At the time, however, the notion of “white” excluded not only people of Anglo-African or Anglo-Indian descent but also Irish. Ireland had only recently merged with England, in 1800, to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The parliaments were merged but there was a provision designed to keep Catholics from taking their seats. The Test Acts had been around since the 1600s and required members of the House of Parliament to take an oath declaring against some of the central tenets of Catholic faith. The oath read, “I, N, do declare that I do believe that there is not any transubstantiation in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or in the elements of the bread and wine, at or after the consecration thereof by any person whatsoever.”
On a more pleasant note: Most of the dresses that I referred to are taken from fashion plates from the period and I link to them on my website. The dress with the grey and coffee French knots is one that I made for “research” purposes. Ahem. So much research was required for this book that I have two new dresses, and a bonnet with blue ostrich feathers.
That said, there are things that I got wrong. If you spot an error, please email me at [email protected].
Glamour Glossary
GLAMOUR. This basically means magic. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the original meaning was “Magic, enchantment, spell” or “A magical or fictitious beauty attaching to any person or object; a delusive or alluring charm.” It was strongly associated with fairies in early England. In this alternate history of the Regency, glamour is a magic that can be worked by either men or women. It allows them to create illusions of light, scent, and sound. Glamour requires physical energy in much the same way running up a hill does.
GLAMURAL. A mural that is created using magic.
GLAMOURIST. A person who works with glamour.
BOUCLÉ TORSADÉE. This is a twisted loop of glamour that is designed to carry sound or vision depending on the frequency of the spirals. In principle it is loosely related to the Archimedes’ screw. In the 1740s it was employed to create speaking tubes in some wealthy homes and those tubes took on the name of the glamour used to create them.
CHASTAIN DAMASK. A technique that allows a glamourist to create two different images in one location. The effect would be similar to our holographic cards which show first one image, then another depending on the angle at which it is viewed. Invented by M. Chastain in 1814, he originally called this technique a jacquard after the new looms invented by M. Jacquard in 1801. The technique was renamed by Mrs. Vincent as a Chastain Damask in honour of its creator.
ETHER. Where the magic comes from. Early physicists believed that the world was broken into elements with ether being the highest element. Although this theory is discredited now, the original definition meant “A substance of great elasticity and subtlety, formerly believed to permeate the whole of planetary and stellar space, not only filling the interplanetary spaces, but also the interstices between the particles of air and other matter on the earth; the medium through which the waves of light are propagated. Formerly also thought to be the medium through which radio waves and electromagnetic radiations generally are propagated” (OED). Today you’ll more commonly see it as the root of “ethereal,” and its meaning is similar.
FOLDS. The bits of magic pulled out of the ether. Because this is a woman’s art, the metaphors to describe it reflect other womanly arts, such as the textiles.
LOINTAINE VISION. French for “distance seeing.” It is a tube of glamour that allows one to see things at a distance. The threads must be constantly managed or the image becomes static.
OMBRÉ. A fold of glamour that shades from one colour to another over its length. This technique was later emulated in textile by dip-dying.
NŒUD MARIN. A robust knot used for tying glamour threads. This was originally used by sailors for joining two lines, but adapted by glamourists for similar purposes. In English, this is known as a Carrick Bend.
PETITE RÉPÉTITION. French for “small repetition.” This is a way of having a fold of glamour repeat itself in what we would now call a fractal pattern. These occur in nature in the patterns of fern fronds and pinecones.
SPHÈRE OBSCURCIE. French for “invisible bubble.” It is literally a bubble of magic to make the person inside it invisible.
Reading Group Guide
• Had you heard the term Luddite before reading Without a Summer? The term is often used today to mean people who avoid technology. How do you think the historical Luddites differ from the modern usage?
• Did you learn any new historical facts from Without a Summer? If so, what?
• Without a Summer is set in 1816 during the historical “year without a summer,” when global cooling occurred after a massive volcanic explosion. How did this setting enhance or take away from the story?
• How did you feel when Melody got spectacles? Have you ever had a situation in your life that was similar?
• At several points in the book, the narrator directly addresses the reader. Do you think this enhanced or distracted from the story?
• How would you react if someone in the real world created a glamour in front of you?
• How do you feel about Vincent’s revelation about Miss de Clare? Would you be angry at your own partner if you were placed in a similar situation?
• Kowal says that she modelled part of Without a Summer on Jane Austen’s Emma. What parallels do you see between the two books?
• Did you read Shades of Milk and Honey and Glamour in Glass before this? How did that affect your reading?
• Do you think Without a Summer could help serve as an intermediate step to introduce new readers to Jane Austen?
• Kowal addresses both prejudice and courtship in this novel. What do you think the major theme of the story is?
TOR BOOKS BY MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL
The Glamourist Histories
Shades of Milk and Honey
Glamour in Glass
Without a Summer
About the Author
Mary Robinette Kowal was the 2008 recipient of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and a Hugo winner for her story “For Want of a Nail.” Her first two novels, Shades of Milk and Honey and Glamour in Glass, began the Glamourist Histories, which Without a Summer continues. She served two terms as the vice president of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. A professional puppeteer and voice actor, she lives in Chicago with her husband, Rob, and more than a dozen manual typewriters.
www.maryrobinettekowal.com
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
WITHOUT A SUMMER
Copyright © 2013 by Mary Robinette Kowal
Reading Group Guide copyright © 2013 by Tor Books
All rights reserved.
Edited by Liz Gorinsky
Cover art by Larry Rostant
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
ISBN 978-0-7653-3415-2 (hardcover)
ISBN 9781466808386 (e-book)
First Edition: April 2013
Without a Summer Page 28
