Questions & Answers

 

Here's a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what goes into developing and researching a show like Arcadia. These are questions asked by the cast and crew during the rehearsal process, to get a better understanding of the world of the production and ensure historical accuracy.

 

1/17/15

How would the gentlemen greet Lady Croom when she enters a room?

Bowing to a lady was a common form of greeting during the Regency period, particularly when meeting a lady in public, asking a woman to dance, or arriving at a private residence to pay a social or business call. In the privacy of one's home, among family and close friends, the rules were somewhat relaxed, so it wasn't necessary to be constantly bowing to each other. A man would bow to a lady from the waist, and inferiors would bow to their superiors. A gentleman would remove his hat upon entering a building.

 

Sources/Further Reading

Georgette Heyer's Regency World - Rules and Etiquette

Of Proper Gentlemen and Ladies

Of Refinement and Good Manners

The Language of 18th Century Etiquette Books

 

1/14/15

What is the proper butler etiquette for the exchange of letters, etc. in the Croom household?

Although Septimus and Jellaby are both employees of the Crooms, Septimus, as a tutor, is outside the servant hierarchy and could therefore treat Jellaby as an inferior in their interactions. Physical contact between servants and superiors was strictly prohibited, so when delivering the letters from Chater, a small tray would be used to prevent any incidental touching. The tray should be held in the right hand, and Jellaby would wait patiently at a respectful distance while Septimus considered and composed his response, before returning to Chater.

 

1/13/14

What is the proper etiquette for an introductory handshake between a member of the peerage and a commoner?

While much specific instruction exists on how to properly greet and shake hands with the Queen or a member of the British royal family, information on introductions between members of the nobility and commoners is much scarcer. My research indicates that the etiquette is for the higher-status person to initiate the handshake; so in the case of Valentine and Bernard, Valentine would be the one to offer his hand to Bernard in greeting, not the other way around. Information on how to give a proper British handshake, as well as many other rules for etiquette, can be found on the website for Debrett's, Great Britain's etiquette authority. 

 

1/10/15

What does Septimus mean in his first short speech on page 6? ("Not necessarily...the seed fell on stony ground.")

I don't have a definitive answer on this one, as much as a theory. The exchange is based around Thomasina's question about the definition of carnal embrace, and Septimus' attempted evasion of the answer. Septimus is trying to dodge the question by reverting back to the original Latin definition of carnal, carnis, referring to flesh or meat. That is what the first part of his response ("Not necessarily, my lady...QED") is referring to. He then goes on to reference the Gallic Wars, which were fought between 58 BC and 50 BC between Roman armies led by Julius Caesar and several Gallic tribes that occupied Gual (modern-day France and Belgium). During these wars, Caesar and his armies crossed the English Channel, landing in modern-day Kent in southeastern England. The terrain in this part of the country is particularly rocky (it's where the white cliffs of Dover are located). The quote "The Britons live on milk and meat" comes from Caesar's "Commentaries on the Gallic Wars." The full sentence from the "Commentaries" reads, "Most of the inland inhabitants do not sow corn, but live on milk and flesh." Septimus' line "I am sorry that the seed fell on stony ground," may therefore reference the fact that the Britons living in Kent could not farm (plant seed) because the geography was not conducive to agriculture (stony ground).

 

Some commentary on Arcadia points out the use of the word "seed" may be a Freudian slip on Septimus' part. He's referring to corn seed, but of course seed is another term for sperm, which Thomasina picks up on, when she asks about the sin of Onan, the Biblical character who was punished for spilling his seed on the ground to avoid impregnating his brother's wife.

 

What this exchange does is establish two critical elements of Arcadia - that the audience better be on its toes, because references will be flying fast and furious, and that Thomasina, even at thirteen, is Septimus' intellectual equal, and dogged in her pursuit of knowledge. No matter how much he tries to evade her questions and steer the conversation away from sex, she is two steps ahead of him, until finally, on page 7, he is forced to give in and give her an accurate definition of what carnal embrace is.

 

What's going on with Poland during the Napoleonic Wars?

Like most of Europe during the late 18th and early 19th century, Poland was experiencing major upheaval. Between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia and Austria annexed parts of the Poland-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as it was known, on three separate occasions. In 1795, the Polish king abdicated, and a formal Polish state ceased to exist. Having their lands divided up and handed out like party favors to their more powerful neighbors did not sit well with the Poles. When Napoleon Bonaparte took control of France in 1799, many Poles saw it as an opportunity, hoping that if they aided Napoleon in his conquest of Europe, he would assist them in ousting the Russians, Prussians and Austrians, and restoring the nation of Poland. Thousands of Polish soldiers formed the Polish Legions that would go on to serve as part of Napoleon's army in nearly all the theaters of the Napoleonic Wars, including Italy, Russia, North Africa and the West Indies. In 1807, Napoleon did set up the Duchy of Warsaw, an independent Polish state created mainly from territory that had been under Prussian control. However, following Napoleon's ill-fated invasion of Russia in 1812, the Duchy of Warsaw, along with Napoleon's empire, collapsed. Poland would not regain its status as an independent nation until after WWI.

 

So, what does all this have to do with dear Count Zelinsky? Like England, Poland had its own nobility, although their rules and customs were a bit different from that of England. Titles consisted of Prince (with Crown Prince reserved for an heir apparent to the throne), Marquess, Count, Baron, and Knight. Following the dissolution of the Poland-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795, many members of the Polish nobility saw their privileges disappear as well. It is perhaps these circumstances that Count Zelinsky is trying to escape by being in England in 1812. Although Polish soldiers were fighting with the French against the British, there wasn't much anti-Polish sentiment circulating England at the time; in fact, England was largely indifferent to the plight of Polish independence. Inter-continental travel was common for those who had the means (like aristocracy) so its not unusual that someone like Count Zelinsky would wind up in London rubbing elbows with members of the British aristocracy like Lady Croom, although how exactly he ended up at Sidley Park tuning her Broadwood (wink wink nudge nudge) is open to interpretation.

 

What is the relationship between artists and patrons like in the early 19th century, and how is Chater and Brice's situation representative of that relationship?

While individual patronage of the arts was never quite as widespread in England as it was in continental Europe in place like Italy during the Renaissance, it did happen. In his article "Types of Eighteenth-Century Literary Patronage" from the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, Paul J. Korshin points out a few relevant facts about the practice from the period immediately proceeding the years in which Arcadia is set. During the Restoration, royal patronage of artists generally declined (with a few notable exceptions, including John Dryden, William Wycherly and William Congreve), leaving the practice increasingly in the hands of titled nobility and landed gentry. Even among those groups, there wasn't overwhelming enthusiasm; rather than lavishing huge sums of money or valuable commissions on their beneficiaries, these patrons supported the writers of their choice in a few different ways - modest cash gifts, publication of works that no one else would publish, and job placements. 

 

On the subject of publication, Korshin says, "It would be fair to say that in the case of expensive books unlikely to sell or attract many subscribers, the costs of publication were often borne by a patron. The existence of the patronage system made possible the publication of certain kinds of books, especially antiquarian works, local and county history, minor poetry and personal memoirs." Based on the commentary of Ezra Chater's poems, it's probably also fair to say that his works fall into this category. A number of eighteenth-century works, including Laurence Stern's Tristram Shandy,  an early prototype of the modern-day novel, were published by the grace and generosity of wealthy patrons.

 

Patrons also supported writers by getting them jobs in fields that often had little to do with their literary aspirations, such as government or, in the case of Chater, botany. According to Korshin, "Throughout the century we find scattered patronage jobs being awarded to writers in the Office of the Treasury, the Pipe Office, His Majesty's Mint, the Wine License Office, the Customs, the Excise, the Salt-Office, the Post Office, and the Commissioners for Trade...Occasionally others were "in the gift" of a nobleman who was connected with the office in question." As it is today, a little influence and money can go a long way in getting what you want. For a captain in the Royal Navy like Brice, who obviously has financial means, pulling strings and making sure cash found its way into the right people's pockets was probably no challenge at all.

 

But why would a wealthy nobleman or member of the military spend his time and money patronizing a writer? For one, he could genuinely believe in the writer's abilities and the necessity for getting his work out to a wider audience. It could be in return for political favors; many writers were supported in return for becoming mouthpieces for political parties and churning out literature that supported particular politicians or positions. There was also a certain social cache in being a supporter of the literary arts, particularly as people began to see large libraries as a symbol of status and wealth.

 

In the case of Chater and Brice, it's important to remember two things: 1.) Chater is very susceptible to flattery and flighs of fancy regarding being the next great Romantic poet and 2.) Brice really likes screwing Chater's wife. While Korshin's article doesn't mention cuckolding as a motive for literary patronage, it's probably not totally outside the realm of possibility. Offering to publish Chater's poem and be his patron would have had a two-fold benefit for Brice; it would have smoothed out any hard feelings Chater harbored for learning Brice and Mrs. Chater were having an affair, and it would mean Brice could keep the Chaters close in order to continue the affair. Although we never see Mrs. Chater, the fact that Brice was willing to pay 200 pounds (50 to publish the poem and 150 to bring the Chaters to Martinique) certainly speaks volumes about the allure of her company.

 

1/6/15

What is the general timeline of education of the past for both male and female pupils i.e. when would Septimus have been hired, what would have been the extent of Thomasina’s learning, etc?

As with most other aspects of life in this time and place, class and gender had a lot to do with where and how someone was educated.

 

For an upper-class girl like Thomasina, education would be conducted at home by a tutor or governess. All-girl private schools, called "seminaries" did exist for daughters of wealthy families, although they were looked down upon by the highest echelons of the aristocracy. Being able to afford a full-time governess or tutor was considered a mark of wealth and status. The primary goal of education was to make the girl a a well-rounded, well-spoken young lady who could attract a good husband. The idea of nurturing Thomasina's considerable intellectual gifts in preparation for higher education would not have even been considered; universities in England did not begin admitting women until much later in the 19th century.

 

A girl's education would start around age six or seven and began with the basics - reading, writing and mathematics. After that, the content of the curriculum was up to the teacher and the pupil, although it would commonly include fashionable languages of the day (Italian and French); arts (singing or playing an instrument, drawing and painting, dancing), and domestic skills like sewing and managing a household, things a lady would be expected to know how to do when she was married and in charge of her own household. As a result of the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, science was beginning to be integrated into the curriculum for girls by the early 19th century, although Thomasina's keen interest and understanding of scientific and mathematical principles is probably more the exception than the rule at this time. Her study of Latin, which we see in Scene 3, is a bit unusual; although ladies were expected to know multiple languages, their study focused predominantly on modern languages like Italian and French, while boys studied Classical languages like Latin and Greek.

 

For a girl like Thomasina, formal education, as it were, would end with marriage, although she could (and most likely would) have continued her intellectual pursuits as a hobby.

 

An upper-class boy like Augustus would have started his education at home, like Thomasina, learning basic reading, writing and arithmetic from a tutor or governess, before leaving for a boarding school like Eton around the age of 8. Subjects included the Classics, as well as modern languages; physical and mechanical sciences; mathematics, and theology.  Seconday education would end around age 17 or 18, and was most likely followed by college at Oxford or Cambridge. Unless he chose to pursue a more advanced degree than a Bachelor's, a boy's formal education would be done by the time he was 21 or 22.

 

As for Septimus, we know that he attended Harrow, another boarding school like Eton, and Trinity College (part of Cambridge), although since he is working as a tutor in the Coverly household, we know that he did not come from an aristocratic background. It's probably more likely that he attended Harrow and Trinity on scholarships which were available to boys who showed aptitude for learning, but did not have the means to pay for this type of formal schooling. Since Septimus is 22 at the start of Arcadia, he wouldn't have been the Coverlys' tutor since the start of their education; more likely, he assumed the position as his first post-college job after graduating from Trinity.  Whether the Coverlys sought such a progressive instructor for Thomasina, based on her inclination towards science and math, or it was a happy accident that Septimus was the sort of tutor who would encourage those inquiries, is up to the individual to determine.

 

Sources/Further Reading

"Education of Upper-Class Women in Regency Era"

"The Marriageable Mind"

Education in England

"The Education of Young Men and Women in the Regency"

 

2. When is Augustus considered “of age” with his status and title?

Titles were passed on to their heirs when the person currently holding the title died. Age was not a factor in the inheritance of a title, meaning someone could inherit his title when he was rather young (as in the case of Lord Byron, who inherited the title of 6th Baron of Rochdale at the age of 10, when his great-uncle died) or have to wait a long time to acquire his title (for example, William Lamb, Caroline Lamb’s husband, was nearly 50 when his father died and he inherited the title of Visount Melbourne.)

 

A man was considered "of age" at 21. At that point, as heir apparent, Augustus could use his father's subsidiary title, if he had one. If he did not, he could invent a courtesy title for himself (example: the eldest son of the Earl of Devon is styled Lord Courtenay, even though the Earl has no barony of that name, and similarly the eldest son of the Earl of Guilford is styled Lord North.  Otherwise, he would simply be referred to as Lord Augustus Coverly. He would not be referred to as the Earl of Croom until his father died. (As a side note, this also applies to Valentine, in the 21st century.) Younger male children of an earl are referred to as "The Honourable," a title which they assume when they come of age, and persists after the death of the father. It is not passed down to that son's children. Therefore, Gus Coverly would be referred to as "The Honourable Gus Coverly."

 

 

3. What kind of birth control or contraception was around at the time to allow for Lady Croom’s promiscuous actions?

 

There was no 100% reliable birth control available at this time period. Condoms made of animal intestines existed, although they were used more to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections than pregnancy, and were associated with prostitution. For someone like Lady Croom or Mrs. Chater to use a condom would be something of an insult.

 

Some women used pessaries, which were a precursor to the cervical cap, These devices, which were basically intended to block the cervix so sperm couldn’t get in, could be made out of sponge, beeswax, rubber, paper, wool, seeds, and more.

Withdrawal was a popular, if not always totally effective, method of birth control. But ultimately, women were taking on a lot of risk when they engaged in these affairs. If a woman became pregnant, ideally she would be in a position to claim that the child was legitimate, and indeed, the paternity of many members of the nobility from this time period is questioned to this day (these people needed Maury  like nobody’s business). If it was certain that the child was illegitimate, the woman was basically at the mercy of her husband. He could divorce her, or remain married to her, but force her to send the child to be raised by someone else, like close family members, or accept the child into his own home as a “cousin.” In the case of Lady Croom, Lord Croom seems rather indifferent, probably too interested in his hunting to notice his wife’s extracurricular pursuits. And in the case of the Chaters, we know Ezra is the forgiving type who would defend his wife’s honor to the death, so it’s likely she wasn’t too concerned with what would happen if she showed up with a bun in the oven.

 

Sources/Further Reading

Planned Parenthood - "A History of Birth Control Methods"

The Duchess of Devonshire Gossip Guide to the 18th Century - "Safe Sex?"

The Georgians - A True Age of Sexual Discovery

 

4. What is the hunting culture of the past family?

As it is today, hunting for sport was a very popular past-time in early 19th century England. For the hosting landowner, it gave him an opportunity to show off his property and its assets, i.e. an abundance of game like deer, rabbits, pheasants, grouse, ducks and pigeons.  Hunting was also an opportunity to be among nature, get exercise, and generally have bro time.

 

Only members of the aristocracy and landed gentry, and their guests, could hunt game; anyone else who was hunting game like deer, rabbits or pheasants was considered a poacher, and could be punished by law. The game laws changed in the 1830s, allowing anyone to get a permit to hunt. Otherwise, there wasn't much regulation in terms of when and how much a particular animal could be hunted.

 

Bird hunting, or fowling, was the most common type of game hunting in early 19th century England, as evidenced in Arcadia. In fowling, hunters would try to shoot their birds out of the sky; this required skill and patience, particularly before the introduction of beaters, in which the birds would be driven towards a standing line of guns.  A man's hunting haul was a source of pride, and recording the results of a hunt in a game book like the Coverlys was common. Although hunting was mainly done for sport, the catch would often be eaten. Game meats like duck, goose and pheasant were an important course in aristocratic dinners. 

 

Sources/Further Reading

"10 Facts About Hunting in the Regency Era"

Regency Reflections - "The Hunt"

"Sport Hunting in Regency England"

Jane Austen's World - 19th Century Hunting

Jane Austen's World - Entertaining Visitors in an English Country House