A behind the scenes peek at Persuasion. “SHALL WE TO THE drawing room?” Mrs. Musgrove, all smiles and good cheer, placed her napkin on the table beside her empty plate and stood, a benevolent queen surveying her grateful subjects. How bright and truly happy she appeared, as if she genuinely enjoyed the simple graces of hospitality. Anne sighed and fought not to roll her eyes. Yet one more unfavorable comparison between the Elliots and the Musgroves. … Continue reading →
Naval service was different than the other branches of the military, and naval officers different than army officers.
Continue reading →Starting the new year off with a little advice from Robert Frost and a reminder that the glass is half-full. Usually I like to start the year with a bit of a retrospective on the previous year. But this time around I’ve found myself procrastinating until literally the eleventh hour. Since I’m not by nature a procrastinator, this sort of thing usually signals there’s a problem afoot, one that I’m not very happy to … Continue reading →
#90 Out of control Christmas decorations Writers are a distractible lot by nature. Between flighty muses and wild, vorpal plot bunnies rampaging about, it is difficult to focus on keeping hands on keyboards, parked in our chairs. The holiday season makes that even more difficult–not that it should be a surprise to anyone to hear that. That is especially true when said writer likes to decorate. I try very hard not to … Continue reading →
Gift giving in Jane Austen’s Day. What might she have given or received for Christmas? Though gift giving was not the primary focus of the Christmastide season, gifts were commonly exchanged. St. Nicholas Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Twelfth Night were the most likely days for gift exchange. Old traditions called for gifts to be exchanged on New Year’s Day. Many gifts exchanged were gifts of obligation between unequal parties. Landowners and the well-off … Continue reading →
