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Archive for the ‘Mrs. Bennet’ Category

Mr. Bennet’s Bride: A Play by Emma Wood

Posted in Jane Austen's World, Mrs. Bennet, Play Category, Play review, Pride and Prejudice, tagged , on February 27, 2024| 3 Comments »

Review and Discussion by Brenda S. Cox

“Had Elizabeth’s opinion been all drawn from her own family, she could not have formed a very pleasing opinion of conjugal felicity or domestic comfort. Her father, captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her. Respect, esteem, and confidence had vanished for ever; and all his views of domestic happiness were overthrown.”—Pride and Prejudice, chapter 42

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s Courtship

Have you ever wondered how on earth intelligent Mr. Bennet came to marry a woman of “weak understanding” and an “illiberal” [uncultured, unrefined] mind? Jane Austen gives us a brief explanation above: he was “captivated by youth and beauty” and an “appearance of good humour.” But what was their courtship like? Emma Wood has imagined that in the play Mr. Bennet’s Bride. First, let’s think a little more about what Austen tells us. 

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, an ill-assorted pair.
Hugh Thomson, 1894, public domain.

It’s often been pointed out that Mrs. Bennet, silly as she seems, has some worldly wisdom. She has legitimate concerns about providing for herself and her children after Mr. Bennet’s death. It seems that Mr. Bennet had earlier considered this, but now has more or less given up. In chapter 50, when Lydia is to marry Wickham, we read:

“Mr. Bennet had very often wished before this period of his life that, instead of spending his whole income, he had laid by an annual sum for the better provision of his children, and of his wife, if she survived him. He now wished it more than ever. . . .

“When first Mr. Bennet had married, economy was held to be perfectly useless, for, of course, they were to have a son. The son was to join in cutting off the entail, as soon as he should be of age, and the widow and younger children would by that means be provided for. Five daughters successively entered the world, but yet the son was to come; and Mrs. Bennet, for many years after Lydia’s birth, had been certain that he would. This event had at last been despaired of, but it was then too late to be saving. Mrs. Bennet had no turn for economy, and her husband’s love of independence had alone prevented their exceeding their income.

“Five thousand pounds was settled by marriage articles on Mrs. Bennet and the children. But in what proportions it should be divided amongst the latter depended on the will of the parents.”

So Mrs. Bennet did have some fortune, enough to give her about £250 a year (5% of £5,000). Not enough for a gentry family to live on, but not poverty, either. However, divided between five daughters, once their father died and his estate went to Mr. Collins, it was insignificant.

Mrs. Bennet has some valid concerns mixed with her foolishness.
C.E. Brock, 1895, public domain

While her family’s future is uncertain, Mrs. Bennet does not recognize, as her husband does, that saving money would be a help. Her extravagant plans for Lydia’s wedding clothes, and for Lydia and Wickham’s future house, servants, and carriages, show that she has no conception of limiting expenditures according to income. It is her husband whose “love of independence” (desire to avoid debt) has kept their family solvent. Mr. Bennet was at least better than that “foolish, spendthrift baronet,” Sir Walter Elliot of Persuasion, “who had not had principle or sense enough to maintain himself in the situation in which Providence had placed him.”

Mr. Bennet wishes he had saved money to provide for his daughters, but he has not.
H. M. Brock, public domain

Mrs. Bennet, when she was lovely young Miss Gardiner, had enough sense to get the attention of young Mr. Bennet, heir to Longbourn estate, and wheedle him into marrying her.

And that’s where the imagination of Emma Wood, an Australian playwright, took off.

The Play, Mr. Bennet’s Bride

Wood says,

“I began to imagine the details of their courtship. I knew the end, but how did the story begin? The characters flew onto the page. It was such a joy to write. Imagining the earlier lives of the ill-suited couple and peopling the stage with other characters in the previous generation to the novel was an adventure. . . . I felt a deep sense of obligation to honour the characters and style of the novel as I wrote, aware that audiences would expect to see people and situations they recognized in a loving tribute to the novel.”

Mr. Bennet’s Bride is a fun play by Australian playwright Emma Wood. Its US premiere was this month in Cartersville, GA. Photo by Brenda S. Cox

Wood’s play, Mr. Bennet’s Bride, has been delighting audiences in Australia and the U.K. since 2014. This February it premiered in the United States, in the small town of Cartersville on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia. I was privileged to attend a performance with a group of JASNA friends. We all loved it. The characters were engaging and fun, and the dialogue sparkled. A few little “Easter eggs” were thrown in, Austen quotes that fit well. One started with “It is a truth universally acknowledged . . .”; I won’t give away the others.

The Plot (Includes spoilers)

Here’s how Ms. Wood imagines the story:

We have James Bennet, age 29. His mother died giving birth to him, and his father has been distant all his life. His father’s sister, Aunt Mary, has raised James. His father is pressuring him to marry and produce an heir for Longbourn. His father’s cousin, Benedict Collins, has just produced his own heir, William Collins, and looks on Longbourn as William’s future inheritance.

First we see James hiding behind a sofa, reading a book. When he is discovered, he is forced to make small talk with one of the appropriate young ladies his father has been trying to set him up with. She is no more interested than he is.

Afterwards, his father lays down an ultimatum: Get married within six months, or you’ll be kicked out and have to make your own way in the world. To get James to take him seriously, he puts it into a contract, involving his lawyer (solicitor), Mr. Gardiner.

Jolly Mr. Gardiner and his wife—an earlier incarnation of Mrs. Bennet—take advantage of the situation. In a hilarious scene, Mr. Gardiner manages to introduce James to their beautiful but air-headed daughter Emily. She is in love with an officer but is savvy enough to quickly replace him in her affections with the heir to Longbourn. The story continues with much laughter.

In a serious scene, the elder Mr. Bennet has a touching reconciliation with his son, then allows him to choose his own bride. He chooses Emily. Only at the end does James get an inkling of what he’s gotten himself into.

Some flashed scenes show the new Bennet couple’s future.

The cast and director of Mr. Bennet’s Bride with some visiting Janeites, Feb., 2024. Photo by Brenda S. Cox

Gaining Depth and Understanding

Imani Anderson did a beautiful job of directing Mr. Bennet’s Bride for the Pumphouse Players in Cartersville, Georgia. She says,

“One of the reasons why I have fallen in love with Mr. Bennet’s Bride is how James (our Mr. Bennet), Emily (Mrs. Bennet), and their families are written. They bring another level of depth and understanding for the matriarch and patriarch we’ve come to know in the classic tale. It’s clear both families want the best for their children and I think it’s so important that they admit their faults too when need be. . . . I hope that our production . . .  makes you get those warm fuzzy feelings of love and laughter during this Valentine’s season.”

Renata Dennis, Regional Coordinator of JASNA Georgia, and Imani Anderson, director of Mr. Bennet’s Bride. Photo by Brenda S. Cox

The play did indeed give a deeper understanding of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and how their family came to be what it was.

Gentle readers, how do you imagine Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s courtship?

Brenda S. Cox is the author of Fashionable Goodness: Christianity in Jane Austen’s England. She also blogs at Faith, Science, Joy, and Jane Austen.

Her posts on Jane Austen’s Family Churches will resume in April.

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Chamomile Tea: A tisane to soothe the vapors and bouts of indigestion

Posted in Jane Austen's World, Mrs. Bennet, Pride and Prejudice, tagged , on January 25, 2019| 19 Comments »

I’ve just discovered the beneficial qualities of chamomile tea. This was quite by accident. I suspect I might be developing an allergy to food, specifically tomatoes or onions or spicy foods containing these ingredients. I only know that for weeks I’ve been subjected to frequent stomach and intestinal upsets and so I began to search for tried and true methods of relief. As a Janeite I asked: “What would Jane have done?”

Women during the Georgian era, including the Austen women, made their own medicinal remedies for all sorts of ailments. Many recipes were handed down in the family over the generations, others were acquired in Cookery Books.

chamomile2

Thumbnail image from Cup & Leaf

One common easy-to-make remedy for an assortment of ills was herbal tea or tisane. I looked up information online, found teas that aided digestion, then checked my tea shelf and found four of the suggested herbal teas for indigestion: chamomile tea, green tea, ginger tea, and hibiscus tea. (There are more.)

I chose the chamomile as being a likely candidate, for I like the taste. After a few days my indigestion largely calmed down. According to the Dictionary of 18th Century Herb Usage from Chadds Ford Historical Society,

Chamomile [is] infused as a tea for indigestion, gas, and stomach aches. Also used as a strewing herb and insect repellent.” Link to  Dictionary of 18th Century Herb Usage PDF doc

In European records, medicinal use of Chamomile was practiced for centuries.

Ancient physicians prescribed herbal teas regularly to aid in digestion and help relieve symptoms of the common cold and flu. Before the advent of cold medicines and antibiotics, herbal teas were often the only way to treat illnesses.” – Greek Mountain Tea, Chamomile, and Fennel

Chamomile tea is commonly infused from a plant known as Matricaria recutita. The tea is made from the dried flower, not the stems and leaves. The brew is delicate and yellowish and has a lovely floral or fruity aroma. It is often flavored with mint leaves or shaved fresh ginger, but I like it plain. Three cups a day did the trick.

Image of Bingleys teas, chamomile flowers, and favorite teapot/cup

A product description for “Compassion for Mrs. Bennet’s Nerves” on Bingley’s Teas can be seen on my large monitor screen. Chamomile flowers screenshot sits on my laptop (love my standing desk). Sitting on the top ledge are my favorite tea pot/cup and an annotated edition of Pride and Prejudice (I recommend the DK Illustrated Classic edition for newcomers to the Jane Austen oeuvre, like my sister-in-law). Image by Vic Sanborn.

The tea’s success in reducing my symptoms prompted me to research 18th century recipes. So far I’ve had no success, but that means nothing (there should be references that a dedicated researcher would find). I also looked up to see if Jane Austen mentioned the brew in her letters, but found no references. Still, the flower, which looks like a daisy, is common in Europe and easy to grow in an herb garden. One cannot help but surmise that Mrs. Austen and her two daughters knew exactly how to make a cuppa with freshly harvested chamomile flowers.

Cropped illustration of Mrs. Bennet by Hugh Thompson

Hugh Thompson illustration

While I could not find references to Jane’s having made chamomile tea (its properties, aside from soothing intestinal ailments include reducing anxiety, tension, and headaches and promoting sleep), I did find this delightful product description by Bingley’s Teas for a modern tea named “Compassion for Mrs. Bennet’s Nerves.”  

At last there is compassion for what poor Mrs. Bennet suffers with her nerves! A tisane of chamomile, peppermint, passion flower, rosehips, and lavender, sooth the most agitated of moments in a delicious cup. We recommend a touch of local honey for added bliss!”

As for chamomile tea’s efficacy,

The National Institutes of Health funded a study at the University of Pennsylvania on people with generalized anxiety disorder where the anxiety interferes with their lives. Chamomile was shown to to have promising results in reducing the participants’ anxiety.” – The Tea Maestro

Sources:

  • Greek Mountain Tea, Chamomile, and Fennel, October 4, 2016, The National Herald, click on this link. 
  • Introduction to chamomile, PDF document from abc.herbalgram.org. Click on this link.
  • Tea Time at Reverie: Compassion For Mrs. Bennet’s Nerves Herbal Tea from Bingley’s Teas, posted by Sara Letourneau, 12-23-2014, A bibliophile’s Reverie. Click on this link.
  • The Health Benefits of Chamomile Tea, The Tea Maestro. Click on this link.
  • How to Make Chamomile Tea: 5 Recipes From Simple Tea to a Hot Toddy, Cup & Leaf. Click on this link.
  • Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future, Janmejai K Srivastava, Eswar Shankar,and Sanjay Gupta, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 11-1-2010. Click on this link.

 

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