Church in Alton, by the way, was the model for the cover art of my book, Fashionable Goodness: Christianity in Jane Austen’s England. 

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Coronation Weekend: Celebrations Abroad and at Home

Posted in British Royalty, Coronation Day, Jane Austen's World, King Charles III Coronation, Royal Family on May 5, 2023| 9 Comments »

With the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla kicking off on Saturday, May 6, we Janeites have much to look forward to! Whether you enjoy following along with the Royal Family, can’t wait to see the grandiose pomp and pageantry, or want to know more about England and the many historic traditions surrounding the Crown, the Coronation provides a historic moment we won’t soon forget.

Watch Live or Later:

Whether you’re planning to set your alarm and watch it live (for those of us who don’t live in England), watch the recorded proceedings later in the day, or attend a watch party or live event, there is something for everyone. For a schedule of events for this 3-day affair, you can read “The Full Schedule of Events for Coronation Weekend” (Town & Country).

Worldwide Celebration:

People from around the world will tune in for this incredible event. In England, this is a 3-day weekend with plenty of celebrations to enjoy, including an extra Bank Holiday on Monday! If you live in England, you probably have a plan in place to either watch live with friends or perhaps you’ve traveled to London to participate in the city-wide celebrations. If so, please take photos and send them to us here at Jane Austen’s World!

If you don’t live in England, there are two major options: Either get up early and watch it live or watch a recording later in the day. If you’re a true, die-hard fan, you’ll be up early, dressed to the nines, with your tea service ready and fresh scones in the oven. If you’re like me, you’ll get up early to watch some of it live, but also plan something later in the day so that your family members can participate as well!

Ways to Celebrate at Home:

I’m planning to make a weekend of it, so that I can enjoy the Coronation itself and some of my favorite documentaries about the Royal family. While I’ll always remain loyal to Queen Elizabeth II, and though I do have quite a soft spot for William and Kate, I’m looking forward to seeing my very first coronation!

To make the weekend special (and to lure my family into watching with me), I’m planning plenty of special food and drink! If you’d like to create your own British tea party at home, you can keep it simple with tea and cookies, cakes, or biscuits or you can create a fancier spread!

To read about the difference between afternoon tea, high tea, and cream tea, check this out: “Afternoon Tea vs. High Tea vs. Cream Tea: A Brief Tutorial” (The Spice & Tea Shoppe).

Delicious Magazine: Coronation Recipes

Cream Tea:

I’m planning on making cream tea, which is tea and scones with clotted cream and jam. The best cream tea I ever had was in Lyme Regis on a JASNA Pathfinders tour. It was rainy and cold that day, and my friend and I tucked into a tiny hole-in-the-wall bakery for a bite to eat. We ordered a cream tea and I will never forget how good it tasted!

If you’re curious about the English tradition of Cream Tea, you can read more HERE. Cream Tea is “most often associated with the West Country, i.e. Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. It usually consists of scones, clotted cream or butter, strawberry jam, and of course, tea” (The Spice & Tea Shoppe).

To create your own cream tea at home, you’ll need tea, scones, clotted cream (or butter), and jam! I prefer making my own scones, but you can also find scones at many bakeries or a mix at the grocery store.

Culinary Ginger, “Clotted Cream for Afternoon Tea”

A Cuppa:

You can drink any type of tea you like, but if you want to truly enjoy a “cuppa” the way the British people drink it, you’ll want to try something traditional. In “How do British tea drinking habits compare with other Europeans?”, you can see some of the top favorites:

Many British people enjoy milk in their tea, but usually without any sweetener. I personally enjoy honey and milk in my tea. I drink a delightful herbal tea that is everyone’s favorite in my house. I buy Bourbon Street Vanilla Rooibos from the English Tea Store.

If you don’t like tea (otherwise known as “hot brown water,” according to Ted Lasso), you might try it with milk and honey. I’ve turned quite a few people into tea-lovers with that special combo!

Scones:

True British scones are more like an American biscuit in shape and texture than the type of scones you find at Starbucks. I’ve never met a scone I didn’t like, but if you’d like to make a more traditional British scone, you won’t be disappointed.

This scone recipe receives high marks from BBCGoodFood.com: Classic scones with jam & clotted cream.

Clotted Cream:

But how does one find clotted cream if one does not live in England? Many specialty food stores and gourmet supermarkets now carry clotted cream. You can usually find it in the dairy section, the deli area, or the artisan cheese section. Pictured here is Devon clotted cream, which I can usually find at Whole Foods:

But you can also make it at home! The trick is finding heavy whipping cream that isn’t ultra-pasteurized (which is sadly much harder to find in the U.S. in the past few years). Here’s a recipe if you’d like to try it by the Curious Cuisiniere: Homemade Clotted Cream.

Jam or Cream-Which comes first?

You can choose whichever jam you like. I love strawberry jam on my scones! But here’s the real debate about jam and clotted cream: Which goes on the scone first? Do you put the cream on first and then the jam? Or is it the other way around?

For most Americans, I think we’d automatically say it’s cream first and then jam, since we usually butter our biscuits and toast first and then add jam second. But in England, there’s a big debate about which one goes first: “While those in Devon typically spread the clotted cream first followed by jam, the Cornish tradition is to spread jam first followed by cream” (The Independent).

The Sun reports that the Queen herself prefers jam first. Thus, if you want to eat your scones like the Queen, you know what to do. You can read all about it HERE.

Tea with Biscuits:

If you prefer biscuits with your tea, there are many to choose from. I’m personally obsessed with chocolate Digestives and chocolate Hob Nobs. British people love their biscuits and are quite opinionated about which are the best, particularly for dunking.

Apparently, the most “dunkable” biscuits are Jaffa Cakes, according to a recent study: “The best biscuits for dunking, according to science – so is YOUR favourite on the list?” (The Daily Mail)

But if you’re interested in knowing the most popular biscuits in England, The Sun has all the answers. If you’d like to try some of the top biscuits yourself, you can read more here: “CHOCCY WOCCY DOO DAH Britain’s top 20 favourite biscuits revealed – but do YOU agree?”

Victoria Sponge:

If you really want to take it to another level and pretend you’re under the tent at The Great British Baking Show, you can try Mary Berry’s famous Victoria Sandwich Cake for your Coronation dessert! This is next-level baking, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to try. I like this recipe from The English Kitchen because it lists ingredients in British grams and American measurements: “Mary Berry’s Victoria Sandwich Cake.”

Tea Sandwiches:

If you’re planning to spend the day or weekend watching Coronation events, it’s best to plan on sandwiches as well. Otherwise, tea with scones, biscuits, and/or cake might be a bit too sweet! You can make a tray or a tiered tower of your own favorite sandwiches or prepare several classic tea sandwiches.

According to BBCGoodFood.com, here are the “15 best afternoon tea sandwich ideas.” I personally love anything with cream cheese and cucumbers, but my family likes something with a bit more protein involved!

Make it a Celebration:


If you want to decorate your table, get out your fine china tea cups, dress up, or even invite people over, the sky’s the limit. You can decorate a sun hat with real or faux flowers, cut out paper crowns, or print your own invitations.

Whether you’re planning to make a weekend of it or if you’re just going to watch the highlights, this is an event to remember.

If you’re planning something special, which I’m sure many of you are, please comment below. We’d love to hear from you over the next few days as we all enjoy the beauty of this historic moment in time!

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.

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Growing Older With Jane Austen, Part 2

Posted in Aging in Jane Austen, Bath, Death and Illness in Austen's world, Jane Austen's World, tagged , , , , , , , on April 24, 2023| 9 Comments »

Growing Older with Jane Austen by Maggie Lane: Review and Highlights by Brenda S. Cox

“Me! a poor, helpless, forlorn widow, unfit for anything, my spirits quite broke down . . .”—Mrs. Norris, Mansfield Park, chapter 3

“That Lady Russell, of steady age and character, and extremely well provided for, should have no thought of a second marriage, needs no apology to the public, which is rather apt to be unreasonably discontented when a woman does marry again, than when she does not; but Sir Walter’s continuing in singleness requires explanation.”—Persuasion, chapter 1

Last month we began looking at older characters in Jane Austen’s novels, drawing from Maggie Lane’s fascinating book, Growing Older with Jane Austen. We saw the importance of beauty in making matches, and the position of women as wives and mothers, or as single “old maids.” 

Next, Lane turns to older men, in the chapter:

Still a Very Fine Man (chapter 6)

With the exception of Sir Walter Elliot, the older men in Austen are less concerned about their appearances. But they are more likely to want to remarry than the older women. This is because men generally contribute financially to the marriage. If women are lucky, money may pass into their hands when they are widowed and they can be independent.

For the men, though, they depend on women for housekeeping, and they are uncomfortable without a female relative caring for them and their households. Younger men like Henry Tilney or Colonel Brandon, expecting to marry, may be happy with a paid housekeeper for the time being. But older men like the Dashwoods’ great-uncle want a female relative to care for them. So those young enough to remarry, like Mr. Weston and Mr. Dashwood (Elinor’s father), are likely to find a second wife, and in Austen’s novels they find happiness.

Sir Walter Elliot wanted to remarry, but failed. He probably proposed to women much younger than himself, with his eye for beauty. They were not interested in a “foolish, spendthrift baronet.” Instead, he depends on his daughter Elizabeth, who is very much like himself. Unfortunately she does not balance him, “promot[ing] his real respectability,” as his wife had.

Vain and foolish, Sir Walter Elliot failed to find a second wife who would accept him.
C.E. Brock, public domain

Mr. Woodhouse, of course, also depends on his daughter Emma, and she carefully fulfills her duty to him. He is at least loving, though selfish. In contrast, General Tilney bosses his daughter around harshly and keeps control of his household in his own hands.

Austen presents some happy marriages of older men. “Older men have usually settled down to an accommodation with their wives, and Austen presents many portraits of ageing couples who seem well-knit together: the Shirleys, the senior Musgroves, and the Morlands, for example” (Lane, 109). Even Sir Thomas Bertram and Mr. Allen are always courteous to their rather foolish wives.

Merry Widows (chapter 7)

The next three chapters explore the varying possibilities for widows. Lane says, “The conventional ‘merry widow’ of literature is an unprincipled predator with a voracious sexual appetite and a carefree disregard of conventional morals” (122). The only widow like that in Austen is, of course, Lady Susan Vernon (of Lady Susan), whom Lane discusses at length.

Another widow in Austen who follows a different contemporary stereotype is Mrs. Turner of The Watsons. She is taken in by a fortune-hunting Irish officer; she marries him and leaves her niece penniless.

Other widows in Austen’s novels, like Mrs. Jennings and Lady Russell, have a comfortable income and seem content to remain unmarried. Austen makes an interesting remark about double standards when she says of Lady Russell that “the public . . . is rather apt to be unreasonably discontented when a woman does marry again, than when she does not.” Lane explains that if a woman doesn’t need to remarry for money or a home (as Lady Susan does), she is “giving proof of continuing sexual desires.” A man, though, was expected to have continuing sexual desires, and “if he lost one wife, he was thought to be doing a good thing in seeking another—and in giving another single woman the chance to be wed” (Lane, 132).

In her letters, though, Austen commended a woman, Lady Sondes, who was being criticized for marrying again (and apparently had not married for love the first time). Jane writes, “I consider everybody as having a right to marry once in their Lives for Love, if they can” (Letters, Dec. 27, 1808).

Mrs. Ferrars of Sense and Sensibility is a despot over her family. She controls the money and wants to control their lives.
C. E. Brock, public domain

Four Dowager Despots (chapter 8)

Not all of Jane Austen’s widows are as loving as Mrs. Jennings and Lady Russell. While power was usually held by men in Austen’s world, Austen gives us four rich widows who tyrannize others. (Think for a minute; who are they?) Mrs. Ferrars of S&S, Lady Catherine de Bourgh of P&P, Lady Denham of Sanditon, and Mrs. Norris of Mansfield Park. (Mrs. Norris doesn’t have a lot of her own money, but exercises authority on behalf of her “supine sister and absent brother-in-law.”)

Lane writes, “Only Lady Denham is a true dowager, the strict definition of which is a woman whose income derives by legal pre-arrangement from her late husband’s estate, the estate [and title, if there is one] having passed on his death to his heir” (136). Lady Catherine and Mrs. Ferrars appear to completely control their late husbands’ fortunes. But all of them show “a mixture of self-importance and interference in others’ lives” (Lane, 137). Lady Catherine, in particular, controls her whole parish, and it appears that Lady Denham also has great influence in Sanditon.

Lane contrasts two older women in Sense and Sensibility: the manipulative Mrs. Ferrars, who uses money to control her sons, and Mrs. Smith, who controls Willoughby financially. “The telling difference between Mrs. Ferrars and Mrs. Smith is that the latter only wants her young relation to be good, not rich or distinguished” (Lane, 142). Mrs. Smith was likely an elderly maiden lady, of “uncompromising propriety,” who was given the honorary title of “Mrs.” Her motivations are better than Mrs. Ferrars’s selfishness.

Not the Only Widow in Bath (chapter 9)

Another dowager, Mrs. Rushworth, is not a despot as far as we know. When her son marries, she retires, “with true dowager propriety,” to Bath, ready to boast of Sotherton during her evening parties. While Mrs. Elton tries to convince Emma to go to Bath to find a husband, many older people went for other reasons. People like Austen’s parents moved to Bath for “freedom from the cares of a country property and housekeeping; company on tap; and easy access to medical attention as well as to shops, libraries, concerts, and plays” (Lane, 157). (Sounds good to me; I wish I could afford to retire to Bath!)

No longer a place of high fashion, Bath now appealed to “the kind of people Jane Austen knew and wrote about: the minor gentry with a taste for social life and the means to indulge their real or imagined illnesses; the less well-off, especially single women, desperately clinging to their shreds of gentility in a place where living was comparatively cheap; well-funded widows and retired professional men with their families . . . and . . . a motley assortment of hangers-on and would-be social climbers” (Lane, 157-8).

Sir Walter Elliot, a widower, goes there to “be important at comparatively little expense.” Lady Russell, a widow, spends every winter there, “finding mental refreshment in meeting up with old friends and getting all the new publications.” Widowed Mrs. Thorpe of Northanger Abbey goes to find husbands for her daughters. Impoverished invalids like Mrs. Smith of Persuasion go for medical care, while a similar widow, Mrs. Clay, is looking to marry again.

Widowed Mrs. Smith of Persuasion goes to Bath for her health.
C.E. Brock, public domain

Because of changes in Bath, in Austen’s later novels, “Bath appears not as the place of fun and frivolity it is in Northanger Abbey, but increasingly the choice of the old and dreary. . . . Austen’s Bath is not without its young people but it is an appropriate stage for so many of her older ones” (Lane, 170).

Age and Money (chapter 10)

How they live in Bath or elsewhere depends on their income. Some of Austen’s characters got richer as they aged. These include Mr. Weston, Mr. Cole, John Knightley, Robert Martin, Mr. Jennings (now deceased), Mr. Gardiner, Captain Wentworth, and Charles Bingley’s father. They all prospered in their work.

Others, though, like Austen’s naval brothers and Henry, got poorer as they aged. They suffered reverses from “the vagaries of their profession[s].” Captain Harville has been wounded, causing him to fall on hard times, and Mrs. Smith of Persuasion has lost a fortune due to her husband’s extravagance. Mrs. Bates, a clergyman’s widow, lost her income when her husband died.

Those in the lower classes might be miserable in old age, like “old John Abdy” of Emma. Well-off families, though, were expected to care for their household servants in old age. For example, three servants of Edward Ferrars’s father receive yearly annuities from his estate.

Wills and inheritance, of course, played an important part in Austen’s novels and her life. Most famously, the entail on the Bennets’ estate, and the Dashwoods’ uncle’s will, cause the girls in the story to be urgently in need of husbands.

The Dangerous Indulgence of Illness (chapter 11)

Mrs. Bennet is constantly fearing her husband’s death, which will leave the family penniless. Illness and death were constant threats in Austen’s world (as they are today, of course). This chapter discusses Austen’s final illness. Surprisingly, she wrote Sanditon during that time, which includes absurd hypochondriacs exaggerating their own illnesses.

Sea-bathing was considered a cure-all, and the Knightleys, Dr. Shirley, and Mary Musgrove try it at seaside resorts like the fictional Sanditon. Others go to Bath to take the waters for their “gout and decrepitude.” Mr. Allen, General Tilney, Admiral Croft, and Mrs. Smith of Persuasion go to Bath for their health, as did some of Austen’s friends and relations.

For Dr. Shirley of Persuasion,  “coming to Lyme for a month did him more good than all the medicine he took; . . . being by the sea always makes him feel young again.”
C. E. Brock, public domain

Illness is also a way to control others in Austen’s novels. Dr. Grant, Mary Musgrove, Fanny Dashwood, Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Woodhouse, and Mrs. Churchill all use illness or pretended illness to get their own way.

Once Mrs. Churchill actually dies, though, her illnesses are taken seriously. Austen uses several deaths as plot devices, including this one which frees Frank to marry. Dr. Grant’s death similarly frees Edmund and Fanny to take the living of Mansfield Park.

Lane says, “Mansfield Park is the only novel in which ideas of the hereafter find a place” (206). Fanny worries about Tom, during his illness, considering “how little useful, how little self-denying his life had (apparently) been”—she’s worried about him not going to heaven. And Austen indicates that, while society does not punish a man for adultery as it does a woman, the penalties “hereafter” will be more equal.

The chapter includes a fascinating list of the funeral expenses for Elizabeth Austen’s elaborate burial (Edward Austen Knight’s wife). For example, 22 mourning cloaks were hired for the day, and 60 pairs of black gloves bought for family, servants, and others, including the carpenter and bricklayer.

“Jane Austen’s attitude to the death of others ranged between the insouciant, the pragmatic, and the heartfelt” (Lane, 216). She of course approached her own death very seriously. She took Holy Communion one last time, while she could still understand it, about a month before her death.

For more on this topic, see my article, “Preparation for Death and Second Chances in Austen’s Novels,” which draws partly from Lane’s ideas.

Conclusion

The author explores how Austen might have fared in old age. She would probably have become more famous. Her sister Cassandra, Jane’s heir, prospered financially as the years went on, and Jane would have prospered with her.

The book ends, “Apart from the sad loss of Jane, Cassandra’s old age was in fact a secure and comfortable one. If only she had been able to share it with her sister” (Lane, 225).

I’ve only been able to give you a small taste of the riches in Growing Older with Jane Austen, but I hope you’ve found some ideas you can pursue on your own. If you can get a copy of the book (perhaps through your library), I highly recommend it. It’s well worth exploring the lives of older men and women in Austen’s novels and in Jane Austen’s world.

What do you think would have been most difficult about growing older in Jane Austen’s England? What might have been better about it than growing older in our society today?

For more on the topic of aging women in Jane Austen’s novels, see:

“Growing Older with Jane Austen, Part 1”

“’My Poor Nerves’: Women of a Certain Age on the Page,” about perimenopausal women in Austen

“Past the Bloom: Aging and Beauty in the Novels of Jane Austen,” by Stephanie M. Eddleman, a fascinating article

“Three Stages of Aging with Pride and Prejudice,” by Emily Willingham, a light look at how we identify with different characters as we have more life experience 

“Age and Money in Austenland”: Susan Allen Ford’s review of Growing Older with Jane Austen

And, of course, the source for most of these two posts:

Growing Older with Jane Austen, by Maggie Lane

Brenda S. Cox writes about Faith, Science, Joy, and Jane Austen. Her recent book is Fashionable Goodness: Christianity in Jane Austen’s England.

This June she will be speaking about Mr. Collins at Jane Austen Regency Week in Alton, England, and would love to see some of you there!

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A Portrait of a 19th C. Artist by an Unknown Artist

Posted in Art Exhibits Jane Austen visited, Exhibits Jane Austen Visited, Jane Austen's World, Private Collection, Private Collections, The Springfield Museums, The Walters Art Museum on April 16, 2023| 14 Comments »

Portrait of an Artist

(Portrait of an Artist by Unknown Artist) is part of the collection of the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield., MA. Image courtesy of theMichele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts.

Inquiring readers,

In 2012, I included this fascinating portrait in a post entitled Men’s Hairstyles at the Turn of the Nineteenth Century. That post has been one of our most popular articles over the years. This image depicts the natural, romanticized and popular look of men living during the height of the regency era. In fact, when I look at this unknown man, I see Jane Austen’s most famous hero, Mr Darcy; the romantic poet, Byron; or a suffering Mr Rochester. The fact that both sitter and painter are unknown heightens the mystery of this painting. My sense is that it is a self portrait, for the man looks at us as if he was studying his image for posterity. The painting’s sitter reflects the same strong studied gazes in the self-portraits described in this Artmajeur article, Top 8 Most Famous Self-Portraits in the History of Art.

(c) Newstead Abbey; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation
Colin Firth in 2009, still wearing a hairstyle comparable to his Mr. Darcy do in 1995.

While the Men’s Hairstyles post has been up for 11 years, I just received a correction from the Springfield Museums. Mr Stephen Sullivan, the museum’s registrar, kindly sent the correct information, and also offered a higher resolution image. Ms Maggie North, the curator of the Springfield Museums, sent the following description of the painting:

The Springfield Museums’ striking portrait has intrigued and puzzled scholars for decades. Shortly after it was purchased by the Springfield Museums in 1954, Walter Pach (translator of the journals of Eugène Delacroix) attributed the painting to the Famous French romantic artist Delacroix and likened it to a portrait of Baron Louis-Auguste Schwiter at the National Gallery of Art. That attribution was accepted until the 1970s, when Robert Henning, a curator here in Springfield, determined that the piece could not be confidently attributed to Delacroix and suggested that the title of the work be changed from Portrait of Baron Schwiter to the more general Portrait of an Artist. Since then, several suggestions about the attribution, including artists Richard Parkes Bonington, Sir Thomas Lawrence, and even Baron Schwiter himself, have been made. However, none of these suggestions have been confirmed. Most recently, a scholar proposed that the painting could possibly be a self-portrait of the artist Pierre-Narcisse Guérin (an interesting idea when we compare the painting to Robert Lefèvre’s portrait of Guérin at the Musee des Beaux-Arts d’Orleans). Still, more research is needed!

As the title of the work indicates, we believe that the work is likely a portrait of an artist due to presence of a form presumed to be a palette which is visible in the foreground. Certainly, it may be a self-portrait, but of whom we cannot be certain. Even without attribution, this painting of a brooding, handsome young man is a wonderful example of the Romantic period in art, in which individual experience and was valued. The work is a visitor favorite here at the Springfield Museums, and as Stephen can attest, images of the work have been used in publications that range from fictional to scholarly. I think that the incredible magnetism of the sitter’s gaze, his effortlessly stylish sensibility, and the mystery of his identity make our artist a very compelling character!

The Springfield Museums in Massachusetts remind me of the various buildings that comprise the Walters Art Museum (WAM), in Baltimore, where I am a docent. Both museums were formed from private 19th century collections donated by wealthy families to their communities. The close connections that Americans felt towards their European ancestors are represented in these excellent collections.

This short history from the the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts website states:

The Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, established in 1933 and housed in an Art Deco style building, includes a comprehensive collection of Americanand European paintings, prints, watercolors, and sculpture as well as a large collection of Japanese prints and representative examples of drawing, furniture, metalwork, textiles, glass and ceramics. The Museum houses a comprehensive collection of European Art (French, Dutch, and Italian) and the Currier & Ives (active 1834-1907) collection, one of the largest holdings of lithographs in the nation.”

Screen Shot 2023-04-13 at 3.33.11 PM

Blake Court, D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield

Compare this history with WAM’s description:

The Walters Art Museum was established in 1934 “for the benefit of the public.” Originally called the Walters Art Gallery, the museum started when Henry Walters (1848–1931) bequeathed to the City of Baltimore an extensive art collection begun by his father, William T. Walters (1819–1894)..Henry built upon his father’s collection of European sculpture and Asian decorative arts, acquiring archaeological works from the ancient Mediterranean world—Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome—followed by medieval European and Islamic art and manuscripts, and European paintings and sculptures from the Renaissance through the 19th century.

palazzo interior wam

View of the palazzo’s sculpture court, Walters Art Museum. Notice how the courtyards in both museums echo each other – WAM’s is based on an Italian palazzo and D’Amour’s follows the Art Deco style popular during the 1930’s. Wikimedia image –palazzo building 

These two museums are small and intimate compared to their much larger counterparts, like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Boston Museum of Fine Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Comparable “small” museums would be the Isabella Gardner Museum, Frick Gallery, and the Morgan Library & Museum, which held a memorable exhibit in 2009-2010 entitled A Woman’s Wit: Jane Austen’s Life and Legacy.

Both the D’Amour and Walters Art museums involve their local communities by featuring exhibits with contemporary artists and artisans:

  • Just recently the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts hosted a local fashion designer, Justin Haynes (Jus10H) presented his collection on February 15, 2023, during a New York Fashion Week CFDA Runway 360 Showcase.
  • Around the same time, WAM concluded an exhibit entitled ‘Activating the Renaissance’ that featured 6 contemporary artists, most of whom lived in and around Baltimore. Class groups and adult visitors were able to compare and contrast the iconography of today’s paintings with centuries old masterpieces. This exhibit was among the most popular at WAM in a 12-month period. See this comparison of images of two mothers with child. Although separated by centuries, both are compelling.  WAM’s facebook page (see image below.)

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(1) Tawny, Chatmon, Covered/Vienna, 2017-19. Courtesy of the artist. (2) Pontormo (Jacopo Carucci), Portrait of Maria Salviati de’ Medici and Giulia de’ Medici, ca. 1539. Bequest of Henry Walters, 1931.

Private Collections:

Jane Austen was no stranger to viewing private collections in opulent houses. Her mother’s family lived in Stoneleigh Abbey, an ancient and impressive pile of stone. And her brother Edward Austen Knight inherited Godmersham Park,  Chawton House, and Chawton Cottage, in which Austen, her sister Cassandra, and mother lived.  One can imagine the grand rooms and salons she experienced as a visitor, especially in her brother’s dwellings. All of these houses are open to the public today for a fee.

clarke-portrait

Watercolor of Jane Austen (?) 1816, by librarian, James Stanier Clarke

On the cusp of publishing Emma and at the invitation of the Prince Regent’s librarian, Austen visited Carlton House‘s impressive library. Although she felt disdain for the prince himself, she must have felt some awe walking through the legendary sumptuous hallways and public rooms. This house no longer exists, but many images and descriptions survive that attest to its magnificence.

As in Pride & Prejudice, owners who were often absent from their houses for weeks or months at a time, allowed their housekeepers (who expected a generous tip) to escort a party around the public rooms to view paintings, sculptures, and furniture.  When Lizzy Bennet moved through Pemberley with the Gardiners and heard the housekeeper’s effusive compliments about Mr Darcy, and as she strolled around Pemberley’s extensive grounds, Lizzy realized that she could have been mistress “of all this.” At this juncture in the novel, she had begun to realize that her first impression of Mr Darcy might have been wrong: Mrs Reynolds provided even more information for her contemplation.

Private collections were not new. As trade and travel expanded  around the world during the 16th, 17th, & 18th centuries, merchants, seafarers, and tourists, who embarked on lengthy grand tours, brought back artifacts, paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and the like. In many instances, historic artifacts were stolen from countries and churches, but that is a topic for another post

Seventeenth century Flemish merchants filled their houses with artifacts that were brought from their trade routes, and showed them to their friends. The Chamber of Wonders, WAM includes objects from the natural world (shells, butterflies, sea creatures) in each continent, as well as paintings, sculptures, and artifacts. This painting by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Hieronymus Francken II, title ‘The Archdukes Albert and Isabella Visiting a Collector’s Cabinet’ shows a room filled with one merchant’s collection. The archduke and his wife are at the center of the room. Other visitors are visible as well.

Hieronymus_Francken_Ii_-_The_Archdukes_Albert_and_Isabella_Visiting_a_Collector's_Cabinet_-_Google_Art_Project

The Archdukes Albert and Isabella Visiting a Collector’s Cabinet, 1621-1623, public domain, Walters Art Museum

Jane Austen’s Visits to Public Exhibitions

Austen’s frequent travels around England – Brighton, Lyme Regis, Bath, London, Winchester, and the environs around Steventon and Basingstoke – belie her reputation as a spinster who lived a narrow, rural life. In her visits to London she attended public exhibits. Two were especially notable:

“the Sir Joshua Reynolds retrospective in 1813 or the Shakespeare Gallery as it looked in 1796. These two Georgian blockbusters took place, years apart, in the same London exhibition space at 52 Pall Mall (it no longer exists). When Austen visited in 1813, the building housed the British Institution, an organization promoting native artists. On her earlier London visit in 1796, it was the first-ever museum dedicated to William Shakespeare. – What Jane Austen Saw.

Interestingly, the exhibits Austen viewed also featured contemporary artists.  Seeing Art the Way Jane Austen Saw It.

Conclusion:

Before institutional museums became a major way for the general public to view collections of past objects, paintings, sculptures and other artifacts (scientific or those from the natural world), private collections and homes were the means for the populace to view these precious objects.  Who would have thought that a portrait shared by the Springfield Museums would prompt my imagination to wander down so many paths? This trip was delightful.

Find: More information about the Springfield Museums and the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts can be found in the links. The Walters Art Museum provides images of the museum’s objects at this link. Type ‘online collections’ in the search bar. Entry to the museum is free; on street parking is free on Sundays.

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