by Jane Austen
16. A lengthy and indirect path would delay their reaching the knoll, where Mr. Rushworth is supposed to meet them, and would also make less likely their encountering him on the way there.
17. trick: contrivance, scheme (often with a connotation of deceit).
18. allow: make allowance.
19. Julia’s arrival means that all seven of the young people around whom the story is centered appear at this one place. The resulting action develops and reveals several of the principal plotlines: the romance of Edmund and Mary, the illicit flirtation of Maria and Henry, and the jealousy of Julia and Rushworth. Fanny, meanwhile, carefully observes all these developments while participating little in them, which is her role throughout the early part of the novel.
20. posting: hurrying. The usage derives from traveling by post (see this page, note 22), the fastest means of transportation at the time.
21. Mrs. Norris will soon reveal how she talked at length to the housekeeper and procured favors from her.
22. This probably means she passed the gate and ha-ha in the same manner as Maria and Henry; “fence” could be used for various types of barriers.
23. Actually, it was Henry who delivered this charge. Fanny may attribute it to Maria because of Rushworth’s dislike and jealousy of Henry, which would have naturally been aroused by seeing the latter’s friendliness with Maria, even though he did not witness the worst of it.
24. Rushworth, who was earlier described as “heavy” and thus is probably large, may naturally turn to Henry Crawford’s smaller size—the only way, aside from his income, that he is clearly superior to Henry. His statement also provides a clue about a frequent matter of historical debate, the relative size of people in the past. Records of army recruits, in general the best source for past heights, show average heights for men of just under five feet, six inches, in Britain (and in the United States), which would be four inches below the current average of just under five feet, ten inches. At the same time, various sources suggest that those from upper-class backgrounds were several inches taller than the general population, and thus similar to people today. This would fit with Mr. Rushworth’s statement, for the heights he denigrates, less than five feet eight or nine, are only a little shorter than the current norm. The better diet of the wealthy, in both quantity and quality, accounted for the class difference (which still exists now but is far smaller), one more factor sharply distinguishing the elite from most people in this society.
25. Fanny and Rushworth have both seen the person they love lured away by one of the Crawfords.
26. Fanny had asked about the avenue when they were approaching Sotherton in the carriage, the same avenue that, in the initial dinner conversation about altering Sotherton, Rushworth had spoken of cutting down, to Fanny’s regret.
27. receipt: recipe.
28. Grand houses normally had dairies nearby to supply milk and milk products for the family. Similarly, they would procure vegetables and fruits from nearby gardens, and meat from the livestock grazing on the grounds.
29. Ague was the current term for malaria, a disease that existed in much of Europe at this time. Contemporary medical opinion did not understand its true nature as a parasite spread by mosquitoes, but they did know that it was particularly prevalent in swampy areas and that use of bark from the Peruvian cinchona tree, which contains quinine, can assist in treating it. It would make sense that someone would suffer from ague now, in summer, when mosquitoes are most active.
30. Wealthy, educated people at this time no longer believed in using charms or other supernatural remedies for illnesses, but many poorer people still did seek assistance from a local person renowned for special healing powers. Mrs. Norris’s indulgence of the gardener’s superstition signals her willingness to stoop to any means to obtain profitable favors.
31. Large estates kept nurseries growing a variety of plants. Plants would start off there, when it was too cold for them elsewhere, and then be moved and transplanted later, allowing them to bloom earlier in the season than would be possible otherwise.
32. rencontre: encounter.
33. lounge: idle, occupy oneself indolently.
34. The Quarterly Review was one of the two leading literary journals of the time (the other was the Edinburgh Review). As its name implied, it appeared four times a year and consisted of many lengthy reviews of books, covering a wide range of subject matters. Both reviews had a wide circulation. The main difference was that the Quarterly Review was conservative in its politics, while the other was liberal. Its appearance here would be appropriate, for the country gentry, the class consistently depicted in Austen’s novels, tended to be conservative; the peerage (meaning titled aristocrats) and the urban middle class tended to be liberal. In 1816, two years after the publication of this novel, the Quarterly Review published a review of Jane Austen’s novels by Walter Scott, the most important article about her work to appear during her lifetime.
35. Tea and coffee, accompanied by breads and cakes, would normally be served an hour or two after dinner. The interval has been reduced in this case to allow the party to leave for home.
36. People feared the effect on their health of the damp, cool air of the evening. In an early work by Jane Austen, “Catharine, or the Bower,” a elderly hypochondriac panics upon realizing she has been out in the evening air, and worries that she may not recover her health until almost a year later.
37. This shows Henry Crawford’s inclination, and ability, to keep both women satisfied, at least for the time being.
38. At this time, the middle of summer, the cows’ milk would be at its richest, and thus a fresh cheese like cream cheese would be especially good.
A dairymaid churning butter.
[From William Alexander, Picturesque Representations of the Dress and Manners of the English (London, 1813), Plate 30]
39. Mrs. Whitaker is the housekeeper, with whom Mrs. Norris was talking earlier. Upper servants were usually called by their last name alone. However, particularly high-ranking servants, like housekeepers, could be given the title “Mr./Mrs./Miss” as well, and “Mrs.” was frequently used as a courtesy for older women in this position even if they had never married (as servants usually had not).
40. stood out: resisted, held out.
41. The second table is where upper servants ate (the first table was for the family owning the house). Grand houses like this had enough servants that the upper ones would have a separate place for eating, and usually better fare, than lower servants. This might include wine instead of only beer or ale, the staple drink of ordinary people in England, but not everywhere, as Mrs. Norris’s question and Mrs. Whitaker’s response indicate.
42. White gowns were associated with fine dressing, whereas servants were expected to be simple in their dress (for more, see this page, note 3). Mrs. Norris reveals that she does not favor being indulgent to servants, as her later actions will also reveal. This fits with her denigration and bullying of Fanny, who is also socially lower than Mrs. Norris. In contrast, she flatters and courts assiduously those who are above her.
43. The dairymaid is a servant who takes care of the dairy cows or of the egg-producing poultry, as well as of the various activities involved in the production of milk, milk products such as butter, or eggs. A spare hen is one not at the moment nurturing an egg of its own.
44. In other words, the dairymaid and hen are part of the Bertrams’ estate. Hence Mrs. Norris is seeking to make use of them, as well as one of the Bertrams’ coops, to cultivate pheasants for herself.
45. This line echoes the opening line of a famous sonnet by William Wordsworth, “It is a beauteous evening, calm and free.” The sonnet was published in 1807, and Jane Austen mentions Wordsworth in her last, unfinished novel, Sanditon. The evocation of the natural beauty of the evening forms a contrast with the picture of human egoism, conflict, and discontent that the visit to Sotherton has revealed.
46. altogether: on the whole.
47. afforded: provide
d.
VOLUME I, CHAPTER XI
1. decision: determination, firmness.
2. The “packet” is the ship carrying mail between Britain and overseas destinations (the name derives from their packet of mail). Packet service was established during the seventeenth century, first for Ireland, then the European continent, and then the North American colonies. Finally, in the early eighteenth century a similar service began for the British colonies in the West Indies; it would have conveyed the letter they just received from Sir Thomas. These ships sailed at regular intervals, with ones to nearby locations going several times a week and the one for the Leeward Islands, which includes Antigua, going twice a month. These ships also took paying passengers, and at least for a distant destination like the West Indies were the only public means of transport; regular passenger ships across the Atlantic developed only later in the nineteenth century.
3. The passage would normally take at least several weeks, with the amount varying greatly according to weather in the Atlantic.
4. The irony of the passage, in which arrival of the friend (i.e., her father) most concerned with her happiness is an unhappy occasion, suggests the problematic nature of Maria’s situation.
5. “Pianoforte” is the original name for piano; it derives from Italian, where it means “soft-strong,” because the great advance of the piano over previous instruments was that it permitted playing the same note either delicately or forcefully, resulting in variation of volume. Pianos were invented in the early eighteenth century and by Jane Austen’s time were by far the most popular instrument for the home. In other novels of hers, the piano is often referred to simply as “the instrument.” They are busy with candles because, now that it is twilight, they need artificial lighting for whoever plays it.
6. The dangers are the passage across the ocean and, even more, residence in the West Indies. The death rate for English people there was very high, due to the ubiquity of tropical diseases and the lack of inherited immunity to them among those from a northerly climate. The fiancé of Jane Austen’s sister, Cassandra, died of yellow fever before they could marry, while serving on a ship in the West Indies.
7. The heathen heroes are those from the literature and history of ancient Greece and Rome. Classical antiquity was central to education and culture at the time, and while women, unlike men, would not learn Latin or Greek, they would still encounter it through translated works or frequent allusions to antiquity in contemporary ones. It also could be part of schooling: earlier the Bertram girls boasted of learning “Heathen Mythology.”
8. Mary’s comments suggest that she has sensed Maria Bertram’s interest in Henry Crawford, and thus her mixed feelings about her engagement to Rushworth.
9. This means someone else, probably a friend of the family, has been appointed to the living, or clerical position, on condition that he resign it when Edmund has been ordained and can be appointed.
10. competence: sufficiency of means.
11. That is, his father is too conscientious to appoint someone to the living who was not suitable to fill the position properly. In principle, all those who controlled church appointments should follow this tenet, and many did, but by no means everyone.
12. “Friends” included family members. Patronage was a fundamental part of this society, and as Fanny’s words indicate, it was accepted almost universally.
13. Army and navy officers did usually have higher status than clergymen, and this would matter to wealthy and fashionable people (what she means by “society”) because of the value they placed on status, as well as their relative lack of religious piety.
14. The essential duties of a clergyman, preaching in church and presiding over ceremonies like weddings and funerals, did not require heavy labor. He was also expected to perform other duties, such as visiting the poor and sick and counseling his parishioners, but he still would usually have ample leisure time.
15. In her terms, “laudable ambition” is for distinction and accomplishment, while “good company” means people of elite society. As for being agreeable, that would be useful for those like military officers who were under others’ authority and needed to work with others. In contrast, a clergyman, once appointed, could mostly direct his own affairs.
16. At this time the principal way people predicted the weather was by watching the skies. Barometers did exist, but not other instruments, and there were no official weather forecasts.
17. A curate is a clergyman hired by the holder of a living to perform its duties. Curates were clergy who lacked regular positions, and because there were many of them, they could not command high salaries. Regular clergy would most often hire a curate if they were in charge of more than one parish and could not attend to both, but sometimes they hired one in their own parish simply to relieve themselves of work.
18. esteeming: considering.
19. Her uncle, Admiral Crawford, was already described as “a man of vicious conduct” who lived with his mistress, so he would not be likely to associate much with clergymen. Edmund repeats the point in his next statement, a sign that he considers it an important one.
20. leave any deficiency of information: allow for the possibility that there is a lack of knowledge (on the part of those who condemn clergymen).
21. Naval ships were supposed to have chaplains to attend to the spiritual needs of the crew, though in practice only the largest ships had them. Chaplains received low pay, were often held in contempt, and experienced, like everyone else, the harsh and dangerous conditions on board a naval vessel. For these reasons there were never nearly enough eligible candidates who applied for the post, and those who did were often disreputable. Many ship captains disliked chaplains, believing they got in the way of normal operations.
22. Antwerp is the name of the ship. It is likely it was originally a French ship, for Antwerp, which as part of Belgium had been controlled by France since 1795, has a superb harbor. Britain captured many foreign warships, converting each ship to its own use while retaining its original name.
23. Being a scholar was considered a valuable qualification for a clergyman. Many men of scholarly bent became clergy, and took advantage of the leisure offered to pursue this interest. A large number of important books were written by clergy, not just about religion but in other areas like history and science.
24. A green goose could mean either an undercooked goose, in which case that is the cook’s blunder Mary refers to, or a young one. If the latter, the cook’s error is uncertain but could be a particular disappointment to Dr. Grant, since young geese were delicacies.
25. A glee is a part song, or song for multiple vocal parts, designed for three or more voices: the need for a third is probably why the Miss Bertrams seek Miss Crawford so earnestly. Glees had emerged as a distinct musical genre in the middle of the eighteenth century in England, and quickly grew in popularity, reaching their height in the years around 1800 before declining in the following century. They were initially songs for unaccompanied male voices performed in gentlemen’s clubs, but they gradually spread to public performances and then to performances in the home, and as they did, many glees were written for female voices and for accompaniment by an instrument, especially the piano. They were influenced by madrigals, a type of song that flourished in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but glees had more unified harmonies instead of the counterpoint of separate harmonies in madrigals (in this respect they reflected a general trend in music in this period). Glees also put particularly strong emphasis on the words of the song, reflecting the great love of poetry and language in eighteenth-century England. Many practitioners and advocates celebrated this aspect and, appealing to English nationalism, contrasted it with the more purely instrumental music from the European continent. Glees were also characterized—unlike the bawdy catch songs popular in taverns—by lyrics that were, in the words of a contemporary publisher, “consistent with female delicacy.” This made them suitable for domestic performers, who could make us
e, as those here are undoubtedly doing, of the many books of glees published then.
26. Women were often praised for walking gracefully.
27. Meaning the hands of those who raised her.
28. Fanny’s rhapsody to nature, and to the beneficent effects its beauties can have on the heart and soul, echoes many strains of thought from this period. Eighteenth-century writers often identified the wonders and harmony of nature as proof of God’s wisdom and benevolence, as well as a critical source of moral inspiration. A significant example was the poem by William Cowper, The Task, that Fanny earlier cited in her lament over fallen avenues. The Romantic movement that blossomed in the early nineteenth century went even further in celebrating nature, while shifting the focus somewhat away from God and toward personal experience. Fanny’s speech seems close to this, though she also reveals during the novel a strong religious faith. Her attitude may also represent a partial shift in Jane Austen’s view of Romanticism. In two early novels, Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility, she satirizes aspects of it, but in this novel she presents a sympathetic heroine with many Romantic elements; she will do that again more mildly with the heroine of her last novel, Persuasion. At the same time, in that last novel Austen criticizes excess of Romantic sentiment, and here it is possible she is treating Fanny with a degree of irony: her speech sounds a little stilted and didactic, and suggests how much the youthful and inexperienced Fanny has derived her ideas directly from books (as is also true of the youthful Romantic heroines satirized in Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility).
29. While Edmund calls Fanny by her name, she, here and elsewhere, calls him by the more deferential term “cousin.” This suggests the unequal nature of their relationship, which will play a critical role in the plot.
30. scholar: pupil.