ive been reading northhanger abby, and have a few questions. first off, whats a pump-house? ive gathered its a meeting place for the rich and snobby, but besides that, what is it? second, mr. thorpe keeps saying d--- (rest of sentence, like d--- me if I do.) what is edited out? and lastly, jane austen has this sentence : 'the advantages of natural folly in a beautiful girl have been already set forth by the capital pen of a sister author' who is she talking about here?
thanks (now back to my book) ++++++++++++ 05-02-03, 03:30 AM stanbee Austen refers to Fanny Burney's, "Camilla and the Wanderer".
Bath, England, famous for its indoor sea water baths and ocean bathing. Healthful somewhat daring vacations for the rich, the fashionable, the recuperating, in an age constrained by etiquette and modesty. Interesting, a woman who wished to bathe in the ocean was taken to the water privately in a "bathing machine": a carriage like contraption that let her out directly in the water for the sake of modesty and good manners. Special costumes that covered most everything were worn. Aristocratic women prized pale complexion, avoided the Sun.
The pump room was where curative sea water was pumped indoors for genteel baths. Yes, ameeting place for the socially acceptable.
Even mild oaths were not spelled out, for propriety's sake.
[This message was edited by stanbee on 05-02-03 at 03:43 AM.]
05-02-03, 03:47 AM VivienneHa Hi Mattlynda, Hope you are enjoying Northanger Abbey,It's rather different to her other novels,it is said to be darker and more 'Gothic' but the reason is that it is a parody of Gothic novels that were so popular at the time. A "pump room" or "pump house" was specifically the place in a Spa Town (such as Bath,Tunbridge Wells Leamington Spa) were the mineral waters were drawn and drunk,and yes it was a meeting place where the 'society' gathered. The d---, was "damn", a mild expletive that was obviously considered too risque for nice young ladies to read in full! The Author that Austen refers to is Fanny Burney and her novel "Camilla".Although "novels" were often frowned upon by the literati of the day,rather like today's blockbusters, Austen was a great novel reader and was particularly fond of Burney's works,in fact the title of "Pride and Prejudice" came from a chapter title of Burney's own novel "Cecilia".
05-02-03, 04:28 AM VivienneHa Stanbee,you beat me to it! Sorry to have repeated some of your answers. Just one point,the waters at Bath were and still are natural hot spring waters,Bath is not actually on the sea, during the Regency time the water there was more likely to be drunk than bathed in. You can still visit the Bath Pump Rooms and try the water (take it from me,it's disgusting!) Although Austen does mention a bathing machine in her last novel "Sanditon", seabathing and bathing machines did not become popular until the early Victorian period.
[This message was edited by VivienneHa on 05-02-03 at 04:42 AM.]
05-02-03, 05:03 PM mattlynda thanks very much to the both of you.
and yes, i am enjoying the novel very much. along with 'lady susan' it is the only austen novel i havent read yet. i think it will be my favorite.
those seabathing machines are great. i remember seeing a picture on one when i was a kid and sondering what type of dumb people would use them.
apparantly in the movie version of persuasion (which i havent yet seen) a pump house is shown. i might have to go rent it now.
05-02-03, 06:03 PM VivienneHa If you mean Roger Michell's film of Persuasion,then I recommend it wholeheartedly,it's one of my favourite adaptations of a Jane Austen novel.Amanda Root is a great Anne Elliot and the gorgeous Ciaran Hinds is just how you would want Captain Wentworth to be.It is filmed almost entirely on location in Bath and Lyme Regis,places I am lucky to live not too far from.
05-05-03, 07:28 AM stanbee VivienneHa
Thanks for the nice way you righted my rusty remembrance of something studied long ago. Geography was not my strength.
"Tristram Shandy" is my favorite.
Once attended a lecture where a noteworthy (but now forgotten lecturer) presented "Peregrine Pickle", alliterating on "P" for for almost an hour until he moved to another work. La.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,
