By Elizabeth Jewell
For the September 18, 2022, JASNA-NC meeting, 34 members and visitors convened via Zoom for fellowship and a presentation by Robert Morrison, author of The Regency Years. His talk was entitled “The Women of the Regency: A Revolution . . . Almost Beyond Expression.” Morrison organized the talk in three parts—first, a traditional view of the Regency; second, women in the Regency; third, Jane Austen.
The Regency period was defined by the period that the Prince of Wales became the regent for his mentally ill father, King George III. The period began February 5, 1811, and ended January 29, 1820, when the king died and the prince became King George IV. The prince regent was widely disliked, as he embodied pleasure-loving excess, but he was also noted for his cultural and literary judgments—he owned and admired copies of Austen’s works, for example.
During the period, England saw the Luddite riots (textile workers protesting machinery used in factories). In June of 1815, Wellington defeated Napoleon. Turner and Constable painted; Sir Walter Scott was the most famous novelist; Edmund Keane was an actor; George “Beau” Brummel was a dandy who led fashion. Scientists included Humphrey Davy and Michael Faraday, as well as Charles Babbage and his “calculating machine.” John Clare may have been the first ecological poet.
Famous women of the period included Mary Prince, who wrote about her life as a slave in The History of Mary Prince (1831); although the slave trade was abolished in 1807, slavery itself was not abolished until 1833. Elizabeth Fry was a Quaker who urged prison reform; Sarah Siddons was an actress; and novelists included Maria Edgeworth and Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. Prostitution (and venereal disease) were rampant.
Jane Austen was much more aware of the world around her than she is often given credit for. She was certainly aware of the war and included military men among her characters. She mentions slavery in Mansfield Park, and the fragment Sanditon has Miss Lambe, a “half-mulatto” character who is also an heiress, considered eligible for marriage.
Morrison’s presentation was enlightening, his book is highly recommended, and if you have the good fortune of attending the AGM, be sure to attend/watch his plenary session!
Upcoming Events
Future Austen-related events include:
- Our Pride and Prejudice theater outing at the Raleigh Little Theater on October 2.
- Our next meeting is October 23 and will be a debriefing of AGM.
- November 13 will be our Virtual Book Club with a discussion of The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer.
- On December 7, there will be an Austen event at the Kernersville Library (halfway between Greensboro and Winston-Salem).
Book Recommendations
Jane Axelrod recommends The Time Traveler’s Guide to Regency Britain, by Ian Mortimer.
Several members noted that when it comes to annotated Austen, the best options are those by David M. Shapard.