What did it smell like at the Netherfield Ball? Would our modern noses be horrified if we took one step into the ballroom? I am no historian expert or regency novelist with years of research under her belt. And yet I, an ignorant yet enthusiastic Janeite soapmaker, dared to undertake the thought experiment: who smells the worst in Jane Austen?

For me, it was a 10 year old friend from school.

After the first invitation to watch Northanger Abbey at her home, it became part of our friendship to watch Jane Austen together.

And then it was my mother, who often turned on Pride and Prejudice while she worked. She bought the films that I came to love, and by the time I was 16 I had read all the major works of Austen, even the gothic novel Catherine Morland was reading in Northanger Abbey. (That is, I read The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe.) I didn’t know it at the time, but I was in training to be a heroine!

Come springtime in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, you’ll find the Dashwoods staying at Cleveland, the Palmers’s home.

I made haste to watch the 1995 film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility (which I adore) soon after it was released, most notably because the boy I liked at school rather surprisingly announced one day that the girl he married MUST understand Sense and Sensibility. (Perfectly logical, no? But I digress.) When I read the book four years later I was astounded at the remarkable scene where Willoughby visits Marianne while she’s ill and staying at the Palmer’s home. How had I gone four years without knowledge of this fantastic scene? Why was this not in the film? Surely every person who’s ever been dumped after a romantic relationship would draw satisfaction in knowing that the dumper regretted the action and was totally miserable. Am I right? 😉

When two worlds collide, great things can occur. (Or, the worlds explode and everyone dies.)

Thankfully, this time it is only GREAT THINGS (I promise). After all, what could be more glorious than bringing Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) into every part of our lives, including that part occupied by our favorite author, Jane Austen? This is how I spent my youth–playing D&D style games and watching Pride and Prejudice every weekend.

“I promise not to oppress you with too much remorse or too much passion, but since you left us the white rose bush has died of grief.” ~Henry Tilney to Catherine Morland, the final scene of Northanger Abbey 1986 (or was it 1987? It’s a very confusing point for an Austen fan).

“I promise not to oppress you with too much remorse or too much passion, but since you left us the white rose bush has died of grief.” ~Henry Tilney to Catherine Morland, the final scene of Northanger Abbey 1986.

How many times have I heard that line spoken? 100 times? 1000 times? Probably somewhere in between. The final scene of that film used to be on Youtube and I recall watching it over and over, mesmerized. When it was taken down I switched over to the DVD and kept watching. I’m sure it has escaped nobody’s notice that my business name is taken from the Jane Austen’s novel, Northanger Abbey. Now you being to see why!

“I thought Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well when she came into the room this morning. Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice.” ~Mr. Bingley, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

Here’s the decorated top of Elizabeth Bennet bar soap! I was going for a mossy look and I like how it turned out.

Today (March 5th) on the #janeaustencalendar is the day you’ve been LONGING for. It’s Shelves in the Closet day! Elizabeth Bennet arrives today in Kent at the Hunsford Parsonage to visit the Collinses. She does not have to wait long before being shown to her room. In the 1995 Pride and Prejudice film, Mr. Collins presents her with her very own shelves in the closet (watch it here). “Is it not the very essence of practicality and convenience?”