Turning tragedy into timeless romance.
Jane Austen left more than six novels. She left two unfinished works, juvenilia, and letters to family and friends. It’s from these sources that we get little Austenian nuggets of wisdom, wit, romance, and hope for future generations. Here’s a few for your reading pleasure.
The Ladies of Llangollen, Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, were two women that scandalized English society with their unconventional living arrangements. However, they made a number of friends and entertained several interesting guests, including Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Anna Seward, Sir Walter Scott, and even the Duke of Wellington.
Anne Lister was an English landowner and prolific diarist. Her diaries led to revelations that dubbed her the "first modern lesbian." She led numerous romantic relationships with women and married Ann Walker in what is regarded as Britain's first known lesbian wedding.
In July 1806, when Humphrey Hogarth was accused of cheating Henry Barry, the 8th Earl of Barrymore, at cards, he accepted the earl's challenge at a duel to defend his honor. When he showed up, cocked and loaded, he gave the gathering crowd quite an eyeful. Read on for more!
Beau Brummell was the leading fashion icon of his day. So much so, his influence on men’s fashion has trickled down into the modern day suit and tie. Despite being at the forefront of English dandies, Brummell also possessed a witty mind. Ranging from witticisms, advice, and biting sarcasm, for your reading pleasure, here are 9 quotes from Beau Brummell.
While women weren't officially allowed to fully serve in England’s Royal Navy until 1993, there are reports of women dressing as men long before. These women worked alongside male sailors for months, years, and sometimes lifetimes without revealing their gender to their shipmates. Some recognizable women who worked as sailors under these conditions were Anne Jane Thornton (1817-1877) and Mary Lacy (1740-1795). While it’s unclear exactly how many women dressed as men to go venturing on the high seas, some sources say that the first woman of African descent to serve for the Royal Navy was Miss William Brown, birth name unknown.
Mary Prince was born into slavery in Bermuda. After passing through several slaveowners in the Caribbean, she was taken to England, where she shortly after left her master. She became an abolitionist and autobiographer, her written account being one of the few from women of African descent in the British colonies when slavery was legal.
Ignatius Sancho was an abolitionist, author, composer, and the first Black Breton to cast his vote. Read on for more of his interesting history.
Lord Byron is considered one of the greatest English poets. He established his popularity and legacy with long narrative works like Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. Several of his shorter more melodic poems also remain loved, such as “She Walks in Beauty,” “My Soul is Dark,” and “The Eve of Waterloo.” Considering his genius and wildly interesting life, it’s no wonder he’s left behind so many witticisms and profound quotes. Here is a selected forty for your pleasure. Read on for 40 quotes from Lord Byron.