Brighton entertainments

The social round of events at Brighton was a major attraction for visitors. As an important pleasure resort Brighton boasted two sets of Assembly Rooms, which were based at the Castle Inn and the Old Ship Inn. Balls were held on Mondays and Thursdays respectively, card assemblies on Wednesdays and Fridays, a Promenade and Public [...]

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Pride and Prejudice

Cassandra and Jane AustenJane Austen wrote and revised Pride and Prejudice over a period of sixteen or seventeen years. Known as First Impressions, she began working on the manuscript at Steventon in 1796 but her father’s attempt to have the book published in 1797 was unsuccessful. It was only when she was happily settled at [...]

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Hertford – a possible setting for Meryton

Jane Austen set her wonderful novel, Pride and Prejudice, in Hertfordshire. The fictional town of Meryton, which is about a mile from Longbourn where the Bennets live, is likely to have been based on the real town of Hertford, according to Deirdre Le Faye. I am very lucky to live on the edge of London [...]

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Competition Result

Congratulations to Karen D who has won a copy of Lydia Bennet’s Story and a pack of gift cards.
Thank you to everyone who entered! I enjoyed reading your comments. Most of the entrants got the answers right, so names were put into a hat and my daughter drew the competition winner. Jane Odiwe
Here is [...]

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Review: Laura Boyle, ‘Austentation’ and The Jane Austen Centre web site

An Excellent Read! I finished it in two sittings! 19 Jan 2008 By Laura Boyle “Austentation” (Massachusetts, USA)
Presented as a novel interspersed with diary entries, Part one of Lydia’s story retells the now familiar events of Pride and Prejudice through a new heroine’s eyes, adding details which help explain some of her actions, shedding [...]

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Competition: Win a copy of Lydia Bennet’s Story

To celebrate the publication of Lydia Bennet’s Story, Lydia has a copy of her novel and a set of seven Effusions of Fancy greetings cards for anyone who can put her favourite interests and pursuits in the correct order, beginning with her best-loved preference. There are five to put in the right sequence:
Trimming a [...]

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