Have you ever wondered what inspired your favorite classic novelist to write their stories? What was happening in their lives to inspire their famous works? What was happening in the world at the time that they wrote those stories you love?
Join Host Bree Carlile while she helps to answer some of the questions you have always had about your favorite classic novelists.
For the next few weeks we will talk about the life of Jane Austen. What inspired her to write Emma? What else was happening in the world at the time?
Come with us as we release one episode each Tuesday detailing the life and history at the time of your favorite authors.
Follow, rate, and review Bite at a Time Books Behind the Books where we go behind the scenes of what inspired your favorite authors to write your favorite classics. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.
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If you would also like to hear a story by the author we are currently featuring, check out the Bite at a Time Books daily podcast where we read one bite (chapter) a day of your favorite classics, wherever you listen to podcasts, right now we are reading Jane Eyre.
Information for today's episode came from Wikipedia, don't judge us, we just want to give you a brief glimpse into the life. Thanks!
Transcripts
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Welcome to Bite at a Time Books Behind the Story, where we answered the questions you have about your favorite classic authors.
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What inspired your favorite author to write their novels?
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What was going on in the world at the time?
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Follow along with us as we tell you what was happening in the world while your favorite authors wrote your favorite classics.
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My name is Brie Carlyle and I love to read and wanted to share my passion with listeners like you.
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Today we'll be talking about Reading Abbey Girls School, the school that Jane Austen attended.
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Reading Abbey Girl School, also known as Reading Ladies Boarding School, was an educational establishment in Reading, Berkshire, open from at least 1755 until 1794.
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Many of its pupils went on to make a Mark on English culture and society, particularly as writers.
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Most famous is Jane Austen, who used the school as a model of a real honest oldfashioned boarding school.
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George B***, sometime chaplain in ordinary to George III, sent his only son to his great friend Richard Valpe, headmaster of Reading School, on a visit to the town in 1790.
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He was favorably impressed by the Girls School and decided to send his elder daughter as parlor border, a cut above the ordinary border.
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Mary B***, later known as the prolific author Mrs.
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Sherwood, devoted two chapters of her memoirs to her school days in the 1790s, giving a detailed portrait of life at this long established boarding school.
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Two buildings of Reading Abbey survived the dissolution of the monasteries, the hospitalium and the inner gateway.
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The latter and a more modern building attached to it housed the girl's establishment, which was thus known as the Abbey School or the Gateway School.
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It had its own garden overlooking the open ground of Abbey ruins known as the Forbury, where the boys played.
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The Girl's school dates to before 1755, when Lydia Bell took on an assistant.
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Her sister, Sarah Hackett, who later chose to call herself Mrs.
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Laturnell despite being English and unmarried, elbowwest the school to her sister, whose skills lay more as a housekeeper than a teacher.
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A Ms.
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Pitts, who was there as a parlor border, went on to take partnership of the school.
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Dr.
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Valpy hired a French emigrate, formerly a diplomat, Dominique des St.
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Quinton, often spelled without the particle and sometimes as Quinton.
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St.
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Quinton and Pitts married and took over management of the Girls School.
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With his knowledge and ability, they soon raised its standard and prestige.
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Teachers included Francois Pierre Pickett, formerly Secretary to Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, and her connection to Voltaire.
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By the time the B*** sisters were there, Mary was joined the following year by her sister, later Lucy, lately Cameron.
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The school had about 60 pupils, including three of the nine daughters of artist Philip Regan Eagle.
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It was expanding from the ancient Gatehouse to adjoining more modern buildings, giving the school new studies and dormitories.
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The girls were kept busy with rehearsals for exhibitions, such as a play in French and a ball featuring a Quadrille.
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These performances, shared to some extent with the Boy school, were a good way to demonstrate to parents and prospective customers just what accomplishments they would be purchasing.
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Jane Austen was the school's most famous pupil, attending with her sister Cassandra, 1785 to 1786.
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She drew on her experiences there when writing Emma.
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Following the execution of Louis XVI at the end of January 1793, the Abbey School became a place of refuge for immigrants such as statesman Charles Alexandra de Cologne.
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In addition to this profligate hospitality, St Quinton gambled with Dr Phelp and the father of Mary Russell Mitford, and soon the school was forced to close.
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In March 1794 the auctioneer advertised the household and school goods for sale, including 40 bedsteads.
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Beds were shared, magic landhorns for instruction and books in French and English.
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Claire Tomalin, the biographer of Jane Austin, sums up the school as a harmless Slaternly place.
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A couple of years later the St Quintons opened another school, this time in the capital at 22 Hans Place.
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This Garden Square address in the desirable West End of London was made possible by their former pupil Mrs.
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Sherwood.
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Selling a novel, the St Quinton's employed Frances Arabella Rowden, 40, who had been a parlor border with them in Reading when she was 16.
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Rowden's mother kept a school at Henley on Thames, at which Mary Wolstencraft sister Averina worked briefly.
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One source says Rowden was a governess in the household of Lord Besenborough, I.
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E.
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Frederick Ponzenby, third Earl of Bessenburg, and his wife Harriet Spencer, whose only daughter was Lady Caroline Ponzenby, more commonly known by her married name as Lady Caroline Lamb.
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Rowdon was an engaging teacher, with a particular enthusiasm for the theater and as private tutor to Mary Russell Mitford, she was able to indulge her fondness for the Kimball family of actors.
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Rowdon was not only a poet, but according to Mitford, she had a knack of making poetices of her pupils.
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Some of the girls she taught at the Hans Place School included the abovementioned Caroline Ponzenby, who wrote Glenarvon following her affair with Lord Byron, the poet Letitia, Elizabeth Landon, Emma Roberts, the travel writer Anna Maria Fielding, who published as SC hall and Rosina Doyle Wheeler, who married Edward Bulwer Lyton and published her many novels as Rosina Bulwer Lyton.
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The school taught Greek and Latin.
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Unlike its curriculum in reading, it also taught French and Italian and dance and deportment.
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British History online deems it as a superior school.
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It was smaller than its Reading Abbey predecessor, with only 23 in the household, and this would have included livein servants in 18 nine.
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St Quinton retired and Rowden took over 22 Hans Place.
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Curiously, Jane Austen's brother Henry moved into number 23 in 1814, so on her visits to London she stayed next door to her old school, Le.
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L was born at number 25 in 18 two, and after attending school at number 22 as a small child ended up lodging in a room on the top floor between 1826 and 1837.
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By that point, the house had been taken by two Mrs.
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Lance who also ran it as a school.
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Much later, 22, Hans Place formed the headquarters of the 1921 Irish Treaty Delegation.
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Another innovative educational establishment, Hill House School, has been based in Hans Place since 1951.
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In 1798, St Quinton filed an affidavit concerning Denisation a relatively straightforward way now obsolete of gaining what we would call permanent residency.
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With the renewed piece, the St Quinton's decided to try a Parisian retirement.
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Rowden followed in 1818 and opened a school at various locations.
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She had as her final notable pupil, Francis F**** Kimball of the acting family.
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Kimball mocked the literature that Rowden deemed suitable.
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St Quinton was widowed and in 1825 he and Rawdon married.
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She would have been about 50 and he 75.
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It is not known what happened to them afterwards.
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Thank you for joining Bite At a Time Books Behind the Story Today while we answered some of the questions you have about one of your favorite classic authors, all of the links for our show are in the show notes.
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Our show is part of the Bite At A Timebooks Productions network.
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If you would also like to hear a story by the author we are currently featuring, check out the Byte At A Time books podcast.
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Wherever you listen to podcasts right now we are reading Emma again.
