Exhibit:

Recreating Regency Letter Writing and the Austen Canon

Preview of images

Part of Group:

EN 354R, Jane Austen, Skidmore College

                                                                                               Period illustration from "The Regency Reader"

Today we communicate through texting, email, FaceTime, and telephones. Writing a letter may seem quaint today, but in the nineteenth century, letters were the chief form of communication. Unsurprisingly, letters play a key role in all of Austen’s Regency novels, but most particularly in Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Persuasion (1818). Using antique and reproduction writing implements from my personal collection and materials from the IdeaLab, students will practice writing with dip pens and ink, try cross-writing (a cost saving measure where one turns a letter 90 degrees and writes over it), fold a letter (rather than use an envelope), and affix a wax seal. To transform this token of affection into a lasting memento of our study of Jane Austen, we will display our letters in a virtual "case" to showcase critical crafting and make connections to Austen’s oeuvre, illuminating her literary legacy and Regency times. 

Images in this Exhibit

"You Pierce My Soul": Frederick Wentworth's Famous Love Letter in Persuasion

Frederick Wentworth's love letter to Anne Elliot in Persusasion (1818) remains one of the most famous love letters not only in Jane Austen's oeuvre but also in all of English literature.  Copying the letter by hand deepened my understanding of Frederick Wentworth's character and Persuasion as a novel that offers a second chance at true love. This case examines Wentworth's letter--its syntax, diction, pronoun usage, and repetition--and insights from the recreation of penning a letter with attention to its style and length. The Thomson illustration gives insight into the...
"Never to mention the subject again": Fanny Price's Daring Response to Mary Crawford's Mistaken Assumption

Jane Austen's Mansfield Park (1814) is perhaps the author's least popular novel. It is often left off of syllabi, and that may partly be due to its protagonist. Fanny Price is a shy and quiet girl who very rarely demonstrates the kind of outgoing nature that accompanies many of Austen's other heroines. The letter that Fanny writes to her friend Mary Crawford, though, shows a woman standing up for herself and her decision not to marry a man whom she loathes. It also demonstrates the kind of wit a reader of any time or era would enjoy, and with it brings an economic context to...
The Words Behind the Seal: Privacy and Correspondence in Jane Austen's Time

This exhibit explores the nature of letter writing in the Regency era as it shows up in Jane Austen's novels and in her own life as a writer who had an extensive, intimate correspondence with her older sister, Cassandra, throughout her life, writing thousands of letters before her untimely death at the age of 41 in July 1817. Austen also uses letters as an integral part of her storytelling, often granting her characters moments of brief or long monologues to express themselves more openly and sometimes, more vulnerably. In this exhibit I use the letter Fanny Price writes to Mary Crawford,...
"You will, I hope, acquit me": Darcy's Pivotal Letter to Elizabeth Bennet

In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth callously rejects Mr. Darcy after coming to believe a quite negative account of his character throughout the novel up to that point. He learns of her presumptions about him during her refusal of his offer and decides to write a lengthy letter to explain the truth of what happened between him and Mr. Wickham as well as his influence with Mr. Bingley. More specifically, Austen spells out Elizabeth's emotional journey after the heroine reads Darcy's explanation: "When this subject was succeeded by his account of Mr. Wickham, when she read with...
Mr. Gardiner's Letter to Mr. Bennet in the Midst of Lydia's Impropriety

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813) is undoubtedly one of if not Austen’s finest written work.  In the novel she quills about poignant social issues of her time, notably the conquest as well as investment that is the institute of marriage in the nineteenth century.  In the letter I wrote above I imitated what Mr. Gardiner, the uncle of the Bennet children, likely would have written to Mr. Bennet regarding his apparent aid of the Bennet family in finding young Lydia.  Lydia Bennet, whisked away by the deplorable Mr. Wickham, endangers the social status of the entire family by...
Willoughby Says Goodbye to Marianne: Jane Austen and the Cad

This exhibit shows a recreation of a letter from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1811). In this letter, Willoughby tells Marianne Dashwood that he no longer wishes to be romantically involved with her. He writes that he did not mean to make her believe that he loved her and that he is sorry for leading her on in their relationship. Letter writing in the Regency period followed different rules than today. Marianne would have had to pay to receive this letter. Had Willoughby's letter been longer, Marianne would have to pay per page upon reception and likely could not afford to...
"You Have Captured Me Altogether" : Fan Written Henry Tilney Letter Recreation

This letter isn't an Austen original. It was actually penned by Shannon Winslow in her fan fiction sequel to Northanger Abbey titled Murder at Northanger Abbey. The letter is displayed in a flashback shortly before Catherine and Henry are married. I was drawn to the letter because of its faithfulness to the Austenian language and the voice of Henry as well as its logical existence withing the timeline of these characters' lives. 

Recreation of Fan Fiction Love Letter from Henry Tilney to Catherine Morland, crafted by Emma Young, 2023. The letter has been slightly...
A Pot Pourri of Letters from the Novels of Jane Austen

Letters play a crucial role in the novels of Jane Austen. Using dip pens and ink, students in EN 354R on "Jane Austen" recreated some of the critical letters from Austen's memorable novels and fan fiction to gain insight into Austen's characters and to rekindle the writing practices of the Regency era. Tea-stained paper, crinkled paper, and parchment paper helped to make the letters authentic. Students learned to fold their letters and seal them, Regency style. Critical crafting brought Jane Austen's time to life. 

Recreation of a Fan Fiction Love Letter from Henry Tilney to...