Category Archives: literature

Shetland Sword Dance

Posted on August 7, 2017 by

 Sir Walter Scott wrote in his diary of the Shetland Sword Dance on 7 August 1814. “At Scalloway my curiosity was gratified by an account of the sword-dance, now almost lost, but still practiced in the Island of Papa…. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Saxons, British history, drama, literature, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Oxfordshire St. George Play

Posted on July 20, 2017 by

Closely related to the Morris and Sword Dancers, the Oxfordshire St. George Play is considered a kind of Mummers Play. As well as possessing close elements of kinship, the characters in all these plays are largely interchangeable. That being said, … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, drama, literature, medieval | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

18 July 1817: The Death of Jane Austen, a Guest Post by Kyra Kramer

Posted on July 18, 2017 by

Kyra Kramer recently shared this post on Austen Authors. It speaks so poignantly of the loss of Jane Austen that I thought it appropriate to share here with you on the 200th Anniversary of Jane Austen’s passing.  The Death of … Continue reading →

Posted in book release, British history, buildings and structures, Georgian England, Guest Post, Jane Austen, literature, Living in the Regency, Regency era, Regency personalities, religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Gest of Robyn Hode, a Robin Hood Folk Ballad

Posted on June 2, 2017 by

In 1560, William Copeland printed the fragments of the various Robin Hood folk dramas. The “plays” were likely performed by mummers and strolling players for a century or more before Copeland printed them. A Gest of Robyn Hode A Gest … Continue reading →

Posted in ballads, British history, Canterbury tales, drama, literature, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Significance of Books and of Reading in Jane Austen’s Novels, Guest Post from Lauren Gilbert

Posted on April 18, 2017 by

  The Significance of Books and Reading in Jane Austen’s Novels By Lauren Gilbert  Jane Austen was a reader.  She read widely.  We know she enjoyed novels; she was a subscriber to Fanny Burney’s third novel, Cecilia or Memoirs of … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen Authors, books, British history, family, George Wickham, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Jane Austen, literature, Living in the Regency, Pride and Prejudice, reading | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

An English Mystery Play: Abraham and Isaac, the Brome Non-Cycle Play

Posted on March 8, 2017 by

The sacrifice of Isaac is the basis for six extant Miracle plays. There is also the Coventry cycle of plays, where Isaac submits to his fate. In the Towneley Plays, which are part of the York cycle, Isaac is made … Continue reading →

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Roger Ascham, Serving Four Monarchs

Posted on February 6, 2017 by

 Born in Kirby Wiske (a village in the North Riding), Yorkshire, in 1515, Roger Ascham was the third son of John and Margaret Ascham. Ascham was the steward to Baron Scrope of Bolton. Roger Ascham was a scholar and didactic … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, drama, Elizabethan drama, history, legacy, literature, Tudors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment