Dear readers, my spring semester is a few weeks shy of being over, and I have barely been able to post because of a research project I am working on. I have been doing a content analysis of Jane Austen’s letters to explore how she navigated her identity through dress. I cannot write more here, as I hope to publish it next year in Persuasions.
In the meantime, I am planning to post quotes which I have collected from her letters, on the subjects of dress, sewing, appearance, etc. So here is the first quote, one which I tend to read as having something of a sarcastic, playful tone:
“You say nothing of the silk stockings; I flatter myself, therefore, that Charles has not purchased any, as I cannot very well afford to pay for them; all my money is spent in buying white gloves and pink Persian.” – Jane Austen (age 21), January 9-10, 1796, Steventon
Austen, Jane. Jane Austen’s Letters. Edited by Deirdre le Faye. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.
The Sartorial Sleuth 