by Jane Austen
23. See note 26 below for a discussion of the Spectator; a “paper” would be an essay.
24. Laurence Sterne was in fact a novelist, though his two works, Tristram Shandy and A Sentimental Journey, are so unusual, told as an outpouring of the narrator’s consciousness with continual digressions and asides and little coherent plot, that Jane Austen may not think of him as a fellow practitioner; moreover, having died more than thirty years earlier, he is not a contemporary. Sterne’s cleverness and felicitous style had also won him many admirers, and this style, along with the episodic nature of his books, could make him a suitable supplier of excerpts for anthologies, the type of books described here.
25. Cecilia (1782) and Camilla (1796) are by Frances (or Fanny) Burney; Belinda (1801) is by Maria Edgeworth. Burney, the most acclaimed novelist of the late eighteenth century, was, along with Samuel Richardson, the most important influence on Jane Austen’s work. Burney’s novels consistently focus on the tribulations—romantic and otherwise—of a young heroine, supplemented by comic and satirical sketches of English society and recognizable character types. Belinda is also a story of a young woman’s loves and entrance into society, though it is less comical than Burney’s work and more concerned with contemporary philosophical debates. Edgeworth herself commented, mostly favorably, on Northanger Abbey; in a letter to her niece Anna, who was attempting a novel, Jane Austen wrote, “I have made up my mind to like no Novels really, but Miss Edgeworth’s, Yours, & my own” (Sept. 28, 1824).
26. The Spectator was a noted early-eighteenth-century periodical by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. It originally appeared between 1711 and 1714, and it was later reprinted in numerous bound editions (which is why a collection of issues, the way Austen would have seen it, would be voluminous). The Spectator’s essays often included satirical portraits of contemporary types, many of which had necessarily, by a later time, come to seem outdated and perhaps exaggerated. Austen may also be reacting against the condescending tone toward women adopted at times by its authors. Furthermore, the language of the Spectator, which had once been celebrated as a model of English prose, would seem coarse in many respects by later standards, for throughout the eighteenth century English became more refined and elevated, due in part to conscious efforts to promote such qualities. This change included reduced reliance on colloquial expressions, greater use of abstractions and polysyllabic words, more carefully constructed sentences, and stronger prohibitions against topics considered indecent or improper—all of which qualities are reflected in Austen’s prose, compared to the work of earlier writers.
A perception of the improvement in language during the eighteenth century also resulted from the general belief in historical progress, which became a prominent feature of British thought during the second half of the century. Many theorists of progress identified the continual amelioration of language as a vital component of this process, one that both resulted from and supported more general social progress. Jane Austen’s derisive reference to “the age” that had produced certain earlier writings signals that she probably shared at least some of this belief in progress.
VOLUME I, CHAPTER VI
1. delicacy: fineness of feeling; refined sense of what is proper and right.
2. Isabella will continue to use such hyperbolic language, which in Austen’s novels is consistently a sign of mental vacuity or insincerity.
3. At this time people almost always wore something on their heads when outside. Women’s hats could be elaborately decorated, which is why they can form such a subject of discussion.
4. Milsom Street is a distinguished street in the heart of Bath that had become one of its principal shopping venues. Isabella’s most direct route from her residence at Edgar’s Buildings (see this page) would be through Milsom Street; see this map and this illustration. During the eighteenth century the practice of displaying wares in large windows had become standard for stores, especially for those catering to an affluent clientele.
5. coquelicot: poppy-red. In a letter from Bath, written the year she began work on this novel, Jane Austen writes that she will replace the black feather in a cap of hers with a “Coquelicot one, as being smarter;—& besides Coquelicot is to be all the fashion this winter” (Dec. 18, 1798).
6. Isabella is referring to The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794), by Ann Radcliffe. It is a Gothic horror novel, part of a genre pioneered by Horace Walpole’s 1764 Castle of Otranto that developed further in the 1770s and 1780s and became extremely popular in the 1790s. An outgrowth of the sentimental novel, the Gothic novel similarly focused on a heroine in distress, only now the heroine was threatened by extreme horrors, often actually or apparently supernatural. Reflecting the growing interest in the Middle Ages and Gothic architecture, the stories were usually set in old Gothic buildings, and sometimes in earlier centuries as well. The focus was on arousing the reader to a state of acute terror and trepidation. Radcliffe was the most renowned and widely read of all these writers, and The Mysteries of Udolpho was her biggest seller (her previous novel, The Romance of the Forest, is a favorite of a character in Emma).
7. The novel, set in sixteenth-century France and Italy, centers around Emily St. Aubert, who, after the death of her father, finds herself trapped in Udolpho, the decrepit Italian castle of the villainous Montoni. While exploring the castle, she comes upon a room full of pictures, one of which is hidden behind a black veil. After she lifts the veil she faints, leaving the reader to guess what horror she has spied. The mystery is not revealed until the end of the novel (see note 7).
8. wild: passionately eager or excited.
9. Signora Laurentini—it is unclear if Austen intends Catherine to utter a mistaken version of the name or if she had misremembered it herself—was the previous owner of the castle. She disappeared under strange circumstances and is presumed dead.
10. The Italian (1797) was Ann Radcliffe’s next novel after Udolpho. It concerns the sinister machinations of the monk Schedoni.
11. A pocketbook was a small book, used for writing down notes, that could be carried by men or women. It had begun to be furnished with pouches used for carrying small items; over the next century this latter function would develop to the point that a pocketbook became synonymous with a purse.
12. These are all horror novels that appeared between 1793 and 1798. Except for Clermont, they are either translations of German novels or tales by English authors set in Germany; and they all reflect the influence of a type of horror novel that came from Germany. The initial English Gothic novels, including Radcliffe’s, often only suggest or imply their horrors, and focus principally on the terror within the mind of the heroine. In contrast, the German writers and their English imitators present their horrors, which tend to be far more extreme and violent and to rely more on the supernatural, in explicit detail. The most popular of all such books of this type, The Monk, will soon turn out to be a favorite of Isabella’s brother.
A Gothic revival house (Lee Priory, Kent), an increasingly popular style in this period that reflected many of the same interests encouraging Gothic horror literature.
[From John Preston Neale, Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen, Second Series, Vol. II (London, 1825)]
[List of Illustrations]
13 horrid: causing horror. The term was often used to denote the literature of horror.
14. A character with similarities to Isabella in Jane Austen’s youthful story “Catharine, or the Bower” calls everyone she likes “the sweetest Creature in the world.” In Sense and Sensibility, after someone uses the similar epithet “the sweetest girls in the world” to describe two people he has just met, the heroine is portrayed as being well aware “that the sweetest girls in the world were to be met with in every part of England, under every possible variation of form, face, temper and understanding.”
15. Netting was a process of forming loops around a special netting needle or shuttle; it could create fabrics of varying density. Making clothing and other items
through netting or other types of needlework was a common female occupation. Jane Austen, in a letter from the year this novel was begun, says a woman “is netting herself a gown in worsteds” (Nov. 25, 1798). In Mansfield Park the heroine has a special box to hold her netting supplies.
16. amazingly: exceedingly. This proves to be one of Isabella’s favorite words, a sign of her tendency toward exaggeration.
17. Such professions of extreme affection are common in sentimental heroines, after whom Isabella clearly models herself (at least when it comes to her words). A periodical written by Jane Austen’s elder brother James when he was at Oxford, The Loiterer, contains an essay that discusses types of affectation among men and women, and identifies proclaiming fervent affection or devotion toward others as one of the most common female types.
18. These assemblies were probably dances held in Isabella’s hometown. Even small municipalities would hold such assemblies if possible.
19. wants: lacks.
20. Isabella’s extreme quickness in detecting love and in assuming its profound nature, which also appears elsewhere, reflects her attachment to sentimental fiction, in which passionate love comes easily and is sudden and overwhelming, as well as her own strong interest in men, soon to be made clear.
21. In disclaiming the debilitating effects of her supposed rejection, Catherine is again not behaving like a typical heroine.
22. Sir Charles Grandison is by Samuel Richardson. With its focus on normal domestic life, minute delineation of a variety of characters, and lack of a dramatic plot, Grandison stands as the polar opposite of horror novels. In a biographical notice appended to Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, which were published jointly in 1817 after Austen’s death, her brother Henry cites Richardson’s novel as her particular favorite, due to his “power of creating, and preserving the consistency of his characters.” Her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh, in an 1869 memoir drawing on his and other family members’ memories of Jane Austen, mentions the same love, saying that, “Every circumstance narrated in Sir Charles Grandison, all that was ever said or done in the cedar parlour, was familiar to her.”
23. Catherine’s native village may be too small to support a bookstore or a circulating library (libraries then were private rental enterprises usually established by bookstores). Her only access to books would thus come from occasional forays into Salisbury, already mentioned by Mrs. Allen as their nearest shopping destination. But the probable infrequency of these trips would preclude borrowing books, and it was expensive to purchase them, especially more recent titles. The Allens, who would almost certainly let her borrow books, could better afford to buy new ones, due to their possession of an ample estate, but they may not be great novel readers. Hence Catherine would have to rely primarily on older books that had long been owned by her family or the Allens—building and handing down such collections was a common practice among genteel families—or on new editions of older books, which were inexpensive if the text was no longer under copyright. The opportunity to read numerous new books, whether borrowed from Isabella or from the local libraries in which Bath abounded, would be one more reason for Catherine to be intoxicated with the town.
24. horrid: terrible. The word, when used in this general manner, as opposed to Catherine’s and Isabella’s earlier use of it, was popular slang at the time, but not correct English; Isabella’s carelessness with language is underlined by her also using “amazing” as an adverb. She will use the word “horrid” in a slangy sense several times in the novel.
25. Along with its genuine virtues, Sir Charles Grandison has serious drawbacks, including extreme length and limited plot interest, that would deter many readers. In the above-mentioned biographical notice that appeared with Northanger Abbey, Henry Austen adds, regarding Jane Austen’s love of Richardson, that his sister’s “taste secured her from the errors of his prolix style and tedious narrative.”
26. spirit: courage, defiance, assertiveness.
27. Catherine was earlier described as having sallow skin; the connection of that with Isabella’s expressed preference will soon be revealed.
28. Catherine’s failure to perceive Isabella’s wish to be questioned further, a wish indicated by the latter’s uncharacteristic silence after Catherine finishes, results partly from Catherine’s inability, seen on various occasions, to grasp when someone is saying what they do not mean. It also stems from her good manners, for one was never supposed to press others to divulge secrets, especially if they had professed a wish to remain silent.
29. put me quite out of countenance: quite disconcert me.
30. For the book listing new arrivals, see note 8.
31. The Church Yard is in front of Bath Abbey, the grand cathedral at the heart of the city. The yard also faces the Pump Room (see this map).
A woman leaving a bookshop (the clothing is from a slightly earlier period).
[From Randall Davies, English Society of the Eighteenth Century in Contemporary Art (London, 1907), p. 54]
[List of Illustrations]
32. Edgar’s Buildings is the street where Isabella and her family are staying (it has since been renamed George Street). Many streets in Bath have “buildings” in the name, for the city’s rapid development caused the construction of an entire block or more of buildings at one time, along with the street serving the buildings. Edgar’s Buildings is north of the Pump Room, and the most direct way there is through the churchyard, which is why Catherine worries about their overtaking the two men.
The Archway (see note 1).
[From Constance Hill, Jane Austen; her Home and her Friends (London, 1904), p. 103]
[List of Illustrations]
VOLUME I, CHAPTER VII
1. The Pump Yard is a paved area immediately in front of the Pump Room (it is the western part of the just-mentioned Church Yard). The Archway is an arched passage in the wall separating the yard from Cheap Street (see this illustration). On the opposite side of Cheap Street is Union Passage, a narrow street leading to the northern part of the town (in Persuasion the fateful encounter between hero and heroine occurs on Union Street, a larger street adjacent to Union Passage that was built in the interval between the composition of the two novels). For the location of all these places, as well as those discussed in the next two notes, see this map.
2. Many towns had a Cheap Street, for in earlier times “cheap” referred to commerce and trade generally.
3. The “London and Oxford roads” would be the roads leading to and from London and Oxford, both of which are to the east of Bath. Main roads went through the centers of towns then, in part so that passengers could disembark at inns to change horses. The “principal inn” Jane Austen has in mind is the White Hart, which was cited by contemporary guides to Bath as one of the most important in the city (two other major hotels, the White Lion and York House, were a little removed from Cheap Street). Several characters in Persuasion who come to Bath for short visits stay there. The White Hart—which no longer exists—was on Stall Street, which joins Cheap Street just west of the Pump Yard; therefore someone arriving from the east and heading there would indeed cross the point where Catherine and Isabella are standing.
4. Bath contained numerous pastry shops, which sold a variety of foods and offered places for customers to sit; one of the most distinguished, Molland’s, is the setting for an important encounter in Persuasion. Millinery shops sold clothing for women, especially smaller items and accessories. Both food shops and clothing shops in Bath would tempt customers with elaborate displays in their windows. It was likely a millinery shop window that displayed the pretty hat that caught Isabella’s eye on her way to the Pump Room (see this page).
5. Carts were used to transport goods locally; they were pulled by horses, adding to the congestion. When the heroine of Persuasion enters Bath, a “heavy rumble of carts and drays” is one of the noises that greets her (a dray is a type of cart).
6. evil: disadvantage, misfortune. “Evil” had a less extreme conn
otation than it does today.
7. interesting: important.
8. A gig was a small open carriage pulled by one horse. For a picture, see this illustration.
9. coachman: man, who in this case is the owner (or renter) rather than a servant, driving a carriage.
10. “Mr. Morland” is Catherine’s elder brother. He was earlier called “Mr. James Morland” to distinguish him from his father, but here, with no other male Morland present, the simpler appellation can be used.
11. The young men in the gig have apparently arrived at the stable attached to the inn just mentioned, and an attendant has come out to take care of their carriage. A stable of this kind would contain its own vehicles for hire as well as space for people to store their vehicles while staying in town.
12. equipage: carriage and horse.
13. devoirs: courteous addresses; acts of civility.
14. development: discovery, detection.
15. There is actually only one horse. This is probably a printer’s error, unless John Thorpe is already anticipating his companion’s need to rent a horse while in Bath. The orders for his own horse would include directions about feeding or taking care of him at the stable, as well as possibly a statement of when he next intends to use him.
16. scrape: bow in which the foot is drawn or scraped backwards along the ground; hence more elaborate than a regular bow. Such a formal gesture, seen nowhere else in Austen’s novels, contrasts with the lack of politeness usually shown by John Thorpe. Here it is probably a sign of his awkwardness.