Read Online The Jane Austen Handbook by Margaret C. Sullivan - Free Book Online
Authors: Margaret C. Sullivan
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can wear yourself or sell for extra money.
• Authoress . A risky undertaking, because if your book does not sell well, you will be responsible for the cost of printing. Also, depending on the sort of book one writes, this is not the most respectable profession for a lady. You can publish anonymously, to keep your privacy, but the secret may get out eventually, especially if you have proud family members who want to tell the world. Despite the potential drawbacks, this profession will give one the most autonomy.
THE SMELL OF THE SHOP
The gentry of Jane Austen’s novels were in a sort of half-world between the aristocracy and the bourgeois middle class. If one earned a fortune in trade, or better yet, if one’s ancestors had, one’s manners and lifestyle could gain one acceptance into good society, and personal connections counted for even more.
In
Emma
, Mr. Weston had made his fortune in trade, but the snobbish Emma Woodhouse was happy to invite him to her home, probably because he was married to her former governess. She was a little more particular about accepting an invitation to dine with the Coles, a local family who had made a fortune in trade but were still clawing their way up the social ladder. Someone like Mr. Gardiner in
Pride and Prejudice
, who lived “within sight of his warehouses,” was right on the edge. When he first thought of marrying Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy considered the Gardiners beneath his notice, but when he met them and saw that they had well-bred manners, he was happy to welcome them into his family. (Elizabeth’s scolding after he first proposed marriage might have had something to do with that, too.)
ACCEPTABLE MEN’S PROFESSIONS
• The church . After attending one of the universities, a man was ordained as a deacon at age twenty-three, assisting an ordained priest, then fully ordained at twenty-four, allowing him to administer sacraments. He still had to secure a “living,” or a position in a parish. As rector of a parish, he collected both great tithes (10 percent of the cereal crops grown in the parish) and small tithes (10 percent of the parish’s produce and livestock). Vicars were entitled only to the small tithes. Rectors also received glebe land, farmland that he either worked himself or rented out.
• The military . The military, especially the navy, was excellent for younger sons or those in need of discipline. Until they achieved high rank, however, they still needed some support from their families; their pay was unlikely to cover their expenses, and they needed assistance in purchasing commissions or obtaining influence for higher-ranking positions.
• The law . An aspiring attorney studied at one of the Inns of Court in London, apprenticing with members of the bar and eventually taking cases of his own as he worked toward becoming a barrister.
• Medicine . Physicians received a degree from one of the universities and served an apprenticeship with an established medical man. Some of the more dedicated attended the medical school in Edinburgh, but it was generally thought an unnecessary step.
HOW TO DRESS
Dress was her passion. She had a most harmless delight in being fine
. — N ORTHANGER A BBEY
Purchasingclothing is not as easy as going into a shop and choosing something off the rack, and with two or three clothing changes called for daily, dressing properly is a subject that requires close attention.
• Morning dress
( Fig. A )
. Simple styles and sturdier fabrics are best for morning wear, which is worn from the time one gets up until dinner. Plain or sprigged muslins in light colors or darker-colored calico or wool are best for your morning gowns. Because showing your bosom is inappropriate during the day, wear a chemisette, a half shirt rather like a dickey, under your gown, or tuck a fichu, a triangular piece of lace, netting, or gauze, around your neck and into your bodice
( Fig. A-1 )
. Either can later be switched out, giving
• Authoress . A risky undertaking, because if your book does not sell well, you will be responsible for the cost of printing. Also, depending on the sort of book one writes, this is not the most respectable profession for a lady. You can publish anonymously, to keep your privacy, but the secret may get out eventually, especially if you have proud family members who want to tell the world. Despite the potential drawbacks, this profession will give one the most autonomy.
THE SMELL OF THE SHOP
The gentry of Jane Austen’s novels were in a sort of half-world between the aristocracy and the bourgeois middle class. If one earned a fortune in trade, or better yet, if one’s ancestors had, one’s manners and lifestyle could gain one acceptance into good society, and personal connections counted for even more.
In
Emma
, Mr. Weston had made his fortune in trade, but the snobbish Emma Woodhouse was happy to invite him to her home, probably because he was married to her former governess. She was a little more particular about accepting an invitation to dine with the Coles, a local family who had made a fortune in trade but were still clawing their way up the social ladder. Someone like Mr. Gardiner in
Pride and Prejudice
, who lived “within sight of his warehouses,” was right on the edge. When he first thought of marrying Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy considered the Gardiners beneath his notice, but when he met them and saw that they had well-bred manners, he was happy to welcome them into his family. (Elizabeth’s scolding after he first proposed marriage might have had something to do with that, too.)
ACCEPTABLE MEN’S PROFESSIONS
• The church . After attending one of the universities, a man was ordained as a deacon at age twenty-three, assisting an ordained priest, then fully ordained at twenty-four, allowing him to administer sacraments. He still had to secure a “living,” or a position in a parish. As rector of a parish, he collected both great tithes (10 percent of the cereal crops grown in the parish) and small tithes (10 percent of the parish’s produce and livestock). Vicars were entitled only to the small tithes. Rectors also received glebe land, farmland that he either worked himself or rented out.
• The military . The military, especially the navy, was excellent for younger sons or those in need of discipline. Until they achieved high rank, however, they still needed some support from their families; their pay was unlikely to cover their expenses, and they needed assistance in purchasing commissions or obtaining influence for higher-ranking positions.
• The law . An aspiring attorney studied at one of the Inns of Court in London, apprenticing with members of the bar and eventually taking cases of his own as he worked toward becoming a barrister.
• Medicine . Physicians received a degree from one of the universities and served an apprenticeship with an established medical man. Some of the more dedicated attended the medical school in Edinburgh, but it was generally thought an unnecessary step.
HOW TO DRESS
Dress was her passion. She had a most harmless delight in being fine
. — N ORTHANGER A BBEY
Purchasingclothing is not as easy as going into a shop and choosing something off the rack, and with two or three clothing changes called for daily, dressing properly is a subject that requires close attention.
• Morning dress
( Fig. A )
. Simple styles and sturdier fabrics are best for morning wear, which is worn from the time one gets up until dinner. Plain or sprigged muslins in light colors or darker-colored calico or wool are best for your morning gowns. Because showing your bosom is inappropriate during the day, wear a chemisette, a half shirt rather like a dickey, under your gown, or tuck a fichu, a triangular piece of lace, netting, or gauze, around your neck and into your bodice
( Fig. A-1 )
. Either can later be switched out, giving
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