This study guide was created through a partnership between Roadsted Montessori Middle and High School and Virginia Stage Company. The students read the novel Emma and conducted research on Jane Austen as well as the Regency time period. With guidance from Virginia Stage Company, they wrote articles on a variety of topics centered around the novel and the time period to provide context for Virginia Stage Company's production of Emma.
Napoleonic Influences and Tensions in Jane Austen’s Writings
Garrett Martin, 10th grade and Cyprus Garrenton-Wagner, 11th grade
Napoleon Bonaparte has been found dead on the island of St. Helena. Leader of the Napoleonic Empire, he entered military life as a brigadier general who served in the French Revolution. He started his dictatorship as the consul of France, but later promoted himself to Emperor of the French Empire. Challenging Britain’s unshakeable hold on Europe, he forced the British, Russians, Prussians, and the Austrians to form the Quadruple Alliance. He was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo and exiled to Elba in 1815. After an escape and brief return to power, he was exiled to St. Helena, where we now report his passing. His dictatorship has shaken Europe. His Berlin and Milan Decrees of 1806 and 1807 prevented French allies and neutral parties from trading with Britain. The British army now remains active throughout her empire, and the feeling of unease is yet to pass. The Congress of Vienna is attempting to undo the damage Bonaparte has inflicted upon Europe. Monarchs are being appointed to replace foolishly established republics. However, these are still tumultuous times. Republics are trying to make themselves permanent, as we see in the United States. Britain is still recovering from her bitter battles with the French, and the Congress of Vienna is attempting to stitch together a fractured continent. Who knows what the future holds for these restless times?
Taxes On Knowledge
Lily Rhinelander, 12th grade
Since 1712, when this tax was first imposed, there has been an assault on our knowledge. It originally consisted of stamp duty on newspapers, but has since evolved into something more sinister. Wars are ongoing abroad, we must stay informed. Many newspapers that are sent out more frequently are unable to pay these taxes and are going out of business. It is of utmost importance that we get the news as quickly as possible so we can stay informed. In 1797 and 1815, when the tax was raised to 4d per sheet, it also limited how much could be published. Authors nowadays must weigh what details to include on a topic and what to leave out. This is the path to ignorance! Newspapers that sell for less than 6d are going out of business. Due to this, we now have to spend more for information that comes out less frequently. Is knowledge the privilege of the wealthy few? Make no mistake, we will not go without a fight! We will protest and express our disdain for this! We will utilize alternative forms of communication to convey our message! We will not be held back by the taxes imposed on us by the government! We will persevere through this challenging time!
Epilogue: After fighting for quite some time to get this tax changed, in 1853, the government of Lord Palmerston released stamp duty and established ‘free trade’.
Who are the Members of the Royal Family?
Charly Dalrymple, 12th grade
Breaking news: Prince Regent George IV, crowned king
With King George III’s mental state steadily declining following the death of his daughter Princess Amelia, Prince Regent George IV, his eldest son, is declared King this 29th of January, 1820. King George IV now rules with his estranged wife, his cousin Queen Caroline. They met and married in the spring of 1795, and reportedly hated each other on sight. Our sources also tell us the famous author Jane Austen reluctantly dedicated her novel Emma to the Prince Regent George, despite her own personal gripes with him, after much persuasion from an acquaintance of hers, Rev. James Stanier Clarke. The Prince Regent never acknowledged this acknowledgement, and Austin never acknowledged this lack of acknowledgement.
The End of the War of 1812
Mario Levasseur, 11th grade
By the early 1800s Britain’s global commitments had started straining its army and economy. Still recovering from the loss of its American colonies, Britain had to contend with the fact that the United States was becoming a formidable trade rival. The US was not only rich in natural resources but the cost of manufacturing and shipping American goods was lower than in Britain. In short, relations between the former colonial master and the young independent country were rapidly deteriorating. Meanwhile, tensions were also rising between the indigenous nations in America and British-owned Canada. If that were not enough for Britain, its armies were fighting Napoleon in Europe. Britain was more concerned with fighting Napoleon and tried to avoid another war with the United States. That was not to be, and by 1812 the British army was overextended, its resources spread thin as it had to support fighting both in Europe and in America.
The 1812 war ended without a decisive winner with the Treaty of Ghent, though Britain lost its influence among Native Americans. Retaining Canada did not help much with diminishing the growing trading power of the US. At home, the British faced economic hardships both due to decades of warfare as well as due to the rapid changes that the Industrial Revolution was bringing to the traditional agricultural economy. When Jane Austen writes in Emma that the two Knightley brothers talked about the affairs of the Donwell Abbey when they saw each other, she was hinting at the worries of both the English gentry as well as farmers during Britain’s industrialization.