My little sister recently gave birth to a baby girl. Because of various reasons, I won’t get to hug her and meet my new niece in the flesh for some time. It’s difficult, because I’m very close to her, but for now we will have to remain apart, at least for a bit. I like [...]
Today I received an invitation to the first real-life event of the Scottish branch of the Jane Austen Society UK, and I cannot express how much I am looking forward to it. As excellent as the online events have been, being on Zoom prevents us from having those all-important chats. The meeting got me thinking [...]
Jane Austen’s novels are brimming with formidable and highly opinionated ladies. At a time when the female ideal was passive and even-tempered, she never shied away from creating characters that were quite the opposite. Today, we will look at some of the older women in her novels, how the author portrays them, and who amongst [...]
“When first Mr. Bennet had married, economy was held to be perfectly useless, for, of course, they were to have a son. The son was to join in cutting off the entail, as soon as he should be of age, and the widow and younger children would by that means be provided for. Five daughters [...]
We, Janeites, know that windows are a thing in Jane Austen’s novels. One of Mr Collins’ most memorable scenes in Pride and Prejudice takes place when he and his wife are on the way to visit the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh alongside their visitor, Miss Elizabeth Bennet. This is what happens as they approach Rosings: Every park has its beauty and [...]
Tomorrow, June 24, is Midsummer’s Day. Coming on the heels of the summer solstice, which usually falls between June 20 and 22, Midsummer marks the end of spring and the beginning of summer. It is a time of joy and abundance, of long days and short nights, of picnics, gatherings and outdoor pursuits. But how is [...]
Chances are that, wherever you are in the world, you are experiencing at least some limitations to your daily life. We are living through strange times, to say the least, and some of us are finding them harder than others. In my case, I have turned to Jane Austen for consolation, and she has not [...]
My sister, a nurse, is dismayed at the sheer amount of false information, medical or otherwise, doing the rounds on social media these days. Not all of it is malicious: a great deal of it is useless as it is harmless. However, blindly following some of the worst advice can be positively dangerous. Of course, [...]
SPOILER ALERT: I don’t wish to spoil anyone’s enjoyment of the latest film version of Emma but I discuss it in some detail below, so if you haven’t seen it yet but plan to watch it, please look away now! We have been eagerly awaiting it since the last trailer made it to YouTube. Emma., with [...]
One of the things I love about Jane Austen is that nothing is wasted in her books. Even the tiniest of details is used to convey information of some kind or as a plot device. This includes the servants, who are ubiquitous in her novels. Let’s look at the role they play in a bit [...]
Eliza Shearer 