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| A passion for people diving deeper into what God has in store for us |
Long read coming up: the posts here are for my students and some friends who love English Literature and some of my posts ramble on so consider yourself warned! If you're not from the UK, then probably like me the English history you have learned in school or read somewhere was mainly about the signing of the Magna Carta and King John.
The original Magna Carta charter mostly discussed the relationship between the monarch and his bishops though there were a few paragraphs about the rights of serfs. The later period of King John's namesake John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, friend of Geoffrey Chaucer (Canterbury Tales) son of King Edward III and Phillipa of Hainalut is more of an interesting read (1399-1471). It was a turbulent period, sort of “the best of times, the worst of times” when the House of Lancaster, the Plantagenet family of King Edward led by John, wielded huge influence on the monarchy though John of Gaunt was never king himself.
But most schools in India where I studied till I was 14, did not go beyond that; we had centuries of our own ruins and stupas to haul around on little humpbacks in our book bags for history class. We didn’t discuss the Regency era in depth in school as we had to learn about the Industrial revolution, British Rule, Indian civil movements, Indian Independence and a few great historical figures in Indian history (also Algebra and stuff).
The Regency era was not just a gentle lute playing time of cross stitch samplers, and parlour games. It was an age of expansion in thinking that went beyond the literary efforts of the Elizabethan age: alternative education not linked solely to the Church of England as schools started to give technical training, growth in trade and maritime shipping- though internal transport was still limited in modes and span. The brief Regency period saw the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the shift from Enlightenment to Romantic trends in arts and literature and the first murmurings of feminist and abolitionist concerns in England and Western Europe. (Note that not all those named above are strictly "Regency" period, and Coleridge is a poet, Sir Walter Scott wrote poetry also.)
The Georgian era into which Jane Austen was born was in many ways a transitional period; a year after Austen was born the Declaration of Independence was signed and the American Revolution started. Between 1797, when Jane Austen began work on her novel First Impressions which would become Pride and Prejudice, in 1813, when the novel was published, there were great transformations- change brings in its wake revolutions and unrest. The French Revolution was fought, Marie Antoinette was guillotined, Napoleon rose to power, conquered most of Western Europe, and the Embargo Act was passed in the US.
You will understand on reading the novel Pride and Prejudice that ownership of English land was concentrated in the hands of the relatively small group of landed classes. They retained their hold over the land through a system that enforced strict inheritance laws. A system known as primogeniture was in place that meant all the land in one generation's possession was left to the eldest son of the family rather than divided amongst the offspring. By entailment which meant that the eldest son's property could not be divided, mortgated or sold, land was thus passed on to male children or male relatives, the eldest son of the nearest blood relation rather than breaking it up and distributing it amongst second sons and female family members. Thus, Mr. Bennett’s land is left not to his daughters but to a (male) member of his extended family, Mr. Collins. This ensures that the property stays in the family line although it disinherits Elizabeth and her sisters.
After amusing himself some time with their curiosity, he (Mr Bennet)* thus explained. ``About a month ago I received this letter, and about a fortnight ago I answered it, for I thought it a case of some delicacy, and requiring early attention. It is from my cousin, Mr. Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases.''
``Oh! my dear,'' cried his wife, ``I cannot bear to hear that mentioned. Pray do not talk of that odious man. I do think it is the hardest thing in the world that your estate should be entailed away from your own children; and I am sure if I had been you, I should have tried long ago to do something or other about it.''
Jane and Elizabeth attempted to explain to her the nature of an entail. They had often attempted it before, but it was a subject on which Mrs. Bennet was beyond the reach of reason; and she continued to rail bitterly against the cruelty of settling an estate away from a family of five daughters, in favour of a man whom nobody cared anything about.
``It certainly is a most iniquitous affair,'' said Mr. Bennet, ``and nothing can clear Mr. Collins from the guilt of inheriting Longbourn. But if you will listen to his letter, you may perhaps be a little softened by his manner of expressing himself.''
*Italics mine
Matters of land ownership and inheritance are closely linked with courtship and marriage. Elizabeth Bennet is not financially independent, and in fact depends upon an advantageous marriage for her future survival. However we see that throughout the novel, she tries to assert an intellectual and moral independence. For example, she judges things for herself and she is capable of decisive action as when she calmly, yet firmly, stands up to Mrs Bennet over Mr Collins’s proposal.
A man’s income was always reported as a number of pounds (£) “per year,” such as Mr. Bingley’s “four or five thousand a year.” About £100 a year was the barest minimum income on which a small household could be maintained, which means they could 'keep' only one maid—a servant being necessary to maintain any claim to respectability. On £300 a year, a small family could retain two servants and live somewhat more comfortably, but still could not afford a carriage, which could only be supported on an income of at least £700 a year. Mr. Bennet draws about £2,000 a year, which would be sufficient to keep up the appearance of comfort and respectability; but he bears the financial burden of providing dowries for five daughters.
An income of more than £4,000 a year, like Bingley’s, could well provide for both country and town homes, with all the prevalent comforts and fashions. Mr. Darcy’s £10,000 a year has been calculated in modern times to be worth between $300,000 and $800,000 in U.S. dollars. Another estimate, comparing Mr. Darcy’s income against the Regency average, gives him the purchasing power of a modern multimillionaire.
The original Magna Carta charter mostly discussed the relationship between the monarch and his bishops though there were a few paragraphs about the rights of serfs. The later period of King John's namesake John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, friend of Geoffrey Chaucer (Canterbury Tales) son of King Edward III and Phillipa of Hainalut is more of an interesting read (1399-1471). It was a turbulent period, sort of “the best of times, the worst of times” when the House of Lancaster, the Plantagenet family of King Edward led by John, wielded huge influence on the monarchy though John of Gaunt was never king himself.
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| An early step in the evolution of the constitution of the United Kingdom |
But most schools in India where I studied till I was 14, did not go beyond that; we had centuries of our own ruins and stupas to haul around on little humpbacks in our book bags for history class. We didn’t discuss the Regency era in depth in school as we had to learn about the Industrial revolution, British Rule, Indian civil movements, Indian Independence and a few great historical figures in Indian history (also Algebra and stuff).The Regency era was not just a gentle lute playing time of cross stitch samplers, and parlour games. It was an age of expansion in thinking that went beyond the literary efforts of the Elizabethan age: alternative education not linked solely to the Church of England as schools started to give technical training, growth in trade and maritime shipping- though internal transport was still limited in modes and span. The brief Regency period saw the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the shift from Enlightenment to Romantic trends in arts and literature and the first murmurings of feminist and abolitionist concerns in England and Western Europe. (Note that not all those named above are strictly "Regency" period, and Coleridge is a poet, Sir Walter Scott wrote poetry also.)
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1870 cartoon satirizing the coming of the
London season
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Thomas Rowlandson. Beadle and Barrow Women. © Trustees of the British Museum.
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Environment & Milieu_1
The Georgian era into which Jane Austen was born was in many ways a transitional period; a year after Austen was born the Declaration of Independence was signed and the American Revolution started. Between 1797, when Jane Austen began work on her novel First Impressions which would become Pride and Prejudice, in 1813, when the novel was published, there were great transformations- change brings in its wake revolutions and unrest. The French Revolution was fought, Marie Antoinette was guillotined, Napoleon rose to power, conquered most of Western Europe, and the Embargo Act was passed in the US.
Closer to home Great Britain combined with Ireland to become the United Kingdom, the slave trade was abolished by Parliament throughout the British empire and King George III, driven to insanity by a rare hereditary disorder, was replaced by his son, the Prince Regent, who later became King George IV. Familiarity with these larger historical events gives context to Austen’s novels and an understanding of the particular details of daily life during the Regency period add to our reading enjoyment. There are some wonderful websites dedicated to these domestic details of the Regency period. Do take a look at them, it will help you use your imagination to draw Austen’s characters true to life in your mind.
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| Mr and Mrs Andrews by Thomas Gainsborough |
https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com
https://www.janeausten.co.uk/a-ballgown-for-april-1812/
Lucy Worsley (History Documentaries) - YouTube
https://www.janeausten.co.uk/a-ballgown-for-april-1812/
Lucy Worsley (History Documentaries) - YouTube
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| Shaving ice to make ice cream |
In Pride and Prejudice, the Bennets are, like Jane Austen herself, members of a fairly educated upper middle class known as the “gentry” or the “landed gentry.” Though socially eligible enough to mix with the landowning aristocracy, (those whom the butler announced first), they were a few steps beneath them in wealth, resources and rank. The landed gentry included country gentlemen of some wealth and ease (squires), military officers and many forms of clergy. Clergy and military roles were all acceptable occupations for the educated younger sons of the aristocracy and their descendants. Gentry may have owned less than 1,000 acres of land and usually lived off the rental income. Some had a country estate where they lived year round visiting London only to take care of business and legal matters.
Beneath the gentry were the labouring classes of household servants, tenant farmers, merchants and “tradesmen,” such as smiths and carpenters, village doctors, town lawyers and other professionals. Until the nineteenth century, 1829 there was no police force in England except for the Bow Street Runners in London, during the eighteenth century.
Though lower in social standing because their income came from trade- the handling of “filthy lucre” as such, many merchants and tradesmen managed to amass more wealth than the poorest of the landowners. This became especially true as the Industrial Revolution progressed bringing more and more wealth into the trade and merchant classes. Women did not work or have the right to vote. Those who were compelled to work usually became governesses, seamstresses, dressmakers, chaperones and ladies’ companions. (Women of all ages usually had to be accompanied by another lady when they went out anywhere.) Older single women especially poor ones were an object of ridicule, contempt and pity. Heterosexual singles staying unmarried was not widely accepted until very recently, a couple of decades ago. It might be noted that this topic known as spinsterhood continues to provoke strident and divided opinion in India.
For landowners and the gentry, management of all financial matters was a man’s affair. By law and custom, a woman was granted very little control over money, even money that we would today legally consider to be her own. A woman of the upper classes could expect to be granted blessings in the form of a boodle of some cash from her family, upon marriage or on the death of her father. This lump sum of money would draw interest at a fixed 5 percent from investment in government funds, which would contribute to her husband’s income if she were married or cover her living expenses if she remained single.
Quick Aside: The 3 lines below the title of the above piece, A Meeting at Margate are hilarious: (A Polite Bow from both Parties) Lord " Sir your face is quite familiar to me, I must have seen you somewhere before, will you do me the honor to tell me your name." Taylor, "Yes my Lord, I have had the honor - I - I - I made your Breeches." - "Oh! Oh! Major Bridges, I am very happy to see Major Bridges."
Beneath the gentry were the labouring classes of household servants, tenant farmers, merchants and “tradesmen,” such as smiths and carpenters, village doctors, town lawyers and other professionals. Until the nineteenth century, 1829 there was no police force in England except for the Bow Street Runners in London, during the eighteenth century.Though lower in social standing because their income came from trade- the handling of “filthy lucre” as such, many merchants and tradesmen managed to amass more wealth than the poorest of the landowners. This became especially true as the Industrial Revolution progressed bringing more and more wealth into the trade and merchant classes. Women did not work or have the right to vote. Those who were compelled to work usually became governesses, seamstresses, dressmakers, chaperones and ladies’ companions. (Women of all ages usually had to be accompanied by another lady when they went out anywhere.) Older single women especially poor ones were an object of ridicule, contempt and pity. Heterosexual singles staying unmarried was not widely accepted until very recently, a couple of decades ago. It might be noted that this topic known as spinsterhood continues to provoke strident and divided opinion in India.
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| Regency Household: protecting carpets |
For landowners and the gentry, management of all financial matters was a man’s affair. By law and custom, a woman was granted very little control over money, even money that we would today legally consider to be her own. A woman of the upper classes could expect to be granted blessings in the form of a boodle of some cash from her family, upon marriage or on the death of her father. This lump sum of money would draw interest at a fixed 5 percent from investment in government funds, which would contribute to her husband’s income if she were married or cover her living expenses if she remained single.
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| A Meeting at Margate by Cruikshank |
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| Colin Firth as Mr Darcy |
After amusing himself some time with their curiosity, he (Mr Bennet)* thus explained. ``About a month ago I received this letter, and about a fortnight ago I answered it, for I thought it a case of some delicacy, and requiring early attention. It is from my cousin, Mr. Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases.''
``Oh! my dear,'' cried his wife, ``I cannot bear to hear that mentioned. Pray do not talk of that odious man. I do think it is the hardest thing in the world that your estate should be entailed away from your own children; and I am sure if I had been you, I should have tried long ago to do something or other about it.''
Jane and Elizabeth attempted to explain to her the nature of an entail. They had often attempted it before, but it was a subject on which Mrs. Bennet was beyond the reach of reason; and she continued to rail bitterly against the cruelty of settling an estate away from a family of five daughters, in favour of a man whom nobody cared anything about.
``It certainly is a most iniquitous affair,'' said Mr. Bennet, ``and nothing can clear Mr. Collins from the guilt of inheriting Longbourn. But if you will listen to his letter, you may perhaps be a little softened by his manner of expressing himself.''
*Italics mine
Matters of land ownership and inheritance are closely linked with courtship and marriage. Elizabeth Bennet is not financially independent, and in fact depends upon an advantageous marriage for her future survival. However we see that throughout the novel, she tries to assert an intellectual and moral independence. For example, she judges things for herself and she is capable of decisive action as when she calmly, yet firmly, stands up to Mrs Bennet over Mr Collins’s proposal.
Mrs. Bennet wishes Elizabeth to marry the
odious Mr. Collins in order to save Longbourn (End of Chapter 17). In his proposal, Mr. Collins
explains why he assumes one of the Bennet sisters would accept him.
“Thus
much for my general intention in favour of matrimony; it remains to be told why
my views were directed to Longbourn instead of my own neighbourhood, where I
assure you there are many amiable young women. But the fact is, that being, as
I am, to inherit this estate after the death of your honoured father (who,
however, may live many years longer), I could not satisfy myself without
resolving to chuse a wife from among his daughters, that the loss to them might
be as little as possible, when the melancholy event takes place—which, however,
as I have already said, may not be for several years. This has been my motive,
my fair cousin, and I flatter myself it will not sink me in your esteem. ”
A man’s income was always reported as a number of pounds (£) “per year,” such as Mr. Bingley’s “four or five thousand a year.” About £100 a year was the barest minimum income on which a small household could be maintained, which means they could 'keep' only one maid—a servant being necessary to maintain any claim to respectability. On £300 a year, a small family could retain two servants and live somewhat more comfortably, but still could not afford a carriage, which could only be supported on an income of at least £700 a year. Mr. Bennet draws about £2,000 a year, which would be sufficient to keep up the appearance of comfort and respectability; but he bears the financial burden of providing dowries for five daughters.An income of more than £4,000 a year, like Bingley’s, could well provide for both country and town homes, with all the prevalent comforts and fashions. Mr. Darcy’s £10,000 a year has been calculated in modern times to be worth between $300,000 and $800,000 in U.S. dollars. Another estimate, comparing Mr. Darcy’s income against the Regency average, gives him the purchasing power of a modern multimillionaire.
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| Georgian lady with her chaperone (caught discreetly napping) |
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