Category Archives: literature

New Year’s Resolutions for Some Favorite Classic Characters

New Year’s was not always celebrated on 1 January. Ancient cultures celebrated the New Year in mid-March with the planting of a new crop. It is said that the Babylonians were the first to make New Year’s resolutions. That would … Continue reading

Posted in books, drama, Elizabethan drama, Jane Austen, King Arthur, legends and myths, literature, playwrights, Pride and Prejudice, reading, reading habits | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mystery and Suspense Month: The Earl Claims His Comfort: Book 2 of the Twins’ Trilogy on Sale Until November 5

ALL BOOKS FEATURED THIS MONTH ARE ON SALE IN THE eBOOK VERSION FOR $1.39. GRAB THEM WHILE THE PRICE IS RIGHT. THE SALE ENDS SUNDAY,  5 NOVEMBER, 2023. In most historical romances, the idea of a peerage passing from one … Continue reading

Posted in Black Opal Books, blog hop, book excerpts, book release, British history, Church of England, eBooks, estates, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, historical fiction, history, Inheritance, literature, Living in the Regency, primogenture, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, romance, suspense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mystery and Suspense Month: The Earl Claims His Comfort: Book 2 of the Twins’ Trilogy on Sale Until November 5

24 July 1817, Marking the Burial of Jane Austen at Winchester Cathedral

via http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10199138/Jane-Austen-unveiled-as-face-of-new-10-note.html July 18, 2023 marked the 206th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen. Tribute from Austen’s most loyal fans continue to flow through any number of activities, readings, evensongs, and events, leading us to today, July 24, the date … Continue reading

Posted in British currency, British history, buildings and structures, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Jane Austen, literature, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, publishing, reading, reading habits, real life tales, Regency era, Regency personalities, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 24 July 1817, Marking the Burial of Jane Austen at Winchester Cathedral

‘Kinder- un Hausmärchen’ + the Release of “Amending the Shades of Pemberley” + a Giveaway

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of their collected fairy tales in 1812 under the title Kinder- und Hausmärchen. By 1822, the brothers had published three volumes containing 170 tales total with subsequent editions bringing that number to over 200. Continue reading

Posted in book excerpts, book release, books, British history, customs and tradiitons, eBooks, excerpt, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, literature, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, reading, reading habits, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research, tall tales, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Cotton or Cottonian Library

A bust of Robert Cotton by Louis-François Roubiliac ~ Public Domain ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Robert_Cotton,_1st_Baronet,_of_Connington#/media/File:Robert_Bruce_Cotton_bust_BM_1924_0412_1.jpg Keeping with Wednesday’s post on Circulating Libraries, I thought I might mention a library some, especially in the U.S. have not considered. The Cotton Library was founded by … Continue reading

Posted in Age of Chaucer, architecture, books, British history, Chaucer, Church of England, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, literature, medieval, publishing, real life tales, Regency era, religion, research, war | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Cotton or Cottonian Library

Circulating Libraries in the Regency Era

Another author friend sent me these questions regarding the circulating libraries. I will provide the short answers to the questions first and then provide a longer explanations. Was there always a fee to check out a book? Was that paid … Continue reading

Posted in books, British history, fashion, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Jane Austen, literature, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, poetry, reading habits, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Author’s “Voice” ~ What is It?

Writers often hear another author warn them about losing their “voice.” But what exactly is “voice”? In reality, there are so many theories on this question that I could be here for years debating them all. I am of the … Continue reading

Posted in editing, literature, publishing, reading, word origins, word play, writing | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The Strict Social Structure of Jane Austen’s Novels

Overall, the early 19th Century novels were those that expressed society in realistic terms. Austen’s novels, as well as others of her time, immerse the reader in the various levels of society, the social strata, so to speak. Austen does … Continue reading

Posted in Austen Authors, British currency, British history, customs and tradiitons, estates, Georgian England, Inheritance, Jane Austen, literature, Living in the Regency, marriage, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, primogenture, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Obsession with Money and Society in Austen’s Novels

 Austen’s novels speak loudly with society’s obsession with money and connections. Money and status was obtained through marriage. What we soon come to accept as a reader of Jane Austen’s novels is that her heroines marry for love (and a … Continue reading

Posted in Austen Authors, British history, estates, family, Georgian Era, historical fiction, Jane Austen, literature, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, Pride and Prejudice, reading, reading habits, Regency personalities, Regency romance, romance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jane Austen and the Brontës: Tory Daughters (an Overview)

Recently, I was asked by a local teacher to speak to her English class after the students had read Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights. Below, you will find my notes for a comparison/contrast between the Brontës and Austen. As I have been out … Continue reading

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