The Jane Austen Handbook

A couple of years ago, I purchased the book entitled "The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World" by Margaret C. Sullivan. It has been a wonderful experience reading through the book and learning how to become more like Jane Austen.
Many people question why Jane Austen is important to the world today, she died a couple hundred years ago. Well the answer is this, as eloquently put by Margaret Sullivan,

"How to explain the sheer tingling joy one experiences when two interesting, complex, and occasionally aggravating characters have at last settled their misunderstandings and will live happily ever after, no matter what travails life might throw in their path, because Jane Austen said they will, and that's that? How to describe the exhilaration of being caught up in an unknown but glamorous world of balls and gowns and rides in open carriages with handsome young men? How to explain that the best part of Jane Austen's world is that sudden recognition that the characters are just like you?"

Each Austenite has felt this overwhelming recognition. The characteristics of every character can be seen in people in our world today. Think about your life, is there a Mr. Collins and Mary Bennett wandering through in a daze? What about a Charlotte Lucas or Miss Tilney, best friend and confidante to each of us? Or someone that enters our world and then leaves us picking up the pieces after their betrayal, like Mr. Elliott, Wickham and Frank Churchill? Overbearing parents, jealous siblings? Loving parents and generous siblings? Or the heroine or hero in each of us? All can be found in a Jane Austen book, and in each of our own lives.
Yes maybe we should not get too involved with books, as Catherine Morland did in Northanger Abbey. But there is in a fact a way to live our lives and enjoy a good novel. Jane Austen's books are witty, and fun. And though some books were written over two hundred years ago, they are indeed still relevant to each of us.

As a result I will be sharing relevant information on this blog on how to become more like Jane. Topics covered will include how to ride a sidesaddle, how to treat the sick, how to decline an unwanted proposal of marriage and how to play at cards.
To start however, the topic will be How to Become an Accomplished Lady.

"It is amazing to me," said Bingley, "how young ladies can have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are.... They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses. I scarcely know any one who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished." -Pride and Prejudice

To be well-bred, women much have accomplishments that will attract men. The key to choosing these accomplishments is that they will in fact not be very useful, apart from attracting men. More than likely these accomplishments will only come from practice and study. A practice and study that must be rigorous until the day of marriage. Any slacking off will result in spinsterhood. Accomplishments that a woman must have include: studying several languages, having a basic grasp of history and geography, becoming a proficient musician, drawing or painting, mastering the art of needlework and learning to dance gracefully.
Ms. Sullivan tells us how each of us can become more accomplished in each of these areas.


"Study several languages. Become well-versed in French, certainly, and Italian, so you can read music and translate love songs. There is no need to learn Latin or Greek however-you'll be thought a bluestocking."
(A bluestocking, is an educated, intellectual woman. Until the late 18th century, the term had referred to learned people of both sexes. However it subsequently was applied primarily to intellectual women, and the French equivalent bas bleu had a similar connotation. The term later developed negative implications, and in some instances such women were stereotyped as being "frumpy"."


"Acquire a basic grasp of geography and history. One need only concentrate on the fundamentals in formal study, but if you want to learn more , the books in your father's library will provide an opportunity to do so."







"Become a proficient musician. A lady who can sing and play upon the pianoforte, or better yet, the harp, will always attract a husband, because he'll think she will be able to entertain him and his guests in the evenings. Many women give up music entirely once they are married but fortunately the gentlemen never seem to catch on."





"Draw or paint the picturesque. Pencil drawing and watercolor painting are ladylike endeavors. Choose picturesque subjects for your art...Concentrate on the ruins (the more tumbledown the better); dead trees; and rough or rustic landscapes. If no picturesque elements are present in real life, add them from your imagination."






"Master the art of needlework. To be an accomplished woman, you must know how to do fancy needlework as well as the mundane aspects of sewing for the family, even though you contract out the vast majority of the utilitarian work once you are married. A married woman's primary sewing tasks are to make her husband's shirts and cravats and to the family mending. When company is present, she will display impressive embroidery and decorative needle arts."





"Learn to dance gracefully. The ballroom is the center of a young lady's life. When you are not dancing at balls you will no doubt be longing for the opportunity. Practive with your sisters until you are officially "out"."





For a Gentleman to become educated, he will need a formal education in Latin and Greek, mathematics, history and literature. Young male heirs, those who would inherit great estates, will need to take "grand tours", one to five year trips to the Continent, where they would learn languages, absorb cultures and acquire objets d'art. Apprenticeships are available for men destined for professions.