I’ve written a lot about getting lost down Research Rabbit Holes, Most of the time it’s a journey I take on my own and simply report back to you about. However, this week, another writer pointed me to this one-on that you just might want to explore, too.

The Illinois library is hosting a digital exhibit called:

Our first impressions of the works of Jane Austen are often constructed through modern television and film adaptations of her novels. In adaptations, a “proper” Regency gentleman may be easily created simply by casting a British actor with a posh “received pronunciation” accent and a good costuming department. To be considered a gentleman in actual Regency society, however, was a different matter. Works selected for this exhibition illuminate how gentlemen contemporary to Jane Austen (1775-1817) were educated, dressed, occupied themselves in work and leisure, participated in politics, and managed their love lives, providing additional context for Austen’s characterizations of gentlemen, both admirable and troublesome.

-Illinois Library

You can find the exhibit here, but make sure you’ve got plenty of time to explore it!

https://exhibits.library.illinois.edu/s/rbml/page/darcy