Victoria Grossack's Blog

Hunting Photos of Feathered Friends

After admiring her photos, I asked Beth Waterbury, wildlife biologist about how she manages to take such wonderful photographs. Here’s what she wrote. Thanks, Beth!

What sort of equipment do you need to take good pictures of wildlife?

A big question! Endless books and blogs have been written on this subject with wide-ranging opinions. I’ll give you my 2 cents, but I encourage you to read up on the many options. For starters, and stating the obvious, you’ll need a good digital camera and lens. But first, you’ll need to determine your price range and budget, as that will narrow down your camera choices.

Your next big decision will be choosing between: 1) a digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera (DSLR); 2) a mirrorless camera (point-and-shoot); or 3) a “bridge” camera (hybrid of #1 and #2). https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/fe... I have both DSLR and mirrorless cameras and I much prefer the DSLR. A DSLR camera has an optical viewfinder while the mirrorless camera has a digital display screen. I find it much easier to look through a viewfinder for both image clarity and to follow moving objects like birds. Often in daylight conditions, I find it hard to see a mirrorless camera screen, plus there is a “lag” or slower focus in the technology. And if you wear glasses, or need magnifiers for close work like I do, the DSLR viewfinder accommodates your “naked eye,” making it much more efficient and less frustrating than looking at a digital screen and juggling glasses while missing shots. Another important factor for me between DSLR and mirrorless is battery life. DSLR cameras have much better battery life than mirrorless cameras do. A DSLR will take up to 4,000 frames per charge to a mirrorless camera’s 350-400 frames per charge. If you’re out on a day’s adventure taking bird photos, you’re going to want that longer battery life.

Other camera/lens considerations:

Autofocus (AF) – very important for bird/wildlife photography. Autofocus gets you efficiently focused in on a subject that isn’t going to sit there long! As a general rule, the more AF points a camera has, the better the Autofocus (but this adds to camera cost).
Low light performance – morning and sunset are some of the best times to view birds, but can mean challenging light situations. You’ll want a camera with a good image sensor (ISO). By increasing a camera’s ISO, photos become progressively brighter, helping you capture images in darker environments.

Lens compatibility – make sure your camera is compatible with different lenses. When photographing birds and nature, you will want to change out lenses for close-ups (macro) or distance (super telephoto). One reason of many why Nikon and Canon are my go-to cameras is because they carry so many compatible lenses (the ‘used’ selection is excellent as well).

Weight and size – important to consider if you’re frequently lugging a camera around! You want to be sure your camera is comfortable to use. DSLR’s are bigger, fatter, chunkier, more ‘grippable,’ and the settings are a bit larger so they’re easier to manipulate. Mirrorless are much smaller, lighter weight, but the controls are proportionally smaller, so it’s more difficult to change settings.

Fast shooting speeds – with birds, a lot can happen in one second! Opt for a camera that offers ‘high speed continuous shooting.’ Lower-priced DSLR’s can do 3 frames/second, but some of the better (nee expensive) cameras can shoot 10+ frames/second.

USB cable for charging – a portable, travel-friendly, and convenient method for recharging a camera battery. This is not a deal breaker, but I use the USB cable for charging all the time and not all cameras offer this option.

Warranty – it’s always helpful to know how long the warranty is effective and what it covers.

Lenses – arguably the most important part of your camera package. You want a lens that has adequate zoom (up to 300mm or higher), quality glass, and is durable. This takes a bit of research and $$$. Note that camera lenses are often sold separately from camera bodies.
Used equipment – consider buying a used camera and/or lenses (e.g., Nikon, Canon); this allows you to get more camera for your $$$. Also check out camera packages from Costco; they have some great deals on DSLR and point-and-shoot bundles that include 2 lenses, including a 75-300mm.

You might also want to invest in a sturdy tripod to mount your camera, especially when taking zoomed shots. It’s really tough getting crisp images when hand-holding a camera at full zoom.

Do you have any tips with respect to technique?

It’s hard to beat early mornings to maximize bird encounters; plus the lighting is lovely for photography. Sunset is also a good time; you get that flooded, angled light that can be so stunning. Try to shoot your subjects with the sun at your back, even on cloudy days.

When it comes to photographing birds and wildlife in general, closer is not always better. Too close and they will flush or become unduly stressed. Ethical bird photography is a thing: first do no harm. Use distance to your advantage by using the background habitat to nicely compose your photos.

I don’t know if you have bird feeders in your yard (or if you have a yard!), but setting up a backyard feeding station is a very productive way to get great bird photos. Position your feeder(s) so your lighting comes from behind you. Set up a “blind” – in your house and shoot through an open, unscreened window, or set up a blind outdoors with a comfy chair and tripod. Position the feeder near natural perches with a good, level line-of-sight and a clean, uncluttered background (or adjust to a wide aperture so background is soft focus).

In the field, again be mindful of lighting making sure light is directly behind you when photographing birds. Find a spot to sit and observe quietly with minimal movement and patiently wait for some bird action. While walking along, keep your eyes scanning ahead of you for movement on the ground and the different layers of the canopy. When birds are spotted, approach slowly and quietly. Get to know some local areas that birds frequent at certain times of day, conceal yourself as best you can, and get your camera in hand ready for their arrival.
*
For more, go to Hunting Photos of Feathered Friends, over at my website, www.crownickels.com. You should visit the site to see the pretty pictures!

Hunters of the Feather

I'm announcing a new book. This is completely different from other stories I have written. It's called Hunters of the Feather. Here's the description:

Shortly after Sol hatches, his parents and nestmates discover the young crow is a gifted “thinker-linker”: able to communicate with distant birds, with the souls of dead birds – and even with humans! As Sol masters flight and makes his first migration, he learns many members of the Great Flock – birds all over the world – are suffering from terrible catastrophes. Fewer insects, murdered forests, even the lack of krill in the oceans: these are all caused by the ever-growing number of humans. The ancient wisdom, “Adapt or die,” is no longer enough, and Sol leads the hunt for a way to save birdkind from extinction.
*
Sometimes you know exactly when a story comes to you. I was speaking with a five year old about what she was reading. She told me she was reading a series about cats. That's when I thought, I want to write a story about birds. Still, the story that came to me surprised me, and I learned a lot about crows as these clever birds insisted on one thing and then another.

Please consider ordering Hunters of the Feather, which should be a treat for anyone who has enjoyed watching birds at one point or another.

Interview about The Mansfield Park Murders

Victoria, what made you decide to write The Mansfield Park Murders: A Mystery Set in the Estate of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park?

I had already written The Highbury Murders: A Mystery Set in the Village of Jane Austen’s Emma and The Meryton Murders: A Mystery Set in the Town of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. After each novel appeared, several readers asked me to please write another.

Some readers say that Mansfield Park is their least favorite Jane Austen novel. Would they still like The Mansfield Park Murders?

I’ve heard many Jane Austen admirers say that Mansfield Park is their least favorite of her novels because they don’t care for the heroine, Fanny Price, who is so retiring and timid. But whether you love or hate Fanny Price doesn’t matter for The Mansfield Park Murders, as Fanny doesn’t have a big role in The Mansfield Park Murders. Instead I focused on her younger sister, Susan Price. Susan was described by Austen as being “fearless,” which makes her a better protagonist for a murder mystery. Besides, when Fanny marries Edmund, she moves to Thornton Lacey, so she would not even be living at Mansfield Park.

I also feel as if Austen’s Mansfield Park glossed over issues that would be of importance to today’s readers. Most readers know that Sir Thomas was a slave owner, and that he goes to the West Indies to manage his plantation. Fewer readers know that Lord Mansfield (for whom the book was named) had been a recent Lord Chief Justice and that his rulings were instrumental in paving the way to making slavery illegal (the movie Belle is about his great-niece, whom he raised, who was half-black herself). Norris, by the way, was the name of a notorious slave trader. Anyway, I’m more upfront about slavery in The Mansfield Park Murders. I also address Maria Rushworth’s disgrace.

Finally, some readers think that Mansfield Park is not as funny as Austen’s other novels. In my mystery, I tried to add more humor, and in the process became very fond of Mansfield Park’s supporting characters, especially Lady Bertram, Tom and Julia.

Were there any special challenges in writing The Mansfield Park Murders?

In my previous Jane Austen-based mysteries, I reunite the main characters in the primary setting a year or so after Jane Austen novel ends. Doing this for The Mansfield Park Murders was more difficult than it was for the books based on Emma and on Pride & Prejudice. Edmund Bertram was already seven miles removed, residing in Thornton Lacey. Fanny, when she married him, would be gone as well. Dr. Grant moved to London, so his sister-in-law, Mary Crawford, would have no reason to be at the Mansfield Parsonage, while Henry Crawford, after his elopement with Maria Rushworth, would be a persona non grata in the neighborhood. Maria Rushworth had also been banished, Mrs. Norris had joined her in her exile, and of course Julia and her husband John Yates were not residing at Mansfield Park either.

So I began the new book with the wedding of Fanny and Edmund, which explains why most of the family are visiting, and then found reasons for the other characters to make appearances.

The whole project was hindered by some computer disasters. My brand-new computer died, and it took months for the techies to retrieve my files (back up your work today). By the time the files were retrieved, I was meeting deadlines for other projects, and so experienced several delays.

Who is your favorite female character in Jane Austen’s novels and why? What about in Mansfield Park?

I admire Charlotte Collins from Pride & Prejudice the most. She was in a bad situation with a bleak future and when opportunity came along, she made the very best of it. In Mansfield Park, my favorite young lady is Mary Crawford. She may not have the best principles, but she was almost always kind. However, I’m glad she didn’t marry Edmund. She would have been miserable as the wife of a clergyman.

Who is your favorite male character in Jane Austen’s novels and why? What about in Mansfield Park?

I have always been especially impressed by Emma’s Mr. Knightley, who I think is the most honorable of all of Jane Austen’s heroes. Picking a hero in Mansfield Park is a little more difficult. I would go with Tom Bertram, who seems to have a happy nature, if a little selfish – but Austen says at the end of her book that he becomes less selfish.

How can readers get a copy of The Mansfield Park Murders?

Both electronic and hard copy versions are available at Amazon.com

Interview originally appeared at: http://thesecretunderstandingofthehea...

In Defense of Lady Catherine

The older I get, the more I like Lady Catherine. This is partly because, as an ageing woman, I have more sympathy for other older women. Older women are often mocked in fiction: dismissed as silly, no longer beautiful, and frequently poor. Even Jane Austen was not beyond ridiculing them – think of Miss Bates and of Lady Bertram – but Austen also treated many with respect, even when her characters do not (Marianne Dashwood is extremely rude to Mrs. Jenkinson, and Emma is impatient with Miss Bates).

Lady Catherine may be proud, but that is something to be expected of a woman who is the daughter of an earl and the mistress of Rosings Park. And she has, in my opinion, many admirable character traits.

Lady Catherine meddles. But she is also interested in everything around her, a quality I find far more commendable than blasé indifference. In chapter 29 of Pride and Prejudice we read: “Elizabeth found that nothing was beneath this great lady’s attention, which could furnish her with an occasion of dictating to others.” Is her attitude not better than Lady Bertram’s of Mansfield Park, who elegantly dozes her way through life? Is her attitude not better than Miss Bingley’s, who has such a superiority complex that she barely speaks with anyone? And certainly her attitude is better than Mr. Bennet’s, who neglected his daughters with respect to their characters and their fortunes.

In her own way, Lady Catherine is generous. The meals that she serves her guests are excellent, and she is happy to find a dish that is new and interesting to serve them. Also, Mr. and Mrs. Collins are never allowed to walk home from Rosings Park. This was an important consideration in an era when if you could not find someone with a carriage and horses – and keeping horses could be very expensive – you were forced to walk or stay at home. Some people, such as Elizabeth Bennet, enjoyed walking, but this was not true of everyone.

Lady Catherine loves her daughter. Miss Anne de Bourgh is described as “pale and sickly; her features, though not plain, were insignificant; and she spoke very little, except in a low voice, to Mrs. Jenkinson” (chapter 29). As Miss de Bourgh bears little resemblance to her mother, we can assume she takes after her father, Sir Lewis de Bourgh, who may have been pale and sickly and possibly bullied out of his own existence by the formidable Lady Catherine. Although Lady Catherine may be a dragon, she is a dragon ready to defend Anne from anything and everything. When she learns of a possible engagement between Elizabeth and Darcy, she hastens to Meryton to confront Elizabeth.

Lady Catherine begins almost reasonably, asking Elizabeth not to marry her nephew. When Elizabeth refuses to makes any sort of promise, Lady Catherine insults Elizabeth repeatedly – and the worst insult is about the behavior of Elizabeth’s sister Lydia.

“To all the objections I have already urged, I have still another to add. I am no stranger to the particulars of your youngest sister’s infamous elopement. know it all; that the young man’s marrying her was a patched-up business, at the expense of your father and uncle. And is such a girl to be my nephew’s sister? Is her husband, who is the son of his late father’s steward, to be his brother? Heaven and earth—of what are you thinking? Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?” (chapter 56).

Elizabeth is deeply insulted especially by the last, and as Pride and Prejudice is a novel about Miss Elizabeth Bennet, we feel her indignation. But let’s step back a little. Elizabeth may not appreciate hearing what Lady Catherine has to say, but she has had almost the exact same ideas herself. When she receives a letter from Mrs. Gardiner describing Mr. Darcy’s efforts to arrange the match between Lydia and Wickham, her own reaction is written thus: “Her heart did whisper that he had done it for her. But it was a hope soon checked by other considerations, and she soon felt that even her vanity was insufficient, when required to depend on his affection for her, for a woman who had already refused him, as able to overcome a sentiment so natural as abhorrence against relationship with Wickham. Brother-in-law of Wickham! – Every kind of pride must revolt from the connection” (chapter 52).

Although Lady Catherine’s attempted interference may be ill-judged – Elizabeth points out that even if she refuses Darcy, there is no guarantee that he will marry his cousin – we must recall the main motivation behind Lady Catherine’s actions. She has done this not because she dislikes Elizabeth, but because she is protecting her daughter. Lady Catherine has had her heart set on Darcy as a son-in-law for Anne’s entire life, ever since Anne was in her cradle. I expect Lady Catherine is also experiencing some nostalgia towards her own deceased sister, for a cherished plan the two of them made together.

I cannot help but admire a woman so frank, a woman who speaks her mind and says what others are thinking but dare not utter. And we have to remember that Darcy respects this quality too – the reproof that Elizabeth gave him during his first proposal only increased his admiration of her.

But the thing I admire most about Lady Catherine is that she is a feminist, at least a feminist for her time. For example, she sees no reason to exclude women from inheritance:

“Your father’s estate is entailed on Mr. Collins, I think. For your sake,” turning to Charlotte, “I am glad of it; but otherwise I see no occasion for entailing estates from the female line. – It was not thought necessary in Sir Lewis de Bourgh’s family” (chapter 29).

Lady Catherine is also a champion of women’s education and she is interested in finding women employment (four nieces of Mrs. Jenkinson are “delightfully situated” through her connections). She criticizes the education of the Bennet daughters:

“Then, who taught you? Who attended to you? Without a governess, you must have been neglected” (chapter 29). Lady Catherine’s questions may be impertinent and her manner of expression rude, but there is nothing wrong with her judgment. The education of Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters was neglected, by an ignorant mother and a lazy father.

And even if you do not admire Lady Catherine – if you find her condescending and officious (well-deserved adjectives) – you have to admit that she brings her scenes to life. She is even important behind the scenes. After all, it is her interference – when she goes to Darcy in an attempt to get him not to re-propose to Elizabeth – that Lady Catherine somehow lets him know that Elizabeth has refused to give Lady Catherine a refusal to marry him. As Darcy says: “It taught me to hope,” said he “as I had scarcely allowed myself to hope before” (chapter 58).

Lady Catherine is perceived as tiresome and dictatorial, largely because she is filtered through the lens of Elizabeth Bennet. But Jane Austen’s characters are generally so strong, so well-rounded, that you can take them out and view them from completely different angles. I am constantly awestruck by Austen’s genius: how did she, who never reached old age herself, create such a wonderful older lady? So my appreciation for Lady Catherine is always accompanied by my admiration for Dear Jane.

Victoria Grossack is the author of The Meryton Murders: A Mystery Set in the Town of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, and The Highbury Murders: A Mystery Set in the Village of Jane Austen’s Emma. The Meryton Murders is also available from Audible (narration of The Highbury Murders is in the planning stage). Victoria Grossack is also the author of a whole bunch of other stuff, which you can learn about at www.tapestryofbronze.com.

Oh, Yes!

by Victoria Grossack

There were two little words that oft filled my head,
Two little words that would fill me with dread.
The phrase “Oh, no” -- though appearing benign --
Would sap my will. Instead of trying, I’d whine.

Then one day when the outlook seemed bleak,
And my “Oh, no” response left me helpless and weak,
Someone else said, “Yes, we can meet this challenge.”
I felt empowered -- and we actually managed!

So I started replacing “Oh, no” with “Oh, yes!”
And to my surprise, instead of feeling more stress,
My mood improved. I got so much more done.
Even cleaning out drawers became genuine fun!

I tackled a dream that once seemed impossible
And slowly and surely that goal became plausible.
Of failures and setbacks I may have had more;
Winning’s never sure – but who’s keeping score?

“Oh, no” paralyzes while “Oh, yes” recognizes
Problems -- then often a solution arises.
“Oh, no” makes you stop so you’ll always do less
While “Oh, yes” helps you go, gives a chance of success.

“Oh, yes” not “Oh, no” is a lesson worth sharing.
“Oh, yes” lifts my heart; “Oh, yes” keeps me caring.
If you want an approach that both cheers and blesses
Kick the noes from your life and welcome the yeses.

*
Just wanted to share this poem - not my usual writing but everyone can use a bit of positivity.

Lies in Jane Austen

by Victoria Grossack

In Jane Austen’s works, the bad guys lie. A lot.

In fact, dishonesty in both word and deed frequently propels the plot. Let’s take a tour through the deceptions in Jane Austen’s six novels and then discuss her depictions of lies, liars, and those who believe them.

Northanger Abbey. One of the things I like about this novel is that much of the plot turns on the lies that characters tell about each other. Most are delivered by John Thorpe, who tells many lies to General Tilney about Catherine Morland, the novel’s protagonist. Northanger Abbey is, as many people know, Austen’s riposte to the over-the-top melodrama of the gothic novels that were so popular in the late 1700s. And although Austen incorporated some gothic imaginings, she was able to devise a lovely little novel with prosaic lies.

Sense & Sensibility. This novel contains several dishonest characters. We know that John Willoughby is dishonest, in deeds if not in actual words, for not only has he trifled with Marianne Dashwood’s heart, we can be certain he told a passel of lies to Colonel Brandon’s young ward, who he impregnated and then left high and dry. Lucy Steele feels no need to keep her word to stay true to Edward Ferrars, and elopes with his brother Robert. Marianne, on the other hand, is so honest – not just in fact but in feeling – that all the polite lies fall to her sister Elinor, who sometimes tells civil falsehoods. Elinor also hides her heart, so much so that Marianne accuses her of hypocrisy.

Pride & Prejudice. George Wickham is the most serious liar here, telling all sorts of fibs about the Darcy family. Learning, as we do, that Mr. Darcy is good (despite being a rich man) and that Lieutenant Wickham is bad (despite being a poor man) is the basis for much of the plot. Wickham is dishonest in other ways as well. Certainly he lied to Miss Darcy and he misleads Lydia Bennet.

But the others sometimes lie as well. As we spend the most time with Elizabeth Bennet, we encounter her fibs most frequently. In fact, Mr. Darcy is actually charmed by them: “I have had the pleasure of your acquaintance long enough to know that you occasionally find great enjoyment in professing opinions which are in fact not your own” (chapter 31).

Elizabeth’s less-than-perfectly-honest speeches are mostly due to politeness or embarrassment. After her visit to Mr. Collins, she “tried to unite truth and civility in a few short sentences” (chapter 38). Elizabeth is so mortified after her tête-à-tête with Lady Catherine, that she cannot let either her mother or her father know the reason for the noblewoman’s visit, and engages in “a little falsehood” (chapter 56) – even though Mr. Bennet laughingly guesses the truth, and his guess is the only reason that makes much sense.

Mansfield Park. This book’s liars and their lies are not that as prominent as those in the other books. Maria lies to her father about her feelings for Mr. Rushworth, a lie that gets her into serious trouble as she will hate being married to him. We can assume that Mr. Crawford at the very least misled Mrs. Rushworth when he eloped with her. Mary Crawford, who is perhaps loosest with the truth – although not designed to injure people - believes that many are “taken in” with respect to marriage.

Emma. Jane Austen’s Emma has a protagonist who seems to be the exact opposite of Fanny Price – Emma Woodhouse is confident and rich and not at all retiring. In this novel Austen shows how vast her skills are, like a debater who has just presented one argument with conviction, and now crosses the stage and just as convincingly defends the other side. Frank Churchill lies throughout the novel, and does it so charmingly, and for such an understandable reason, that we are willing to forgive him. Jane Fairfax has also been deceiving everyone, but as Emma says: “If a woman can ever be excused for thinking only of herself, it is in a situation like Jane Fairfax’s” (chapter 46).

Persuasion. Lies are not at the core of Persuasion. This book is based on a decision that turned out to be an error – but it was an error, not an act of deception, because everything depended on how the future would turn out. The term outcome-based morality comes to mind.

Still, lies play a lesser but nevertheless significant role in this lovely book. Captain Wentworth lies – not in facts and words, but in his behavior. People assume that he is courting Louisa Musgrove. But he is not in love with her and his actions are dishonest. Still, we are ready to forgive him because he realizes what he has been doing. Mr. Eliot, on the other hand, is more thoroughly dishonest, as is Mrs. Clay – but these characters are not at the novel’s core.

Willingness to believe lies

One of the interesting things we see in Jane Austen’s works is how ready characters are to accept lies as truth. Often this is because they are hearing what they wish to hear, because they are being flattered – or because the truth is simply too inconvenient – or because they are suffering from confirmation bias, a term that Jane Austen could not have known but which she surely understood. Confirmation bias happens when we accept only those facts which confirm what we already believe, and mostly ignore any information that disputes it.

Perhaps the best example is how Elizabeth in Pride & Prejudice swallows Lieutenant Wickham’s lies about Mr. Darcy. Not all of her family is so susceptible – Jane, influenced by her own sentiments, does not think Mr. Bingley could be so deceived in his friend.

People who are being flattered are particularly susceptible. Lady Catherine believes every word of praise that Mr. Collins bestows (well, he seems to believe his words as well, so this may stray into the region of not quite lies). Sir Walter Elliot eagerly absorbs every sycophantic utterance from Mrs. Clay. Emma is taken in by Frank Churchill and believes he is in love with her. Emma convinces Harriet that Mr. Elton loves her. Austen’s novels show many people suffering from confirmation bias.

Ability to see through lies

Those who are not being flattered are less susceptible, as are those who are more experienced. Mr. Knightley in one of his original arguments with Emma, points out he is sixteen years her senior and so more likely to judge correctly (and although I wish to defend Emma based on our shared gender, he has a point). Heck, even Miss Bates picks up on some stuff – such as Mr. Elton’s interest in Emma – more readily than Emma.

Disliking someone seems to enable clearer vision. Mr. Knightley, who is jealous of Frank Churchill, suspects him of admiring Jane Fairfax and not Emma (although later concedes he was not impartial). In Mansfield Park, Fanny, who dislikes Henry Crawford, mistrusts his behavior even when he is courting her. Many characters need to suffer rude awakenings before they can see through dishonesty in both word and deed. Julia Bertram, after her initial rejection by Crawford, takes pains to avoid him, whereas Maria Bertram Rushworth, to her great unhappiness, does not. In Sense & Sensibility, only when Marianne has been rejected and nearly died can she see anything like the truth about Willoughby.

Of course, disliking someone can cloud perceptions too, as happens to Elizabeth with respect to her first impression of Mr. Darcy.

Willingness to expose liars

Exposing liars as liars is not easy today, and in Jane Austen’s day was probably even more difficult.

In Persuasion, Anne’s friend Mrs. Smith knows the truth about the character of Mr. Eliot, but at first does not warn her friend. Why not? Because Mrs. Smith has at least three strikes against her: she is a woman alone; she is poor; she is in poor health. Mrs. Smith also believes that Anne is partial toward her cousin and understands how impossible persuading people can be. Only when Mrs. Smith discovers that Anne is in love with someone else does she tell Anne the truth about her cousin.

In Mansfield Park, Fanny does not alert her uncle, Sir Thomas, to the serious defects of Mr. Crawford. Fanny is too shy and retiring to do this, and her uncle has been too intimidating (note that if you are an intimidating sort but want to learn actual truths from people, you may need to alter your manner). To be just to Fanny, she does attempt to warn her cousin Edmund about Mr. Crawford, but Edmund does not believe her (Edmund’s general perceptiveness oscillates for the convenience of the plot). As Fanny fails with Edmund, it is no wonder she makes no attempt with Sir Thomas.

Even those with position and power hesitate to use it. In Pride & Prejudice, Mr. Darcy does not warn the denizens of Meryton about Mr. Wickham’s character. Much of his hesitation is due to the fact that he does not want to expose his sister. He also does not care much for the people of Meryton, and senses that they do not care for him, so why should he bother? Elizabeth and Jane, when they learn the truth about Wickham, also decide not to blacken his character. They discuss it:

Miss Bennet paused a little, and then replied, “Surely there can be no occasion for exposing him so dreadfully. What is your own opinion?”

“That it ought not to be attempted. Mr. Darcy has not authorized me to make his communication public. On the contrary, every particular relative to his sister was meant to be kept as much as possible to myself; and if I endeavor to undeceive people as to the rest of his [Wickham’s] conduct, who will believe me? The general prejudice against Mr. Darcy is so violent, that it would be the death of half the good people in Meryton to attempt to place him in an amiable light. I am not equal to it. Wickham will soon be gone; and therefore it will not signify to anybody here what he really is” (chapter 40).

Does Jane Austen punish her liars?

Not really. In fact, many, such as Lucy Steele and Frank Churchill, do very well.

Still, although many readers relent towards Frank Churchill, we no longer esteem him the way we do Mr. Knightley. When Emma learns what Frank has done (certainly the name frank seems a joke), she bursts out with: “Impropriety! Oh! Mrs. Weston, it is too calm a censure. Much, much beyond impropriety! It has sunk him – I cannot say how it has sunk him in my opinion. So unlike what a man should be! None of that upright integrity, that strict adherence to truth and principle, that disdain of trick and littleness, which a man should display in every transaction of his life” (ch 61). Yet Frank Churchill is the child of good fortune, and everyone is ready to forgive him.

Some characters do suffer for their deceit; in particular, Maria Bertram Rushworth is ruined. Yet who did Maria lie to, besides her father? She lied to herself, convincing herself that she did wish to marry Mr. Rushworth, even though it was clear she despised him. Marianne Dashwood, on the other hand, is always earnestly honest, and even though she is young and foolish in most of Sense & Sensibility, she ends up married to Colonel Brandon and we are told she learns to love him. Mary Crawford, who has no high regard for the truth in general, discovers she prefers men of integrity but cannot find one. Instead of marrying, she ends up living with her sister Mrs. Grant after the death of Dr. Grant. Although this is supposed to be a punishment, I wonder how severe a punishment this really was, as by all accounts Jane Austen lived rather contentedly with her sister. Surely, if one is not destitute – and Mary Crawford, with a fortune of 20,000£, should have had 1,000£ per annum – no marriage is preferable to a bad one.

Conclusion

I was inspired to review the subject of deception in Jane Austen’s novels because I have been struck by the incessant lying of some of our politicians these days -- and how readily these lies are accepted by so many today, even when these falsehoods defy logic or mountains of evidence. On the other hand, recently I was nearly conned out of some money myself, so I have sympathy for those who are fooled for falsehoods.

Jane Austen moralizes some, certainly upholding truth and goodness, and sympathizing with the characters with these traits – but her novels show that she clearly understands lies and liars and those of us who believe them. Her skill in portraying these lies – her ability to use falsehood to propel plots instead of relying on more dramatic devices – is just more evidence that she was a keen observer of the people around her, as well as one of the most capable storytellers of all time.

*
Victoria Grossack is the author of The Highbury Murders: A Mystery Set in the Village of Jane Austen’s Emma, and The Meryton Murders: A Mystery Set in the Town of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Review of Clytemnestra: The Mother's Blade

My newest book (with Alice Underwood) came out on September 1. It's called Clytemnestra: The Mother's Blade and tells the story of the sister of Helen of Troy. Clytemnestra was a powerful queen in her own right, with just as exciting a life.

But what I want to share with you is not my opinion, but a review of the book by Bob Mielke, professor of English at Truman State University:

With Clytemnestra: The Mother’s Blade the Tapestry of Bronze series authored by Victoria Grossack and Alice Underwood achieves a soaring new height. After previously making us rethink -- and re-experience -- such famed Greek women as Jocasta, Niobe and Antigone, they have dared to reimagine for us Clytemnestra: the murderous wife of Agamemnon and mother of avenging Orestes. Previously known to us as Sophocles’ villainess, especially as rolled into Lady Macbeth and Queen Gertrude by Shakespeare, Clytemnestra is here given the consideration it turns out she so richly deserves. Although second wave feminist revisionings certainly are a catalyst for such seeming subversions, a simple exploration of the mythological and quasi-historical record would suffice to show that Clytemnestra had most ample justification for her startling actions.

Rest assured that this is no mere act of feminist historical revisionism (not that there’s anything wrong with that per se!). Clytemnestra: The Mother’s Blade is the most action-packed and thrilling Tapestry of Bronze novel yet. One can imagine Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway drooling over this retelling at the prospect of playing such a character onscreen. Audaciously, the Trojan War is a mere sideshow in this incident-laden and surprisingly moving tale. It’s all a matter of perspective.

In sum, this book has it all: the intellectual act of re-envisioning the distant Hellenic past as plausible historical fact, the uncanny retelling of some very familiar stories in a strikingly new way and the pleasures of a thrilling beach read -- all at once. There are even a few distant echoes of the present in this vividly imagined antiquity. As wise old Nestor notes, “It is easy to make promises before one takes power, but difficult to keep them afterwards.” And war, Tyndareus cautions, “is a ruler’s weightiest decision, and should not be taken lightly” -- be it with Thebes, Mycenae, Troy, Venezuela or North Korea. Agamemnon is dead; long live Agamemnon....

*
Not sure if you'll like it? Download a sample and read a few pages!

Giving Gifts in Jane Austen

By Victoria Grossack

Are you at a loss, this holiday season, at what to give your loved ones? Why not take a look at the gifts in Jane Austen’s novels and see if they inspire you? And beware of the pitfalls, as not all gifts are welcome from all givers.

One of the most frequently bestowed gifts in Jane Austen is money. The amount may be small, such as the single pound note given by Mrs. Norris to William Price in Mansfield Park (this amount is not given explicitly in the text, but Jane Austen herself told her family that was the amount she meant). Or the sum may be enormous, as when Darcy bribes Wickham to marry Lydia Bennet in Pride & Prejudice. Today some people turn their noses up at money, but in Jane Austen’s novels, recipients are almost always appreciative.

Assuming you want to be more personal, let’s consider other significant gifts in Austen’s novels.

The pianoforte. In Emma (spoiler alert), Frank Churchill ‘anonymously’ gives Jane Fairfax a pianoforte to use during her stay in Highbury. Of course, Miss Fairfax knows who the donor is, but as she cannot say, the gift makes her vulnerable to unkind rumors. On the other hand, it is a pretty instrument, a generous gift, and she enjoys playing it tremendously. What can one learn from this? It’s always good to remember the tastes of your recipients, and to give them what they lack in certain situations. Still, do your best not to cause mischief and inconvenience.

The cross, necklace and chain. In Mansfield Park, Fanny has a cross given to her by her favorite brother, William Price (this was a tribute to the crosses given by Jane Austen’s real brothers to her). William, however, was too poor to provide a suitable chain, so Fanny had to wear the cross with a ribbon or piece of string, diminishing its appearance. She receives a chain from her cousin Edmund, ideal for its purpose, and a necklace from Mary Crawford, who is acting as an agent for her brother Henry Crawford. Fanny is in love with Edmund and mistrusts Mary Crawford, and furthermore, the chain from Edmund suits her purpose far better than the necklace from Mary. What can we learn? Jewelry is always welcome, but not from everyone, and taste matters.

Food. In Emma, food is frequently given by those who have much to those who have less. Emma sends broth to a poor family suffering from illness. She also sends food (part of a porker), as does Mr. Knightley (his best baking apples), to the Bates family. The gifts are generally welcome – Miss Bates is most effusive in her gratitude – with the exception at the end when Emma tries to send some arrowroot to the ailing Jane Fairfax. (Arrowroot, popular at the time Emma was written, is a source of starch but contains few vitamins and has since fallen out of favor.) Miss Fairfax, jealous of Emma, sends back the gift.

Poetry. In Emma, Mr. Elton gives Emma a riddle in the form of a poem, signaling his affection. Emma does not accept the affection – and if she had realized that he was wooing her at the time she might have turned up her nose at the poem. But something clever while not too personal – you have to consider your relationship with the recipient – is generally appreciated.

Portraits and locks of hair are also frequently exchanged, as we see in Sense & Sensibility and Persuasion. Today we mostly do digital photographs and no locks of hair – the latter would be appreciated by few – but the idea is the same.

Favors and convenience. Frequently a gift is not so much a thing as it is taking the trouble to assist another. Edmund arranges for his cousin Fanny to have a horse to ride; Mr. Elton takes Emma’s portrait of Harriet up to London to get it framed; Mr. Knightley offers to run errands for Miss Bates in Kingston; Lady Catherine offers lifts to the Collinses in (one of) her carriages. The recipients are all grateful, as these are not things they can manage themselves.

Calls and letters. Making calls on people was a way of honoring them with gifts of attention and time. There were many rules to calling on others, usually scrupulously observed. Letter-writing too, was very important, in a time without emails and phones or even trains.

Bestowing a gift on another infuses the giver with increased status. This may make no difference to those who are in a position to give easily, such as Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Darcy.; they already have plenty of status. But when Fanny in Mansfield Park buys a knife for her youngest sister Betsy, to stop her constantly taking the silver knife of another sister, Susan, Fanny feels much more like an adult. It improves her confidence, and reminds us that it is better to give than to receive.

So far we have seen that the actual gifts made in Jane Austen’s novels are generally quite ordinary: music, food, jewelry, poetry, pictures, favors, calls and especially cash (what my father called the “universal gift certificate”). Sometimes she mentions presents without even telling us what they are, as when the Gardiners visit the Bennets for Christmas in Pride & Prejudice. After all, she writes about the most everyday events and makes them special by imbuing them with love, laughter and insight. So if you were looking for something unusual, you probably won’t find it in her novels (unless you think your loved ones would appreciate locks of hair). The gifts are made special by the circumstances.

You may notice a friend or a loved one’s need and be able to find exactly what suits, because you have special insight into circumstances or access to what you know they need. But if the most perfect gift does not occur to you, that’s no reason to feel dismayed. The old standbys will serve, as long as you give your gifts with genuine grace and good will. So if you are stressed by the holiday shopping, relax.

Victoria Grossack is the author of The Highbury Murders: A Mystery Set in the Village of Jane Austen’s Emma, The Meryton Murders: A Mystery Set in the Town of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

For the Love of Lydia!

Miss Lydia Bennet! What can we say about the youngest of the Bennet beauties? The first thing we notice is that she is determined to have fun. She dances every dance and she is so absorbed by her games that she can sometimes forget everything else – even the officers. She describes how she and some of her friends dress up Chamberlayne – perhaps a servant of her uncle’s? – in women’s clothing (yes, there is cross-dressing in Austen). She chases the redcoats, which some find in bad taste but does show energy.

The second thing is that she refuses to listen to others. She never listens to her sister Mary, and when her cousin Mr. Collins starts reading aloud from Fordyce’s Sermons, she interrupts him before he has finished three pages. Her parents and her sisters upbraid her for her rudeness, but in reality Lydia has spared them a very dull evening. We can understand Lydia’s policy of not listening, with parents and aunts and four older sisters, always ready to tell her what to do.

Although last in a family of five girls, she refuses to remain in the background and elbows her way to the front. Encouraged by her mother, at fifteen she is already “out” in society, a decision that Elizabeth agrees with Lady Catherine is ill-advised (although not even her ladyship could have stopped Lydia). But still Lydia is the youngest, and being the youngest meant that in many respects she was the least in her family.

Lydia’s position certainly bothered her. Rank was very important back then, dictating where you sat and where you stood and where you walked. In the BBC/A&E 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice (my favorite screen version) this rule is carefully attended to. When the Bennets leave church, near the beginning of the series, to walk on home, the order is clear: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet lead, then Jane and Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and then finally Lydia, who as the youngest is always at the end. When an errand needs to be done, Mrs. Bennet automatically gives it to the youngest unmarried daughter present. “Lydia, ring the bell,” says the mother, and then later, after Lydia is married, it becomes, “Kitty, ring the bell.”

This matter of rank and precedence is paramount in Austen’s other books. In Persuasion it causes strife between Mrs. Musgrove and Mary Eliot Musgrove, because the latter, as the daughter of a baronet, outranks her mother-in-law. In Emma, brides always receive precedence, a custom which greatly annoys Emma with respect to Mrs. Elton. Lydia is delighted when, upon her marriage to Mr. Wickham after a scandalous elopement, she can move to the front. “Ah! Jane, I take your place now, and you must go lower, because I am a married woman” (Chapter 51). It is a great moment of triumph for her; one can imagine that she has been wanting to do this ever since she could toddle.

Another reason for Lydia’s marrying is the fuss that is made about getting married, especially by her mother. Mrs. Bennet wants her daughters to marry for other, more practical reasons; when Mr. Bennet dies, they will be poor, and so her daughters need husbands to support them. Marrying her daughters is the main goal of life and Lydia has absorbed this aim, without the sensible precaution of making sure that the man has sufficient income. This can be seen in a letter from Elizabeth to her aunt Gardiner, when she is discussing Mr. Wickham’s interest in another young woman who recently inherited some money. “Kitty and Lydia … are young in the ways of the world, and not yet open to the mortifying conviction that handsome young men must have something to live on as well as the plain” (Chapter 26).

By all accounts Wickham was extremely handsome. Another reason that Lydia wanted him in part because he was desired by others. Lydia is like the kid who wants the best toys and whatever is trending now. And we must remember that Elizabeth did not warn her sister about Wickham and his character. This actually makes me feel somewhat sorry for Lydia.

With all these attributes in her personality and the pressures of her environment, and with the raging hormones of a sixteen-year-old, Lydia’s elopement with Lieutenant Wickham is not surprising.

Lydia really did expect it to be an elopement, with the happy conclusion of marriage, and despite Wickham’s reluctance, she achieves her goal. When Mr. Darcy discovers where she is, she refuses to take his counsel and to leave Mr. Wickham. “But he found Lydia absolutely resolved on remaining where she was. She cared for none of her friends, she wanted no help of his, she would not hear of leaving Wickham. She was sure that they would be married some time or other, and it did not much signify when” (Chapter 53). And actually, since the society would have condemned her for having lived with him and not getting married, once she had eloped, her only option was to marry him.

Although they marry, the Wickhams do not live happily ever after. Their affection does not last, and Austen indicates that Jane and Elizabeth will always be applied to for settling their bills. Wickham and Lydia keep moving around, too, always “in quest of a cheap situation.” They are punished for their indiscretions, for having gone against the strictures of that society, for letting their passions be stronger than their virtue.

But one of the wonderful qualities of Jane Austen is that most of her characters are so vivid that I feel as if I know them. And because of this, I can imagine how they would behave in other situations.

What would happen to Lydia if she had grown up in today’s society? With her creativity and enterprise, Lydia would make a great businesswoman. She might even have her own reality show, and several million followers on Twitter. She still probably would have eloped with Wickham, but she would certainly not stay married to him. She might go through a number of projects; she might take a terribly bad turn with drugs and addiction – or she might sail through all obstacles as the greatest success of all. I agree that she certainly would spend a lot, because she would always want new toys, but it’s also possible that she could earn a lot too.

Poor Lydia! She is condemned, through the morality and the limitations of her time, to a not-so-happy ending. Yet I don’t think she feels sorry for herself. Although Elizabeth may be the heroine of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, Lydia is certainly the heroine of her own story. The other characters in the novel are horrified for her having run off with what she has done, but of course, these days, most of society would not condemn her for having lived with a man before she married him. So I do not condemn her. In fact, I rather admire Lydia for ignoring some of her society’s strictures.

Elizabeth may disapprove of Lydia, but even she recognizes that they have similarities. Although Lydia expresses her sentiments coarsely, their sentiments are similar. Lydia is rather like Elizabeth in that she takes action when needed, or even when it is not needed. In fact it is the energy of both Lydia and Elizabeth that drives most of the story. More than any of the other Bennets, Elizabeth and Lydia have inherited their mother’s vitality.

I’m sure that any party that Lydia throws would be a blast. Wouldn’t you go?

About the Author: Victoria Grossack is the author of two mysteries set in Jane Austen’s story-verses: The Meryton Murders: A Mystery Set in the Town of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice and The Highbury Murders: A Mystery Set in the Village of Jane Austen’s Emma. She has written a bunch of other books too, which you can learn about at her website, www.tapestryofbronze.com .

In Defense of Mr. Collins

Mr. Collins is a dreadful bore, with his long speeches and his constant apologizing. He’s a wretched dancer and a ghastly whist player. He is completely obsessed by his one true love – his relationship to Lady Catherine de Bourgh. I admit that I would not want to spend many evenings with him!

Still, there are qualities to admire in Mr. Collins, and I think they should be acknowledged.

First, he is a peace-maker. Obviously there was some quarrel going on between Mr. Bennet and Mr. Collins’s father. We do not know the grounds for the quarrel, but it had gone on for years. Probably it was the fault of the senior Collins, as our Mr. Collins said he was always uneasy about it. At any rate, when his father dies, he takes the first step and writes a letter to Mr. Bennet.

Second, Mr. Collins does his best to make amends. He resolves to marry one of his cousins, thereby making sure that they will be cared for when their father dies. Now, he was certainly influenced by the fact that he had been told to marry by Lady Catherine, and the Bennets had a family of five daughters who had reason to welcome him. Even though he points out that there are many eligible young ladies in his neighborhood, we later learn that most of his neighborhood live rather high, so his cousins may have been the most eligible set of ladies available to him. He promises to Elizabeth that he would never reproach her for her lack of funds (which is more than Darcy does in his first proposal). Even though his affection for Elizabeth may be imaginary, his proposal is generous and honorable.

Third, he demonstrates affection for family. Perhaps because his father was his closest relative and is now dead, he is eager to have cousins. In Pride & Prejudice we never become aware that he has any other relatives besides the Bennets (or perhaps none who will tolerate him) and his in-laws the Lucases. Once he decides to marry Charlotte (and she accepts him) he not only declares himself the happiest of men and always refers to her as “my dear Charlotte.” Even though Elizabeth has refused his offer of marriage, he is still an attentive host to her when she comes to Hunsford to visit.

He is proactive. Not only does he mend the breach with Mr. Bennet, he keeps up an active correspondence with that cousin. He makes an offer of marriage, and when that does not work, goes off and makes another. He does not give up.

He tries things. Mr. Collins is ready to try anything, even when he is not good at it (dancing and whist). He is not reserved like Mr. Darcy.

It is true that Mr. Collins sometimes judges harshly. The most notable case is in chapter 57 when he reacts to Lydia and her situation with Wickham: “I am truly rejoiced that my cousin Lydia’s sad business has been so well hushed up, and am only concerned that their living together before the marriage took place should be so generally known. I must not, however, neglect the duties of my station, or refrain from declaring my amazement, at hearing that you received the young couple into your house as soon as they were married. It was an encouragement of vice; and had I been the rector of Longbourn, I should very strenuously have opposed it. You ought certainly to forgive them, as a Christian, but never to admit them in your sight, or allow their names to be mentioned in your hearing.”

As Mr. Bennet exclaims, "that is his notion of Christian forgiveness," which does not seem to be forgiving at all. But we should remember that only a few chapters earlier, Mr. Bennet himself was planning never to admit Lydia to his sight. In chapter 50, Mr. Bennet declares: “Mrs. Bennet, before you take any or all of these houses for your son and daughter, let us come to a right understanding. Into one house in this neighborhood they shall never have admittance. I will not encourage the imprudence of either, by receiving them at Longbourn.”

So Mr. Collins’s harsh attitude, in keeping with his time, is not so surprising. Mr. Collins is not Lydia’s father, so he does not have the love a father has for a daughter; nor is he softened by actually seeing Lydia. We all know that it is much easier to express harsh opinions at a distance than it is to do so in person – consider the unpleasantness to be found in many online comments – and his sentiments are expressed by letter.

I concede that Mr. Collins has more than his share of irritating qualities. He is pompous. He is certain that he is always correct. He stands in the middle of the room and makes speeches (his soliloquy on music and singing at the Netherfield is infamous). He may not be especially bright, but how is someone who is not quick-witted supposed to become quick-witted? He does the best with what he can.

So, although I would not want to be married to Mr. Collins, I love reading about him!

P.S. If you can tolerate meeting Mr. Collins on the page, and would love to spend some more time with Elizabeth Bennet Darcy, take a look at my recent offering,