Comments | sartorias: Agnes Porter 1750-1814

sartorias

Agnes Porter 1750-1814

Apr 30, 2006 08:34

A Governess in the Age of Jane Austen, which is the diary and letters of Agnes Porter, a governess to the children of some of the Fox Strangway connections. She was extremely duty-oriented, but had a sense of humor. I marked a bunch of passages that illustrate life as it was then.
( Read more... )

nineteenth century, eighteenth century, books, quotes

Comments 20

marith April 30 2006, 17:25:25 UTC

Not merely interesting but fascinating - thank you! I hope the book isn't too uncommon, because there may be a lot of us hunting it through ILL now.

jennifergale April 30 2006, 17:46:55 UTC

Those are excellent snippets! The Mr. Stevens bit made me snort my orange juice. Wings and tail indeed.

goliard April 30 2006, 17:57:41 UTC

Perhaps after my departure he might hear something said to my advantage. - I think this usage simply reflects the fact that, whereas for us "might" and "may" have become almost interchangeable, back then the former was still quite clearly the past tense of the latter.
Fascinating snippets. Where was she taking the mail from, though, if her questioner thought she might as easily be bound for London as Bristol?

madrobins April 30 2006, 19:01:40 UTC

What wonderful stuff! Thank you for sharing. Where did you find the book; it's one I'd love to read sometime when I'm not up to my ears in Other Research.

sartorias April 30 2006, 19:52:19 UTC

I picked it up at some academic shindig or other--I forget when! It's one of the ones you can read comfortably despite constant interruption, as are most diaries and letters.

movingfinger April 30 2006, 21:39:28 UTC

Splendid. Thank you. Nice to have something to compare to Miss Weeton.

sartorias April 30 2006, 22:00:45 UTC

My favorite diaries from this period are the Wynne sisters. I wish someone would publish ALL their stuff instead of editing most out. They begin as girls living in France before the Revolution, and one of them keeps her diary clear up into the middle Victorian era, and you see changes in attitude and language through the minutae of their lives.

maryosmanski May 1 2006, 01:39:04 UTC

That sounds at least as interesting as the governess snippets you posted here.

sartorias May 1 2006, 01:55:02 UTC

They are fabulous. I will probably be rereading them again in summer and will post more (I have in the past) then.