Behind Jane Austen's Door

Houses were different from ours today, and were used differently in the late 18th and early 19th centuy. Life was very different then (and not just dentistry and transportation.) In Behind Jane Austen's Door Jennifer Forest introduces the reader to the typical layout of a Georgian house and tells us what various rooms were used for. The breakfast room, for example, was often used all day as a place for the ladies of the family to sit by the fire (which might be the only one in the house) and do needlework. If there were no breakfast room the dining room would probably be used as a sitting room.

"Morning" was defined differently then: it was the time between noon and 3 PM. Time before noon did no exist socially as the women of the family would be busy clearing up after breakfast, tidying rooms, and talking with the cook about the day's meals. In a more affluent family the ladies might still be in bed at 10 AM and the rest of their time before noon would be spent dressing, which was a time-consuming affair in the days of elaborate hair styles, stays, and dresses that occasionally had to be sewn onto a woman (no zippers).

This little book, which is available only on Kindle ($2.99), and would be only 54 pages long in paper copy, is crammed with information. The seasoned Jane Austen reader will know much of what is found here but it's perfect for the new reader of Sense and Sensibility, for example, and explains why their lives change so dramatically when the Dashwood women move from a large estate to a small, cramped cottage.

Comments

[Kimberly Wold]

Downloading now. Happy Thanksgiving to you and Wilhelm.

[Mary Ronan Drew]

You should like it, Kimberly. And Happy Thanksgiving to you.