Tag: Victorian

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19th Century Daddy Issues

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David Copperfield, who appears in Jane Eyre Gets Real, also “starred” in his own novel, written by the great Charles Dickens. In this classic, Copperfield’s father dies when David is very young and his stepfather is cruel, even brutal. As #FathersDay Sunday, June 17 approaches, David reflects on the children of his literary creator. Charles Dickens and his wife Kate had 10 children. A few of them including son Charley were alcoholics with gambling addictions. Frank stuttered and walked in his sleep. Katey, the eldest daughter, would grow up to marry Charles Alston Collins, a painter and the brother of author … Continue reading 19th Century Daddy Issues

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What the Bee Sees

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  As Alice in Wonderland and several other characters in Annabelle Troy’s novel Jane Eyre Gets Real can attest, the Victorians knew their flowers. They had a whole secret language which devolved around them: the pink carnation stood for gratitude, the yellow rose for friendship, violets for youth. If you wanted to express the first flushes of love you might send a bouquet of purple lilacs, while nothing signified consolation better than a red poppy. As you might expect daisies symbolized innocence and sunflowers happiness. But did you know that the iris was code for a message, the jasmine for amiability … Continue reading What the Bee Sees

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Very Victorian New Year’s Problems

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Infant Keeps Stealing Your Top Hat To Personify Baby New Year New Year’s Resolution Involves Cutting Down On Suet  All the GOOD Crackers Were Pulled At Xmas, So Now You Have to Make Your Own  You Keep Singing Old Lang Sign By Mistake You Actually Look Better At The Party WITH The Lampshade On Your Head Bagpipe Player You Hired Can’t Show Up Til 12:15 am All of the characters from Jane Eyre Gets Real Join Author Annabelle Troy in Wishing You A Wonderful 2018! Continue reading Very Victorian New Year’s Problems

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Jane Eyre’s November Garden

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Thanksgiving means food but it can also mean flowers and fruits: anything that celebrates the earth. Jane Eyre, an English girl at heart but now living in NYC between the pages of Annabelle Troy’s novel Jane Eyre Gets Real, reminisces about her garden at Thornfield in the autumn. “Mr. Rochester and I were proud of these November flowers: Calendula will flower until frost. They look like daisies, are orange, yellow or apricot, and grow to 2 feet in height. Candytuft–delightful name–are known as “autumn snow” because of their pure white color; they bloom in fall and spring. Also known as iberis. Cyclamen have … Continue reading Jane Eyre’s November Garden

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Counting Your Chickens Before They’re Hatched: Very Victorian Spring Problems

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This year the spring equinox was March 20, so it’s official: we have sprung! Victorians, who loved all categories, enjoyed celebrating this season with their usual aplomb. Hence, the cast of Jane Eyre Gets Real presents Very Victorian Spring Problems:   Your Chickens Have A Better Love Life Than You Do You Dress Your Children In White & Expect Them Not To Get Dirty Your Greenhouse Looks Like A Mausoleum   Everyone Else Has Gone A-Maying But You’re Stuck At Home Baking Scones  Your New Pet Refuses To Play Fetch   Rabbits Are Taking Over The School System The Flowers In Your … Continue reading Counting Your Chickens Before They’re Hatched: Very Victorian Spring Problems

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I’m Like A Bird

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Birds are linked in all world mythologies to birth, death, freedom and rejuvenation–making them the perfect symbol of spring. Giving whimsy its way, here are the characters of Jane Eyre Gets Here by Annabelle Troy, reimagined as avian spirits: Dorian Gray: peacock. A reminder that beauty should never be taken too seriously, the peacock also represents new life rising out of the ashes–a kind of vain phoenix. David Copperfield: cuckoo. An orphan bird always looking for foster families; not known for being a hero in his own life, the cuckoo looks for other nests in which to build his future. Mr. Darcy: … Continue reading I’m Like A Bird

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Be A Princess Or Just Look Like One

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Alice in Wonderland is a kind of Victorian fairy tale princess–led astray by a magical rabbit, plunged into adventures with queens, hatters, and caterpillars, careful all the while not to rumple her pinafore. She is a girl who exhibits great wit, character, and resourcefulness. In today’s world fairy tales are hot again, at least the Disney versions. Inspired by the upcoming premiere of Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson, Alice has composed a list of things any ordinary girl can do to emulate a princess: Let Down Your Hair: Rapunzel-like, ravishing locks are a cinch with super-long clip-in hair extensions. Seven … Continue reading Be A Princess Or Just Look Like One

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Colors of the Past

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Emma Bovary, a character in Jane Eyre Gets Real by Annabelle Troy, loves beautiful dresses. The era in which she lived, the mid-19th century, saw the turning away from natural dyes such as indigo, and the explosion of rich new colors through the use of aniline dyes. Think acid green, royal purple, chrome yellow, pillar box red. Victorian women were shrinking violets no more; instead they were bold violets bedecked in coral and sapphire with hints of that trendy new color, mauve. In 1856 the 18 year old English chemist William Henry Perkins “invented” mauve, and a range of other … Continue reading Colors of the Past

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Very Victorian Halloween Problems

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The witching season is upon us. Mr. Darcy, Sherlock Holmes, Dorian Gray and the other characters in Jane Eyre Gets Real by Annabelle Troy present this to you with their compliments: Ghosts were really aggressive back then You Only Have Enough Crumpets For Three But Uninvited Guests Keep Dropping By All You Want Is A Nice Family Photo But Mum Keeps Being Difficult Stop Trying to Make “How Hallow’eeny” Happen, It’s Not Going to Happen Stiff Competition for Miss Witch USA   Your Wife Is Dead Yet She Still Insists On Playing The Piano Email Hasn’t Been Invented So You Receive … Continue reading Very Victorian Halloween Problems

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Very Victorian Problems

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Brought to you by Jane Eyre. She’s a character in Annabelle Troy’s novel available on Amazon, Jane Eyre Gets Real. Oh, and Charlotte Bronte wrote about her too. You spill milk but have used all the rags curling your hair. Your doll’s wardrobe costs more than yours. You need three people to help you get dressed in the morning–and you don’t like two of them. You can only wear all black when someone dies.     Your crinoline doubles as a birdcage.   Your skirt WILL catch on fire. But you can use your cloak to put it out.   Your … Continue reading Very Victorian Problems