Every Woman Dreams...

Anatomy of a Janeite

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

Anatomy of a Janeite
Do You Fit the Bill?

In 2008, JASNA put together a survey of the “typical” Janeite. I was wondering how many items match with my viewers/readers.

Part 1: Participant Demographics. The first half of the survey focused on the survey participant. What portrait emerges from these responses?

• Gender: 96% Female; 4 % Male
• Age: 33% age 1-29; 35% age 30-49; 32% age 50+ (with a median age of 40) There were 335 teenagers and 215 respondents aged 70 or over.
• Nationality: 90% from English-speaking countries
• 67% U.S.; 6% Canada; 16% U.K, Australia, New Zealand & Ireland (combined)
• Occupation: 75% of Janeites are typically working women/men. The top ten career fields are education, business administration (manager/HR/secretary, etc.), business services/worker/retail, library/archivist, finance, science/engineering, writing/publishing, medical, arts, law and IT. (More than one-third are been teachers or librarians.)
• Education: 81% over the age of 20 have a 4-year (or higher) college degree; almost half have achieved a master’s (33%) or a doctorate (12%). Surprisingly, 71% did not major in English/Literature.
• Religious: 41% said they were religious; 38% not religious.
• Politics: Janeites are more likely to view themselves as liberal (55%) than conservative (25%), and on the topic of feminism, to have a favorable (67%) rather than unfavorable (11%) opinion.
• Hobbies: More than 50% involved in reading (98%); watching movies (80%); listening to music (72%); attending theater/concerts (61%); walking/yoga/other exercise (60%); visiting museums (60%); and traveling (56% to other countries; 54% within own country).
• Traveling: 47% of all respondents have visited Austen sites in England, including 40% of U.S. respondents and 53% of Canadians. More than half the respondents have visited Western Europe (69%), England/Wales/Scotland (68%) or traveled extensively in the U.S. (65%) and Canada (52%). Many have also been to Mexico and the Caribbean. The least-visited area from the survey list was India (4%), followed by Russia (7%), and China (8%).
• Favorite Afternoon Drink: 63% tea; 46 % coffee
• Pets: tabbies rule – 58% of respondents have pets, with cats at 36% and dogs at 30%
• Reading: 86% read at least 2 books per month; 33% read five or more per month
• Preferred Genre (non-Austen, of course): 29% mystery; 15% historical fiction
• Favorite Authors (not Jane Austen): Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, Mrs. Gaskell, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, William Shakespeare, Anthony Trollope, Georgette Heyer, and Agatha Christie.
• Tech Savvy: 57% described themselves as tech smart; 1% as clueless

Part 2: Janeite Land. The second half of the survey looked into the participant’s relationship to Jane Austen and her work.

• Age When You Discovered Jane Austen: over 50% before age 17; 13% younger than age 12
• How Often Do You Read Austen Novels? 33% read 3+ per year; 11% read all six every year
• Favorite Austen Book: 53% Pride and Prejudice; 28 % Persuasion; 7% Emma; 5% Sense and Sensibility; 4% Mansfield Park; 4% Northanger Abbey.
• Favorite Heroine: 58% Elizabeth Bennet; 24% Anne Elliot; 7% Elinor Dashwood; 5% Emma Woodhouse; 3% Fanny Price; 2% Catherine Moreland; 1% Marianne Dashwood
• Favorite Hero: 51% Fitzwilliam Darcy; 17% Frederick Wentworth; 14% Mr. Knightley; 10% Henry Tilney; 5% Colonel Brandon; 1% Edward Ferrars; 1% Edmund Bertram [Interestingly, males are a good bit less likely to choose Darcy as their favorite hero. The least-liked hero by some measure is Edmund Bertram (40%).]
• Favorite Bad Boy: 33% Wickham; 28% Willoughby; 16% Henry Crawford; 10% Frank Churchill; 7% William Elliot; 6% General Tilney
• Worst Parents: 54% Sir Walter Elliot; 16% Mr. & Mrs. Price; 15% Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram
• Four Comic Characters Who Delight Us: 74% Mrs. Bennet; 70% Mr. Collins; 56% Admiral Croft; 50% Mrs. Bates

For the complete results and analysis, please go to JASNA Persuasion On-Line sources. http://www.jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol29no1/kiefer.html

Posted in Austen Authors, England, film adaptations, Georgian England, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Persuasion, Pop Culture, Pride and Prejudice, reading habits | Tagged Emma, Jane Austen, Janeite, JASNA, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility | Comments Off

Pies and Prejudice, A Victorian Baking Musical, a Guest Post from Elaine Owen

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

Elaine Owen featured this post on Austen Authors in November. I wished to share it with you here. Enjoy!

Could you ever have guessed that a Pride and Prejudice variation could be set in a modern day bakery, that it could be a musical, and that it could be so . . . tasty? That was the pleasant surprise I found when I attended an original production by the Misfit Theater Company in Greenville, South Carolina in October: Pies, prejudice, music, and frequent appearances from Napoleon. Yes, that Napoleon. Trust me, it only got more entertaining from there!

Pies and Prejudice: A Victorian Baking Musical, written by Micah Thompson, opens with Jane, Elizabeth, and Lydia managing a modern-day Mansfield Park Bakery. Jane and Elizabeth get little help from the greedy Lydia, who literally eats her way through the store (and set!), or from their mother, the hilariously hypochondriac Mrs. Bennet. Charles Bingley of Bingley Bakeries arrives at Mansfield Park Bakery with his friend Darcy and before you know it, Darcy and Elizabeth are trading insults as fast as you can say overdone apple fritters. Jane and Bingley, meanwhile, sing about the joy of seeing life through (literal) rose-colored glasses, Caroline Bingley gets in a few digs, and in the middle of all this, several famous historical figures (can you say we had a “Dickens” of a time?) begin to pop up with their own contributions to the story line.

This was a fun, imaginative, and completely unpredictable variation on our favorite story! Rather than give away the whole plot for those of you who might be lucky enough to see it one day, I thought you might like to hear from the author of this organized chaos, Micah Thompson.

You obviously have a love for Jane Austen yourself. Where and when did that start?

Mine, I fear, is not a super original story in terms of Jane Austen. I was exposed early on in my teen years to the Pride and Prejudice mini-series made by PBS.(editor’s note: BBC) . . . It was all downhill from there. When I was a kid I spent every spare penny I or my parents had on books and reading through Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. The whole Jane Austen series are still memories I hold close. As a young teenage boy they were one of the few novels I read that weren’t sci-fi or fantasy but maybe that’s why they stick out to me so clearly, it was a book that was important because of the characters that were in it more so than the action that those characters were involved in.

Pies and Prejudice is a rather unconventional retelling of everyone’s favorite Austen story. What made you think of including characters like Napoleon and Shakespeare?

My mind as a writer is nothing if not an incalculably illogical roller coaster being attacked by a T-rex, but other than my standard answer to questions like this which is sleep deprivation, I will say that all of these characters just seemed to fit in my head. Napoleon especially was in the play from page 1 to me. He was the perfect counterpoint to the Bennet sisters, and a character who just seemed to gel seamlessly with the world I had created. Don’t ask me how he did that, I was as surprised as anyone.

Why did you decide to make it a musical?

Pies and Prejudice was just a play begging to be a musical. The beauty of a musical is that it lets you interact with an audience in a whole different way. A character would never turn to an audience in a play and say, “I’m an optimist and I think you’re an optimist so now we’re in love,” but in a musical, if you’re careful, you can define an entire character in one three minute space. Musicals give characters a chance to grow and change and interact with an audience in a way that a regular play can’t unless you’re willing to take a looooooong time doing it. One of my favorite moments in the whole play is in the final song when Darcy and Elizabeth are acknowledging that they do actually love each other. In a non musical, a scene like that is so hard to make realistic and so hard to get the audience to understand what the characters are feeling but in a musical (if you’ve got the right cast) that all can happen in the space of a few bars of music in a way that’s so moving and tangible to an audience.

Why do you think people love Jane Austen so much?

I think people love Jane Austen because, a lot like Shakespeare, Austen’s characters transcend their own time period and speak to who we are as people. Her characters and ideas and emotions make us realize things about ourselves and sympathize with the characters in the story in such a real way that it doesn’t matter how long ago the story was written or what stage of our lives we’re in. People love Jane Austen because Austen’s stories are about all of us, and the people we want to be.

Is there any chance of you licensing Pies and Prejudice to other theater groups? I’m sure people in other parts of the country would love to see this too!

Now that I fear is a question for minds more business savvy than myself. Pies and Prejudice was written for The Misfit Theater Company, which is still a very young company so a lot of questions like that one are things that we’re just now starting to deal with. I would certainly love for more people to get to share in this experience though, and the idea of giving Jane Austen fans another new way to enjoy Pride and Prejudice is definitely something I would be proud to be a part of!

Posted in Austen Authors, food and drink, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Jane Austen, playwrights, Pride and Prejudice, theatre, Vagary | Tagged Elaine Owen, guest post, interview, Pies and Prejudice: A Victorian Baking Musical, Pride and Prejudice, theatre, variation, Victorian era | Comments Off

My Experiment with Regency-Era “Shampoo,” a Guest Post from Rebecca H. Jamison

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

One of my fellow Austen Authors conducted an experiment with the methods of shampooing one’s hair during the Regency era and reported on it during her November post. I hope you enjoy her tongue-in-cheek remarks as much as I did.

I once watched a reality show about a family who chose to live like Victorians for six months. One of the most memorable segments for me was when the mom and daughters snuck out to a drugstore to buy modern shampoo. They simply couldn’t stand to wash their hair the way Victorians did.

This made me wonder how people washed their hair during the Regency era, so I did a little research. I discovered that it was during the Regency Era that “shampooing” became available to people in England. Sake Dean Mahomed opened a shampooing bath in Brighton, England in 1814. He claimed that shampoo was “a cure to many diseases and giving full relief when every thing fails; particularly Rheumatic and paralytic, gout, stiff joints, old sprains, lame legs, aches and pains in the joints”. His “shampoos” were not what we think of today as shampoos, though. They were more like massages with aromatic oils.

People generally used harsh lye soaps dissolved in water to wash their hair. Hair powders had gone out of style by the Regency Era, but women still used pomades made from lard and grease. It’s likely many people also used egg washes to clean their hair. The Jane Austen Centre published a recipe on their blog, entitled “Wash for the Hair” that was originally published in The Mirror of Graces by a Lady of Distinction in 1811. It reads as follows:

This is a cleanser and brightener of the head and hair, and should be applied in the morning.
Beat up the whites of six eggs into a froth, and with that annoint the head close to the roots of the hair. Leave it to dry on; then wash the head and hair thoroughly with a mixture of rum and rose-water in equal quantities.

The blog notes that “it’s worth a try . . .”, so I thought I’d try it. Here are my before pictures:

As you can see, my hair is on the wavy side, and in true Regency style, I am not wearing any makeup.

The recipe calls for six egg whites. I didn’t think I needed that many, so I used only four. (It turns out, I could have used only one or two.)

My mom taught me how to separate eggs when I was a teenager, and trying to keep the yolks out of the whites was probably one of the most frustrating things I ever experienced in the kitchen. I did finally master the technique, but I don’t think you need to be too much of a perfectionist when you’re making an egg wash for your hair.

The recipe says to beat the eggs into a froth, so I whipped them around for a minute with a wire whisk, which made me wonder whether people had wire whisks during Regency times. I looked it up, and it turns out the wire whisk was a Victorian inventions. During the Regency Era, people probably improvised wood brushes to beat egg whites.

Annointing my roots with whipped egg whites was quite an experience. It felt like a stiff hair gel, and you can probably tell from the picture below that instead of making my hair look wet and flat, my hair stuck out more and more as I massaged it in. I flattened it down a bit for this picture.

I followed the instructions, leaving the egg white on to dry, which, frankly, I was dreading. However, it wasn’t that terrible. It felt much like the curl cream I use and didn’t have any scent. It also dried into a nice, clear shine.

The recipe says to rinse thoroughly with equal parts rum and rose water. Since I don’t have either of those items in my house, I looked up the prices–both items run around fifteen dollars. I wasn’t about to spend thirty dollars on my experimental shampoo treatment, so I improvised with a vinegar, water, and lavender essential oil rinse.

It took a lot more rinsing than I anticipated to get the egg white out of my hair. Had I been actually using rum for that task, I would have used up an entire pirate’s boatload, but since I live in modern times, I simply stood under the shower after I used up all my vinegar solution.

My hair still felt rough and tangled after the rinse, and I was tempted to apply some conditioner. I was glad I didn’t, however, because once I combed it out, it felt perfectly conditioned. Also, my hair had a pleasant lavender scent.

Surprisingly, my hair turned out pretty well. Here are the after pictures:

My son thought that my hair looked better with the egg treatment than with my normal shampoo regimen. He may be right, but the egg treatment certainly took longer, especially since I had to let the egg whites dry on my hair before rinsing them out. From start to finish, it probably took me about five hours to wash, dry, rinse, and dry my hair. No wonder the recipe says to start in the morning!

This coming week when we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, I will add shampoo to the long list of modern conveniences for which I am grateful. What about you? Have you ever tried an old-fashioned beauty treatment? How did it turn out? What modern conveniences are you most grateful for?

Meet Rebecca H. Jamison

Rebecca H. Jamison has lived on a live volcano, excavated the bones of a prehistoric mammal, and won first prize at a rigged chili cook-off. She wrote novels just for fun until she made a New Year’s resolution in 2011 to submit a manuscript to publishers.

Rebecca grew up in Virginia. She attended Brigham Young University, where she earned a BA and MA in English. Her job titles have included special education teacher’s aide, technical writer, English teacher, and stay-at-home mom.

You can learn more about Rebecca at www.rebeccahjamison.com

Posted in Austen Authors, British history, contemporary, customs and tradiitons, Guest Post, inventions, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, modern adaptations, reading habits, Vagary | Tagged Austen Authors, contemporary, Jane Austen, Latter Day Saints, Rebecca H. Jamison, Regency Era, shampoo, vargary, Variations | 1 Comment

In Quest of the Officers, a Guest Post from Diana J. Oaks

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

Below you will find another of the fabulous posts one might find on any given day on Austen Authors. Diana J. Oaks explores the “appeal” of a man (or woman) in uniform.

Lydia Bennet. She’s naughty, she’s loud, she’s determined to expose herself as ridiculous and bring disgrace to her family in the process. In spite of these things, I relate to her in one intrinsic way. She’s drawn by the compelling figure of a man in uniform, especially a military uniform.

lydia-soldiers — Lydia Flirts with the Officers

She, of course, was particularly fond of the militia officer in his regimentals; the goal of encountering exactly that sort of person was the impetus for an excursion to Meryton.

“Their eyes were immediately wandering up in the street in quest of the officers, and nothing less than a very smart bonnet indeed, or a really new muslin in a shop window, could recall them.”

Lydia spots her prey, an officer with whom she is already acquainted, accompanied by a man who in Elizabeth’s view is rather good looking. It is through her eyes that we understand that “his appearance was greatly in his favour; he had all the best part of beauty—a fine countenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address.” In today’s terms, where such opinions are relayed via text messaging as succinctly as possible, he was “hot.” The introduction of this man carried happy news:

“Mr. Denny addressed them directly, and entreated permission to introduce his friend, Mr. Wickham, who had returned with him the day before from town, and he was happy to say, had accepted a commission in their corps. This was exactly as it should be; for the young man wanted only regimentals to make him completely charming.”

It took me a few readings of Pride and Prejudice before I caught the subtle nuance here. Perhaps swayed by the adapted versions that emphasized that Lydia and Kitty were the officer-crazed sisters, I totally missed the hint that Elizabeth, whose point of view carries the majority of the book, is also a bit enamored of men in uniform.

It’s evident that Jane Austen was aware of the place military officers held in society. Closely tied to nobility and aristocracy, the upper-level officers were drawn from the elite strata of society. Even the lower officers were supposed to be landowners, and therefore, one could construe them to be eligible matches for the gentry. Things are not always what they appear, however, particularly in militia regiments.

Members of the militia were not bound for foreign soil; they were the local peacekeepers. The commanding officers were typically titled and among the largest landowners in the county from which the regiment was drawn. They were given a quota to fill, with the station of officers fully reflective of the social and financial status of the members. Captain Carter was a much better marital prospect than Mr. Denny.

As with almost anything, appearances can be deceiving. Those with the resources to do so could hire a proxy to serve in their place, and when the quota wasn’t matched by those who met the minimum standards, the powers that be allowed the standards slide a bit. Mr. Wickham, though not a landowner, was educated, gentlemanlike and attractive—all characteristics which would lend distinction to the regiment, so he was let in. What is less clear is how he paid for his uniform, which is an expensive proposition. When the fact that he isn’t a landowner, nor an heir to land becomes apparent, Austen lets her readers use their imaginations as to how he qualified.

Militia regiments, though populated from a common region, never served in their home county. This was partly to prevent abuses of power and partly to prevent its members from being distracted by temptations of their familiar turf. The fact that Wickham has joined the regiment stationed in Meryton strongly implies that it is the Derbyshire militia stationed there. His connection to Pemberley would be known and respected, and one could surmise that this is how he got around the landowner requirement to be an officer.

Aside from all the social associations, there is a psychological reason that persons dressed as military officers impress. Recall Caroline Bingley’s claims of what makes an accomplished woman, and there is a piece of it that could as easily be applied to officers. I changed the pronouns for emphasis of the point. “…he must possess a certain something in his air and manner of walking, the tone of his voice, his address and expressions…”

Military training, particularly for officers, does reinforce a commanding bearing, confident air, purposeful stride and disciplined behavior. These things, accompanied by a finely tailored uniform, brass buttons, gold braid and other embellishments of design combine to create the perfect storm for a young girl’s fantasies. Is it any wonder that when I first laid eyes on my husband and he was dressed in a work uniform that was military-esque, I found him completely charming?

undress-uniform Captain Wentworth — …something in his air and manner of walking, the tone of his voice, his address and expressions…

What say you? Do you love a man (or woman) in uniform?

Meet Diana J. Oaks: Diana Oaks is the third of eight children. She grew up in a large and loving home inclusive of the hi-jinx one would expect with six brothers in the house. She has been known to bemoan the lack of any serious childhood angst to draw upon when writing. She graduated in 1981 from Ricks College in Rexburg Idaho. Diana has been married to her husband Adam since 1982. She is the mother of three adult children and several grandchildren.

Her debut novel, “One Thread Pulled: The Dance with Mr. Darcy,” was released in August 2012.
The sequel, “Constant as the Sun: The Courtship of Mr. Darcy” which chronicles the events of the engagement was released on October 31, 2016. A third book focusing on the early months of their marriage is planned.

Diana currently resides with her husband in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Posted in Austen Authors, British history, British Navy, George Wickham, Guest Post, historical fiction, history, Living in the Regency, manuscript evaluation, military, Pride and Prejudice | Tagged Austen Authors, Diana J. Oaks, guest post, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, military officers, Pride and Prejudice, Regency Era | Comments Off

Moral Ramifications of Wife Sales

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

Last week, I looked at Wife Selling as a Means to a Moral Divorce, but Not Necessarily a Legal One. Today, I will stay with the moral aspects of this practice of the late 1700s and the first half of the 1800s in Britain. E.P. Thompson, a British social historian and political activist and author of The Making of the English Working Class and Customs in Common studied some 218 cases of wife selling from 1780 to 1880. In the books, he addresses the custom and its ramifications. Specifically, in Customs in Common, The New Press tells us, “In a text marked by both empathy and erudition, Thompson investigates the gradual disappearance of a range of cultural customs against the backdrop of the great upheavals of the eighteenth century. As villagers were subjected to a legal system increasingly hostile to custom, they tried both to resist and to preserve tradition, becoming, as Thompson explains, ‘rebellious, but rebellious in defence of custom.’ Although some historians have written of riotous peasants of England and Wales as if they were mainly a problem for magistrates and governments, for Thompson it is the rulers, landowners, and governments who were a problem for the people, whose exuberant culture preceded the formation of working-class institutions and consciousness. Using a wide range of sources, Thompson shows how careful attention to fragmentary evidence helps to decode the fascinating symbolism of shaming rituals including ‘rough music,’ and practices such as the ritual divorce known as ‘wife sale.’ And in examining the vigorous presence of women in food riots from the sixteenth century onwards, he sheds further light on gender relations of the time.”

Common-law marriage, also known as sui iuris marriage, informal marriage, marriage by habit and repute, or marriage in fact is a legal framework in a limited number of jurisdictions where a couple is legally considered married, without that couple having formally registered their relation as a civil or religious marriage. The original concept of a “common-law marriage” is a marriage that is considered valid by both partners, but has not been formally recorded with a state or religious registry, or celebrated in a formal religious service. In effect, the act of the couple representing themselves to others as being married, and organizing their relation as if they were married, acts as the evidence that they are married. (Common-Law Marriage) Common-law marriages are there own entity in family law. Those cohabiting in today’s society are often referred to as living in a common-law marriage. Such an agreement certainly makes a “divorce” easier, which was one of the reasons a “wife sale” became popular among those who could not afford a divorce in England.

Whose wife is the woman is a great question. In my previous post, I mention the Thomas Hardy book The Mayor of Casterbridge. If one has read the book, he/she will notice that Susan is sometimes referred to as Mrs. Henchard and at other times, as Mrs. Newson. The reader can make that assumption that a wife sale is agreed upon as legal and the customary way of speaking of the woman, as in this case, would be Mrs. Newson. However, without a divorce, she is LEGALLY still Mrs. Henchard. In the Hardy book, Henchard “buys back” his wife, by extending her a gift of five guineas, the amount for which he originally settled with Newson. He also agrees to “remarry” his wife for propriety’s sake, rather than for legal purposes. As Susan lived with Newson for some twelve years. Is she an adulterer? A bigamist? Does custom outweigh the law in this case? Is the agreement of all three parties—original husband, wife, and new husband—a binding contract? It would have a variety of witnesses as it was a public auction of the wife. Does it take the death of either of the husbands to make a marriage legal? In Hardy’s book, Susan assumes that Newson is dead before she agrees to return to Henchard.

The problem in Hardy’s book is exacerbated by the fact that Susan bears Newson a child. Illegitimacy was not looked upon kindly during the period. There are several twists in Hardy’s tale regarding the birth of a child, and I shall not add spoilers to this post. E. P. Thompson tells a tale of a wife sale in 1819 that became quite complicated. The man sold his wife after she had given birth to his child(ren). When she left him, the children accompanied her to the new home. They were raised by the new husband. He even provided that their names be recorded as his in the church’s baptismal records. Later, when legal action was sought, the court declared the children the original husband’s responsibility, for when a child was born to a LEGAL marriage—whether the child was the original husband’s or not—LEGALLY, the child is considered to belong to the original husband. The wife sale DID NOT mean a legal divorce had occurred. If the sale is not a valid transaction, the original husband is the child’s father.

We must remember that prior to 1753, the means of speaking vows, as was present in a wife safe, was legal. It was a verba de praesenti contract. The Marriage Act of 1753 made marriage contracts invalid. It required a marriage ceremony by a clergyman of the Church of England and a calling of the banns (or) the purchase of a license. Unfortunately, the custom remained, and the Church was sore to stop it.

Adultery, according to the law, occurs when either the original husband and the wife, or both, take up with another. Legally, under common law, a promise to marry, which is followed by sexual intimacy, is a valid proposal. A man could be sued for “breach of promise.” Breach of Promise is a common law tort. From at least the Middle Ages until the early 20th century, a man’s promise to marry a woman was considered, in many jurisdictions, a legally binding contract. A woman could extract damages if such occurred.

We find in looking at this practice that it was more common among those of the lower classes than those of the middle class or the aristocracy. So, what is my new fascination with this practice? As you may have guessed, it is a plot point in a novel to be released in the Summer of 2018.

Posted in British history, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, history, Living in the UK, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, real life tales, research | Tagged adultery, bastard children, bigamist, breach of promise, Church of England, common-law marriage, marriage, marriage customs, moral dilemma, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy, wife sale | Comments Off

Jane Austen’s Health Problems, a Guest Post by Kyra Kramer

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

Jane Austen’s Problematic Health

Predicting the due date of a pregnancy is a matter of guesswork, even in these modern times. Babies are notorious for following their own schedule rather than the convenience of their mother, midwife, or obstetrician. Nevertheless, it is rare for a pregnancy to extend much beyond 40 weeks, and it is almost as dangerous for a baby to arrive in the 43^rd week as the 36^th.

When I was edging toward my 42^nd week of pregnancy with my second daughter, my midwife began issuing warnings that intervention would be necessary should my stubborn wee infant refuse to emerge within a reasonable time frame. Thankfully, the baby was simply waiting for the full moon on May Day to make her appearance, and she burst into the world without undue biomedical harrying. Jane Austen’s mother, Cassandra, was less fortunate than myself.

Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775, a full month after her parents had expected her. This would put her into the dangerous zone of a 43^rd or 44^th week gestation, which is given the benign name of a “postdate pregnancy” but is actually a cause for serious concern. As Annette Upfal explains in her article for the Journal of Medical Humanities:

There is a heightened risk of birth injury or death, and over 20% of postdate infants show signs of wasting of tissues – a medical condition known as post-maturity, which in severe cases can be fatal … If a pregnancy is prolonged, the placenta begins to degenerate and the fetus may receive inadequate nutrients from the mother.

Being born postdate can cause serious problems for the baby, including listlessness, irritability, inadequate feeding, failure to thrive, and a lifelong immune insufficiency as a result of in utero malnutrition. In plain English, a person born postdate may never develop a fully adequate immune system, and be susceptible to infections and chronic illnesses his or her entire life.

Although Jane Austen is usually thought of as robust (barring an almost fatal case of typhoid fever when she went away to school) right up until the 18 months prior to her death, a trawl through her surviving letters and other resources reveals she was incredibly vulnerable to contagious diseases a healthy adult would normally be able to fight off.

Illustration of Lecture Hall from the Glasgow Looking Glass, 1825-1826 https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2008/05/17/the-physician-in-the-19th-century/

For example, she was plagued with chronic conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis, more colloquially known as pink-eye or red-eye, is an eye infection that can be caused virally or (in worse cases) by bacteria. In either case, with no treatment a person’s body usually fights of the viral or bacterial invader within 3 to 6 weeks. In contrast, Austen’s “sore eyes” persisted for months and became an acute case. For years she had to deal with intermittent return of the illness, and by the latter years of her life the “reoccurrences would be more frequent and disabling”.

Austen also caught whooping cough in 1806, when she was 30 years old. Whooping cough is incredibly rare in patients over 10 years of age, and when an adult infection (known as catarrhal) does occur it is typically mild and of short duration. In contrast, Jane Austen’s illness became serious enough for her sister, Cassandra, to have sent out letters among family and friends to apprise them of the trouble, as evidenced by the need for letters written “to inquire particularly” about Austen’s condition.

In the late summer or early autumn of 1808 Austen once more contracted an infection – this time in her ears. Interestingly, the same bacteria that commonly cause pink-eye — Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia, or Haemophilus – are also the bacteria that commonly cause ear infections. It is spread either through internal sinus drainage from the diseased eye into the ear canal, or when the patient rubs their itchy, swollen eyes and then touches their ear. The bacterial infection causes painful inflammation in the ear canal, and can even lead to hearing loss in some cases. A joint case of ear and eye infection is most common in infants and young children, who don’t have fully developed immune systems yet. It is rare for healthy adults to develop this issue. Yet it happened to the supposedly healthy Jane Austen.

Moreover, the 33-years-old Austen’s ear and eye infections lingered beyond any reasonable expectation. They also worsened, and became enough of a health problem that her family and friends were sending her ‘receipts’ of home-made remedies for treatment in an attempt to alleviate her condition. Happily, the family apothecary, Mr John Lyford (not the surgeon Dr. Giles Lyford who would attend her final illness in Winchester), was able to effect a cure by advising her to apply cotton soaked with “the oil of sweet almonds” to her. Upfal believes this to indicate that Jane Austen was suffering from otitis externa, and infection of the outer ear, but I think it to be more likely that it was her inner ear canal that was infected. Sweet almond oil, either undiluted or mixed with olive oil, is an antibacterial agent that has been used for medical treatment for thousands of years. Sweet almond oil seeping from a wad of cotton at the opening of the ear canal would have coated the inner ear and killed the bacteria causing the infection.

In 1813 Jane Austen began to experience terrible pains in her face, which Upfal attributes to postherpetic neuralgia but from the symptoms recorded I think the pains were most likely the result of trigeminal neuralgia. Trigeminal neuralgia causes, “ sudden attacks of severe sharp shooting facial pain that last from a few seconds to about two minutes … similar to an electric shock. The attacks can be so severe that you’re unable to do anything during them … The pain can be in the teeth, lower jaw, upper jaw, cheek and, less commonly, in the forehead or the eye … After the main severe pain has subsided, you may experience a slight ache or burning feeling … [or] a constant throbbing, aching or burning sensation between attacks.”

Jane Austen must have been in agony.

Trigeminal neuralgia seems to be caused most often by an enlarged blood vessel (usually the superior cerebellar artery) putting pressure on the trigeminal nerve (the 5th and largest cranial neve) close to the nerve’s connection with the pons, the descending section of the brainstem, but that pressure can also be created by a cyst or tumor.

One of the ailments most often given as the reason for Austen’s early death is Hodgkin’s disease, also known as Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Upfal supports this hypothesis, and I half-way agree with her. I believe Austen was suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is any blood cancer — includes all types of lymphoma – that isn’t Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The reason I believe Austen have been suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is directly connected to her neuralgia. One of the not-uncommon symptoms of NHL is trigeminal neuralgia, caused by the swelling of the lymph nodes or tumors in the cranial region. Common symptoms of NHL also include the intermittent low-grade fever, weight loss, itchiness, and fatigue that were Austen’s most common complaints in the last year of her life. Furthermore, NHL can have periods where the patient feels just fine, before the tiredness kicks in again. This is especially true of ‘indolent’ or slow-growing lymphomas. It can also cause the skin discoloration, the “black and white, and every wrong colour” that Austen lamented. Moreover, one of the most common risk factors for NHL is poor immune function, which Upfal argues (in my opinion, persuasively) that Austen experienced as a result of her postdate birth.

But why, if Austen was persecuted by ill health for most of her life, isn’t it more widely referenced?

41lKxP+dk+L._SX321_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg First, there is the determination of Austen herself not to be a “poor honey”, a silly female hypochondriac determined to secure attention for herself by her ailments. Austen could not stand that sort of thing. She complained to her brother Frank Austen in 1813 that Mrs. Edward Bridges was “a poor Honey – the sort of woman who gives me the idea of being determined never to be well — & who likes her spasms & nervousness & the consequence they give her, better than anything else.”

In her letters, Austen often turns any report of her illness into a joke, or minimizes the effects of her sickness and assures her correspondent that she is doing very well NOW, thank you very much. She frequently implies that any poor health was merely playacting on her part, such as when she tells her sister that, “It was absolutely necessary that I should have the little fever and indisposition which I had; it has been all the fashion this week in Lyme”. Her complaints are also seldom admitted to be serious, as when she downplayed the onset of her whooping cough as “a cold”. The health of other people was a much-mentioned topic in her letters, but her own health was ignored for the most part.

This pattern continued to the very end. A little more than a year before her death she assured a niece that she had “got tolerably well again, quite equal to walking about and enjoying the air,” joking that “Sickness is a dangerous indulgence at my time of life,” and cheerfully reporting “the advantage of agreeable companions” was the only medicine she needed. Only a few weeks before she died she wrote to one her nephews that, “I am gaining strength very fast. I am now out of bed from 9 in the morning to 10 at night: upon the sopha, ’tis true, but I eat my meals with aunt Cass in a rational way, and can employ myself, and walk from one room to another.”

Austen’s persistent negation of her own illness has created a belief in her good health that is more accepted than proven.

In addition, there are the “missing” letters; correspondence destroyed by her family after her death. In those letters Austen could have vociferously complained about dismal health and we would have no inkling of it. She could have likewise admitted to debauchery, cannibalism, and necromancy and we’d be none the wiser. Anything that would contradict the ‘ideal’ Jane Austen, the beloved sibling and aunt who had nothing more important in her world than her domestic concerns, was carefully eradicated by relatives eager to preserve her reputation in the Victorian era. Creating the idea that Jane Austen had fortitude in the face of illness, as well as a near-implacable refusal to acknowledge bodily functions below the neck, would have been the goal of her preservationists, and any letter indicating differently would have gone onto the fireplace grate.

We lost a tremendous amount of information about Jane Austen’s personality, life, and writing thanks to the destruction of her letters, and (alas!) we’ve also lost most of the clues that might have helped us unravel the mystery of her tragically precipitous death. A death that may have occurred so early because her birth was so late.

Meet the Author: Kyra Cornelius Kramer is a freelance academic with BS degrees in both biology and anthropology from the University of Kentucky, as well as a MA in medical anthropology from Southern Methodist University. She has written essays on the agency of the Female Gothic heroine and women’s bodies as feminist texts in the works of Jennifer Crusie. She has also co-authored two works; one with Dr. Laura Vivanco on the way in which the bodies of romance heroes and heroines act as the sites of reinforcement of, and resistance to, enculturated sexualities and gender ideologies, and another with Dr. Catrina Banks Whitley on Henry VIII.

Ms. Kramer lives in Bloomington, IN with her husband, three young daughters, assorted pets, and occasionally her mother, who journeys northward from Kentucky in order to care for her grandchildren while her daughter feverishly types away on the computer.

51gEABHjwQL._UY250_.jpg 51I7t1zrE+L._UY250_.jpg 518HHpYHyIL._UY250_.jpg 51OsG52KTXL._UY250_.jpg 41-qd7G4ueL._UY250_.jpg

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Austen Fandom vs. Austen Academics, a Guest Post from Melanie Rachel

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

This post appeared on Austen Authors in November 2016. As I am often asked why I choose to spend part of my writing career authoring JAFF (Jane Austen Fan Fiction), perhaps Melanie Rachel’s explanation of what she experienced at the most recent Jane Austen Society of North America’s (JASNA) annual gathering will offer an explanation. Despite what some may think, my Ph. D. does not go to waste.

At the JASNA annual conference last October, I was fortunate enough to meet with a number of JAFF writers and editors.

Did I participate in a little fangirling? Well, yes.

During the course of our various discussions, the topic of the divide between the Jane Austen fandom and Jane Austen academics arose, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

I’m one of those people who has a foot in both camps (a Ph.D. in English and author of two JAFF novels, working on another), and in the Jane Austen universe, I’m certainly not alone. Research on Austen herself and on the historical era of the Regency (versus the Georgian and Victorian) is very important for the composition of good stories. We need to know which words were in use at the time and what they meant, which of society’s “rules” were rigid and which were flexible, who was eligible to apply for a special marriage license, or how accurately a rifle could be fired. I now know that the date of the “Season” was not set in stone, but was based on Parliament’s calendar. I also know what happened to seats in the House of Lords when the current holder of the title was too ill to continue, but still alive. (No, his heir could not take that seat if he didn’t already hold a title of his own). Understanding that the years of the Regency supported a fashionable world whose moral sensibilities were more akin to the Roaring 20’s than the more conservative Victorian era is essential to our world-building. Knowing how Austen viewed her world, through the letters we still have and the research of “clever, well-informed” scholars, is incredibly helpful. So we can surmise, at least, that most writers are very happy to have the information or topics of speculation provided by academics.

The reverse cannot really be said, as a whole, for academics. I say this with some disappointment, and with a nod to my own failures in convincing other academics that fandom is serious business. The notion that Fan Studies, even when we’re dealing with classic literature, isn’t a “real field,” is pervasive, though I suspect, like culture studies in general, more acceptance will come as younger students join the ranks of doctoral candidates.

I do amuse myself, from time to time, by thinking of Fitzwilliam Darcy (pre-Hunsford, of course) as the snobby full professor who has an unlimited professional development fund and is assigned a large faculty office with lots of windows. Elizabeth Bennet? She’s an assistant professor of cultural studies who has to beg for conference registration funds and is shuffled off to a windowless office in the basement, next to the soda machine. Hey, maybe I should write that . . .

Of course, this kind of fractious camp-building isn’t limited to Jane Austen. I’ve seen this kind of divide at least since my own graduate school days, where literature students turned up their noses at MFA students, devaluing the creative and championing the analytical. I wondered then, and I wonder now, whether my fellow academics understood who was writing the very books they spent their own careers dissecting. Aren’t primary sources, like novels, our “first cause”?

As I’d been warned, this tension clearly played out at the JASNA conference in Huntington Beach, which, for the record, I enjoyed enormously and highly recommend (next year it’s being held in Kansas City, Kansas, and will focus on Persuasion).

As one does at conferences, I attended several presentations. I had particularly anticipated hearing “Jane Austen’s Lives and Deaths Through Fan Fiction.” The speaker was a graduate student writing a dissertation about JAFF.

At last, I thought, someone building a bridge between fandom and academia.

Unfortunately, while the young woman was clearly intelligent and the presentation well-rehearsed, it was also rather reductive. She focused purely on the published fiction, reading a random selection of novels that had received 1, 3, and 5 stars on their Amazon reviews (she told us she’d read about 125 in total). Therefore, 2/3 of her chosen texts were those most JAFF readers found lacking in some important way. In addition, while 125 books might sound like a lot to anyone who doesn’t read JAFF, it’s a rather small sample of the whole.

Once she read each book it was neatly categorized by trope. She mentioned as an example those stories that focused on excusing Darcy’s poor behavior at the beginning of the novel. Instead of arrogant, he is shy, or troubled over his younger sister’s near elopement, or even suffers from social anxiety (I call these writers Darcy apologists, and it’s true, they are legion). Until I inquired, though, she made no mention of those writers who also create Darcys whose behavior is much worse than in canon. All in all, they even themselves out, and it would have been fascinating to explore why we respond to Darcy this way when he’s really hardly in the book at all.

Why do we want Darcy to be a better man before he’s done the hard work he needs to do? Is our impulse to spare Elizabeth Bennet from a humiliating experience, or to mitigate its impact? Or is it that we simply want our romantic leads to be closer to perfect than they are? On the other side, why are we taking our anger out on Darcy by making his infractions worse? Why would we want to do that? Is there a larger narrative we are accepting or rejecting?

A second trope was that of kidnapping, primarily Georgiana or Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice fan fictions. The trope certainly exists. But so do spoofs on the trope—see, for example, JanetR’s humorous “Again?” Yet there was no conversation to be had on that subject, either.

When we write, our stories say a lot about us. I am really more interested in figuring out why these tropes exist than I am that they exist at all.

After the presentation, I approached the speaker to ask whether she had visited any of the online communities. While she was aware that they existed, she had not included in her research any of the JAFF sites that are the heart of the writing. She missed those spoofs, she missed the humor, the short stories, the unpublished novel-length stories, the sharing of plot bunnies, the amazing outpouring of time and effort of writers helping writers (particularly new writers), and, at least at one such site, A Happy Assembly, the tête-à-tête folder where not only do historians deeply immersed in events and culture of the time answer author questions, the discussion of Austen’s novels themselves continues to be held in minute detail. A recent discussion, for example, focused on what it might mean that Sir Lewis de Bourgh had his windows glazed (the answer being that this was a newer home compared to say, Pemberley) and how the notion that Rosings was not from a family with an ancient name might mean to Lady Catherine’s designs on Fitzwilliam Darcy. If any of my undergraduate literature students pointed out a detail like that in an essay, I would be beyond thrilled.

This is why the presence of fan fiction readers, writers, and supporters at conferences like JASNA is so important. If we want the opportunity to change the trajectory of the discussion, or even influence it a bit, we have to be present, to talk about the focus of these kinds of studies and why the relationship between academic and fandom need not be acrimonious. Not to mention you get to meet some fabulous people! This year, one of the keynote speakers was Richard Knight, who discussed the ongoing care of Chawton, the estate where Jane lived the final eight years of her life. Next year, Amanda Root, who played Ann Elliot in perhaps the best-known Persuasion film adaptation, will be speaking about that role.

The speaker will go back to her university and write her dissertation, and likely remain fixed on published JAFF books to the exclusion of the very lively online communities from which most of those stories sprang. This is not a tragedy. We will all survive the indignity. But we can do better.

Meet Melanie Rachel

Melanie Rachel is the author of Courage Rises and Courage Requires, both available for sale on Amazon. Her current modern WIP, Headstrong, is posting at A Happy Assembly. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Penn State University and currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her family and their freakishly athletic Jack Russell Terrier. She fell in love with Jane Austen as a young camper and then camp counselor, reading under the stars with the help of a flashlight. Extra batteries were considered essential camping gear.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melanie.rachel.583

Website: https://melanierachel.weebly.com/

Headstrong (WIP) : http://meryton.com/aha/index.php?showtopic=18096&st=0

Posted in Austen Authors, Jane Austen, JASNA, Vagary | Tagged Austen Authors, guest post, JAFF, JASNA | Comments Off

Wife Selling as a Means to a Moral Divorce, but Not Necessarily a Legal One

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

From the late 18th to the mid 19th centuries in England, divorce was expense—too expense for many of the populace. Divorce required a private Act of Parliament that could cost the petitioner somewhere around £3000. It also required the blessing of the church. The first divorce was not available until 1857. The sanctity of marriage evolved over 100 years from the period of the Marriage Act in 1753 to the Matrimonial Causes Act in 1857, which permitted a civil cause of action for divorce. So what was the solution for those who wished to shed himself of a wife in the late 1700s and early 1800s? WIFE SELLING became the customary mode of ending one marriage and beginning another. The practice became the means to end morally what could not be ended legally. A public sell of his Property (meaning his wife) provided a man with his only means to separate himself from his wife.

Selling a Wife (1812–14), by Thomas Rowlandson.

I seriously doubt many women were such willing parties in this farce.

In the preface of The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy tells the reader, “The incidents narrated arise mainly out of three events, which chanced to range themselves in the order and at or about the intervals of time here given, in the real history of the town called Casterbridge and the neighbouring county. They were the sale of a wife by her husband, the uncertain harvests which immediately preceded the repeal of the Corn Laws, and the visit of a Royal personage to the aforesaid part of England.” [If you have never read this tale, I highly recommend it. At a minimum, have a look at the film by the same name in which Ciarán Hinds portrays Michael Henchard, the Mayor of Casterbridge, a man who sells his wife and child for five guineas to a sailor named Newson.]

‘Hay-trussing — ?’ said the turnip-hoer, who had already begun shaking his head. ‘O no.’ From Robert Barnes’s illustrations for the 1886 weekly serialised edition of Thomas Hardy’s novel The Mayor of Casterbridge. This illustration, the first, depicts the protagonist, Michael Henchard, on the way to a fair to sell his wife and baby daughter. ~ Public Domain via Wikipedia

800px-Contemporary_wife_selling_print_georgian_scrapbook_1949.jpg

From the front flap of Wives for Sale: An Ethnographic Study of British Popular Divorce by Samuel Pyeatt Menefee, we learn, “Addressing a bigamous and indigent hawker in the middle of the last century, Justice Maule declared: I will tell you what you ought to have done. … You should have instructed your attorney to bring an action against the seducer of your wife for damages … you should have employed a proctor and instituted a suit in the Ecclesiastical Courts. … When you had obtained a divorce a mensa et thoro, you had only to obtain a private Act for divorce a vinculo matrimonii … and altogether these proceedings would cost you L1000. You will probably tell me that you never had a tenth of that sum, but that makes no difference. Sitting here as an English judge it is my duty to tell you that this is not a country in which there is one law for the rich and another for the poor. You will be imprisoned for one day.

“The judge’s ruling was a wry acknowledgement of the dilemma faced by the man in the street, who was normally unable to obtain a divorce sanctioned by Church or State. For centuries such men resorted to informal means of slipping the knot of matrimony, one of which was selling a wife in the open market. Wives for Sale is a fascinating study of this practice, which developed its own traditions, rules and procedures. The author considers the causes and consequences of wife sales and the reactions to the institution of the courts, the press and the public. He draws parallels between wife-selling and other contemporaneous social practices and beliefs and considers the custom as it was reflected in popular culture.

“From this study the selling of wives emerges as a popularly accepted expedient, often welcomed by husband, purchaser and “merchandise” alike. The author argues that the institution was a conservative and traditional solution to the problems faced by communities denied the practical option of divorce, a solution rooted in the primary mechanisms of social interchange.”

Menefee purports that the sales were planned in advance, meaning that the husband, wife and purchaser already knew one another and that the terms had been agreed upon before the public sale. Although it makes good drama, the spontaneous sale of a wife to a stranger was not typical of the transactions.

E.P. Thompson, a British social historian and political activist and author of The Making of the English Working Class and Customs in Common studied some 218 cases of wife selling from 1780 to 1880. He tells us that the sale was a public one, usually taking place in a marketplace. Therefore there were witnesses to the transaction. It was often announced beforehand. The halter or rope around the wife was not designed to degrade her, but as a public display of transferring her from one man to another. An auctioneer was employed for the purpose of appearing unbiased. The purchaser would not only be expected to pay the purchasing price for the wife, but also to buy a round of drinks at the tavern and purchase the rope. The husband would then provide the purchaser with a bit of coin as “good luck money” to secure the deal. At length, there would be an exchange of vows to represent a marriage ceremony.

Vintage News tells us, “One of the first reported cases of wife selling took place in 1733, in Birmingham, where Samuel Whitehouse sold his wife, Mary Whitehouse, in the open market to Thomas Griffiths for about one English pound. There are also cases where the wife is sometimes reported as having insisted on the sale and for many women, this was the only way out of an unhappy marriage. Wife selling reached its highpoint in the 1820s and 1830s and husbands who wanted to sell their wives came under extreme social pressure and the practice waned. This didn’t mean that there weren’t any more cases of wife selling and the most recent case was reported in 1913 when a woman claimed that her husband sold her to one of his workmates for £1.”

A French depiction of Milord John Bull, heading to Smithfield Market to sell his wife

Posted in Act of Parliament, book excerpts, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged divorce, Great Britain, marriage, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy, wife selling | 6 Comments

Congratulations to the Winners from my Latest Blog Tour for “Pride and Prejudice and a Shakespearean Scholar”

Posted on December 30, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

Congratulations to all the winners of “Pride and Prejudice and a Shakespearean Scholar.”

Blog Hop

Monday, Dec. 4 – Austen Authors – Gorhambury House

Luisa Donaldson

pedmisson

Tuesday, Dec. 5 – MoreAgreeably Engaged – Taming of the Shrew

Mary Doyle

Wednesday, Dec. 6 – Historical Fiction Supper Club

Karen M Llanes

Thursday, Dec. 7 – Just Jane 1813 – James Wilmot

Becky C

Carol J. Perrin

Friday, Dec. 8 – Every Woman Dreams – Delia Bacon

Daniela Quadros

Monday, Dec. 11 – Babblings of a Book Worm – Militia Officers

J. W. Garrett

Tuesday, Dec. 12 – Every Woman Dreams – Gorhambury House

Luthien84

Wednesday, Dec. 13 – Every Woman Dreams – James Wilmot

Debbie B.

Wednesday, Dec. 13 – From Pemberley to Milton – Abandoned Wife

Betty Madden

Thursday, Dec. 14 – Every Woman Dreams – Taming of the Shrew

Sandra McComb

Friday, Dec. 15 – Every Woman Dreams – Militia Officers

darcy/bennett

Sunday, Dec. 17 – Darcyholic Diversions – Delia Bacon

(Cancelled due to an illness with the website owner – Because of this cancellation, I awarded extra prizes to some of those who had followed me throughout the blog tour, as they had no opportunity for another entry. Their names were chosen by Random.org from all those who participated in the blog tour. Thanks to all! Happy New Year! )

Gillian

Vesper

KateB

LynnChar

Ginna

Courtney Johnson

Glynis

Glenda M.

Posted in giveaway, writing | Tagged blog hop, blog tour, giveaway | 2 Comments

Twelfth Night Sale! – Reduced Price on 30 Titles from Regina Jeffers Through January 5!

Posted on December 27, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

These books are among the 30 titles that went on sale Friday, December 22, and will stay on sale through Friday, January 5, 2018. Fill up your eReaders with these 15 Regency romantic suspense and fun contemporary titles!!! (See the 15 Austen-Inspired titles that are part of this sale from the post yesterday.)

A Touch of Scandal: Book 1 of the Realm Series [historical fiction; Regency romance; romantic suspense]

2011 Write Touch Readers’ Award, 2nd Place, Historical Romance

(Disclaimer: This book is the self-published version of The Scandal of Lady Eleanor.)

The men of the REALM have served their country, while ignoring their responsibilities to home and love, but now Bonaparte is defeated, they each mean to claim their portion of a new and prosperous England. However, their long-time enemy Shaheed Mir has other plans. The warlord believes one of the Realm has stolen a fist-sized emerald, and the Baloch intends to have its return or his revenge.

JAMES KERRINGTON, the future Earl of Linworth left his title and his infant son behind after the death of his beloved Elizabeth, but he has returned to England to tend his ailing father and to establish his roots. With Daniel as his heir, Kerrington has no need to marry, but when Eleanor Fowler stumbles and falls into his arms, Kerrington’s world is turned upon its head. He will do anything to claim her.

LADY ELEANOR FOWLER has hidden from Society, knowing her father’s notorious reputation for debauchery has tainted any hopes she might have of a happy marriage. And yet, despite her fears, her brother’s closest friend, James Kerrington, has rekindled her hopes, but when Sir Louis Levering appears with proof of Eleanor’s participation in her father’s wickedness, she is drawn into a world of depravity, and only Kerrington’s love can save her.

The first fully original series from Austen pastiche author Jeffers is a knockout. – Publishers Weekly

Jeffers’s characters stay in the reader’s heart and mind long after the last page has been turned. – Favored Elegance

Kindle Kobo Nook

********************************************************************

A Touch of Velvet: Book 2 of the Realm Series [historical fiction; Regency romance; romantic suspense; adventure; mystery]

After years away from England, members of the Realm return home to claim the titles and the lives they once abandoned. Each man holds on to the fleeting dream of finally knowing love. For now, all any of them can hope is the resolutions of their previous difficulties before Shaheed Mir, their old enemy, finds them and exacts his revenge. Mir seeks a mysterious emerald, and he believes one of the Realm has it.

No one finds his soul mate when she is twelve and he seventeen, but BRANTLEY FOWLER, the Duke of Thornhill, always thought he had found his. The memory of Velvet Aldridge’s face was the only thing that kept him alive all those years he remained estranged from his family. Now, he has returned to Kent to claim his title and the woman he loves, but first he must obliterate the memory of his infamous father, while staving off numerous attacks from Mir’s associates.

MISS VELVET ALDRIDGE always believed in “happily ever after.” Yet, when Brantley Fowler returns home, he has a daughter and his wife’s memory to accompany him. He promised her eight years prior that he would return to make her his wife, but Thornhill only offers her a Season and a dowry. How can she make him love her? Make him her “knight in shining armor”? Regency England has never been hotter or more dangerous.

Kindle Kobo Nook

********************************************************************

A Touch of Cashémere: Book 3 of the Realm Series [historical fiction; Regency romance; romantic suspense/adventure/mystery]

MARCUS WELLSTON never expected to inherit his father’s title. After all, he is the youngest of three sons. However, his oldest brother Trevor is judged incapable of meeting the title’s responsibilities, and his second brother Myles has lost his life in an freak accident; therefore, Marcus has returned to Tweed Hall and the earldom. Having departed Northumberland years prior to escape his guilt in his sister’s death, Marcus has spent the previous six years with the Realm, a covert governmental group, in atonement. Now, all he requires is a biddable wife with a pleasing personality. Neither of those phrases describes Cashémere Aldridge.

MISS CASHEMERE ALDRIDGE thought her opinions were absolutes and her world perfectly ordered, but when her eldest sister Velvet is kidnapped, Cashé becomes a part of the intrigue. She quickly discovers nothing she knew before is etched in stone. Leading her through these changes is a man who considers her a “spoiled brat.” A man who prefers her twin Satiné to Cashémere. A man whose approval she desperately requires: Marcus Wellston, the Earl of Berwick. Toss in an irate Baloch warlord, a missing emerald, a double kidnapping, a blackmail attempt, and an explosion in a glass cone, and the Realm has its hands full. The Regency era has never been hotter, nor more dangerous.

Kindle Kobo Nook

********************************************************************

A Touch of Grace: Book 4 of the Realm Series [historical fiction; Regency romance; adventure; romantic suspense/mystery]

SOLA’s Seventh Annual Dixie Kane Memorial Awards, 3rd Place, Historical Romance

“Jeffers’s close look at the dark secrets of Regency society instills a sense of realism.” – Publishers Weekly

After years away from England, members of the Realm return home to claim the titles and the lives they had previously abandoned. Each man holds onto the fleeting dream of finally know love and home. For now, all any of them can hope is the resolution of his earlier difficulties before Shaheed Mir, their old enemy, finds them and exacts his revenge. Mir seeks a mysterious emerald, and he believes one of the Realm has it.

GABRIEL CROWDEN, the Marquis of Godown, can easily recall the night that he made a vow to know love before he met his Maker. Of course, that was before Lady Gardenia Templeton’s duplicity had driven Godown from his home and before his father’s will had changed everything. Godown requires a wife to meet the unusual demands of the former marquis’s stipulations. Preferably one either already carrying his child or one who would tolerate his constant attentions to secure the Crowden line before the deadline.

MISS GRACE NELSON dreams of family died with her brother’s ascension to the title. Yet, when she meets the injured Marquis of Godown at a Scottish inn, her dreams have a new name. However, hope never has an easy path. Grace is but a lowly governess with ordinary features. She believes she can never earn the regard of the “Adonis” known as Gabriel Crowden. Besides, the man has a well-earned skepticism when it comes to the women in his life. How can she prove that she is the one woman who will never betray him? The Regency era has never been hotter.

Kindle Kobo Nook

********************************************************************

A Touch of Mercy: Book 5 of the Realm Series [historical fiction; Regency romance; adventure; romantic suspense; mystery]

Members of the Realm have retuned to England to claim the titles they left behind. Each holds to the fleeting dream of finally knowing love, but first he must face his old enemy Shaheed Mir, a Baloch warlord, who believes one of the group has stolen a fist-sized emerald. Mir will have the emerald’s return or will exact his bloody revenge.

A devastating injury has robbed AIDAN KIMBOLT, Viscount Lexford, of part of his memory, but surely not of the reality that lovely Mercy Nelson is his father’s by-blow. Aidan is intrigued by his “sister’s” vivacity and how easily she ushers life into Lexington Arms, a house plagued by Death’s secrets–secrets of his wife’s ghost, of his brother’s untimely passing, and of his parents’ marriage: Secrets Aidan must banish to finally know happiness.

Fate has delivered Miss MERCY NELSON to Lord Lexford’s door, where she quickly discovers appearances are deceiving. Not only does Mercy practice a bit of her own duplicity, so do all within Lexington Arms. Yet, dangerous intrigue cannot squash the burgeoning passion consuming her and Viscount Lexford, as the boundaries of their relationship are sorely tested. How can they find true love if they must begin a life peppered with lies?

Kindle Kobo Nook

********************************************************************

A Touch of Love: Book 6 of the Realm Series [historical fiction; Regency romance; adventure; romantic suspense; mystery]

The REALM has returned to England to claim the titles they left behind. Each man holds to the fleeting dream of finally knowing love and home, but first he must face his old enemy Shaheed Mir, a Baloch warlord, who believes one of the group has stolen a fist-sized emerald. Mir will have the emerald’s return or will exact his bloody revenge.. Aristotle Pennington has groomed

SIR CARTER LOWERY as his successor as the Realm’s leader, and Sir Carter has thought of little else for years. He has handcrafted his life, filled it with duties and responsibilities, and eventually, he will choose a marriage of convenience to bolster his career; yet, Lucinda Warren is a temptation he cannot resist. Every time he touches her, he recognizes his mistake because his desire for her is not easily quenched. To complicate matters, it was Mrs. Warren’s father, Colonel Roderick Rightnour, whom Sir Carter replaced at the Battle of Waterloo, an action which had named Sir Carter a national hero and her father a failure as a military strategist.

LUCINDA WARREN’s late husband has left her to tend to a child belonging to another woman and has drowned her in multiple scandals. Her only hope to discover the boy’s true parentage and to remove her name from the lips of the ton’s censors is Sir Carter Lowery, a man who causes her body to course with awareness, as if he had etched his name upon her soul. Cruel twists of Fate have thrown them together three times, and Lucinda prays to hold off her cry for completion long enough to deny her heart and to release Sir Carter to his future: A future to which she will never belong.

Kindle Kobo Nook

********************************************************************

A Touch of Honor: Book 7 of the Realm Series [historical fiction; Regency romance; romantic suspense/adventure/mystery]

For two years, BARON JOHN SWENTON has thought of little else other than making Satiné Aldridge his wife; so when he discovers her reputation in tatters, Swenton acts honorably: He puts forward a marriage of convenience that will save her from ruination and provide him the one woman he believes will bring joy to his life. However, the moment he utters his proposal, Swenton’s instincts scream he has made a mistake: Unfortunately, a man of honor makes the best of even the most horrendous of situations.

MISS SATINE ALDRIDGE has fallen for a man she can never possess and has accepted a man she finds only mildly tolerable. What will she do to extricate herself from Baron Swenton’s life and claim the elusive Prince Henrí? Obviously, more than anyone would ever expect.

MISS ISOLDE NEVILLE has been hired to serve as Satiné Aldridge’s companion, but her loyalty rests purely with the lady’s husband. With regret, she watches the baron struggle against the impossible situation in which Miss Aldridge has placed him, while her heart desires to claim the man as her own. Yet, Isolde is as honorable as the baron. She means to see him happy, even if that requires her to aid him in his quest to earn Miss Satiné’s affections.

Sacrifice and honor, betrayal and redemption, all make for an exceptionally satisfying romance. A Touch of Honor is a mesmerizing story of extraordinary love realized against impossible odds. – Collette Cameron, Award-Winning Author

Kindle Kobo Nook

********************************************************************

A Touch of Emerald: The Conclusion of the Realm Series (Fiction/Historical; Historical Romance/Mystery/Adventure; Regency)

Four crazy Balochs. A Gypsy band. An Indian maiden. A cave with a maze of passages. A hero, not yet tested. And a missing emerald.

For nearly two decades, the Realm thwarted the efforts of all Shaheed Mir sent their way, but now the Baloch warlord is in England, and the tribal leader means to reclaim the fist-sized emerald he believes one of the Realm stole during their rescue of a girl upon whom Mir turned his men. Mir means to take his revenge on the Realm and the Indian girl’s child, LADY SONALI FOWLER.

DANIEL KERRINGTON, Viscount Worthing, has loved Lady Sonalí since they were but children. Yet, when his father, the Earl of Linworth, objects to Sonalí’s bloodlines, Worthing thinks never to claim her. However, when danger arrives in the form of the Realm’s old enemy, Kerrington ignores all caution for the woman he loves.

Kindle Nook Kobo

********************************************************************

His American Heartsong: A Companion Novel of the Realm Series (Regency romance, Historical romance, Series, The Realm)

The Deepest Love is Always Unexpected.

LAWRENCE LOWERY, Lord Hellsman, has served as the dutiful son since childhood, but when his father Baron Blakehell arranges a marriage with the insipid Annalee Dryburgh, Lowery must choose between his responsibilities to his future title and the one woman who makes sense in his life.

Although her mother was once a lady in waiting to the Queen, by Society’s standards, MISS ARABELLA TILNEY is completely unfit to be the future baroness: Bella is an American hoyden who demands that Lowery do the impossible: Be the man he always dreamed of being.

Kindle Nook Kobo

********************************************************************

His Irish Eve (Fiction/Historical Fiction; Romance; Regency Romance/Adventure)

When the Earl of Greenwall demands his only son, ADAM LAWRENCE, Viscount Stafford, retrieve the viscount’s by-blow, everything in Lawrence’s life changes. Six years prior, Stafford released his mistress, Cathleen Donnell, from his protection; now, he discovers from Greenwall that Cathleen was with child when she returned to her family. Stafford arrives in Cheshire to discover not only the son of which Greenwall spoke, but also two daughters, as well as a strong-willed woman, in the form of AOIFE KENNICE, who fascinates Stafford from the moment of their first encounter.

Set against the backdrop of the early radicalism of the Industrial Revolution and the Peterloo Massacre, a battle begins: A fight Lawrence must win: a fight for a woman worth knowing, his Irish Eve.

Kindle Nook Kobo

********************************************************************

The First Wives’ Club: Book 1 of the First Wives’ Trilogy (Regency romance, historical romance, trilogy, series, mystery, family relationships)

SOLA’s Seventh Annual Dixie Kane Memorial Awards, Honorable Mention, Historical Romance

NATHANIEL EPPERLY, the Earl of Eggleston, has married the woman his father has chosen for him, but the marriage has been everything but comfortable. Nathaniel’s wife, Lady Charlotte, came to the marriage bed with a wanton’s experience. She dutifully provides Eggleston his heir, but within a fortnight, she deserts father and son for Baron Remington Craddock. In the eyes of the ton, Lady Charlotte has cuckolded Epperly.

ROSELLEN WARREN, longs for love and adventure. Unfortunately, she’s likely to find neither. As a squire’s daughter, Rosellen holds no sway in Society; but she’s a true diamond in the rough. Yet, when she meets Epperly’s grandmother, the Dowager Countess Eggleston creates a “story” for the girl, claiming if Rosellen is presented to the ton as a war widow with a small dowry, that the girl will find a suitable match.

BARON REMINGTON CRADDOCK remains a thorn in Eggleston’s side, but when Craddock makes Mrs. Warren a pawn in his crazy game of control, Eggleston offers the woman his protection. However, the earl has never faced a man who holds no strength of title, but who wields great power; and he finds himself always a step behind the enigmatic baron. When someone frames Epperly for Lady Charlotte’s sudden disappearance, Nathaniel must quickly learn the baron’s secrets or face a death sentence.

Kindle Kobo Nook

********************************************************************

Second Chances: The Courtship Wars (Contemporary Romance, Psychology, Sexology, Reality TV, Downs Syndrome, Eccentric Hermits)

Rushing through the concourse to make her way to the conference stage, GILLIAN CORNELL comes face-to-face with the one man she finds most contemptible, but suddenly her world tilts. His gaze tells stories she wants desperately to hear. As he undresses her with his eyes, Gillian finds all she can do is stumble through her opening remarks. The all-too-attractive cad challenges both her sensibility and her reputation as a competent sexologist.

DR. LUCIAN DAMRON never allows any woman to capture his interest for long. He uses them to boost his career and for his pleasure. Yet, Lucian cannot resist Gillian’s stubborn independence, her startling intelligence, and her surprising sensuality. Sinfully handsome, Lucian hides a badly wounded heart and a life of personal rejection.

Thrown together as the medical staff on “Second Chances,” a new reality TV show designed to reunite previously married couples, Lucian and Gillian soon pique the interest of the American viewing public, who tune in each week, fascinated by the passionate electricity coursing between them. Thus begins an all-consuming courtship war, plagued by potential relationship-ending secrets and misunderstandings and played out scandalously on a national stage.

Kindle Nook Kobo

********************************************************************

One Minute Past Christmas: Tale of an Appalachian Christmas Miracle [short story, Appalachia, holidays, Christmas, family relationships, legends]

One Minute Past Christmas is the story of a Greenbrier County, West Virginia, family in which a grandfather and his granddaughter share a special ability — they call it a “gift”– that enables them to briefly witness each year a miraculous gathering in the sky. What they see begins at precisely one minute past Christmas and fills them with as much relief as it does wonder. But they worry that the “gift” — which they cannot reveal to anyone else — will die with them because it has been passed to no other relative for forty-four years.

Nook Kindle Kobo

******************************************************************

I do not own the rights to these two books, but Black Opal Books, the publisher, has placed a reasonable price them.

Angel Comes to the Devil’s Keep: Book 1 of the Twins’ Trilogy [romantic suspense; Regency romance; historical fiction; mystery; twins]

SOLA’s Eighth Annual Dixie Kane Memorial Awards, 3rd Place, Historical Romance; finalist 2017 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense; 2017 finalist Derby Award for Fiction

Huntington McLaughlin, the Marquess of Malvern, wakes in a farmhouse, after a head injury, being tended by an ethereal “angel,” who claims to be his wife. However, reality is often deceptive, and Angelica Lovelace is far from innocent in Hunt’s difficulties. Yet, there is something about the woman that calls to him as no other ever has. When she attends his mother’s annual summer house party, their lives are intertwined in a series of mistaken identities, assaults, kidnappings, overlapping relations, and murders, which will either bring them together forever or tear them irretrievably apart. As Hunt attempts to right his world from problems caused by the head injury that has robbed him of parts of his memory, his best friend, the Earl of Remmington, makes it clear that he intends to claim Angelica as his wife. Hunt must decide whether to permit her to align herself with the earldom or claim the only woman who stirs his heart–and if he does the latter, can he still serve the dukedom with a hoydenish American heiress at his side?

The story is charming, with interesting and realistic characters, a complex plot with plenty of surprises, and a sweet romance woven through it all. The author has a good command of what it was like to be a woman in nineteenth-century England–almost as if she had been there. She really did her research for this one. – Taylor Jones

Angel Comes to Devil’s Keep is a well-written tale of courage and sacrifice and what women went through in order to marry well in Regency England. The author did her homework and it shows in an authenticity that we don’t often see in Regency romances. – Regan Murphy

Nook Kobo Smashwords Kindle All Romance eBooks

Black Opal Books iTunes Regency Reader

**************************************************

The Earl Claims His Comfort: Book 2 of the Twins’ Trilogy

2016 Finalist for the Hot Prospects Award

Hurrying home to Tegen Castle from the Continent to assume guardianship of a child not his, but one who holds his countenance, Levison Davids, Earl of Remmington, is shot on the road and left to die. The incident has Remmington chasing after a man who remains one step ahead and who claims a distinct similarity—a man who wishes to replace Remmington as the rightful earl. Rem must solve the mystery of how Frederick Troutman’s life parallels his while protecting his title, the child, and the woman he loves.

Comfort Neville has escorted Deirdre Kavanaugh from Ireland to England, in hopes that the Earl of Remmington will prove a better guardian for the girl than did the child’s father. When she discovers the earl’s body upon road backing the castle, it is she who nurses him to health. As the daughter of a minor son of an Irish baron, Comfort is impossibly removed from the earl’s sphere, but the man claims her affections. She will do anything for him, including confronting his enemies. When she is kidnapped as part of a plot for revenge against the earl, she must protect Rem’s life, while guarding her heart.

Amazon Black Opal Books Nook Barnes & Noble Smashwords Kobo Kindle

Posted in contemporary romance, historical fiction, Living in the Regency, modern adaptations, publishing, Realm series, Regency romance, romance, suspense, writing | Tagged " "His American Heartsong, " A Touch of Cashémere, "His Irish Eve, A Touch of Emerald, A Touch of Grace, A Touch of Honor, A Touch of Love, A Touch of Mercy, A Touch of Scandal, A Touch of Velvet, Angel Comes to the Devil's Keep, contemporary romance, One Minute Past Christmas, Regency romance, Romantic Suspense, Second Chances: The Courtship Wars, The Earl Claims His Comfort, The First Wives' Club | 5 Comments

	Regina Jeffers on “Mirror, Mirror on the W…
	Regina Jeffers on “Mirror, Mirror on the W…
	Jennifer Redlarczyk on “Mirror, Mirror on the W…
	Beatrice Nearey on “Mirror, Mirror on the W…
	Regina Jeffers on Celebrating the Release of…

Every Woman Dreams…

Anatomy of a Janeite

Pies and Prejudice, A Victorian Baking Musical, a Guest Post from Elaine Owen

My Experiment with Regency-Era “Shampoo,” a Guest Post from Rebecca H. Jamison

In Quest of the Officers, a Guest Post from Diana J. Oaks

Moral Ramifications of Wife Sales

Jane Austen’s Health Problems, a Guest Post by Kyra Kramer

Austen Fandom vs. Austen Academics, a Guest Post from Melanie Rachel

Wife Selling as a Means to a Moral Divorce, but Not Necessarily a Legal One

Congratulations to the Winners from my Latest Blog Tour for “Pride and Prejudice and a Shakespearean Scholar”

Twelfth Night Sale! – Reduced Price on 30 Titles from Regina Jeffers Through January 5!

Follow Me!

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta