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An archive of Jane Austen Blogs covering a range of subjects from news updates, her life and novels.
(Part of the story of Jane Austen’s aunt, Jane Leigh Perrot) Sub Judice lis esto. To love of plants, which boasts the better claim, Darwin the Bard, or surreptitious Dame? ...Updated: March 14 2025 Created: June 07 2024 Published: June 07 2024
“Faultless” Cottages: A Comparison of Edward Ferrars & John Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility
Abigail Rinkenberger considers the similar motivating factors that influence the characters of Edward Ferrars and John Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility, comparing the ways in which each responds to their own particular...Updated: March 14 2025 Created: August 01 2023 Published: August 02 2023
Accidents and Safe Spaces: How Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth Negotiate between Duty and Desire in Jane Austen’s Persuasion Persuasion as Portrait of and Challenge to the Dichotomy of Gendered...Updated: July 12 2023 Created: February 20 2023 Published: February 26 2023
How large was No. 1, Bath Street?
(where Jane Austen’s aunt, Jane Leigh Perrot, was accused of shoplifting. Read more in a previous article by David Pugsley) “I had imagined a big, bright, airy, shop, but...Updated: July 12 2023 Created: January 30 2023 Published: February 01 2023
Virginia Woolf, Kew Gardens and Bloomsbury Formalism
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was a member of the Bloomsbury Group, sometimes also referred to as the Bloomsbury Set, and is one of the...Updated: March 25 2022 Created: March 24 2022 Published: March 24 2022
London Theatre in the Regency: Covent Garden
Jane Austen Visits Regency Covent Garden I think you judge very wisely in putting off your London visit, and I am mistaken if it be not put off for some...Updated: February 14 2022 Created: July 26 2020 Published: January 28 2022
Was Mrs Augusta Elton a fraud?
(Page numbers from Nelson’s Gift and Presentation Classics) On Christmas Eve there was a party at the Westons’ at Randalls. On their way home in the snow Emma and the...Updated: March 14 2025 Created: June 20 2021 Published: June 20 2021
It used to be ironclad tradition to describe Jane Austen Q-U-I-E-T-L-Y. One mass-market paperback edition of her novels featured a foreword calling her life “uneventful, placid, and circumscribed” and ending...Updated: July 08 2023 Created: January 26 2021 Published: February 06 2021
The Janeites by Rudyard Kipling
The Janeites - Rudyard Kipling's Short Story Rudyard Kipling's short story entitled "The Janeites", about a group of World War I soldiers who were secretly fans of Austen's novels. This...Updated: January 29 2021 Created: July 26 2020 Published: January 19 2021
Pride and Prejudice and the Problem of Elizabeth, Jane, and Mr. Bennet
Several relationships in Pride and Prejudice deserve primary attention. Elizabeth and Charlotte concern themselves with marriage and whether a romantic view of marriage (esteem, love, and so on)...Updated: August 22 2021 Created: July 26 2020 Published: August 26 2020
(Part of the story of Jane Austen’s aunt, Jane Leigh Perrot) Sub Judice lis esto. To love of plants, which boasts the better claim, Darwin the Bard, or surreptitious Dame? ...Updated: March 14 2025 Created: June 07 2024 Published: June 07 2024
“Faultless” Cottages: A Comparison of Edward Ferrars & John Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility
Abigail Rinkenberger considers the similar motivating factors that influence the characters of Edward Ferrars and John Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility, comparing the ways in which each responds to their own particular...Updated: March 14 2025 Created: August 01 2023 Published: August 02 2023
Accidents and Safe Spaces: How Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth Negotiate between Duty and Desire in Jane Austen’s Persuasion Persuasion as Portrait of and Challenge to the Dichotomy of Gendered...Updated: July 12 2023 Created: February 20 2023 Published: February 26 2023
How large was No. 1, Bath Street?
(where Jane Austen’s aunt, Jane Leigh Perrot, was accused of shoplifting. Read more in a previous article by David Pugsley) “I had imagined a big, bright, airy, shop, but...Updated: July 12 2023 Created: January 30 2023 Published: February 01 2023
Virginia Woolf, Kew Gardens and Bloomsbury Formalism
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was a member of the Bloomsbury Group, sometimes also referred to as the Bloomsbury Set, and is one of the...Updated: March 25 2022 Created: March 24 2022 Published: March 24 2022
London Theatre in the Regency: Covent Garden
Jane Austen Visits Regency Covent Garden I think you judge very wisely in putting off your London visit, and I am mistaken if it be not put off for some...Updated: February 14 2022 Created: July 26 2020 Published: January 28 2022
Was Mrs Augusta Elton a fraud?
(Page numbers from Nelson’s Gift and Presentation Classics) On Christmas Eve there was a party at the Westons’ at Randalls. On their way home in the snow Emma and the...Updated: March 14 2025 Created: June 20 2021 Published: June 20 2021
It used to be ironclad tradition to describe Jane Austen Q-U-I-E-T-L-Y. One mass-market paperback edition of her novels featured a foreword calling her life “uneventful, placid, and circumscribed” and ending...Updated: July 08 2023 Created: January 26 2021 Published: February 06 2021
The Janeites by Rudyard Kipling
The Janeites - Rudyard Kipling's Short Story Rudyard Kipling's short story entitled "The Janeites", about a group of World War I soldiers who were secretly fans of Austen's novels. This...Updated: January 29 2021 Created: July 26 2020 Published: January 19 2021
Pride and Prejudice and the Problem of Elizabeth, Jane, and Mr. Bennet
Several relationships in Pride and Prejudice deserve primary attention. Elizabeth and Charlotte concern themselves with marriage and whether a romantic view of marriage (esteem, love, and so on)...Updated: August 22 2021 Created: July 26 2020 Published: August 26 2020
(Part of the story of Jane Austen’s aunt, Jane Leigh Perrot) Sub Judice lis esto. To love of plants, which boasts the better claim, Darwin the Bard, or surreptitious Dame? ...Updated: March 14 2025 Created: June 07 2024 Published: June 07 2024
“Faultless” Cottages: A Comparison of Edward Ferrars & John Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility
Abigail Rinkenberger considers the similar motivating factors that influence the characters of Edward Ferrars and John Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility, comparing the ways in which each responds to their own particular...Updated: March 14 2025 Created: August 01 2023 Published: August 02 2023
Accidents and Safe Spaces: How Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth Negotiate between Duty and Desire in Jane Austen’s Persuasion Persuasion as Portrait of and Challenge to the Dichotomy of Gendered...Updated: July 12 2023 Created: February 20 2023 Published: February 26 2023
How large was No. 1, Bath Street?
(where Jane Austen’s aunt, Jane Leigh Perrot, was accused of shoplifting. Read more in a previous article by David Pugsley) “I had imagined a big, bright, airy, shop, but...Updated: July 12 2023 Created: January 30 2023 Published: February 01 2023
Virginia Woolf, Kew Gardens and Bloomsbury Formalism
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was a member of the Bloomsbury Group, sometimes also referred to as the Bloomsbury Set, and is one of the...Updated: March 25 2022 Created: March 24 2022 Published: March 24 2022
London Theatre in the Regency: Covent Garden
Jane Austen Visits Regency Covent Garden I think you judge very wisely in putting off your London visit, and I am mistaken if it be not put off for some...Updated: February 14 2022 Created: July 26 2020 Published: January 28 2022
Was Mrs Augusta Elton a fraud?
(Page numbers from Nelson’s Gift and Presentation Classics) On Christmas Eve there was a party at the Westons’ at Randalls. On their way home in the snow Emma and the...Updated: March 14 2025 Created: June 20 2021 Published: June 20 2021
It used to be ironclad tradition to describe Jane Austen Q-U-I-E-T-L-Y. One mass-market paperback edition of her novels featured a foreword calling her life “uneventful, placid, and circumscribed” and ending...Updated: July 08 2023 Created: January 26 2021 Published: February 06 2021
The Janeites by Rudyard Kipling
The Janeites - Rudyard Kipling's Short Story Rudyard Kipling's short story entitled "The Janeites", about a group of World War I soldiers who were secretly fans of Austen's novels. This...Updated: January 29 2021 Created: July 26 2020 Published: January 19 2021
Pride and Prejudice and the Problem of Elizabeth, Jane, and Mr. Bennet
Several relationships in Pride and Prejudice deserve primary attention. Elizabeth and Charlotte concern themselves with marriage and whether a romantic view of marriage (esteem, love, and so on)...Updated: August 22 2021 Created: July 26 2020 Published: August 26 2020
(Part of the story of Jane Austen’s aunt, Jane Leigh Perrot) Sub Judice lis esto. To love of plants, which boasts the better claim, Darwin the Bard, or surreptitious Dame? ...June 07 2024 in Jane Austen Extended Reading
God Save the...Prince Regent? Jane Austen and the Royal Family
The Christening of the now King Charles III In the years leading up to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the question of the necessity of a regency period began...May 02 2023 in Regency History
Beach read recommendations for Austen fans
Photo by Rachel Lees on Unsplash Picking out holiday reading is always a tricky one. There are a few different factors at play - first you must consider how many...July 24 2023 in Jane Austen Media Reviews
The novels of Jane Austen: A primer (or refresher)
In an exciting new addition to the Jane Austen Centre's collections, we have recently taken up a loan of a set of gorgeous 5th edition Jane Austen novels. This...August 23 2024 in Jane Austen's Work
In this quiet way, the first fortnight of her visit soon passed away. Easter was approaching, and the week preceding it was to bring an addition to the family...March 27 2023 in Regency Living
News for Austen Enthusiasts: February 2025
Crocuses are in bloom, and £1 daffodil bunches are in the supermarkets - Spring is truly on its way. As we progress through Jane Austen's 250th year, more and more...March 04 2025 in Jane in the News
Things to do in Bath - Jane Austen
There are lots of things to do in Bath if you like Jane Austen If you are visiting the Georgian City at any time of year there are lots...July 26 2020 in Jane Austen in Bath
LGBTQ+ Reimaginings of Jane Austen's Stories
Happy LGBTQ+ History Month! This month is a good chance to think about how LGBTQ+ people have always lived and loved around us, even if they couldn't be out and...February 17 2025 in Sequels and Spinoffs
The Regency Spa: Create Your Own Bath Salts
Throughout history, physicians have touted the health claims of various "Waters" and have advised their patients to immerse or ingest from numerous wells around the globe. While no one has...July 26 2020 in Regency DIY
Historical Knotwork - The Sea Chest Becket
Historical Knotwork - A Naval CV of Sorts This sea chest becket (handle) is exactly the sort which would have been found on the naval chests used by sailors in...July 26 2020 in Military History
If you are into your period dramas, you will have no doubt seen at least some of Julian Fellowes' television series Downton Abbey, which first aired here in the UK...February 15 2022 in Regency Arts and Entertainments
For my first post on this blog, I thought I would write about my favourite Jane Austen treasures – objects that we have from her life which are symbolic...December 04 2023 in Jane's Life
Was Jane Austen a Good Reader? Reading Aloud and the Voice of Jane
Continuing this two-part blog post on Jane Austen and reading aloud (see The Jane Austen Reading Aloud Test), let’s turn our listening ear from the male heroes and villains reading...October 01 2023 in Thoughts from Janeites
After Austen: What to read next
We all agree, Jane Austen is marvellous, but once you’ve read her wonderful six novels and other small works, how do you survive without more Jane Austen novels to discover? ...June 07 2024 in Jane's Contemporaries
Our Mr Bennet - Remembering Donald Sutherland
Donald Sutherland as Mr Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (dir Joe Wright 2005) Here at the Jane Austen blog, we were saddened to hear of the recent passing of the actor Donald...July 01 2024 in Jane Austen Film Reviews
Mr. Darcy’s Favourite Beef-Steak Dinner
“We sate down to dinner a little after five, and had some beef-steaks and a boiled fowl, but no oyster sauce.” Jane Austen to Cassandra October 24, 1798 Georgian...July 26 2020 in Main Dishes
As we begin to approach the holiday season, many of you (like us) will be starting to think about what you might gift your loved ones this year, or how...October 26 2021 in Regency beverages
Needlework: Stitching the gap between Jane Austen and now
Photo by Benigno Hoyuela on Unsplash The Jane Austen Gift Shop has just launched two new cross stitch kits -- one, a lovely Jane Austen's Life Sampler Kit and the...March 13 2025 in Women's Fashion
The Small Sword: Self Defense and the Georgian Gentleman
It is easy to imagine, from reading Georgette Heyer, for example, that all Georgian men walked about, sword on hip, ready to fight for their honor in a duel at...July 26 2020 in Men's fashion
Children's Underwear in Regency England
There they are, in portraits, paintings and engravings, with earnest faces and cute clothes. But what did they wear underneath? Surely not the whole understructure their parents wore? Just...July 26 2020 in Regency Fashion for Children
Regency Etiquette: The Mirror of Graces
"It is vain to expend large sums of money and large portions of time in the acquirement of accomplishments, unless some attention be also paid to the attainment of a...July 26 2020 in Regency Histories, Biographies and Non-Fiction
Is humbly dedicated to Miss Cooper by her obedient Humble Servant THE AUTHOR As Sir George and Lady Harcourt were superintending the Labours of their Haymakers, rewarding the industry of...July 26 2020 in Jane Miscellany
Christmas at The Jane Austen Centre
Celebrate your own Regency Christmas in the iconic Georgian town of Bath at the Jane Austen Centre. Christmas arrived early at The Jane Austen Centre Bath this year, with...December 24 2021 in Jane Austen News
As we are quite sure you have noticed, women in the Regency era wore hats and bonnets as a matter of course. They denoted many different things about the wearer,...July 26 2020 in Regency Fashion
L'aimable Jane and the Jane Austen Silhouette
In this day and age, it is pretty easy to record someone’s likeness – most of us have a camera in our pockets to do just that. Today, most of...August 12 2024 in Regency Crafting