Sunday 31 January 2010
Letter #2, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “I am very much flattered by your commendation of my last Letter, for I write only for Fame, and without any view to pecuniary Emolument. – “ – Jane Austen, 14 January 1796
She was jesting here, but foreshadowing! What would she think if she knew that 234 years later, her books have never been out of print, all of them made into movies, and, it seems to me, just about every love story movie made has the Pride and Prejudice theme running through it in some way or another, would she be surprised?
Maybe not; she liked her stories and in a much later letter she refers to them as her children, so, in a sense, they are her legacy, no, they are her legacy. I think she would be proud.
"Life is Short... Break the Rules, Forgive Quickly, Kiss Slowly, Love Truly, Laugh Uncontrollably, And Never Regret Anything that Made You Smile! Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Saturday 30 January 2010
Letter #2, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “Our party to Ashe to-morrow night will consist of Edward Cooper, James (for a Ball is nothing without him), Buller, who is now staying with us, & I – I look forward with great impatience to it, as I rather expect to receive an offer from my friend in the course of the evening. I shall refuse him, however, unless he promises to give away his white coat.” – Jane Austen, 14 January 1796
Ashe was where the Lefroy’s lived. I posted a picture of it in letter #1, the first entry. The friend she refers to here would be Mr. Tom Lefroy. He was visiting the Lefroy family at this time. There is much discussion of him, and a bit of discussion of his white coat, in the first letter.
This entry and one coming up make me believe that she did care enough for him to marry him. Even though I realize that she had a great wit and humor, and I also realize that because she is not here to ask we can, all of us, pick and choose how we wish things to be, I still choose to believe that she would have married him, if he would have asked.
They were both penniless, and it is said that Madam Lefroy put a stop to their “romance” because of it, but when you consider that money was such a factor in all of Jane Austen’s stories, maybe, this made a distinct impression upon her, coupled with the fact that Cassandra had not married her fiancé, Mr. Tom Fowle, because he did not make enough money, and this situation, also, had such a sad ending. When you think about it, it seems like money is the third person in all of her stories.
Buller must have been Richard Buller, the son of William Buller, who was a friend of her father, George Austen.
Richard and Jane wrote to each other, so they must have been friends.
Here is a link to William Buller in Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Buller
Letter #2, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “Our party to Ashe to-morrow night will consist of Edward Cooper, James (for a Ball is nothing without him), Buller, who is now staying with us, & I – I look forward with great impatience to it, as I rather expect to receive an offer from my friend in the course of the evening. I shall refuse him, however, unless he promises to give away his white coat.” – Jane Austen, 14 January 1796
Ashe was where the Lefroy’s lived. I posted a picture of it in letter #1, the first entry. The friend she refers to here would be Mr. Tom Lefroy. He was visiting the Lefroy family at this time. There is much discussion of him, and a bit of discussion of his white coat, in the first letter.
This entry and one coming up make me believe that she did care enough for him to marry him. Even though I realize that she had a great wit and humor, and I also realize that because she is not here to ask we can, all of us, pick and choose how we wish things to be, I still choose to believe that she would have married him, if he would have asked.
They were both penniless, and it is said that Madam Lefroy put a stop to their “romance” because of it, but when you consider that money was such a factor in all of Jane Austen’s stories, maybe, this made a distinct impression upon her, coupled with the fact that Cassandra had not married her fiancé, Mr. Tom Fowle, because he did not make enough money, and this situation, also, had such a sad ending. When you think about it, it seems like money is the third person in all of her stories.
Buller must have been Richard Buller, the son of William Buller, who was a friend of her father, George Austen.
Richard and Jane wrote to each other, so they must have been friends.
Here is a link to William Buller in Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Buller
Monday, January 25, 2010
This is Ibthrop!
And here is a link to the Bed and Breakfast that it has become. We can stay there!
http://www.ibthorpemanorfarm.com/
Monday 25 January 2010
Letter #2, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “I sent you a letter yesterday to Ibthrop, which I suppose you will not receive at Kintbury. It was not very long or very witty, & therefore if you never receive it, it does not much signify. I wrote principally to tell you that the Coopers were arrived and in good health – the little boy is very like Dr Cooper & the little girl is to resemble Jane, they say.” – Jane Austen, Thursday 14 January 1796
Ibthrop is where Mary, Martha and Mrs. Lloyd moved to after they moved from Dean. They were very good friend’s of the Austen’s and related to the Fowle’s. That may be why Cassandra would have been at Ibthrop while she was visiting Kintbury. James married Mary in 1797 and Frank ended up marrying Martha in 1828.
There is already a note about the Coopers in letter #1 on Tuesday 1 December 2009.
The Dr. Cooper she refers to would most likely have been Revd Dr Edward Cooper (1728- 27 August 1792), the father of Revd Edward Cooper jr. who was visiting at the time; and Jane, I imagine would have been his wife, Jane Leigh Cooper. She was the sister of Jane Austen’s mother, so Jane Austen’s aunt. I wonder if that is who she is named after?
Friday, January 22, 2010
Friday 22 January 2010
Letter #2, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “What a good-for-nothing-fellow Charles is to bespeak the stockings – I hope he will be too hot all the rest of his life for it!” – Jane Austen, Thursday January 1796
This note is in reference to a statement she made in letter #1. We discussed it on 20 December 2010.
http://allthings-jane-austen.blogspot.com/2009/11/letter-1.html
Apparently, she asked Charles to buy her silk stockings and then she spent all her money on white gloves and pink fabric, so she could not pay him back for them.
Her wit! and poor Charles. He must have been pretty amiable for her to ask, and him to agree, to buy the silk stockings in the first place. He did it, and then to be scolded for it! J
Let’s see if we can figure out how much those silk stockings would have cost.
In an expense account listing for President George Washington in 1796 there are listings for Mrs. Washington for:
$ 3.00 for gloves
$17.50 for 5 pair of silk stockings
.85 for cotton stockings
It seems they paid the girl who helped in the kitchen 45 schillings, which equaled $8.63.
So, and someone correct me if I am wrong. It has been a very, very long time since I was in a math class,
Divide 17.50 x 5 = 3.50, so, $3.50 if she had bought them in America, but…
If 45 schillings equaled $8.63, that would mean each schilling would equal about 19 cents, so, 3.50 x .19 = .665.
After all of that, the stockings would have cost just about 7 schillings.
And, just for fun and curiosity sake, if Mr. Darcy made 10,000 pounds a year, and 1 schilling = .19, and 20 schillings equaled 1 pound,
If we convert pounds to schillings, 10,000 x 20 = 200,000 schillings x .19 = 38,000?
So, Mr. Darcy made $38,000 a year in 1796 equivalents? It does not seem like that much does it, but when you take into consideration that a family making above 4,000 pounds a year in Jane Austen’s time enjoyed unlimited comforts: servants, carriages, horses, a second home, etc. And remember, Mr. Bingley only made 5,000 pounds a year, so …
To put it a little more into our perspective, Mr. James Heldman estimated that the pound in 1810 would equal $33.00 in 1988, so Mr. Darcy’s 10,000 pounds would have been worth $330,000.00 in 1988.
Mr. Edward Copeland estimated that in 1989 the 1810 pound would be closer to $80.00, so that would increase Mr. Darcy’s income to $800,000.00 a year.
And, Mr. Gene Ruoff said the 1810 pound, in 1991 would be closer to $200.00. So, good heavens, Mr. Darcy, it does look like you can afford Pemberley after all, at $2,000,000.00 a year.
I have not yet had my coffee, but I think this is right.
I wonder if Jane would have asked for the .85 cotton stockings she would have been able to afford it all and Charles would have been saved the trouble of being “too hot for all the rest of his life for it.”
Letter #2, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “What a good-for-nothing-fellow Charles is to bespeak the stockings – I hope he will be too hot all the rest of his life for it!” – Jane Austen, Thursday January 1796
This note is in reference to a statement she made in letter #1. We discussed it on 20 December 2010.
http://allthings-jane-austen.blogspot.com/2009/11/letter-1.html
Apparently, she asked Charles to buy her silk stockings and then she spent all her money on white gloves and pink fabric, so she could not pay him back for them.
Her wit! and poor Charles. He must have been pretty amiable for her to ask, and him to agree, to buy the silk stockings in the first place. He did it, and then to be scolded for it! J
Let’s see if we can figure out how much those silk stockings would have cost.
In an expense account listing for President George Washington in 1796 there are listings for Mrs. Washington for:
$ 3.00 for gloves
$17.50 for 5 pair of silk stockings
.85 for cotton stockings
It seems they paid the girl who helped in the kitchen 45 schillings, which equaled $8.63.
So, and someone correct me if I am wrong. It has been a very, very long time since I was in a math class,
Divide 17.50 x 5 = 3.50, so, $3.50 if she had bought them in America, but…
If 45 schillings equaled $8.63, that would mean each schilling would equal about 19 cents, so, 3.50 x .19 = .665.
After all of that, the stockings would have cost just about 7 schillings.
And, just for fun and curiosity sake, if Mr. Darcy made 10,000 pounds a year, and 1 schilling = .19, and 20 schillings equaled 1 pound,
If we convert pounds to schillings, 10,000 x 20 = 200,000 schillings x .19 = 38,000?
So, Mr. Darcy made $38,000 a year in 1796 equivalents? It does not seem like that much does it, but when you take into consideration that a family making above 4,000 pounds a year in Jane Austen’s time enjoyed unlimited comforts: servants, carriages, horses, a second home, etc. And remember, Mr. Bingley only made 5,000 pounds a year, so …
To put it a little more into our perspective, Mr. James Heldman estimated that the pound in 1810 would equal $33.00 in 1988, so Mr. Darcy’s 10,000 pounds would have been worth $330,000.00 in 1988.
Mr. Edward Copeland estimated that in 1989 the 1810 pound would be closer to $80.00, so that would increase Mr. Darcy’s income to $800,000.00 a year.
And, Mr. Gene Ruoff said the 1810 pound, in 1991 would be closer to $200.00. So, good heavens, Mr. Darcy, it does look like you can afford Pemberley after all, at $2,000,000.00 a year.
I have not yet had my coffee, but I think this is right.
I wonder if Jane would have asked for the .85 cotton stockings she would have been able to afford it all and Charles would have been saved the trouble of being “too hot for all the rest of his life for it.”
Monday, January 11, 2010
Monday 11 January 2010
Letter #2, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “We are extremely sorry for poor Eliza’s Illness – I trust however that she has continued to recover since you wrote, & that you will none of you be the worse for your attendance on her.” – Jane Austen, Thursday 14 1796
Eliza; Eliza Lloyd Fowle, discussed on 6 January 2010, in letter #1.http://allthings-jane-austen.blogspot.com/2009/11/letter-1.html
Letter #2, To Cassandra, from Steventon, “We are extremely sorry for poor Eliza’s Illness – I trust however that she has continued to recover since you wrote, & that you will none of you be the worse for your attendance on her.” – Jane Austen, Thursday 14 1796
Eliza; Eliza Lloyd Fowle, discussed on 6 January 2010, in letter #1.http://allthings-jane-austen.blogspot.com/2009/11/letter-1.html
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Letter #2
Sunday 10 January 2010
Letter #2! Jane is still writing to Cassandra who is still in Kintbury with Tom’s family.
The notes in the book say there is a letter missing, dated Tuesday the 12th or Wednesday 13 1796. Maybe one of the letters Cassandra destroyed before she died? She destroyed letters that might have hurt someone’s feelings or contained circumstances she did not want relived. I think it is interesting that Jane Austen’s family, mainly Henry and Cassandra, treated her life, even after her death, as if they knew she would be famous for hundreds of years later.
“I have just received your & Mary’s letter & I thank you both, tho’ their contents might have been more agreeable. I do not at all expect to see you on Tuesday since matters have fallen out so unpleasantly, & if you are not able to return till after that day, it will hardly be possible for us to send for you before Saturday; tho’ for my own part I care so little about the Ball that it would be no sacrifice to me to give it up for the sake of seeing you two days earlier.” – Jane Austen, Thursday 14 1796
I wonder if the Mary she mentions is Mary Lloyd. Mary Lloyd was Eliza Lloyd Fowle’s sister. Eliza is discussed in letter #1 on Wednesday 6 January 2010. She also mentioned Mary Lloyd in letter #1 which we discussed on 24 November 2009. It makes sense that she would be referring to Mary Lloyd.
http://allthings-jane-austen.blogspot.com/2009/11/letter-1.html
I do not believe the ball she mentions can be the ball at Ashe because that ball will take place the next night, on Friday the 15th. She must be referring to a different ball, she talks of not seeing Cassandra on Tuesday which would be after the Friday ball.
Letter #2! Jane is still writing to Cassandra who is still in Kintbury with Tom’s family.
The notes in the book say there is a letter missing, dated Tuesday the 12th or Wednesday 13 1796. Maybe one of the letters Cassandra destroyed before she died? She destroyed letters that might have hurt someone’s feelings or contained circumstances she did not want relived. I think it is interesting that Jane Austen’s family, mainly Henry and Cassandra, treated her life, even after her death, as if they knew she would be famous for hundreds of years later.
“I have just received your & Mary’s letter & I thank you both, tho’ their contents might have been more agreeable. I do not at all expect to see you on Tuesday since matters have fallen out so unpleasantly, & if you are not able to return till after that day, it will hardly be possible for us to send for you before Saturday; tho’ for my own part I care so little about the Ball that it would be no sacrifice to me to give it up for the sake of seeing you two days earlier.” – Jane Austen, Thursday 14 1796
I wonder if the Mary she mentions is Mary Lloyd. Mary Lloyd was Eliza Lloyd Fowle’s sister. Eliza is discussed in letter #1 on Wednesday 6 January 2010. She also mentioned Mary Lloyd in letter #1 which we discussed on 24 November 2009. It makes sense that she would be referring to Mary Lloyd.
http://allthings-jane-austen.blogspot.com/2009/11/letter-1.html
I do not believe the ball she mentions can be the ball at Ashe because that ball will take place the next night, on Friday the 15th. She must be referring to a different ball, she talks of not seeing Cassandra on Tuesday which would be after the Friday ball.
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