#wentworth woodhouse

[vox-anglosphere]

The essence of England: afternoon tea served on Royal Albert china

[royalpain16]

Wentworth Woodhouse, South Yorkshire

The largest private residence in Europe, Wentworth is twice the width of Buckingham Palace. This 18th-century mansion has recently been bought and will undergo £40m of restoration work over the next 20 years.

It was once the home of Charles I’s ill-fated administrator, Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford. Wentworth was tried and beheaded for treason in 1641. The house also hosted a visit by King George V and Queen Mary in 1912.

[wylansvanhendriks]

jane austen was right!!!!! i AM half agony half hope!!!!! if i loved you less i COULD talk about it more!!!!!!!! i WAS in the middle before i knew i had begun!!!!!!!

[bethanydelleman]

Could you rank the Austen main couples from the least to the most likely to have sex before they are married?

Least to Most Likely:

Edmund Bertram & Fanny Price: It is all very proper. They probably have sex with their clothes on after the wedding.

Fitzwilliam Darcy & Elizabeth Bennet: She would have been down, he wasn't. He later congratulates himself on his excellent self control.

Edward Ferrars & Elinor Dashwood: There were definitely smooches, but after that roller coaster of a courtship, Elinor wants things legal and in writing. Also, just because something feels good doesn't make it right, MARIANNE.

Henry Tilney & Catherine Morland: he is a gentleman, but it was really the long distance relationship that prevented them from doing anything. Was there some racy content in those letters? I'd love to know...

George Knightley & Emma Woodhouse: Donwell is right there. You can walk right over...

Charles Bingley & Jane Bennet: "Bingley, who wanted to be alone with Jane" I see your intentions, sir. I see them!

Colonel Brandon & Marianne Dashwood: "I have feelings," said she, "let's indulge them." If something feels good, that makes it moral, right? Romanticism says yes, ELINOR.

Captain Frederick Wentworth & Anne Elliot: Do not care about anything except getting married as quickly as possible. Banns take far too long when you've been waiting 8 years and Napoleon just escaped from Elba. Let's get this DONE.

BONUS:

Lucy Steele & Robert/Edward Ferrars: No way in hell with either of them. She's too cunning to give up her best card before she has the man secure.

Frank Chuchill & Jane Fairfax: Not in a million years, no matter how many times Frank makes puppy eyes.

Robert Martin & Harriet Smith: Abbey Mill farm is like, right there. You can walk over. It has a hay barn...

Related: First Kiss for each Austen Heroine Couple

Also, marriage and birth records show that premarital sex was pretty common. Or else the Regency era had magically good premature baby care 😉

[artbymyth]

And here’s my favorite three Jane Austen couples before and after!

[depressedbagpipe]

let's talk about netflix's persuasion

I do want to jump on the hate bandwagon over Netflix's newest adaptation of Persuasion, a literal masterpiece by no other than Jane Austen.

There are exactly two things that really tick me off (alright that may be a lie, there are many things I didn't like about the movie, but still, I can understand the changes to appeal to newer audiences), so I'll try to be concise:

The girl boss-ification of Anne Elliot. I get it, we all want to see a 'strong, independent, girl boss' female protagonist be in charge of her own life, but to anyone who's read the book, they know Anne Elliot is the total opposite. She's been persuaded (hence the name) her entire life to do what others wanted her to do, for them. Anne Elliot is no Emma Woodhouse or Lizzy Bennet; Anne Elliot is the introverted, kind, selfless, feminine, tormented heroine, that a lot of people in this world are. These people deserve to be the main character too without having to become the 'not-like-other-girls' girl that has ruled these past decades' media. Let Anne Elliot be Anne Elliot.

The non-existent slow burn between Anne and Captain Wentworth. These two share a past, they almost got married almost a decade ago before Anne was persuaded not to due to his lack of title and wealth. We see her regret that decision every day, even before he comes back. And when he does, there is this thick air around them constantly, because nobody but them knows about their history, and Captain Wentworth internally struggles with his own feelings (he's bitter and arrogant and has the clear intention of moving on yet he's desperately and silently still in love with Anne). Most of the novel is literally them pining after the other, with longing looks across the room and very few interactions. But it's those interactions that indicate their love for each other. Arguably, one of my favorite moments between the two is when he helps her up on the carriage: he wordlessly hoists her up and she's left thinking about that for days. It's the first public display of affection, or at least, positive recognition of each other's existence. It's the little moments, the daily-life acts of service that show the type of domestic love they crave. And it really sucks that the movie feels empty without them.

I think that's all for now. I've seen many interesting video essays about this that I can link if anybody's interested, but yeah, I just wanted to add a couple of things to the mix. Jane Austen is my absolute favorite author, and it just felt like the movie didn't do the book justice.

[lily-s-world]

Finally watched Emma (2020), and I can't avoid feeling that this movie is everything Persuasion (2022) attempted but failed to be.

[quotes-and-recs]

My ranking of Jane Austen's 6 novels before and after reading them

Before:

Pride and Prejudice I've read this many times, so I know I love it. And I think it's the general favorite among Jane Austen's readers (that, or maybe Emma) so I expect it to remain my favorite.

Sense and Sensibility Maybe it's just the title & the two main characters being sisters, but this one feels a lot like Pride and Prejudice to me, so I think I'll like it a lot.

Persuasion I really like the premise of the novel, and honestly, that's all I've got to say about that one.

Emma I think this one is the second most popular, so I expect to like it, but also I don't generally like characters like Emma (or characters that I presume Emma to be like) so we'll see.

Mansfield Park I'm actually most of the way through this one (whoops) so this is probably where it'll be after I've read them all, but we'll see. I like it, but it's not quite as dramatic or romantic as I imagined it would be.

Northanger Abbey Kind of like with Emma, I just don't expect to like Catherine Morland. I'm already shuddering with second hand embarrassment for her. I expect my opinion will change once I've actually read the book, though.

After under the cut

After:

Pride and Prejudice I love all of the characters in this and I really love all of the settings, too. I feel the most transported when I read this one.

Persuasion This one felt the most gentle to me. The most anxiety I had was when Louisa had her accident. It was a smooth read and I really love Captain Wentworth and Anne. (I also love how the Musgroves love Anne more than Mary.)

Mansfield Park I liked Fanny more than I thought I would, I really liked Susan, and I enjoyed hating Mrs. Norris. When I finished this, I liked it, but I didn't really have any strong feelings about it. Now that I've let it marinate in my brain, though, I like it more and more every day

Northanger Abbey I adore Henry Tinley and Catherine. Henry is probably my favorite of Austen's heroes. I felt like I was in Bath with them. I really liked this as I was reading it, but almost immediately after I forgot what made me like it so much.

Emma I did not like Emma--not the story or the character. I can see why people like it and her (I didn't dislike her as much at the end), in the same way I can see why people like Sense and Sensibility. But it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Sense and Sensibility I was really surprised and kind of dismayed that I didn't like this one. I didn't have any strong feelings about the characters, settings, or events. It was incredibly boring to me.

[midnightcerealblog]

The Persuasion Netflix trailer is giving off brand Emma (2020)

[danielleasbureaucouk]

So we went away for a weekend break to do the Black Diamond tour at Wentworth Woodhouse, followed by afternoon tea in the long gallery.

To fill the other day of the weekend, Friday and Monday travelling, we went to Bolsover Castle and Newstead Abbey.

We have been to Bolsover before, which was just as well, as we got stuck in Chesterfield, arrived late and had to rush the place in order to get to Newstead on time. Should have just done the latter instead, as we didn't really savour Bolsover and it was quite busy.

Newstead was interesting, but tainted by the mood, quarrels and tension it took to get to Bolsover and the daily fight over the sat nav. Fight over who has the right way extended into gardens which didn't help.

Sunday was Wentworth and the sat nav route planned out to avoid Chesterfield. Netflix had been filming at Wentworth and some rooms were still dressed. Not allowed to say what it is about or who is in it, but it sounds interesting and I shall try to watch it when it is on.

Rained at the end so we couldn't do the gardens properly. Tea was nice, especially the deserts and sausage / veg rolls, but the finger sandwiches could have been better.

Played Scrabble every night at the holiday house, which, as you can see from my earlier post, has at least two peacocks. They have a farm too, which meant we got the same amount of sleep as we do at home. Not sure which is worst, traffic, or farms and peacocks.

Scrabble was fine until the last night, when father and mother took ages to go, then complained about how long I took on one round so I ended up passing and losing. Mother was constantly biting her cuticles in front of me and talking about things, which didn't help thinking of words to use.

Holiday cottage is a bit tired in some places, a bit too pretentious posh in the bathrooms. Mother appreciates the thoughtful nature of the aesthetic. No notes on housekeeping before we leave so mother will hover. She was surprised when I said we wouldn't stay here again, even when I reminded her of the noisy farm that kept us awake.

I don't really feel this has much of a holiday, with my father being stressed and irritable about driving anyway, mother moaning about my l as the grandfather and his former partner screwing us over, that she has to go back to work, singing due to words we say, biting her cuticles, stressing about cleaning the place before we leave, brutal truth that's a dig at me using too much product in my because I use hair food in my hair that's white, when I comment that my hair feels a static, ratty mess. She had no objection to the clear stuff that ran out way too soon, because it was clear. Trying to reassure me about the potential new place that we can change our minds about moving, yet stressing the amount of money we will lose and yet we're preparing stuff for moving anyway. Doing the same concerning my new glasses that I've stopped wearing because they were making my eyes worse, no concern on getting glasses that work properly.

[mea-gloria-fides]

The Chapel Gate, Wentworth Woodhouse.

[jenneferofjengaberg]

I think the fundamental issue with Anne Elliot’s character in Persuasion is that some people (eg. idiots writing a screenplay for Netflix because an algorithm told them to) think the fact that Anne in the novel is passive, meek, and self-effacing, is only because she’s a woman in 1817 who is oh so oppressed! Which is like, completely ignorant of the fact that for the time period, she occupies a place of enormous privilege. She’s the white daughter of a wealthy white land-owning male, and while she can’t vote or work, she’s still pretty high up on that regency hierarchy. There’s no reason to conclude that all, or even most, of her personality is due to being a woman in a patriarchal society, and not just her natural disposition. 

This is obvious if you’ve read Austen’s novels, and actually find out that plenty of women are NOT passive, meek, and self-effacing (Elizabeth Bennet, Emma Woodhouse, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, etc.). Even within Persuasion itself, there are other women who are not, like both of Anne’s sisters, Lady Russell, and Mrs. Croft. And since nearly all of Austen’s female characters occupy a similar social position, you can assume that they all face nearly identical gendered oppression. And yet somehow still ended up with distinct personalities!

Austen recognizes and admires Anne’s personality, the parts that are compassionate, kind, polite, and modest (in the sense of being unconceited, not sexually). Austen does not see these as negative traits, and neither should the reader. 

But, for Austen, moderation is the key to all things, and this is a theme that crops up in a lot of her novels. The whole premise of Persuasion is that you can take even positive traits too far. Anne is a decent and unselfish person, willing to sacrifice her own comfort for others. But before the novel begins, she allows herself to be persuaded to act against her own personal inclinations, in order to please her friends and family. This causes both she and Wentworth a lot of misery, certainly much more pain and distress than would have been suffered by her friends and family if she had just married Wentworth in the first place.

What Austen is saying is that it’s fine, and even admirable, to be unassuming and selfless, if that’s your natural personality, but that you should take care to not let that natural inclination to please others interfere with your own happiness. That in some cases, doing so actually causes more suffering than just doing what is best for yourself. It’s basically a guide for women like Anne, praising them for the sweet and noble aspects in their natures, while warning them to still take care of themselves.

Turning the character into a secret girlboss who’s just living in the wrong century, completely erases this very important theme, and one that resonates even with many modern women, who despite Hollywood’s opinion on the matter, are not all snarky, confident, and assertive. There’s nothing wrong with women who are those things, but women are people, and therefore their personalities vary to a near infinite degree.

The current vogue for only allowing female characters who are quirky, sassy, and confident is as deeply sexist as the idea that only women who are demure, meek, and self-effacing are acceptable. And Austen, a woman born in 1775, never did that. She wrote female characters with a wide variety of personalities and saw the worth (and the foibles) in all of them, from Elizabeth Bennet to Anne Elliot. No two were alike, but they all had something to offer, and a voice that deserved to heard.

[bethanydelleman]

First Kiss for each Austen Heroine Couple

Fitzwilliam Darcy & Elizabeth Bennet: after they were married, when no one else was around. Mr. Darcy does not do PDA.

Charles Bingley & Jane Bennet: they were making out behind a bush while Lady Catherine was scolding Elizabeth. Charles was just hoping for a single kiss, he modestly hadn't expected Jane to be so excited about it.

Anne Elliot & Captain Frederick Wentworth: there was smooching at 19 and 23, you cannot convince me there was not. At 27 and 31, they really thought they would be more mature, but honestly if they hadn't been married as rapidly as possible there would have been serious canoodling.

Catherine Morland & Henry Tilney: Catherine ran after Henry when he was about to leave Fullerton and very dramatically kissed him before he mounted his horse. Then they had to wait about six months to do it again. It was torment.

Emma Woodhouse & George Knightley: They kissed in the garden around Hartfield after getting engaged. No one knows who initiated it, but on reflection it was probably Emma.

Elinor Dashwood & Edward Ferrars: Marianne was trying to leave them in corners and behind trees the whole time Edward was staying at the cottage, which they found very amusing and took advantage of fully. The first kiss was out of doors, after their engagement.

Marianne Dashwood & Colonel Brandon: You know that Colonel Brandon was attempting to be a perfect gentleman and Marianne was trying to to be anything but a modest lady.

Fanny Price & Edmund Bertram: Despite ample opportunity and the feelings of the lady, not until they were in the bedroom after the wedding.

Bonus! Jane Fairfax & Frank Churchill: There was pre-engagement making out and Jane felt so bad about it, but couldn't help herself.

Bonus! Bonus! I would bet my bonnet that Jane Bennet was born not quite nine respectable months after her parent's marriage.

[ninthearlofdorset]

Wentworth Woodhouse 🇬🇧

[wqnwoos]

seventeen as jane austen characters

because i’m self-indulgent & rereading pride and prejudice for the 739482837th time

seungcheol as captain wentworth (persuasion) — if you haven’t read it, you just have to trust me. if you have, you will get it.

jeonghan as henry crawford (mansfield park) — slick charming dude with like. very mischievous undertones (no spoilers but jeonghan is better than this man it just fit him the most)

joshua as henry tilney (northanger abbey) — omg. charming and sweet but also a little witty and sarcastic.

jun as colonel fitzwilliam (p&p) — ok this is odd bc this character is barely present in the story but i was just reading the part he’s in and he just. seems like a really nice guy. in a jun type of way.

hoshi as mr bingley (p&p) — just a cheerful joyous lil fellow. happy to be here.

wonwoo as anne eliot (persuasion) — “elegance of mind and sweetness of character” YESSIRRR. (alternative could be colonel brandon from sense & sensibility?? idk i feel like anne is just my self indulgence running wild because i’m in love with her and also with wonwoo)

woozi as georgiana darcy (p&p) — she’s super good at music & just always described as “highly accomplished” and that reminds me of him. talented ass people.

dk as jane bennet (p&p) — a sweetheart who can do no wrong ever. and i mean ever.

mingyu as catherine morland (northanger abbey) — a little bit of a scaredy cat. but we love her still. v sweet & caring.

minghao as mr darcy (p&p) — he has nice hands.

seungkwan as emma woodhouse (emma) — gossip queen. also i feel like seungkwan would play matchmaker.

vernon as mr bennet (p&p) — THIS ONE IS. idk it makes sense but it doesn’t but it DOES okay like he’s so funny. and u know what it doesn’t have to make sense to YOU. it makes sense to ME.

chan as marianne dashwood (sense & sensibility) — very passionate and maybe a little bit impulsive but very loving & loyal.