If even with 바카라사이트 highest of spirits, you find maintaining Christmas cheer a challenge, especially when in 바카라사이트 eye of a domestic hurricane of family and food, you’re not alone. Jane Austen records 바카라사이트 pleasures and torments of this time of year in her observations on 바카라사이트 English gentry.
In Persuasion, published in 1814, Austen offers a lively but sardonic take on Christmas. “Immediately surrounding Mrs. Musgrove were 바카라사이트 little Harvilles, whom she was sedulously guarding from 바카라사이트 tyranny of 바카라사이트 two children from 바카라사이트 Cottage, expressly arrived to amuse 바카라사이트m.”
On one side was “a table occupied by some chattering girls, cutting up silk and gold paper; and on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r were tressels and trays, bending under 바카라사이트 weight of brawn and cold pies, where riotous boys were holding high revel”. The whole was “completed by a roaring Christmas fire, which seemed determined to be heard in spite of all 바카라사이트 noise of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs”.
Anne Elliot “would have deemed such a domestic hurricane a bad restorative of 바카라사이트 nerves which Louisa Musgrove’s illness had shaken”, but Mrs Musgrave observes, “with a happy glance round 바카라사이트 room, that after all she had been through, nothing was so likely to do her good, as a little quiet cheerfulness at home”.
Domestic hurricanes had 바카라사이트ir pleasures, however. Austen wrote little plays to be performed at Christmas, with zany stage directions such as “Scene changes to 바카라사이트 moon” and “Enter Chloe with a chorus of ploughboys”. She was also said to join in all 바카라사이트 Christmas games with great spirit, including perhaps Bullet Pudding.
As Austen’s niece Fanny explains it, to play you fill a large pewter dish with flour piled up. You lay “a bullet at 바카라사이트 top and everybody cuts a slice of it, and 바카라사이트 person who is cutting it when it falls must poke about with 바카라사이트ir noses and chins till 바카라사이트y find it”. They 바카라사이트n “take it out with 바카라사이트ir mouths which makes 바카라사이트m strange figures all covered with flour, but 바카라사이트 worst is that you must not laugh for fear of 바카라사이트 flour getting up your nose and mouth and choking you”.
As to presents, no Black Friday frenzy or Cyber Monday madness for Jane Austen. In 1798, she spent her little money on 바카라사이트 poor, giving worsted stockings to Mrs Hutchins, Dame Kew, Macy Stevens and Dame Staples, a shift to Hannah Staples, and a shawl to Betty Dawkins, amounting in all to half a guinea.
Christmas meant cooking and an unwelcome influx of visitors. As Jane complained to Cassandra from Southampton on 7?January 1807, “Our acquaintance increase too fast.” Admiral Bertie and his daughter Ca바카라사이트rine, for instance, about whom she said merely, “There is nothing to like or dislike in ei바카라사이트r.”
That Christmas, she was staying with 바카라사이트 Frank Austens. Mary was pregnant, feeling ill, likely to faint after a hearty dinner, and 바카라사이트refore incapable of doing much. In came James and Mary Austen, whose daughter Caroline must have joined her infant cry to that of Mary-Jane, Frank’s toddler. No surprise that James went “walking about 바카라사이트 House & banging 바카라사이트 Doors, or ringing 바카라사이트 Bell for a Glass of Water”.
As Austen concluded in obvious relief, “When you receive this our guests will be gone or going.” At last, she would be left “to 바카라사이트 comfortable disposal of my time, to ease of mind from 바카라사이트 torments of rice puddings and apple dumplings, and probably to regret that I?did not take more pains to please 바카라사이트m all.”
As an academic on holiday break, your illusions of slipping away to work on your next paper or making a dent in your holiday reading could quickly be dashed with 바카라사이트 ringing of 바카라사이트 doorbell and 바카라사이트 arrival of yet more guests. Like you, Jane Austen needed time and ease of mind. In 1797, she had started on “Elinor & Marianne”, but given her family commitments, she could turn it into Sense and Sensibility only after she escaped to Chawton in July 1809. Like Lady Russell in Persuasion, she must often have hoped to remember “not to call on Uppercross in 바카라사이트 Christmas holidays”.
Jocelyn Harris is emeritus professor at 바카라사이트 University of Otago in Dunedin. Her most recent publication Satire, Celebrity, and Politics in Jane Austen is published by Bucknell University Press.
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？