Remember When . . . Punishment and Praise Were Public?

by | Jun 13, 2012 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

In my research for my Edwardian work-in-progress, I came across an interesting bit of information from the Manor House site. Apparently in some houses, the master doled out punishment and praise after morning prayers, when the entire household was gathered. As in, if you did something to gain his attention, be it good or bad, he would make note of it in front of everyone.
Can you imagine? I know it wasn’t done this way in every great house, but I found it so striking that I had to include it in my WIP. See, my heroine’s father is a recluse who considers the running of his estate his sole purpose in life–at least until he’s reunited with his daughter. 😉 When I imagine Whitby (who’s modeled after Robert Downey Junior–siiiiggghhhhh), I see a master who is very involved with his household, who views each and every one as of interest to the estate, and so of interest to him.
He’s a kind man, so is far more likely to dole out praise than punishment. I imagine most mornings after the household-wide reading from the prayer book, he dismissed the staff to their tasks without a word. But when someone has done something exceptionally fine, he would see that they’re acknowledged for it.
And if someone did something bad enough to gain his notice and warrant punishment–well, he’s just harsh enough to make an example of them. After all, his house will run smoothly, and it’s best that everyone remember that.
Though I’ve written this book a gazillion times now (okay, four or five rewrites now, LOL), this is the first version in which my heroine Brook has a father. I had to introduce his character this time in order to take care of some inheritance issues, and I’m so glad I did. I love his dry wit and cynicism, and I especially love the soft heart under the bristly exterior. It’s proving a lot of fun to determine who this guy is and how he would react to the plotline already in place. Having his whole life revolve around Whitby Park gives him an edge I’m enjoying discovering.
Of course, I get to explore the servant side of things too, and it’s also a lot of fun to think of how they would react to these public displays. Certainly they would fear–and resent–the punishment before their peers. But you know, it’s likely that even the praise could engender some resentment among them.
Oh yeah. This is gonna be a blast. =)

Remember When . . . The Servants Were Invisible?

by | Jun 6, 2012 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

I’m back to work on my Victorian-turned-Edwardian historical romance–I thought I’d be working on my second Culper Book this week instead, but alas. When an editor asks to see more, I must be flexible. 😉
In order to achieve the right balance in this one, I have to have a solid understanding of servants of the day (one of my POV characters is a head maid, soon to be promoted to lady’s maid). So much of my day yesterday was spent in research. Naturally, I thought you’d enjoy a look at some of it. 😉
First, I’d like to recommend you to the Jane Austen World blog, if you don’t frequent it already. She has some truly beautiful and insightful posts put together, using Downton Abbey as her example.
But I’m going to post here some Servant Rules, provided by PBS’s Manor House site.
  • Never let your voice be heard by the ladies and gentlemen of the house, except when necessary, and then as little as possible.

  • Always “give room” if you meet one of your employers or betters on the stairs.
  • Always stand still and keep your hands quiet when speaking to a lady or being spoken to and look at the person speaking to you.
  • Never begin to talk to ladies and gentlemen unless it be to deliver a message or ask a necessary question.
  • Servants should never offer any opinion to their employers, nor even
    to say good night or good morning except in reply to salutation.
  • Never talk to another servant, or a person of your own rank, or to a
    child in the presence of your mistress, unless for necessity then do it
    as shortly as possible, and in a low voice.
  • Never call from one room to another.
  • Always answer when you have received an order or reproof.
  • Outer doors are to be kept constantly fastened, and their bells to
    be answered by the Butler only, except when he is otherwise
    indispensably engaged, when the assistant by his authority will take his
    place.

  • Every servant is expected to be punctually in his/her place at meal times.
  • No servant is to take any knives or forks or other article, nor on
    any account to remove any provisions, nor ale or beer out of the Hall.
  • No Gambling of any description, or Oaths, or abusive language are on any account to be allowed.
  • The female staff are forbidden from smoking.
  • No servant is to receive any Visitor, Friend or Relative into the
    house; or to introduce any person into the Servants’ hall without the
    consent of the Butler or Housekeeper.
  • Followers are strictly forbidden, and any maid found fraternising
    with a member of the opposite sex will be dismissed without a hearing.
  • No tradesmen, nor any other persons having business in the house are
    to be admitted except between the hours of 9am and 3pm and in all cases
    the Butler or Chef must be satisfied that the persons he admits have
    business there.
  • The Hall door is to be finally closed at half-past ten o’clock
    every night, after which time no person will be admitted into the houses
    except those on special leave.
  • The servants’ hall is to be cleared and closed, except when visitors
    with their Servants are staying in the house, at half-past ten o’clock.
  • No credit upon any consideration to be given to any person residing in the house or otherwise for Stamps, Postal Orders etc.
  • Any breakages or damage to the house will be deducted from wages.
Now, let it be noted that there are plenty of responsibilities for the “betters” in master/servant relations too! Maybe we’ll take a more detailed look later on, but the one that struck me most was they were strictly instructed in ignoring the servants if they came upon them (in one of those instances when the servants “gave way”), lest they embarrass them by calling attention to them when they were trying to be invisible.
So now that I have my guide, time to get writing!
Remember When . . . The People Rallied?

Remember When . . . The People Rallied?

by | May 30, 2012 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

Real quick–today I’ve posted on Go Teen Writers about  what an editor at a publishing house really does. Check it out if you’re curious! https://www.roseannamwhite.com/2012/05/what-does-editor-do-anyhow.html

~*~

 I’m nearing the end of my War of 1812 research, and several times I’ve been amazed at how the British commanders totally misunderstood the American spirit. They thought from the start that if they could just convince the Americans to turn on each other, if they could discourage us, then we would turn on our own cause and join theirs instead.

Boy, were they wrong.
I got my first chuckle when I saw how a good ol’ Maryland summer wreaked its havoc on the out-of-condition British troops, who had spent far too long on board their ships and hadn’t made an attempt to get back in shape upon landing, thinking it not worth the effort, more or less. The march toward Washington, made in 95 degree August heat–which means humidity that would have made it well over a hundred–felled more men than our troops did. Seasoned British veterans later said this march was the single worst time in their careers. (Oh yeah–go Maryland summers!)
We all know, of course, that they made it to Washington. To be sure, the British were a little baffled as to why it was left all but defenseless. But for our part, we couldn’t understand why they would make the effort to take a city of absolutely no strategic importance.
The answer? The British command wanted to hit us where it hurt. Burning Washington was meant to be a sucker-punch, meant to break our fighting spirit. But even their own people back home shook their heads when they got the news of the attack, one member of Parliament saying Britain “had done what the Goths refused to do at Rome.” He was echoing a London paper that had written, “Even the Cossacks spared Paris, but Englishmen spared not the capital of America.”
The British commander–hating America because his father had died at Yorktown in the Revolution–had crossed a line. And rather than break us, it made every individual American realize this war wasn’t against a nebulous idea of country–it was against them. For the first time, many citizens understood that our government couldn’t succeed without their support.
The burning of Washington achieved what no amount of pleas from our military commanders had been able to–it made the war hit home, and made it personal. In the week following, men volunteered by the thousand, and people finally determined that they would not suffer the British actions.
The British were in for another lesson too–that our government doesn’t rely on one location. Within two days of Washington’s burning, Congress and the Cabinet were back together and in action. 
And boy, were we ready for action! =)
~*~
On a totally unrelated note, my watermelon cake. It was in some respects a total fail–the back completely fell apart as I iced it. But I hid the damage in a clever display (somewhat anyway) and got a couple decent pictures. And my grandmother, whose birthday we were celebrating on Memorial Day, got a kick out of it. (My grandparents own a produce farm, so…)

Remember When . . . We Crashed into the French?

by | May 16, 2012 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

I mentioned in a post last month that I was excited to be given permission to write a novella that will be used as a promotional freebie between Ring of Secrets and its sequel, tentatively titled Mask of Truth. This one is set in the days leading directly to the French Revolution, and now that I’ve given myself a crash-course in research for it, I thought it would be fun to talk about some of the differences I’ve discovered between the French system of the day and the English (which I know a whole lot better!) =)
For starters, the whole class system is set up a bit differently. In England we have the Peerage, which consists of all folks titled, below which is the slew of gentlefolk who trace their linage back to the Peerage but have themselves no title. Titles in English are bound up by strict law–family estates are usually tied to them, and there’s no wiggle room without an act of Parliament. It goes to the eldest male in the paternal line, and that’s that.
In France, however, we have Estates. The First Estate is the king and the church. The Second Estate is the host of nobles–and this, unlike England’s, isn’t a closed system. Rich folks could occasionally buy their way into the noble class, and if you were born into it, you stayed in it, whether you yourself had a title or not. I even read that quite a lot of people pretended to have a title, going by “comte” (count/earl) whether they deserves it or not, LOL. Then there was the Third Estate, made up of the commoners who were, throughout history up to this point, terribly neglected and oppressed by the nobles who controlled almost all aspects of their lives.
And while we’re on the subject of titles, I found it totally bizarre that the title itself isn’t capitalized in French, just the “where” part of it–so it isn’t le Comte d’Ushant, it’s comte d’Ushant. And rather than answering to “my lord” or “my lady,” these nobles were just monsieur and madame and mademoiselle–which is why even those titles were banned during the Revolution and everyone was just “citizen.”
But the funniest thing is the fashion. Up until this point, French fashion was all the rage all the world over, and Marie Antoinette was a fashion icon. But as the queen spent more time with her children and less in the public eye, fashion shifted. Out were the exaggerated plumes and beads and gems and curls, and in came the simple styles a l’Anglais–in the English fashion! There’s even a report of a woman attending a ball in a manly riding habit *gasp!*
I’m not quite as immersed in the setting as I would be for a full-length book, but I’m certainly having fun with my clashing English and French. =) Of course, all this is just the backdrop for my charming young French noblewoman, my handsome and noble-spirited English military officer, and my dastardly French duc. Mwa ha ha ha! 😉
Now back to them I go!

Remember When . . . The Classics Were Classic?

by | May 9, 2012 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

I’m cheating today and posting the same thing I put up at the Colonial Quills blog last Friday. =) And don’t forget to hop over there for the Anniversary celebration! Lots of  great giveaways going on!!

One of the first lessons students are taught at St. John’s College (a.k.a The Great Books School) is that there’s nothing like an original text–and that we ought not refer to anything but the texts we’ve read together when in class. And so begins an education steeped in all things classic–an education that works its way not only into my writing, but into my outlook on how to research.

I’ve been thinking about this in recent weeks because each review I’ve gotten lately on Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland mentions my use of language and how it feels historical–something I achieved solely through reading texts from my time period. And a fellow St. John’s graduate who’d just finished it emailed me the other day to say “I have to say, when you pulled out Pascal, I thought, ‘Roseanna is such a Johnnie!'” ‘Tis true, ’tis true. =) And in my next book, Ring of Secrets, I draw even more on my classical education thanks to a hero who’s a professor at Yale (in 1780) in the subjects of philosophy and chemistry.
What I love about the Colonial, Revolutionary, and early Federalist periods is the rich literary culture. They not only had the ancient texts to draw on, they had more modern philosophers, political theorists, and some oh-so-fun scientific discovery happening under their very noses. 
And yet, I confess, whenever I have a character reaching for a book, I have to stop and think, “What would she be reading?” I often have to do some searches to remind myself of when certain books were published, or which authors were more popular at a given time. And though I often use ones I’ve read, occasionally my characters’ literary taste diverges from my experience. No matter what I write, my characters will always find an occasion to delve into the classics–and since most people don’t have a shelf full of the books from St. John’s reading list (ahem–I know I wouldn’t had I not gone there, LOL!) I figured it would be fun to draw together a small smackerel for anyone interested. =)
Fiction Popular in the 18th Century
Don Quixote by Cervantes – a bit of a parody of the chivalric tales popular way-back-when
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift – another parody, of course
Iliad by Homer (especially the Alexander Pope translation)
Odyssey by Homer (also the Pope translation)
Gargantua and Pantagruel by Rabelais (not for ladies of delicate sensibilities! Far too much talk of cod-pieces for the gentler sex)
Anything Shakespeare, of course
The Aeneid by Virgil – did you know Caesar Augustus ordered the writing of The Aeneid solely to give the Greek version (Iliad) some competition?
Ovid’s Metamorphosis (not to be confused with Kafka’s)
The Misanthrope and other works by Moliere
Paradise Lost etc. by Milton
Dante’s Divine Comedy – most of us found the Inferno to be far more interesting than Paradisio, LOL
Non-Fiction Popular in the 18th Century
(Since most of these fellows wrote a number of treatises, I’ll list authors and subject matter rather than particular titles.)
Pascal – this guy was a certifiable genius whose salvation led him to turn his considerable brain-power to convincing others of the logic and reason behind Christianity. Fun stuff!
Descartes – though best known for his philosophical works (such as the one with the famous “I think, therefore I am”) he also wrote scientific works that are, um, less credible when one actually experiments upon the objects he discusses.
Hobbes – a political theorist whose works played a major role in the shaping of America’s political system
Adam Smith – an economic theorist who may put you to sleep but who, again, greatly shaped America’s early systems
Montesquieu – a political theorist who first devised the separation of powers now taken for granted.
Francis Bacon – political and scientific theorist most remembered for creating the scientific method
Locke – political theorist
Hume – political theorist and skeptic
Spinoza – essays laid the foundation for the Enlightenment; a biblical critic
Rousseau – political theorist
Newton – scientific and mathematical genius
Huygens – scientist who made breakthroughs especially in the behavior of light
Lavoisier – scientist of the 1770-90s who introduced the idea of elements into chemistry which led to the periodic table
There are many more, and I didn’t even touch on the sermons and poetry that were popular, but for those curious about where the Founding Fathers got their ideas, that’ll give you a great starting place!

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