Also, important to remember that to be “out” was an expensive thing. Ladies had to be properly equipped to be on the marriage market. A key reason that they are all out simultaneously despite the expense is that they have to get married ASAP before Mr. Bennett dies. Once Mr. Bennett dies they become destitute because all of their family income is connected to the estate. This is also why Lizzie’s refusal of Mr. Collins is so egregious, why he doesn’t think she’s serious, and why her mother loses her mind over it. She had a Golden opportunity (however distasteful it was) to secure her family’s prospects and ensure they weren’t turned out and she threw it away.
Sad thing about the Bastardy Act was that the parish (or Poor House Union) got the money from the father, not the unwed mother or the child. They'd be sent to the Poor House, where children were separated from their mothers and everyone lived in an abused and malnourished state. In some, anyone checking in to the poorhouse was beaten, so they'd be punished for living on someone else's dime rather than working for a living--as if there was another way a "fallen woman" could support herself. (Well, there was prostitution, but that was often a short and brutal life too, and had no room for infants.) Children often died there. Theoretically, they were supposed to supply work, but the reality was that no local tradesman wanted the competition, so they weren't allowed to actually do useful work. They were given busywork that wasn't worth anything--like picking tar out of rope. Sometimes they'd clean the poorhouse or care for children--but not their own children. Children were put in a separate area, which was run pretty much like an orphanage. Women and men were kept separate, of course.
A wedding was a religious service. It was the custom to fast before religious services. That meant no food overnight. So most religious events were in the morning, so people could break their fast (breakfast) as soon as possible. This is why Church services are held on a Sunday morning not a Sunday afternoon etc.
The unintentionally funniest line in Austen (especially given the modern meaning of 'fanny' in the UK): "She went however, and they sauntered about together many a half-hour in Mrs Grant’s shrubbery, the weather being unusually mild for the time of year; and venturing sometimes even to sit down on one of the benches now comparatively unsheltered, remaining there perhaps till in the midst of some tender ejaculation of Fanny’s on the sweets of so protracted an autumn, they were forced by the sudden swell of a cold gust shaking down the last few yellow leaves about them, to jump up and walk for warmth"
My favourite love phrases from Austen's works are 'paying _addresses_ to someone' and 'making _violent_ love'. One would never guess that the first word meant courtship, and the second is just a guy making a super-emotional proposal! I crack up every time I read about Mr. Elton 'making _violent_ love' to Emma in the carriage, or Lizzy saying to Mrs. Gardiner that Mr. Bingley is ' _violently_ in love ' with Jane (Seriously, can we really think of anything ever becoming _violent_ between those two? 😄). And then there is Mr. Collins expressing the _violence_ of his affections to Lizzy in the most solemn manner! 😃 Evidently the word _violence_ had a slightly different connotation back then than we commonly understand today. 🙂 Also, I didn't know _conversation_ had a totally different meaning back then. That's something new to me. 🙂
Indeed! If someone asks me next time what Austen's novels are like, I'm going to tell them its all about _violence._ Let them read and figure it out.. 😃
Yes ! The 'making violent love' part made me crack up too ! Especially since according to today's language making violent love in a carriage would be punishable !
I think the poorly aged Austen phrase that made me laugh the most was "being intimate". In the context of the story, it clearly just means being close friends, but there is something rather hilarious about the narrator calmly stating that Lydia and Mrs. Foster had been intimate for a few months.
One of the more interesting theories out there is that George Wickham is Darcy's half brother. That's why Darcy's father took such an interest in that young man. Darcy's dad did seem to do a lot for George, including providing for him reasonably well. Is this how a well-to-do Regency gentleman would deal with an illegitmate son?
Possibly. It's also possible that the father worked so closely with the steward, that they became "best friends," only that wasn't precisely allowed, due to class, so they became, "close," and he viewed Wickham more as a nephew or possibly god-son. That is certainly the respectable explanation, allowing Darcy's father to be of impeccable moral character. I don't know about Mr. Darcy, Senior, but if he served in the military, during a war (as many landed gentlemen did, even titled lords, if they believed in the cause, or wanted a way to "get rich quick," because officers did not get paid well for their service, in general, but prize money for taking down the enemy was quite lucrative), then he might have become "brothers-at-arms" with Wickham, Sr. In Downton Abbey, that happened with the father and his valet. Even though others pushed for him to fire the valet, due to his injured leg, he couldn't do it. He loved him, too much. Such a close relationship, the bond that forms during times of HIGH stress in battle, could also explain the care he took for his good friend's son, especially after the man died, and his son was left fatherless and floundering.
@@AuntLoopy123 I agree with your theory more because during that era, taking of godchildren was a serious matter and that was why choosing a godfather/mother was very important. Look at Cinderella's fairy godmother. Nowadays, it is no longer in vogue so the modern interpretation is that Wickham has to be an illegitimate son but there was no clue in the novel to point to that direction and Jane Austen would have alluded to it, in my opinion, but that would make Darcy less sympathetic as a character so I believe Wickham was more of a godson than an illegitimate son.
In your discussion of the marriage settlement, you might in future include a mention of the "jointure" which was the part of this arrangement that made financial provision for a woman if her husband predeceased her. This would legally set aside money and perhaps certain goods to insure she was sufficiently supported during her widowhood, which could not be taken from her during her lifetime (perhaps by greedy children or grandchildren). A rich man might also provide for his widow a separate place of her own to live, as he might own multiple residences in various places (including "Town"), or his estate might include a "dower house" for this specific purpose. A good example of this latter arrangement is in Downton Abbey, where the widowed Dowager Countess resides in the dower house on the estate, while her son who now holds the title lives with his family in the main house.
My poor modern brain after watching this is like, "You can't use Conversation in this fic... use intercourse or discourse." Also I'm laughing my butt off at Grammarly critiquing Pride & Prejudice! Now I have to go check out that Bastard Child Act because there's a man named Willoughby I want to see put in prison
He certainly deserves it! 😂 And by the time of Jane Austen conversation had changed to what we know today. Then only, criminal conversation means affair...
Awesome Ellie! You taught me quite a bit today! Thanks! I like the intercourse here! Not the conversation! It wasn’t just a ridiculous fear of not leaving a young woman alone. That was the very real “danger” facing naive young girls at the time. Look at what almost happened to Darcy’s sister Georgiana: because that chaperone was bought off, Wickham almost eloped with her to get access to her fortune. Similarly, there was the alternate problem: Wickham makes off with Lydia but refuses to marry her, in effect holding the whole family’s honor for ransom. In P&P, there’s very brief mention on Miss Eliza Williams who is another gentleman’s daughter who’s slipped through the cracks of society because she was seduced and abandoned by Willoughby. It was never quite clear to me what actually happened to these “ruined” young ladies, so thanks for including info about the Bastardy Act.
It’s 100% true!!! It was definitely not a ridiculous fear. It was a very dangerous time for women indeed because of so many factors. Sadly, while the bastardy act helped some women, many of the prostitutes on the streets of London were poor “ruined” young ladies who had few other options. Since Lydia was of family, she would probably just have lived at home in infamy for the rest of her days if Wickham hadn’t married her.
Eliza Williams is in "Sense and Sensibility." She's Col. Brandon's ward and is the illegitimate daughter of Col. Brandon's first love. In P&P, Miss King is taken away from Meryton to keep her and her fortune of 10,000 pounds away from Mr. Wickham. Good point though about Wickham holding Lydia's family honor hostage.
@@EllieDashwood I've never looked it up, but I've read plenty of Georgette Heyer novels, and they always make a HUGE deal about what an absolute non-gentleman someone is, when a rich/landed/titled man does not "pay for his by-blows." I remember once, it was a big plot-point, but I forget what novel it was. Something about the hero witnessed a poor woman, with a baby, approaching the man, begging him for help for HIS baby, and he cast her aside, and the hero was completely shocked. Later on, when the man became the villain of the piece, the hero completely expected his villainy, or at last some sort of villainy from him, just waiting for the TYPE of villainy to be revealed, because he witnessed him refusing to "take responsibility for his by-blows." I guess by-blow means bastard? I know "natural child" also means bastard, but it's more polite. I always thought "take responsibility for your by-blows," means you support the mother for the rest of her life, and set up some sort of future funding for your child, such as a trust, or an apprenticeship, or something, to ensure the child would not starve, upon reaching adulthood, and leaving the mother's home. But you say their choice was to reimburse the parish for the child's upbringing? That leaves me to believe that the child is either put in an orphanage, or else the parish supports mother and child, until the child is grown, and in either case, once the child is out of the mother's care, the mother is on her own? Girls who got pregnant out of marriage were really in a HORRIBLE bind.
Ejaculation is another good word that meant something different in the 18th century. It was a synonym for "exclaimed". There are 13 ejaculations in Sherlock Holmes, with 11 belonging to Watson. On one occasion, Holmes refers to Watson's 'ejaculations of wonder' being invaluable; on another, Watson ejaculates 'from his very heart' in the direction of his fiancee.
11:30 I guess it must be different in the US, but in the UK (or at least at the wedding venue where I used to work), we still call the first meal after a wedding the 'wedding breakfast', regardless of the time of day!
I appreciate the explaining of how words change over time. I have watched other 'reviews' of Jane Austen's books and gotten really frustrated with how they don't understand that many words and concepts have developed over the centuries. If you ever do another list like this could you add the word condescension? Like when Mr. Collins is talking about Lady Catherine's condescending to have him to Rosings. I'm sure there are other words that could use some clarification but that is the top one for now. Thanks for sharing.
I would like a part 2! Suggestions: • Pray (as in "Pray, be seated") • Curricle • Rake • Piano forte • Consumption (cause of death) • Capital (exclamation, in P&P)
Another helpful video! I guess 'out in society' is similar to the sweet 16 parties of today or quinceanera (sp?) in Spanish-speaking cultures. Given how Jane Austen chose not to marry (I believe she turned down 1 or 2 marriage proposals in her lifetime), I kind of wished she wrote a novel where the heroine chooses not to marry any gentleman and be proud of doing so; making lives of old maids more socially acceptable.
Yes, I think being out is totally relatable to both of those things! And that is a great idea for a novel. I think Persuasion is super interesting for that reason because the main character was an old maid, before she finally did marry the love of her youth. But even then she did end up married. Reading Persuasion made me always wonder if Jane ever did regret some relationship in her past. Of course, how much she drew from her life vs her imagination we may never know. I do love how in Emma, Emma talks about how being an old maid is fine if you’re rich. 😂
@@EllieDashwood That's a very good point on Persuasion. It's been years since I read it but you're right she did indeed end up getting married and the Captain's love letter was... so romantic! Perhaps one of the most romantic love letters ever written in 19th century literature. Emma is my favorite Austen novel and being rich as an old maid is indeed perfectly fine!
I wish that too but that would not have been allowed because women in stories had to either end up married and happy or fallen and punished for it. If that didn’t happen no publisher would publish the book. Louisa May Alcott who wrote Little Women wanted Jo to remain unmarried and happy but couldn’t get her book published until she created a husband for her!
@@EllieDashwood I always wondered about families who lived where there weren't eligible matches. Like, what would the Bennetts have done if a single man (and his friend) hadn't chosen Netherfield as a home? There didn't seem to be any contenders locally (perhaps the militia...) If Jane was ~23, and Anne Elliott was an old maid at 27, shouldn't they have been more concerned about getting her around single men before her bloom 'expired'? For someone so concerned about marrying her daughters off, Mrs. Bennett wasn't exactly taking them to town or sending her older daughters off to visit their London relatives or something. Longbourne wasn't ripe with young men of their class to have just kept them at home.
Please make a video with differentiations between eras like Edwardian, Victorians, Regency’s or Georgians, society, cultural, class etc, marriages of course
This was really helpful! If you do a part 2, I was wondering what 'engaged' meant in the regency context in how it effected what the ladies were able to do during that period of their life. More specifically, in Northanger Abbey when Isabella danced with Frederick Tilney (even though it may not have been a public fact she was engaged to James Morland), would that have been improper? Or is it just that Catherine finds it so strange that Isabella would do so after making such a point not to?
I don't think men should be forced to marry their baby-mamas, anymore than women should be forced to marry their baby-daddies. THIS IS HAPPENING IN THE US. However, I do think that grown-up adults who have a child should be legally responsible for it. Too many people talk about "paper abortions" for men who don't want to pay child support. It's all extremely complex, with loads of "what if's" and "what about's" and exceptions to this and that. But good grief we need SOMETHING. I'm glad they at least tried. So many places do not.
We have a very nice word in Germany for the Jane-Austen-Intercourse:"Umgang" It translates to"being around someone or something frequently" But funnyly this also starts to lose this meaning and takes on more of "knowing how to use something the right way".
'Nice' is a word that has changed meaning since Austen's day but as it's such a mundane word readers tend not to notice unless the sentence it's in really jars with the modern meaning. Then it meant to be discriminating, discerning or critical.
Henry Tilney, the hero in Northanger Abbey, is very amusing, making fun of the over-use of "nice" when he, his sister Eleanor, and Catherine Morland (the book's heroine) are out walking in the hills around Bath. Apparently, using nice for anything and everything had already started by the turn of the 19th century.
Actually, the jail thing for the father still exists in Germany, I think. Because as a parent, he is (if able to) obligated to pay child support, whether the parents are married or not. Now, if he could pay, but does not, that is illegal. I guess in cases where the man gets around it by hiding his money through illegal methods, he could technically go to prison, though I have never heard of it being done.
Pin money is a smart idea. If there is only one income between a couple, it only makes sense for the other to have money allocated to them. The announcement was worded as it was because it made the father’s responsibility public.
I have heard that the kids these days (that's coming from a 28 year old millennial living under a rock) use the term ‘talking’ for casual dating relations. Oh, how the turn tables…
I have a question: I have always used "droll" to mean amusing or ironic, but I've been told that it meant something completely different in Austen's world. I've looked it up and can find no other meaning except as some type of short play. So, if it meant something else in Austen's day, what DID Lydia mean when she commented, "Mrs. Wickham, how droll that sounds" in the 1995 mini-series?
Hi, I just subscribed to your channel and I really love your content. There is a lot of Jane Austen fan fiction and “sequels” to her works, ( especially Pride and Prejudice). Have you considered reading a few of them and doing a talk about which ones have the feel of a Jane Austen and which ones miss the mark? I have read many and there are definitely ones on both sides of the equation!
It’s so funny I was thinking about this exact thing today! I will definitely have to add it to my list of ideas. Do you have any sequels and spin offs that you would recommend? And welcome to my channel! 😃😃😃😃
Hi! Thanks. Yes, the “Diaries” by Amanda Grange are on the good side of my list. She wrote Mr Darcy’s diary, Mr Knightly’s diary etc and they are not bad. She tries to stick close to what Austen was going for in my opinion. On the bad side of my list I read a book series by Pamela Aidan - An Assembly Such As This- was the first in the trilogy, and I did not like the books. I felt they deviated wildly from the feel of P&P and she made the characters act so weirdly out of who they were! Bear in mind these are only my opinions and you might feel differently! I think we Janeintes feel so protective of all her books. 😂
Check out the works by Joan Aiken! Lady Catherine's Necklace, Jane Fairfax, and I think there is another one. LCN takes place after P&P and focuses on Anne de Burgh, and Jane Fairfax is Emma, from Jane's perspective. Aiken does an excellent job of capturing characters and keeping them close to their original personality. (It also helps that her focus characters are on the sideline of the original book)
I know it's not a word about love and marriage, but I never understand the use of the word "condescension", especially by Mr Collins when he talks about Lady Catherine. For me condescension has a negative meaning, yet he uses it when praising Lady Catherine, which he always does. I was impressed by the explanation given of "parlour boarder" which I had interpreted in exactly the opposite way, so never knew why Emma presumed Harriet Smith to be the daughter of a gentleman. That was really helpful, so hope someone can tell me why condescension is used in this way.
I was told that the honeymoon was meant to be a month of sweetness and love...and hopefully provided enough time and privacy to conceive. Though in Roman times with body slaves, privacy is more of a relative thing, I suppose
I remember being shocked as a teen at my favorite Victorian/Edwardian book series saying things like "making love" and "intercourse". I figured out eventually that in that context it meant "romancing" and "dialogue". EG: -Does this novel have any silly love-making? -One day I will teach you about love-making for your stories. -When they sat in the garden together, politics were not part of their intercourse.
I just finished reading Pride & Prejudice. Before that, I'd only seen the movies. Jane Austin was an awesome writer! One thing I noticed is that these books are NOT written for a sixth grade reading level as most books are these days. She uses BIG words. This alone makes her writing a great thing for young people to read. The other thing I noticed is Mr. Collins also used big words, but he often confused the meaning of them. Most people today wouldn't get the subtle joke that Austin put in with this.
Great video! A new video idea would be a list of your recommended books and maybe tell a little bit about them. It is hard for me to find books that I like as much as Jane Austen's! Same with movies.
My dear Miss Dashwood; I have something that always puzzles me when I watch, particularly ‘Sense &etc’ in all its various iterations over and over ad infinitum. Why do they continually assume that their sister/daughter/neighbor is engaged when there has been no other sign or word of it except showing partiality. ? In the Dashwood women’s case, it is even more unbelievable since they live in this tiny cottage, veritably in each other’s laps, even, as in Elinor and Marianne’s case, sharing a bed, or at the least a bedroom. It puzzles me every time. Every. Time. 😌 love your Vlog!! One of my favs!
At the time, if a woman was regularly writing to a man, or was seen with him unchaperoned, it was assumed they were engaged. Because back then, a woman could only have regular correspondence or spend time with a man, if they were engaged. If a couple was seen acting too affectionate, like Marianne and Willoughby, people assumed they were engaged because non-engaged couples didn’t act like that
"How dare you for having a CRIMINAL CONVERSATION with my husband!?" - Imagine someone saying this after she found her husband sleeping with her bestfriend.
I would like to know more about governesses and what that life was like. I have also heard that the term spinster was a term about women who didn't marry and worked spinning wool and were able to make their own money. I have looked for more information and am not having a lot of luck. Thanks. Love your videos!
You are awesome! I wish I understood how Regent and Victorian society handled out of wedlock children better. Harriet Smith was one; Colonel Brandon ward Elizabeth was one. What about boys? Did they all use the last name Smith? Could they be “legitimized”?
Using the term "engaged" could be any arranged meeting including dining, riding, gambling etc and a promise to marry would be a "betrothal" as in 'plighting ones troth'. One word that seems to have fallen completely out of use is 'nuptials' to describe weddings.
I personally like to think that Darcy brought Lizzy into the discussion of her marriage settlement rather than just have it between Darcy and Mr. Bennet because Darcy clearly thinks the world of Lizzy and wants her to have every say that she can in her life.
I love this head-cannon. I believe Mr. Bennet would have approved of involving her, as well. However, I believe it probably would have been done as follows: Mr. Bennet: Lizzy, dear, I will be meeting with my man of law, soon, to discuss the settlements. As you know, you are not to be present or have any input into the discussion. But you are a very clever girl. So, I won't tell anyone that you had any input. What do you suggest I arrange as part of the settlement? Also, Mr. Darcy: My darling Elizabeth, I'll be giving instructions to my man of law, soon, to arrange for the marriage settlements. I am sure that your father will do right by you. But is there anything in particular that you desire? I shall give instructions to ensure that your desires are granted, if I only know what they are.
And this where I remember the time my bell tent fell down at a school camp and the boys yelled out “what were you doing” and I replied “ engaging in social intercourse” I had only been chatting to my friend in the tent. To which, they went mental and stupid about it. Thank you internal thesaurus for sticking me out
4:43 omg! This explains it! I was literally so SHOCKED when reading vanity fair & it said becky & ~omitted for spoilers~ made love! I couldnt believe it! Now it makes sense why it wasnt in the film!!!!! All my questions answered 😂 altho i kind of prefer thinking they did 😅
If the marriage ceremony included the Sacrament of Communion, that may be why it was held in the morning. Catholics and perhaps in the Church of England, you did not eat before you received Communion, and it was too hard to wait until 8:PM to eat! 😀
From my fair lady about getting married in the morning "There's just a few more hours. That's all the time you've got. A few more hours Before they tie the knot. Doolittle There are drinks and girls all over London, and I've gotta track 'em down in just a few more hours! I'm getting married in the morning!'
The theory that I prefer to explain the word honeymoon is that someone gives the couple a supply of 30 pastries that are drenched in honey soon after the official ceremony.
2 года назад
I'm still confused at the use of the word "dangerous". It doesn't seem to mean peril or hazard, so... what does it mean? It's everywhere in Persuasion's text.
Im still waiting for the video to explain what makes a woman an old maid or when she is ready to be a deb. Like what makes this change. Is it just age?
Speaking of “lady”…in Persausion why aren’t Sir Walter Elliot’s daughters given the title of “Lady” ? …and the Bennet girls in P&P if their dad is a gentleman? I think you may addressed this in another video but I can’t remember.
I feel like everyone interested in these things can come to know much more vocabulary. It is fun. Get a real dictionary printed a few decades ago. Its good stuff. These are words not very far removed and many such examples are still correct definitions when you see that lots of words have multiple definitions. I love to read good fiction that also has great use of language and where I have to look things up occasionally while reading. fun times.
Emma says, "Now I need not call you Mr. Knightley. I may call you *my* Mr. Knightley." I guess a lot of it boils down to what you're used to, and tone. For most of us modern people, it would be a turn-off.
Honestly I kind of love the idea of pin money in a marriage especially if you are of different social classes. Because then the woman presumably coming from the lower social class and Marrying up because that's what social climbing is. Wouldn't have to go to her husband everyday and be like hey the servants ruined one of our fancy lace tablecloths I need to go buy a new one, could you give me some money and while I'm in town with the servant I'm going to get my hat band fixed. Pin money was like she doesn't have to grovel to him for every little thing. I've known some couples where that would have been a really good idea for the person from a more economically disadvantaged background to have a freaking legally agreed to allowance that way they're not arguing every over every nickel-and-dime. The honey Mead story is more a northern European and Sweden, Norway kind of tradition what we in America think of as Viking culture. The honey mead for the first month of the marriage was basically so that they could get drunk and bang in order to create the Next Generation. because these young virginal women were fully expected to be scared out of their minds because death during childbirth was a thing. These young women would be like "oh crap I have to do this I'm married now. This is the expectation." So the husband might need to get her drunk to get the job done. Honey Mead typically brewed before the technology of distillation would be a higher alcohol percentage than what would be customarily available. because it's literally pure sugar and therefore more of it can be converted to alcohol with regular fermentation. This stronger alcohol was meant to help the couple relax and be less stressed out about having sex. Because the point of sex is to make babies, legitimate babies that can inherit your fortune and carry on the family name. So if you need to be a little bit drunk to get the job done that was just kind of normal.
Not much is said about his father’s status, other than that he was a wealthy landowner. His mother was Anne Fitzwilliam, daughter of an Earl. Darcy’s uncle is the current Earl, who is also Colonel Fitzwilliam’s father and Lady de Bourgh’s brother.
I have no issue with the word intercourse because when I mean it to be about sex, I use sexual intercourse. However, I am suprised about the conversation as having a sexual connotation in the past hehhehe.
I always thought Harriet's father was at least a decent man (or maybe really loved her) for not abandoning her, but apparently he just wanted to avoid punishment :/
It's possible he really did love her, the way a parent loves a baby before the baby is born, or when they first hold their child. He may think about her often, and wish he could know her, but that isn't always allowed. But it's also possible that he was just "doing his duty," and avoiding punishment. However, if that was the case, he did more than simply reimburse the parish for her care. My theory is that he paid off the mother to give birth, give up the baby, and go live quietly somewhere far away, providing enough for her to live on for the rest of her life. Then, he took the baby and placed her in a good school to raise her, and set up a trust fund, to pay for her upkeep for the rest of her life, and either watched from afar, or else got updates from Mrs. Goddard, via mail. After all, the legal minimum would be to let her be raised by the parish, and Harriet certainly was not raised by the parish. She was a PARLOR BOARDER, which means first class, extra rights/benefits, and probably even more food. Thus, she was rather obviously the daughter of a very wealthy man, if not a gentleman, who loved her well enough to see to her comfort. I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover that she even had a dowry of 5 or 10 thousand.
@@AuntLoopy123 you're right, and that was probably the best he could do for her. If people knew for sure of her origins, she would probably be ruined, but keeping his distance from her would give her a chance to maintain some respectability.
O h, that bastard law makes Bright Star make a lot more sense. Mr. Browne promising to look after the child while in debt was probably due to this law, not the goodness of his character
In the Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth Charlotte Lucas’s father says to Elizabeth (who is dancing with Darcy) something along the lines of ..’I won’t distract you from your bed wishing partner’. I was always shocked by that. I don’t think it was in the book. Was that something that was said? Learning lots from your videos while I clean the house 😄
For one thing, she was super-enthusiastic about it. Also, she was out, so she was young, but not considered underage, and there was no physical violence.
There was quite a lot, but LADIES were not supposed to know about it, therefore, Jane Austen could not have written about it. She did write about it several times, though. Lydia and Wickham, Eliza and Willoughby, Harriet Smith's parents, and some others that had less to do with the main plot. It was always shameful, and spoken of in vague terms.
Why could being alone with a man ruin a woman's reputation. Beyond the obvious there is the risk of mis-paternity. If a women is married to x but has a child with y, this leads to x paying for y (and his wife's) child. Why is this a problem you may ask? Easily explained by reversing the genders. Ladies hiw would you react if we took away your child and gave you someone else's child to raise? I suspect few of you would find this acceptable.
Bastardy Act - interesting that the women has no responsibility for the costs of raising her child. Either a man is responsible or the tax payers (ie other men). Also she gets to nominate who she wants the father to be - no evidence required. Not so different from today where women get to nominate the father's name on the birth certificate, get child support or social security!
