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Laura In The News

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It hasn’t even been two weeks since #Hurricane Laura hit the USA. Death tolls from this storm have been reckoned at 64, and #Louisiana continues to reel from its effects. Hopefully, hurricanes will stay away from our shores for the rest of the season (which usually ends in November). With fingers crossed, the characters of #JaneEyreGetsReal by Annabelle Troy each reflect on their favorite #Laura, from fact or fiction. Dorian Grey: British painter Dame Laura Knight (1877-1870) Madame Bovary: Petrarch’s Laura–the adored subject of a 14th century love sonnet David Copperfield: maternal figure and former First Lady Laura Bush Hester … Continue reading Laura In The News

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Sherlock Holmes Reveals The Killer of Prince Albert

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The characters in Jane Eyre Gets Real are almost all of the Victorian era and “knew” Prince Albert, the Queen’s consort, well. He was born August 26, 1819. Considered a kind, intelligent man–as well as handsome, in his youth–his accomplishments including strengthening the constitutional monarchy, advancing social issues, and popularizing #Christmas. He died at the age of 42, plunging Queen Victoria, their children and their court into perpetual mourning. Officially the cause of Prince Albert’s death is recorded as “typhoid.” However, as #SherlockHolmes has been quick to note, Albert was ill for most of his life; pale, feverish and so … Continue reading Sherlock Holmes Reveals The Killer of Prince Albert

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Hot Dogs Al Fresco: Dining Out During A #Pandemic

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  You can call it eating in the open air or, as Madame Bovary–the only French character in Jane Eyre Gets Real–would more elegantly put it, dining al fresco. In the time of #Covid19,though indoor dining has resumed in many European establishments, American cities such as San Francisco, Chicago and New York are taking restaurant service to the streets. Outdoor dining is technically as old as the first shepherd who ate bread and cheese under the stars. In the USA the roots of an al fresco meal are just as humble. Before #Nathan’s on Coney Island there was Feltman’s Ocean … Continue reading Hot Dogs Al Fresco: Dining Out During A #Pandemic

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Every Cat Has Her Day: #Choupette

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Madame Bovary, that most feline of women and a character in Jane Eyre Gets Real, wonders sometimes how Choupette is doing. In case, amidst the health and economic woes wrought by #coronavirus, you’ve forgotten who Choupette is, well, she’s the pampered cat to whom #KarlLagerfelt left a considerable inheritance. (His will, filed in Monaco, is not a public document but is rumored to name several models, not all cats, amongst the beneficiaries.) Apparently the pampered Birman kitty, who once made over $3 million a year in merchandise inspired by her, is living in Paris with Lagerfeld’s former housekeeper. In spite … Continue reading Every Cat Has Her Day: #Choupette

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Is #Karen the New Shrew?

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Hester Prynne, protagonist of The Scarlet Letter and a character in Jane Eyre Gets Real, has observed the recent spate of “Karens” with interest. Outings of the Karen–typically a middle-aged, middle-class woman with a sculpted bob and delusions of grandeur–seem to appear in the media daily. While some Karens may indeed be over the top in their aggrieved expressions of complaint, Hester wonders if this sudden obsession with Karens is not a subtle attack on outspoken women. Are Karens the modern equivalent of “shrews”, a term first applied to women in the 14th century? In medieval times the shrew, a … Continue reading Is #Karen the New Shrew?

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American Treasure

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Sherlock Holmes, a character in the novel Jane Eyre Gets Real, loves solving any mystery. That includes treasure hunts. It was with great interest that he followed the true story of Forrest Fenn, a wealthy art dealer, who buried a chest full of gold coins and nuggets, jewelry and gemstones galore in the Rocky Mountains of #Colorado; he then issued clues via his self-published book, The Thrill of the Chase: A Memoir. Anyone who found the treasure, valued at $2 million, could keep it. Fenn, diagnosed with cancer at the time he published The Thrill, wished to motivate people to … Continue reading American Treasure

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Very Victorian Hacks for Boredom

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If you are feeling stressed/bored/unmotivated during corona virus #lockdown, here are some tips, suggested by the characters in JANE EYRE GETS REAL by Annabelle Troy: Have an old-fashioned taffy pull. Nothing gets out anguish quite like cooking corn syrup into hard balls then twisting the hell out of it. Teach your dog or other pets how to do new tricks. You may even be inspired to start your own circus. Put on some roller skates and zoom around your living room, after you have rolled up the carpets. You’ll be surprised at how good it will feel! Don’t be afraid … Continue reading Very Victorian Hacks for Boredom

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You Made Your #Flower Bed Now Lie In It!

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Sherlock Holmes, a character in Jane Eyre Gets Real by Annabelle Troy, is no stranger to looking beneath the surface of things. He knows that underneath beauty’s facade there often lurks a dark soul; he was, for instance, onto flatmate #DorianGray from the second he met him. But that’s another story… Holmes, being a beekeeper, knows that a type of honeybee, the Diadasia diminuta,  sleeps inside an orange flower called Globe Mallow. They also like to make their bed in the California poppy and other buds which close up at night–how cozy! An adult bee will sleep about an hour per night … Continue reading You Made Your #Flower Bed Now Lie In It!

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It’s Only A Paper #Rose

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Jane Eyre is no stranger to crafting. Victorian heroines practically invented the pastime. As early as 1850 (when Jane would have long been Mrs. Rochester with her austere childhood securely behind her), a lady could buy a kit with everything she needed to make fake posies. Natural shapes were favored, petals carefully cut out then crimped or dipped in wax, before being wired onto stems. The paper flower can trace its roots to #China in 100 BC; the Chinese are credited with inventing paper, which was ultimately used not just for printing but for fans, lanterns, and lotuses which were … Continue reading It’s Only A Paper #Rose

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Oopsy Daisy

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June is #flower month for the characters of JANE EYRE GETS REAL. This week’s post has been compiled by Heidi, the classic little girl originally created by Johanna Spyri. A child of nature, Heidi loves the name “Daisy” (the 162nd most popular girl’s name in 2020) and has decided to share with you her favorite females, real or otherwise, with this moniker. (Finding anyone named oopsy is a bit harder…) Daisy Buchanan: famed belle depicted by F. Scott Fitzgerald in #THE GREAT GATSBY Daisy Ashford: pen name of nine year old girl who wrote 1919 British classic THE YOUNG VISITORS, … Continue reading Oopsy Daisy