ELIZABETH CRAVEN AND HER WORLD

The paperback edition of  The Modern Philosopher, Letters to Her Son and Verses on the Siege of Gibraltar, by Elizabeth Craven  has now been issued by Cambridge Scholars Press. Elizabeth Craven is an important feminist writer of the late Georgian period whose works are not easy to access.  Some of the best have never been reprinted. Others were written in French and have never before been translated into English. She was a versatile writer with a lively mind and witty turn of phrase. This new edition with introduction and explanatory notes, includes a complete translation of one of her best and most entertaining plays,  The Modern Philosopher .  It combines satire with a romantic plot. This volume also includes  Letters to Her Son,  a book in which she protested against unfair laws of marriage. This feminist work is far ahead of its time and should be recognized as a landmark in women's rights. It should be read by everyone interested in women's studies or the hi

Apparently there are two books called  Tea With Jane Austen, and possibly more. Not surprising since the title is a sure-fire winner, combining Jane Austen with visions of cake.  One is by Kim Wilson and the other,  Tea With Jane Austen: Recipes Inspired by Her Novels and Letters,  by Pen Vogler.  The latter has fallen into my hands. It has charming illustrations showing china and kitchenware on which are displayed cakes, buns, pies and sweetmeats. But its recipes are terribly inaccurate and anachronistic. I really do not believe that "toasted cheese" in Jane Austen's day would have been made with ciabatta, olive oil or garlic! The Georgian recipe quoted does not mention garlic but does include both anchovies and orange or lemon juice. Don 't knock it till you've tried it. I haven't. Ms Vogler's book quotes the Oxford English Dictionary as saying that the first known use of the word "sponge-cake" is in a letter of Jane Austen's to

William, the  first Earl Craven,  was a loyal supporter of the Stuarts during the English Civil War, and  after  it  in 1663 King Charles II rewarded him in many ways, among other things making him and his successors one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina.  William Craven 1st Earl of Craven of the 1st creation In 1663, King Charles II granted the land that became South and North Carolina to eight English noblemen: the Earl of Clarendon, the Duke of Albemarle, the Earl of Craven, the Earl of Shaftesbury,  Sir George Carteret, Sir John Colleton,  Baron Berkeley of Stratton, and his brother Sir William Berkeley.   (These Berkeleys were not the ancestors of Elizabeth Craven but a different branch of the family, distantly related.) Carolina itself was of course named after King Charles II, and the king, or his officials, appointed North Carolina's governor and had the right to approve (or disapprove) its laws. The Lords Proprietors ran the colony and owned valuable estat