by Jane Austen
63. wainscot: the wooden paneling or covering on the wall.
64. Brown velvet and blue satin were fashionable materials in earlier times. Jane Austen could have seen many examples of such attire from the generations of family portraits usually hanging in country houses (see also note 13).
65. In a letter Jane alludes to such changes when she writes, “Like other young Ladies she is considerably genteeler than her Parents” (Sept. 14, 1804).
66. Young ladies at the time were praised for their accomplishments, and teaching these was the primary business of girls’ boarding schools; Exeter, a large town near Somerset, would be a natural place for Henrietta and Louisa to attend one of these schools. These accomplishments could include music, dancing (which was taught as a skill), drawing, various decorative crafts including embroidery, and a polished and elegant manner of speaking and comporting oneself. Foreign languages, especially French and Italian, were also frequently taught. This teaching, and the influence of other girls at the school, some of them perhaps from wealthier and more distinguished families, is probably the main reason for their more up-to-date and elegant manners.
67. fashionable: in accord with the behavior and style of upper-class society. It also had a connotation of “fashionable” in the current sense.
68. abroad: outside the family.
69. “Elegant and cultivated mind” would refer to her more refined taste, and to her greater knowledge and education, especially from her reading. Anne will later be given particular reason to treasure this superiority, over the lively and fun spirits of the Miss Musgroves, from the effect it has on someone (see this page).
70. Mary’s invitation directly contradicts her statement on this page that she and Anne should, after seeing the Musgroves, set out on their own walk.
A wagon, the main vehicle for transporting goods on land. Many would be this large and have this many horses pulling them.
[From John Ashton, The Dawn of the XIXth Century in England (London, 1906), p. 184]
Queen Square, Bath (contemporary drawing).
[From Mowbray Aston Green, The Eighteenth Century Architecture of Bath (Bath, 1904), p. 65]
VOLUME I, CHAPTER VI
1. wanted: needed.
2. publicity: notoriety, part of general knowledge.
3. It is significant that Anne takes note of this lesson and resolves to put it to good use. The principal characters in Jane Austen are distinguished by their ability and willingness to learn from their experience, including their own mistakes, and to improve their characters. In contrast, the other characters, whether good or bad, generally make no effort to learn or improve.
4. Queen-squares: Queen Square was one of the most prominent venues in Bath (see map, and picture). It was built in the 1730s, and its grand houses were initially inhabited by wealthy and prominent people. But as Bath expanded northward and eastward, these newer areas, farther from the poorer old sections of the city and, in some cases, with even grander architecture, became the most fashionable and sought-after places to live. The Miss Musgroves are attuned to this new reality, while they may fear, or know from past discussions, that their parents, judging by an earlier time, overrate the current desirability of the square.
When Jane Austen visited Bath with her family for six weeks in 1799, they resided in Queen Square. The possible conflict of Louisa and Henrietta with their parents has an echo in Jane Austen’s own experience, for later, when the family was living in Bath and needed to change residences, she worries that they will not choose the location she favors, one next to excellent gardens for walking, because her mother “hankers after the Square dreadfully, & it is but natural to suppose that my Uncle will take her part” (Jan. 22, 1801).
5. Guarding game was critical for allowing its destruction. England’s density of population and agricultural cultivation meant there was far too little wild area to support, unaided, a sufficient population of game. Landed gentlemen undertook great efforts to encourage the reproduction of game and to guard the resulting concentrations from animal predators, poachers, and other country gentlemen. For more, see note 48.
6. Other typical masculine concerns. Riding horses was very popular, either as part of the hunt or as a recreation in its own right, and many gentlemen owned more than one; women rode also, but much less. Dogs, which could be kept as pets by either men or women, were a particular preoccupation of men because they played a central role in pursuing game; many gentlemen devoted great attention to the breeding and raising of dogs for this purpose. Finally, newspapers were a particular interest of men (and Jane Austen consistently depicts them as such). One reason was that only men could participate in politics, which formed a primary subject of newspapers; even provincial papers, such as the Musgroves would be likely to read, often devoted much of their space to reprints of national news from London papers.
7. A similar list of feminine interests and occupations. Housekeeping, which at this level of society meant mostly supervising servants’ work, was the main task of mistresses of households such as Mrs. Musgrove and Mary, and it would also interest those like the Miss Musgroves, who could expect to become mistresses. Jane Austen also shows women exhibiting a particular interest in their neighbors’ affairs—and the charitable activities they often performed involved helping poorer neighbors—and in dress; she herself often refers to both subjects in her letters. As for dancing, it was an activity enjoyed by both men and women, but it was taught to girls in school, and Jane Austen frequently depicts them as being particularly fond of it. Finally, while music could be appreciated by either sex, it was mostly performed by women: young ladies often learned to play an instrument or to sing, while men rarely received musical education.
8. commonwealth: community, body politic. The term was regularly used in political writing and discussion at this time.
9. ideas: thoughts.
10. repulsive: cold, repellent—i.e., tending to repulse someone.
11. amusement: occupation, diversion. The term did not necessarily suggest a comical or humorous state.
12. temper: emotional qualities. The term had a broader meaning then.
13. powers: abilities.
14. There is no danger of her suffering from regrets for not marrying him.
15. understanding: intelligence. This term is frequently used to refer to the mind or general intellectual attributes of a person.
16. consequence: dignity, weight.
17. elegance: refinement, taste.
18. sport: the pursuit of game. The principal types of sport were shooting (see note 29) and hunting hares or foxes with horses and dogs (only the latter was usually called hunting in the parlance of the time). Fishing, or angling, along with coursing, the pursuit of hares by greyhounds alone, were also popular activities falling under the rubric of sport. Sport was one of the leading pursuits of English gentlemen at the time and a subject of great passion and interest—one sign of this was the constant appearance of books offering detailed advice on sport. Jane Austen’s letters contain numerous references to the sporting activities of her male relatives.
19. One reason they would have a particular interest in Mr. Musgrove’s financial generosity is that they primarily depend on that for their income. The standard settlement governing landed estates gave the estate to the eldest son, but no separate sum of money, as was given to daughters and younger sons. Thus Charles, while set to inherit considerable property once his father dies, depends until then on the latter’s largesse. Mary brought a dowry of ten thousand pounds (this is the sum later specified for Anne—this page—and daughters almost always had the same dowries). But the income from that would not suffice to meet their needs, especially with children. Mr. Musgrove seems to be generous, as in his financing of their fashionable cottage, and he would wish his son and heir to live like a gentleman of means—he may have even settled informally a regular stipend on them. But, as Charles says, he has other expenses, since they are a numerous family, and Charles and Ma
ry’s situation inevitably encourages them to wonder what else Mr. Musgrove might give them.
20. Anne’s move to Uppercross has plunged her into a very different world and altered the atmosphere of the novel. She is treated with more kindness by the Musgroves than by her father and sister, and the Musgroves’ more casual manners, compared to the Elliots and to Lady Russell, encourage greater friendliness and warmth. But these manners, a reflection in part of their less aristocratic background and position, also have their drawbacks, such as this forcing of Anne to listen to confidences she would rather not hear and to take sides, in effect, in the various family quarrels the different Musgroves proceed to rehearse before her. This is something that Anne herself, or Lady Russell, would never impose upon someone else.
21. own: acknowledge.
22. With no elder sister present, Anne should now be called “Miss Elliot,” as other characters will. Mrs. Musgrove’s use of “Miss Anne,” seen elsewhere, may reflect a long-standing habit of using this when Elizabeth was present.
23. Mrs. Charles: Mary. The name distinguishes her from Mrs. Musgrove herself.
24. These two descriptions of the treatment of children suggest a certain degree of indulgence toward children. There had been a trend in the eighteenth century toward less strict child rearing, and some of this is reflected in Jane Austen. In fact, the few small children who appear in her novels tend to be depicted as rather spoiled. The principle of respect and obedience toward parents was basic in this culture, and her novels almost never show open defiance, including by adult children, but she also does not show parents enforcing this obedience with harsh discipline, much less with physical punishment, which never appears.
25. put your sister in the way of managing: get your sister to be able to manage.
26. The upper housemaid would be the highest-ranking of the housemaids, who were responsible for cleaning the house; the laundry maid washed and ironed clothes, which was a substantial chore at this time. The existence of at least two housemaids and a laundry maid (in many households housemaids also did the washing) indicates a large domestic establishment. A book of 1825, The Complete Servant, identifies incomes of 2,000 to 3,000 pounds per year as the lowest that would normally lead to employing a laundry maid (for the value of money, see note 14).
27. gadding about: wandering about idly. “Upon the gad,” used below, has the same meaning.
28. Jemima’s being in the nursery, the room for young children, indicates she is the nursery maid. Very wealthy families might have a head nurse, later called a nanny, to take charge of the children’s upbringing, but in ordinary gentry families like this the mother would undertake the main responsibility. In either case the nursery maid would assist, particularly with the more menial tasks of child rearing. Nursery maids were lower servants, which is why Mary refers to her by her first name (last names were used for upper servants).
29. Complaints about the overly fine dressing of servants, especially female servants, were common at this time. Rising prosperity, and falling prices for clothes, allowed more servants to buy the latest fashions, and many did, seeking to emulate their masters or other servants who dressed nicely—this last process is what worries Mrs. Musgrove. Those employing servants objected to this for undermining the distinctions of rank, which were partly expressed through clothing, and for leading servants into excessive spending, which in turn could lead to vice, including theft from their employers. In Mansfield Park, the heroine’s mother, Mrs. Price, became “discomposed if she saw … Rebecca [her servant] pass by with a flower in her hat.”
30. scruple: hesitation.
31. Rules of precedence dictated the order in which people would proceed when dining and at social events. This order was based on social rank and followed an elaborate set of rules. Mary, though Mrs. Musgrove’s daughter-in-law, takes precedence because she is the daughter of a baronet, whereas Mrs. Musgrove is only the wife of an untitled country gentleman. Because wife is a more important connection than daughter, a wife whose husband ranks slightly below another woman’s father can still take precedence. This is what happens with Lady Russell and Elizabeth (see note 35). But the difference between a baronet and an untitled gentleman is large enough that it overrides the difference between a wife and a daughter. These precise rankings, which were laid out in books, would be well known by everyone.
These rules were adhered to particularly on formal occasions. This passage suggests that the Musgroves do not worry about precedence when only the family, including Mary and Charles, dine together, and that Mary does not protest (whatever her possible private misgivings). Her complaint is that they continue to disregard precedence when other families are present. The words of the Miss Musgroves indicate they accept that Mary is right on the merits, but wish she cared less about these matters.
32. Since there is no strong affection or intimacy between Anne and Mary, nor activities to occupy their time, the constant intercourse with the Musgroves is a benefit, not an interference. The female activities they might pursue include household and maternal duties, as well as reading, music, drawing, or decorative activities like embroidery—Mary seems negligent of the former and is not shown engaged in the latter except for occasional references to embroidery.
33. Singing was often taught to genteel young ladies at schools.
34. Harps were, after pianos, the most popular instruments for young ladies. The harp had the advantage of making its user look elegant while playing: a number of portraits from the time show aristocratic young ladies playing a harp. In Mansfield Park the fashionable Mary Crawford plays one well, and the sounds and image formed as she plays help fix the love of the main male character for her. All this makes it ideal for the Miss Musgroves, with their fashionable tastes and the seductiveness they soon reveal. For a contemporary picture of a young woman playing a harp, see this page.
35. The suggestion is that the Musgroves have no real appreciation for what their daughters are playing and admire it purely from parental fondness. Other commentators of the time take satirical note of such parental fondness, for musical prowess was encouraged in young ladies, and those who displayed it could be sources of family pride. The Musgroves’ lack of musical taste is further shown in their reaction on this page to Anne’s playing.
36. The short period would be the courtship between her and Captain Wentworth, for he is revealed to have a great love and appreciation for music.
37. They invited visitors, but also happily welcomed unexpected ones.
38. This contrasts with the more formal balls discussed in relation to Elizabeth Elliot (see note 36), just as the above encouragement of frequent visitors differs from the more formal Elliot procedures, seen later when they are in Bath.
39. office: duty, function, position.
40. Country dances were the most popular type of dance in England at the time. They were usually longways dances, in which the couples lined up one after the other, with men and women forming two opposing rows. Two reasons for their popularity were their flexibility, since any number of couples could participate, and their sociable nature, since the dances required every couple to meet and dance with every other couple.
Jane Austen may have played a role similar to Anne’s. In a letter to her sister she anticipates their purchase of a pianoforte and declares, “I will practise country dances, that we may have some amusement for our nephews & neices [sic], when we have the pleasure of their company” (Dec. 28, 1808).
41. Country dances were lively, so someone playing them would move her fingers rapidly across the piano. That such a visible sign of Anne’s proficiency is what mainly draws the notice and praise of Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove is a further sign of their lack of musical sophistication.
42. prospects: views (from the house, or other vantage points on the property). These views could include the groves, already mentioned as part of the landscaped park surrounding Kellynch.
43. alertness: briskness, rapidity. Sailing a ship would often demand
quick action, whether in dealing with the sea, engaging in battle, or following orders.
44. It was considered an obligatory courtesy to visit new neighbors of one’s own social level. This meant going to them first, thereby offering one’s greetings.
45. Charles’s carriage, a curricle, carries only two people (see note 26). Thus Anne cannot accompany them. Her relief contrasts with her earlier wish of still residing in this area in order to “have the pleasure of sometimes seeing the lawns and groves of Kellynch” (this page). Presumably the sobering reality of their possession by others has altered her perspective.
46. Once Charles and Mary made the initial gesture, it was standard courtesy for the Crofts to return it.
47. The quality of people’s teeth is often described in Jane Austen’s novels. Oral hygiene was limited, though some people would brush their teeth; dental care mainly consisted of either pulling teeth or offering dentures or other cosmetic improvements. Sugar was also becoming an increasingly large part of people’s diets, causing even more decay to teeth.
48. manners: outward bearing or characteristics; general mode of behavior.
49. easy: unembarrassed; free from awkwardness or stiffness.
50. In these respects she shows a strong resemblance to her brother Captain Wentworth.
51. want: lack.
52. The term “electrified”—though it may seem incongruous in Austen’s world, in which no electrical devices for ordinary use existed—had been in circulation for more than fifty years, used both in reference to specific electrical phenomena and in the more metaphorical sense employed here. Electricity had been first identified in the early 1700s, and by the middle of the century it had become an object of great interest on the part of both scientists and the general public. Electrical demonstrations were popular public entertainments. In a letter Jane Austen speaks of her brother trying electricity as a health treatment (June 2, 1799).
