Jane Austen's England

June 24, 2013
This encyclopedic and entertaining volume will suit readers who daydream about going back in time to walk alongside literary figures such as Austen. The Adkinses (Nelson’s Trafalgar), a husband and wife archeology team, dive into Austen’s world to provide a fuller view of Regency life, covering everything from the smallest domestic details to the broadest legal codes. The writers also strive to illuminate voices from all classes, though they obviously rely a great deal on members of literate society, such as clergyman Reverend James Woodforde and governess Nelly Weeton. Austen, too, wends her way through the volume, and there are quotes and examples from her novels and correspondence. While familiarity with her work will surely enhance reader delight, knowledge of the primary sources isn’t necessary. The writing moves at a breezy pace, though it occasionally becomes bogged down by the multitude of examples, and at other times becomes dizzying, as readers leapfrog among topics (for example, from cosmetics to tooth powder to bodily functions). Though the book might have benefitted from deeper analysis overall, readers will still appreciate its exciting sweep.

September 1, 2013
It wasn't all courtship, corsets and carriages--the grim reality behind a great author's world. Jane Austen (1775-1817) was more genius than realist, delicately creating a world richer in psychological insight than in documented reality. In this cultural history of Austen's era, Roy and Lesley Adkins (Jack Tar: Life in Nelson's Navy, 2009, etc.) show the England that Elizabeth Bennet and Emma Woodhouse never much discussed. It was a society where life was nasty, brutish, short and smelly. Standards for cooking, cleaning and personal hygiene were abysmal, and there was no running water. Not only did homes easily burn, but there was also no bathing as we know it. ("What dreadful hot weather we have!" Jane wrote to her sister Cassandra. "It keeps one in a continual state of inelegance.") Chamber pots were emptied out of windows, people urinated on the street, toilet paper did not exist, and women had little (and some nothing) in the way of sanitary protection. Superstition prevailed over medicine; one diarist describes trying to cure a sty by rubbing it with the tail of a cat. No one in Austen's day had teeth like Emma Thompson or Colin Firth; some, like Dorothy Wordsworth, were toothless by the age of 30. The poor had it worse, especially children; provided they survived infancy, they were often consigned to a barbaric existence working in the mines or sweeping chimneys. Austen didn't write entirely in a vacuum, of course, and the Adkins' frequently point out just where her novels reflect the domestic and social world she knew, particularly as in regards to clothing, footwear and social customs. The authors let their facts tell the story, which is a wise choice given the often bland writing style. For fans of Austen and English history, a deeply informative picture of Regency life.

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September 15, 2013

In the England of novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817), the cost of postage was paid by the recipient of a letter--not the sender; almanacs sold well owing to the details they contained on when the moon would rise and set--important information for anyone traveling at night; and rhubarb "dried and powdered" was a popular home remedy for ailments ranging from earache to congestion. In this comprehensive book, coauthors Roy and Lesley Adkins (Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World) discuss how people lived in England two centuries ago; their narrative describes daily life--marriage, birth, work, religion, entertainment, travel, illness, and death--for the different classes of English people. Through meticulous examination of diaries and letters, travelogs, journals, and newspapers as well as histories and local records, the authors document the accepted beliefs, common practices, and everyday activities of Austen's time. VERDICT This well-documented text is easily accessible and includes lengthy quotations from primary sources and numerous references to Austen's novels and letters that highlight the middle- and upper-class society she knew best. An excellent resource for Austen devotees interested in rich details of late 18th- and early 19th-century English life.--Kathryn Bartelt, Univ. of Evansville Libs., IN

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