Monday, May 01, 2006

A new place on the web for Austen fans

Those resourceful people over at Austenblog have just set up Molland's, a place for all things Austen, including discussions, etexts, and a lot more.

Why is it called Molland's? The FAQ provides the answer:
The name comes from Jane Austen's novel Persuasion, Volume II, Chapter VII (19):
Mr. Elliot was attending his two cousins and Mrs. Clay. They were in Milsom Street. It began to rain, not much, but enough to make shelter desirable for women, and quite enough to make it very desirable for Miss Elliot to have the advantage of being conveyed home in Lady Dalrymple's carriage, which was seen waiting at a little distance; she, Anne, and Mrs. Clay, therefore, turned into Molland's, while Mr. Elliot stepped to Lady Dalrymple, to request her assistance. He soon joined them again, successful, of course; Lady Dalrymple would be most happy to take them home, and would call for them in a few minutes.

According to the notes of the Oxford Illustrated Edition of Persuasion, "The Bath Directory for 1812 has: 'Molland Mrs. Cook and confectioner, 2, Milsom-street.'" Thus, Molland's was a real shop in Bath in Jane Austen's time.

So if you're an Austen fan, I suggest a visit to Molland's, where you can partake of their confectionery.

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