Though etiquette writers cautioned that “scandal and gossip had no place in polite conversation,” let’s be honest, people have always been people. The latest details on persons of interest, the more scandalous the better, has always been what people talk about.
Continue reading →References Baird, Rosemary. Mistress of the House: Great Ladies and Grand Houses, 1670-1830. London: Phoenix, 2004. Bolen, Cheryl. “The Proliferation of Newspapers in Regency England.” The Beau Monde. March 22. 2012. Nov. 27, 2017 .http://thebeaumonde.com/the-proliferation-of-newspapers-in-regency-england/ Day, Malcom. Voices from the World of Jane Austen. David and Charles, 2006. Fullerton, Susannah. Jane Austen and Crime. Sydney: Jane Austen Society of Australia, 2004. Gaston, Diane. “Scandal! Gossip! Research.” Risky Regencies. August 25, 2008. Accessed Nov. 27, 2017 . … Continue reading →
What were the ‘circulating libraries’ of Austen’s day and what was their role in society? “I have received a very civil note from Mrs. Martin, requesting my name as a Subscriber to her Library which opens January 14, & my name, or rather Yours, is accordingly given. My mother finds the Money. . . . As an inducement to subscribe, Mrs. Martin tells me that her Collection is not to consist only of Novels, but of every kind of literature, &c. … Continue reading →
The more things change the more they stay the same. Celebrity gossip columns are nothing new.
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