The Annotated Northanger Abbey
Page 34
17. These are types of decorated muslin. The plainness of muslin made it suitable for embroidering designs and decorations onto it, which would then become the distinguishing features of the garment. Thus one of these muslin gowns is embellished with spots (“spots” could mean a wide variety of small figures). The other showcases embroidery done on a tambour frame, a round frame on which a piece of cloth would be tightly stretched, thereby allowing the embroiderer, who would pass a needle back and forth through the cloth, to work easily and quickly (for a picture of a woman at an embroidery frame, see this illustration). Tambouring had become very popular during the late eighteenth century, and could be used to create various designs (including spots, though presumably that is not the motif here).
18. She lacks the time to purchase a new gown for the following evening because a purchase required first procuring the material and then having it made to order.
19. insensibility: indifference, apathy.
20. Spotted or sprigged muslin, both already mentioned, refer to the decoration on the muslin, while jackonet (or jaconet) and mull are both particular types of muslin cloth, the first coarse and the second plain and thin.
21. fine: fashionably or ornately dressed.
22. impropriety: lack of correctness (with regard to fashion or the rules of dress).
A woman at an embroidery frame.
[From Max von Boehn, Modes & Manners of the Nineteenth Century, Vol. I (London, 1909), p. 70]
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23. A cotillion ball, also called an undressed ball (the term used on this page), began with two cotillions. The cotillion was a dance imported from France that became popular in the late eighteenth century. It was a square dance, for four couples originally, though by the end of the century two couples were becoming more common. In contrast, country dances involved two long rows of dancers.
24. keep us in countenance: help maintain our composure. Isabella had earlier expressed anxiety about the possible impropriety of dancing consecutively with the same partner (this page), though since she willingly did so at that time, it is likely that her professed anxieties are mainly for show.
25. A fan was a basic accessory for a lady in this period, especially at a formal occasion such as a ball; it would also have practical uses there because the crowds at evening entertainments could make rooms very hot, afflicting particularly those who were dancing. Fans could also be used as aids to flirtation or to signal a variety of meanings through the way they were held or moved—though Catherine is far too unsophisticated to employ hers in such ways. Many fans featured elaborate decoration or hand-painted scenes that would add to their appeal.
26. That is, a place opposite each other in the set.
A fan of the time.
[From Alice Morse Earle, Two Centuries of Costume in America (New York, 1903), p. 496]
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27. Thorpe is referring to a horse used for pulling a carriage.
28. A hunter is a horse suitable for hunting; that is what he means by whether the horse in question would do for the field, since hunters had to race across fields in pursuit of their prey.
29. back’d: ridden, mounted. The abbreviation of the word through an apostrophe signifies the casual, colloquial manner of Thorpe’s speech.
30. Hunters were especially valuable horses, and could cost hundreds of pounds, though eight hundred guineas (or 840 pounds) was unusual. Thorpe is probably exaggerating in his typical boastful way. Many men dedicated to the hunt would own three or more horses. Riding hard for many hours would exhaust horses, so those who wished to hunt on consecutive days needed to rotate them. Some men would take two or three horses out with them each day so they could switch during the hunt to ones that were less tired (due to their being ridden until that point by lightweight servants).
31. Leicestershire is a county in the center of England (see this map). During the late eighteenth century it had emerged as the nation’s premier hunting county, thanks to the enclosure of most of its lands to create pasture (for enclosure, see note 44). By Austen’s time, Leicestershire offered an almost continual expanse of grass ideal for riding across, punctuated by hedges between fields that provided a series of exciting jumping obstacles.
32. He means he and his friend plan to rent a house in anticipation of the next hunting season. The prime season was late fall through early winter, though some hunters would extend that in either direction. Many enthusiasts for the sport ventured to Leicestershire during the season to participate in the enormous hunts held there; because of this, good lodgings could be hard to find.
Fox hunting.
[From Ralph Nevill, Old Sporting Prints (London, 1908)]
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33. The crowded condition of the Upper Rooms’ ballroom and the pressure it could exert on those in it were described during Catherine’s first appearance there. It is also why she and Henry Tilney are mentioned above as having “worked themselves into” their place.
34. put me out of patience: provoked me beyond my patience or endurance.
35. The idea of a contract, like that of rights (mentioned in the next sentence), had become standard in the political rhetoric of the time—a product of the wide influence of political theories, such as those inspiring the American and French Revolutions, that saw government as a social contract formed to guarantee rights.
36. complaisance: agreeableness, compliance; concern or wish to please.
Selling a horse.
[From William Combe, The Tour of Doctor Syntax in Search of the Picturesque (London, 1817; 1903 reprint), p. 134]
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37. Married couples could effectively never part because of the near-impossibility of divorce at this time.
38. Country dances must occur in a long room because they involve two lines of people facing each other; for more, see note 44.
39. For a discussion of fans, which a woman could use to cool her partner as well as herself, see note 25. Lavender water was a liquid distilled from lavender flowers; it was both a perfume and a medicine, and was often used to calm or revive people, either by applying it to their face or having them drink it. In Sense and Sensibility the heroine has lavender water with her at a ball and uses it to assist her sister, who has almost fainted from distress.
Dancing at Bath.
[From Joseph Grego, Rowlandson the Caricaturist, Vol. I (London, 1880), p. 343]
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40. Catherine’s failure to catch Henry’s satire results both from her persistent matter-of-fact perspective, which also led her to respond so literally to his humorous analogy of marriage and dancing, and from her previous lack of exposure to Bath and the affectations of its visitors.
A man in evening dress.
[From Elisabeth McClellan, Historic Dress in America, 1800–1870 (Philadelphia, 1910), p. 139]
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41. Catherine’s willingness to admit this marks her honesty, for social opinion and written commentaries of this period urged ladies to fill their ample leisure time with useful activities, even if that only meant decorative craft projects. Thus Henry has asserted (whether out of belief or politeness) that Catherine spends her time rationally when not on vacation, and most women in reply would agree to such a proposition, whatever its veracity.
42. The Allens seem to be the only other genteel family in Catherine’s village, and thus the only family appropriate for her to visit socially.
43. gone by: in the past, of earlier times.
44. In a country dance, the couple at the top of the two facing lines performs a series of steps while moving through the space between the lines to wind up at the bottom. After this everyone moves up a place; then, often after some steps are performed by all in their existing places, the next couple at the top works their way down. The substantial periods of waiting allowed people to talk, as Henry and Catherine have been doing, but once it was their turn to move dow
n the middle of the lines, they had to desist. These periods of waiting are also what enabled people to dance continuously, often for many hours over the course of a ball, without exhaustion.
45. aspect: appearance, expression.
46. “Bloom” is frequently used in Austen’s novels, mostly for women, to refer to the prime of a person’s beauty; some writers of the time drew a direct analogy with the bloom of a flower, or the blossoming of nature in spring.
The outline of a dance, performed with two facing lines of dancers.
[From Thomas Wilson, Analysis of Country Dancing (London, 1808), p. 110]
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47. It would be improper for an unmarried young woman, especially one as young as Catherine, to venture far on her own. In the absence of companions interested in a walk through the scenic areas surrounding Bath, she has been unable to take one.
48. Their calling at twelve does not contradict their suggestion that they go “some morning,” for at this time morning referred to most of the day.
49. The chair is a sedan chair conveying her home (see note 51).
A sedan chair.
[From E. Beresford Chancellor, The XVIIIth Century in London (New York, 1921), p. 47]
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VOLUME I, CHAPTER XI
1. augured: anticipated, projected.
2. The barometer had been invented in the middle of the seventeenth century as part of scientific investigations into the weight and pressure of air, and by the end of the century commercial barometers had appeared, allowing ordinary people to use atmospheric pressure to predict the weather. Barometers were the only reliable means available for such a purpose, aside from studying the skies. The eighteenth century saw the manufacture of barometers gradually increase, along with demand. At the time of this novel, the instruments could be found in both affluent and middle-class homes.
3. hold up: clear up, cease raining.
4. dirty . . . dirt: muddy . . . mud.
5. Umbrellas, as protection against the rain, had first appeared in the early eighteenth century; by this time they had become common accessories, especially for wealthy people.
Examples of the delicate gowns and shoes worn at the time, even for outdoor activities (they are playing a game called Puss in the Corner).
[From Max von Boehn, Modes & Manners of the Nineteenth Century, Vol. I (London, 1909), p. 103]
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6. A greatcoat was a large, loose coat men’s coat that reached below the knees. Mr. Allen may dislike it because of its heaviness or because of the awkwardness caused by its length.
7. The Mysteries of Udolpho teems with detailed and evocative descriptions of beautiful scenery—often enhanced by suitable weather—in Tuscany and the south of France, through whose picturesque mountain landscapes the heroine travels. It is while going through one of these that the heroine’s father dies, though Catherine has mistaken his name, which is St. Aubert, as well as the time of the beautiful weather, which was the night before he died. She has almost made another mistake in alluding to the weather at Udolpho—for good weather is not described there—before correcting herself.
8. Mrs. Allen’s not going to the Pump Room reflects not only her own fastidiousness about her clothes but also the reluctance of most ladies to venture out in rough weather—the same reason that Miss Tilney alone, rather than both she and Henry, is hypothesized to be deterred by the rain. In addition to the presumed greater physical delicacy of women, ladies’ avoidance of rain was due to the delicate nature of women’s gowns and shoes. The latter were thin, light slippers that barely extended above the ground (for a picture, see this illustration). Just after this era, and therefore too late for these characters, a so-called half boot that reached as high as the ankles and consisted of sturdier material began to come into fashion for outdoor use; the heroine of Emma, which appeared ten years after this novel was finished, wears such boots at one point.
9. Bristol is a city approximately fifteen miles from Bath; it was one of the leading ports in England at the time. For more on the locations of Bristol and the other places mentioned below, see this map.
10. By setting out late they guarantee they will have to return in the dark—since it is February, the days are fairly short—but if the moon is out they will still have adequate illumination. People paid careful attention to the state of the moon, for it was usually the only significant source of light at night; evening activities were often scheduled according to its phases. The exceptions were in a few densely populated towns, including Bath, that had installed street lighting (Bath had oil lamps) and that also benefited from the light from buildings and carriages. Thus Isabella may not be speaking from any actual observation of the moon; Austen explicitly states, regarding a drive that occurs three days later, that “the moon was not up.” Without a strong moon a carriage’s lamps could still allow it to proceed, but it would not be as easy for the driver, and the passengers would not have the enjoyment of seeing any of the nearby scenery.
11. Clifton was a spa resort town immediately next to Bristol (by now it has been absorbed into the city).
12. Dinner was normally eaten around four o’clock, so there would be some time after it for touring, though not much before dark at this time of year.
13. Kings Weston House is a grand country house several miles northeast of Bristol; its grounds were noted for their striking views. The owners of such homes often allowed visitors onto their grounds, and even sometimes into the house. But it would make little sense to go near nightfall to a place whose main attraction was its views.
14. The proposed excursion would be a thirty-five- to forty-mile round trip, which would take them approximately five hours; since it is now half past twelve, they would have little time for eating and touring.
15. croaking: dismal, gloomy.
16. The mention of a castle excites Catherine because old castles figure so prominently in The Mysteries of Udolpho and other popular Gothic novels of the time. The irony is that Blaise Castle, which is near Bristol and still stands, is the exact opposite of what she expects and Thorpe promises. Rather than being the oldest in the kingdom—Britain contains castles going back to the early Middle Ages—it was built in 1766, only a few decades before this novel, by a Bristol merchant who wanted an imitation medieval structure on his property. Such imitation structures, often called follies, were a popular landscaping feature at the time, and many were in medieval style, due to the same trends that encouraged Gothic novels. Blaise Castle was built on the top of a hill with many impressive views surrounding it; the original owner used it as a summer house.
17. Towers and long galleries are typical features of older castles. In fact, Blaise Castle is quite small. It has two floors, with each floor containing only one large room, or two or three smaller ones; the upper floor was originally a single large drawing room. It does have three towers, but they simply underline the artificiality of the whole construct, for the towers, which in a real medieval castle are scattered at certain key points for defense, take up almost as much space as the central area. While the towers serve no practical purpose, they do furnish an opportunity for ample medieval embellishment, with each tower featuring a castellated roof, a Gothic window, and crosses embedded in the walls.
18. Broad Street is a main north–south street, adjacent to Edgar’s Buildings where the Thorpes live, and on the way to Catherine’s lodging on Pulteney Street (see this map).
19. chesnuts: chestnut horses; the usage was colloquial. A phaeton is an open carriage that has four wheels (curricles and gigs have two).
20. Lansdown Road is an extension of Broad Street, which is why Thorpe would have seen them continuing on it as he turned onto Broad. Lansdown Road leads to Lansdown Hill, a popular destination for outings that Thorpe earlier mentioned as a place he could take Catherine (this page), as well as to other points north. See this map.
Kings Weston.
[F
rom J. Alfred Gotch, The English Home from Charles I to George IV (New York, 1918), p. 15]
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21. “Cattle” was often applied colloquially to persons or other animals at the time, and Thorpe could be referring either to the horses the man (supposedly Mr. Tilney) was driving or to the accompanying “smart-looking girl,” or perhaps to both. A slang dictionary of the time identifies “sad cattle” as a term for whores, which would suggest that some men might use “cattle” to refer to women, especially when thinking of them in a sexual sense.
22. hallooing: shouting to attract attention.
23. Wick Rocks, which would be reached eventually by continuing on Lansdown Road, was a spot near Bath known for its beauty. A guide to local sights from 1801 describes it: “The little village of Wick [is] picturesque in appearance, and remarkable for the romantic valley in its neighbourhood, a deep rugged glen, about three quarters of a mile in length. . . . The geology of Wick rocks [the name of the glen] affords as much curiosity to the naturalist, as the beauty of the scene offers gratification to the man of taste. In the most lofty part they rise to the height of two hundred feet or upwards. . . .” (Richard Warner, Excursions from Bath).
Pulteney Bridge. It connects the area including Pulteney Street with the main part of Bath; Catherine and John Thorpe are about to traverse it.