Jane’s Piano

“The small pianoforte has been removed within these few days, at Lady Susan's request, into her dressing-room, and Frederica spends great part of the day there, practising as it is called” (XVII).

Pianoforte is the full name for the musical instrument known today as a piano.  Pianos of a fine musical quality were, and still are, costly instruments, making their presence in homes rare.  Mostly the upper classes were able to afford to purchase pianos for their homes, so the Vernon’s possession of a piano displays their wealth.  Austen uses the pianoforte to symbolize the wealth and formalities common to the upper class.  As a child, Austen learned to play the piano, but her piano was sold upon moving to Bath.  When she was able to, Austen purchased her own piano and continued her studies.  The skill of playing the piano is one that Austen gave to many of her characters, including Frederica in Lady Susan.

Works Cited:  Coulson, Margaret. "Soft and Loud ~ Jane Austen and the pianoforte." Jane Austen Society of Australia. 25 June 2005. 23 Mar. 2009 <http://www.jasa.net.au/l&t/piano.htm>.

Photo Credit:  http://www.jasa.net.au/l&t/piano.htm

Fashioning Pelisses

“At length Lady Susan, weary, I believe, of her situation, proposed walking; and we left the two gentlemen together, to put on our pelisses” (XX).

Pelisses are three-quarter length coats, sometimes with capes attached, that were popular in France in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  The fashion, like many others, expanded to England due to its popularity.  Many pelisses were extravagant articles of clothing, trimmed with fur or satin.  First designed for outdoor wear, the pelisse lost it’s desirability to be worn outside but remained in fashion for wearing indoors.  Austen uses the pelisse, an expensive, fashionable article of clothing, to symbolize  the high class nature, style, and manner that Lady Susan possesses.

Works Cited:  Thomas, Pauline W. "Pelisse, Paletot and Pardessus Fashion History." Fashion History Costume Trends and Eras, Trends Victorians - Haute Couture. 25 Mar. 2009 http://www.fashion-era.com/Coats_history/pelisse_history_1.htm.

Image Credit:  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/MORNING_DRESS_Pelisse_robe_of_striped_silk.jpg

Simpleton Nature

“Artlessness will never do in love matters; and that girl is born a simpleton who has it either by nature or affectation” (XIX).

A simpleton is someone who lacks common sense, someone who is considered a fool.  Austen shows that Lady Susan has a negative attitude toward people she considers to be simpletons, even people related to her, like her own daughter.  Lady Susan is very rigid in her ways and Austen shows her stubbornness in this letter from Lady Susan to her friend Mrs. Johnson.  The word simpleton has slowly worked its way out of use in the English language, and other words, with negative connotations, have replaced it.  Austen’s diction in her writing changes based on each character as a way of characterizing each of them.

Works Cited:  "simpleton." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. Merriam-Webster Online. 25 March 2009 <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simpleton>

Frederica

“I do not know how to apologize enough for this letter; I know it is taking so great a liberty” (XXI).

Frederica, Lady Susan’s daughter and near-rival, displays her guilt for writing a pleading letter to Sir Reginald de Courcy asking for his assistance in dealing with her mother.   In her mother’s eyes, Frederica is a wretched, worthless child who does not deserve to be related to her, but this letter to De Courcy shows a part of Frederica that Lady Susan either refuses to acknowledge or is not aware of.  Austen uses Frederica’s interactions with both De Courcy and Lady Susan to characterize Frederica more completely.  Austen’s methods for giving her characters their defining qualities are unconventional because of the style and format that Lady Susan is written in.

King Solomon

“They could none of them help perceiving that Sir James was no Solomon; but I had positively forbidden Frederica complaining to Charles Vernon or his wife, and they had therefore no pretence for interference; though my impertinent sister, I believe, wanted only opportunity for doing so” (XXII).

The biblical King Solomon, known for his extreme wealth and wisdom, became ruler in approximately 967 B.C.E. and ruled for 40 years.  Lady Susan compares Sir James to Solomon, saying that the two are not alike because Sir James is neither wealthy, nor wise.  To be compared to someone with a stature like King Solomon’s is usually a compliment, but in Sir James’ case, it is an insult.  Austen chose King Solomon because at the time she wrote Lady Susan, the stories found in the Bible were better known and her readers understood her allusions. 

Works Cited:  Schoenberg, Shira. "Solomon." Jewish Virtual Library - Homepage. 25 Mar. 2009 http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Solomon.html.

Women’s Wishes

“I have still another motive for your coming: Mr. Johnson leaves London next Tuesday; he is going for his health to Bath, where, if the waters are favourable to his constitution and my wishes, he will be laid up with the gout many weeks” (XXVI).

Austen shows that the men had the dominant role, if Lady Susan could not visit Mrs. Johnson until Mr. Johnson was not in the house.  Women were not allowed the same privileges as men and were often forced to be inferior.  Austen incorporates a lot of the social concepts, ideas, and struggles of the time period, like the possessive nature of men and the struggles between different classes.  Because she only writes what she knows, Austen is able to show how life truly was without making it feel fictitious.

Gout

“He had heard, I imagine, by some means or other, that you were soon to be in London, and immediately contrived to have such an attack of the gout as must at least delay his journey to Bath, if not wholly prevent it” (XXVIII).

Gout is a disease that typically affects only men, but can affect women, too.  The major symptom of gout is a painful swelling in the joints of the extremities. Caused by high levels of uric acid, gout is more common among the affluent societies who had easier access to diets that provided extreme amounts of uric acid.  Austen incorporates a high society disease into her novel to show that the affluent tend to overindulge themselves.

Works Cited:  "Gout: Definition from Answers.com." Answers.com - Online Dictionary, Encyclopedia and much more. 25 Mar. 2009 <http://www.answers.com/gout>.