Comments | avengangle: Jane Austen FTW.

avengangle

Jane Austen FTW.

Feb 17, 2010 13:33

In Property class today, we were talking about fee tails, commonly (at least if you're a Regency nerd) known as entails. (Also, the word 'entail' was referenced in the book.) The teacher was attempting to connect this to something we knew, so she said, "Okay, in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, what sort of fee tail did the father have ( Read more... )

stephanie reads books, stephanie is a baby lawyer

Comments 12

meleth February 17 2010, 19:50:33 UTC

I swear, a passing familiarity with Jane Austen comes in handy so often. Also, Northanger Abby was on Masterpiece on Sunday, and now I have to read it to see what exactly was obviously left out.

avengangle February 17 2010, 20:18:37 UTC

I did not watch it, although I wanted to. I like the book quite a bit; it's hilarious.

meleth February 17 2010, 19:52:34 UTC

Also, "fee tail male" is hilarious.

avengangle February 17 2010, 20:13:10 UTC

Fee tail female is funnier to say, but not quite (perhaps) as funny conceptually.

a_falling_sky February 20 2010, 18:21:05 UTC

I find them both amusing as things to say

meleth February 17 2010, 20:06:05 UTC

Further: inheritance and entail laws are pretty much at the heart of everything Jane Austen wrote ever.

avengangle February 17 2010, 20:14:56 UTC

Trufax. But you can read all the books and not really give a rat's ass about 'em.

meleth February 17 2010, 20:21:12 UTC

But then if you remember them, property law becomes much easier to understand.

avengangle February 17 2010, 21:56:44 UTC

Clearly. If anyone asks me for law school advice, I shall recommend Jane Austen.

anthrokeight February 18 2010, 18:11:53 UTC

How does that whole "oldest son inherits largest portion of estate" part work in an entail male? I was reading a Lord Peter Wimsey short story last week, where there were only sons. And the largest part of the property went to the oldest, with the second and third sons getting a much smaller portion.

Insight?

avengangle February 18 2010, 18:31:50 UTC

That's probably a situation where 1.) there isn't an entail, or 2.) only the largest part of the estate is entailed and the smaller parts are free to go to whomever.

Because with an entail, you can't divide the estate. (As far as I know. I may have missed something.)

sammee42 February 19 2010, 04:14:07 UTC

Astonishing that your other classmates couldn't answer the question, but I am glad that Jane Austen love can get people somwhere in life :)