December 2024 at the Academe
A Quick Look at the Academe classes coming up next month.
Amusements
Articles about Regency amusements
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A Fashionable Rout
In my last post I talked about the riddles that appeared in Jane Austen’s Emma. Another form of entertainment that was popular in Georgian England and also features in Emma is a rout-party, or rout. Routs were informal social gatherings hosted by the well-to-do in their homes. There were many types of routs –
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Fun with Words: Riddles, Rebuses and Jane Austen
Jane Austen must have had fun writing her fourth published novel, Emma. In addition to sparkling dialogue, funny situations, and comic misunderstandings, she included a couple of riddles. If you have the book handy, these riddles (also referred to as charades) appear in Chapter IX of Volume I. Here’s how the riddles appear: Emma is attempting…
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Wits, Quips and Snappy Repartée
Earlier this week I posted about Beau Brummel’s famous snub of the Prince Regent, a witty remark which ultimately resulted in Brummel’s downfall. In my research I came across some other zingers that had less tragic consequences. Although these comments may have stopped conversation, they didn’t ruin anyone’s life. The following stories, some of which…
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Grown Ladies and Gentlemen Taught to Dance
Since properly brought up young ladies and gentlemen learned to dance before they were old enough to be out socially, one assumes this piece satirizes the rising middle class and their pretensions. Notice that “taught to dance” is italicized and followed by exclamation points. The people to the left appear to be learning posture tortuously…
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Off to the Races! The Royal Ascot
June is a busy month in the UK’s royal calendar. In addition to the King’s Birthday Parade (also known as Trooping the Colour), on the second Saturday of June there’s the Royal Ascot – arguably the most famous horse race in the world. The Royal Ascot races, held every year, span five days in the…
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Trooping the Colour
This month on the second Saturday in June, a curious and uniquely British ceremony took place, as it does every year. Trooping the Colour is a centuries-old tradition full of pomp and pageantry, where anything can, and sometimes does, happen.
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Georgian Cartoon for April
Cartoons give us a glimpse into politics, society, and manners. Sometimes they are an eye on fashion as well. Here’s the first of what I hope will be a monthly feature.
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Here We Go…Wasailling!
The origins of caroling date far back in time, with the word ‘carol’ dating back to the Old French and the 1300s, meaning a ‘joyful song’ or to ‘dance in a ring accompanied by singers’. In ancient times, celebrations often included song and dancer, with May carols and harvest carols existing, and perhaps others we…
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