Description
Return to Jane Austen info page
See also the Jane Austen Society
Go to the `Republic of Pemberley' (Jane Austen writings and adaptations discussion board site)
Go to article on AUSTEN-L
Go to an MSNBC article on AUSTEN-L (and this web-site)
Go to a list of AUSTEN-L group readings (off-site)[Areas of this web-site which are especially indebted to the members of AUSTEN-L include the list of sequels and continuations to Jane Austen's works, the "Jane Austen punishments list", poetry on Jane Austen, coincidences in Jane Austen's novels, Ellen Moody on Jane Austen's Heroes, the comparison between Henry Crawford of Mansfield Park and Darcy of Pride and Prejudice, and an indisputable men-only scene (with quoted dialogue!) in Jane Austen's novels.]
DescriptionIMPORTANT NOTE: The list has recently switched from being hosted on an old-style IBM mainframe at LISTS.MCGILL.CA to being hosted on a Windows NT machine at LISTS.MCGILL.CA; as of 9/98, this web page is no longer being systematically updated, and does not reflect the effects of the change to the new server. (See here for an actively-maintained AUSTEN-L web-page.) (In my opinion, AUSTEN-L has gone downhill somewhat from a high point in 1995-1996.)
An electronic mailing-list digest for readers of Jane Austen.
If you enjoy the novels of Jane Austen -- and those of contemporary women writers such Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth, and Mary Wollstonecraft -- you might want to exchange views with others on any aspect of her work and time.
SubscribingTo subscribe, include the following text as the body of an e-mail message sent to listserv@LISTS.MCGILL.CA --
SUBSCRIBE AUSTEN-L [your name]
[Please, please do not send this e-mail message from within your WWW browser (unless you should happen to use an integrated mailer within your WWW browser as your main program for receiving e-mail). The LISTSERV software gets what it thinks is your e-mail address automatically from the RFC-822 headers of the message you send, but unfortunately the return-address of an e-mail message sent from within a WWW browser is quite frequently incorrect and invalid. To avoid creating problems for everybody, first start up the separate e-mail program that you intend to use in order to read the mailing-list messages that you will receive, and then send the SUBSCRIBE message from within that program. Thanks!]
NOTE: Due to some unfortunate past experiences, subscription requests from users of Prodigy, and especially from AOL, are placed under special scrutiny, and must be approved individually by the list-owner. I can't speak for the list-owner, but I imagine you will have a better chance of getting a subscription if your AOL "screen name" isn't something cryptic or ridiculous (on the order of GangstaBoy666 or whatever), and if you configure your account so that your real name is included in the "From:" header field of e-mail messages.
ConfigurationTo get help on the LISTSERV mailing-list software, send a message whose body is the one word HELP to LISTSERV@LISTS.MCGILL.CA; a summary of commands is available by sending a message to the same address with INFO REFCARD on one line in the body of the message. The basic commands, including those that control how you receive messages from the list, are the following (to be sent, as always, in the body of a message to LISTSERV@LISTS.MCGILL.CA):
Note that you can't post to the list from an e-mail address different from the one that you originally signed up as (this precaution was originally made necessary when the infamous Jeff Slaton, a.k.a. the "Spam King", made us the target of his tender attentions, and has been reinstated to curtail the activities of the "Detestable M--- J---" twit; see Notable moments in list history below -- it somehow seems appropriate to me that these two individuals should be associated together!). In particular, this means that if your original list subscription message had a return address of somebody@aaa.somewhere.com, and later on there is a configuration change at "somewhere.com", such that messages sent to somebody@aaa.somewhere.com will still reach you, but messages that you send out now have a return address of somebody@zzz.somewhere.com, then you will continue to receive AUSTEN-L messages, but may not be able to post to the list without unsubscribing and resubscribing.
If you read your e-mail directly in Unix, and don't want dozens of AUSTEN-L messages arriving in your mailbox every day, but also find large digests to be somewhat unwieldy, and awkward to read conveniently, then there is a simple way to "split" a digest, so that the messages contained inside it can be dealt with individually -- regardless of what Unix mail-reading program you use. If your system administrator has installed the free "procmail" software package (as is quite frequently done at Unix sites), then you can save an individual digest message to an external file (perhaps in the system /tmp/ directory), and run the following command line:
formail +1 -ds < saved_digest_file > new_mailbox
You can then use your mail-reader to read the newly created mailbox file, in the same way that the program reads any other external file in standard Unix mailbox format, and use the program for keeping track of which postings to AUSTEN-L you have read -- or use more advanced features for the selective filtering or processing of individual messages.
Problems and TroubleshootingIf you have problems which you can't solve by sending properly-formatted control messages to the automated LISTSERV program at the address LISTSERV@LISTS.MCGILL.CA, then send a message to the human list-owner at MICHAEL.WALSH@MCGILL.CA. (Do not send any such messages to AUSTEN-L@LISTS.MCGILL.CA, because mail sent to that address will be forwarded to everyone who subscribes to the list.) Since the list-owners of AUSTEN-L tend to be busy, don't be surprised if you don't get a reply -- just wait several days for the problem to be fixed (allow a longer time over week-ends and academic holidays). If the problem isn't fixed at the end of that time, then try resending your message.
.)Remember, send all personal administrative correspondence (such as unsubscription messages, or requests for action about your individual problems with the list) to the LISTSERV address or to the (human) list-owner, and NOT to AUSTEN-L itself!
EtiquetteWe welcome you to join AUSTEN-L, and share your historical knowledge, personal insights, critical acumen, playful creativity, and/or perplexing questions (while keeping the topic more less relevant to Jane Austen). However there are some potential pitfalls that you should be aware of and avoid.
First, there are some quasi-technical issues: If you send a message to the list in response to a posting by someone else, then do NOT include the entire message you are replying to in your response (unless the original message was very short, or you are engaging in a detailed line-by-line response). Such behavior is considered bad mailing list etiquette -- and is especially rude when you reply in this way to a "digest" message (which contains all the messages sent to the list on a single day). If your mailer program does this automatically by default, then learn how to configure your program to turn off this option. Another problem with some mailer programs is that they can generate unnecessary multipart MIME messages (those messages in which one of the parts is encoded as a binary with BASE64 are particularly obnoxious); so if you type your posting to AUSTEN-L in a separate word-processing program, always save it as a plain ASCII file (with "hard" line breaks), and include it in your e-mail message (by cutting and pasting, if necessary) -- but do not "attach" it. Also, messages encoded with MIME "Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-Printable" can be moderately annoying to read, and the encoding is usually not even necessary (as long as you have used only ASCII characters in the ranges 9-13 and 32-126); note that one should always turn off "smartquotes" when composing a message to AUSTEN-L. Ask the appropriate person at your site for help if you're unsure how to deal with such mailer problems. Finally, you should avoid beginning a line with too many TAB characters (ASCII 9), since such lines will frequently be displayed as overflowing the conventional column 80 right margin (the LISTSERV software is normally quite good about wrapping long lines to fit within 80 columns, but it can be fooled by TABs).
Also, when you send a message, be aware of its destination: replying to a digest or normal message from the AUSTEN-L list will cause your follow-up message to be sent to the list address; so do not use the "reply" function of your mailer to try to send administrative control messages (that should go to LISTSERV), or messages that should be sent directly to another individual list member. (I don't want to harp on this topic, but there's no quicker way to make oneself look foolish in front of hundreds of people, and to annoy a significant fraction of them, than to send a message to the list which consists an of entire 50-kilobyte digest quoted with ">" characters down the left side, followed by two lines which reveal that the message shouldn't have been sent to AUSTEN-L in the first place!)
Frequently Asked Questions: If you have a simple question
which you suspect may have been asked and answered many times already on
AUSTEN-L, you might find the answer on this web page, or in the
unorganized material contributed to a potential future
AUSTEN-L FAQ, or by searching all
the web pages on this site, or by
searching the text of Jane Austen's novels,
or by searching the
AUSTEN-L archives, or even by looking at one of the books or
articles listed in the various bibliographies on this
site. Of course, if you find a basic answer to your query though one of
these methods, you can still ask for further elucidation from the list
members.
Newcomers and first-time posters: If you have just subscribed to the list, it might be wise at first to passively observe and "lurk", at least for a few days, in order to get a feel for the list, and the types of postings that are most welcomed there, before you make any postings of your own (see also the information on list topics and discussion style below). One shouldn't feel too intimidated about posting to AUSTEN-L, but there is something of a consensus as to what is appropriate and inappropriate, worked out over the years through interactions on the list; while new subscribers are usually forgiven if they make errors in their first messages, definite bias and discrimination will be shown to those who seem to be both incapable of making an intelligent contribution to the list, and also persistently unteachable about what is unwelcome there. A single newcomer to the list is unlikely to be able to affect this consensus very much, regardless of how loudly he or she complains, so please consider very carefully if you receive a number of complaints about your first postings to AUSTEN-L.
If you have posted a query to the list, and no one subsequently replies, it is probably because no one knows the answer off-hand, and no one feels motivated to make the time to seriously research the topic; since repeating your query will very likely not change this situation, please think twice before soon reposting to the list a query which was unanswered on its first appearance. It is especially ill-advised (neither polite nor effective) to repeat your query in an injured or demanding tone after it has gone unanswered: no one gets paid for participating in AUSTEN-L, they post to the list pretty much purely as the fancy takes them, and if they happen to choose not to answer your query, they are not failing in any responsibilities.
It is advisable, when you want to get discussion going on a topic, to "prime the pump" with some discussion of your own -- you should advance a concrete thesis, with which other people can agree or disagree, or at least indicate your own specific interests and tentative thoughts on the topic (so that a potential respondent has something to go on). This is more likely to get a useful response than is merely presenting an abstract and general request for discussion. Requests or demands such as "I have been assigned an English paper on X, tell me everything about X NOW!" have a particular likelihood of falling flat on this list.
Finally, the "charades" (word puzzles) and riddles that are sometimes posed to the group have a special protocol. Whatever you do, you should NOT rush to post the answer to the list in the first 24 hours, before the majority of people on the list (especially those who receive the list in daily digest form) have had the opportunity to read the puzzle and ponder over it a little (if you do post an answer to the list, it would probably be advisable to follow the standard Usenet convention of including the word "SPOILER" in your subject line). Most often, the person who has posed the conundrum to the list will request that all answers be sent to him/her in private e-mail.
Scholars who follow the most fashionably "up-to-date" critical theories will get along much better on AUSTEN-L if they remember that they are not addressing colleagues from their own clique -- but rather a general group of educated, but largely theoretically unenlightened, Austen-readers -- and so adjust the level of narrow in-group jargon that they use accordingly. Also, it is best not to take the position that if one advances a thesis which is sufficiently provocative or strikingly counterintuitive, then this eliminates any necessity to support one's theories with well-reasoned argument.
Do-gooders and mail forwarders: No matter how good the cause is that you are trying to promote, or how urgent the message you are forwarding, if it has nothing to to with Jane Austen, then it is off-topic and inappropriate for this list. Please reflect before posting messages of this nature (especially LONG ones). We also don't really want to hear about exploded Internet folklore like the "Good Times" virus and the little sick boy who wants to receive a record number of postcards, nor about commercial products that have nothing to do with Jane Austen.
Go to a good general discussion of mailing list "netiquette" (though a few of the suggestions listed there are for very large technically-oriented lists, and don't really apply to AUSTEN-L).
List Topics, Discussion Style, and FolkloreDiscussion on this list tends not to be heavily LitCrit "theoretical", and it is not necessary to be a professional literature specialist to participate actively on the list (though many members are academics, and well-informed discussion about the literature or way of life of Jane Austen's period, which helps to illuminate her writings, is always welcomed). Despite Ms. Reid-Walsh's hopeful definition of the list topics (see above), Fanny Burney has traditionally rarely been discussed on the list (though this has now changed with the recent "Burney reading subgroup" discussion of Evelina), and Maria Edgeworth and Mary Wollstonecraft almost never.
Though no special academic expertise is required for AUSTEN-L, I would strongly advise you not to take part in a discussion about a Jane Austen novel if you have only seen a movie adaptation of it, and have not read the original book. When a particular novel is being discussed, comparisons and references to the other novels are generally extremely frequent, so that you will not be able to participate very effectively in the list discussion without having read all of Jane Austen's six novels at least once (this is more or less assumed as a basic minimum background knowledge, and probably few list members would consider an elementary plot-summary question about one of the six novels to be a worthwhile use of the list). On the other hand, familiarity with the (so-called) "Minor Works" and the Letters is not assumed, and basic questions about these are not necessarily out of place.
In May 1996, the list finished a chapter-by-chapter discussion of Pride and Prejudice (special thanks are due to Ellen Moody for almost single-handedly keeping this discussion on track); in August 1996 the list finished up a reading of Sense and Sensibility, and then went on to Emma, in December 1996 to Lady Susan, then in January 1997 to Persuasion. Carolyn Nelson arranged the reading schedules for the first few post-P&P readings (setting a brisker pace than our original slow ramble through Pride and Prejudice). In September 1997, the list finished a (somewhat monotonously contentious, in the opinion of your humble web-page maintainer) reading of Mansfield Park and then embarked on (a slightly slower-paced) reading of Northanger Abbey. Currently the list has finished a Feb.-Apr. 1998 reading of Jane Austen's "Fragments" (The Watsons and Sanditon), and has now gone on to a (somewhat sporadic) discussion of the Juvenilia. Following the success of the Burney-reading subgroup (which has finished Evelina and is about to go on to Cecilia), there have been proposals for other subgroups, and an "inner orbit" quick reading of the six novels within a year has been started (beginning with Pride and Prejudice, and now [7/98] going on to Sense and Sensibility).
Go to a schedule of AUSTEN-L group readings.
Though film versions should always be distinguished from the original Jane Austen novels, discussion about the films as interpretations of the novels is welcome on AUSTEN-L (however, Hollywood gossip about the actors who appear in the films, or declarations of admiration for Colin Firth's derrière, are less welcome); this is explained in the following posting from the list:
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 1996 12:44:19 -0700
From: Karen PAs for the proposal that movie adaptations of the novels be excluded from the list, the discussions on AUSTEN-L are wide-ranging, taking in subjects as diverse as wedding rules and customs, china, dancing, dyes, clothing, furnishings, manners, religion, drawing, medicine, naval history and customs, and on and on and on. It is not to be expected that all list members (and I think we currently number over 800) are going to be interested in every message. Postings carry subject headings to help people decide which ones they want to read. Limiting discussion on the list to the writings of Jane Austen would be less complicated, I dare say, but it would not be near so much like AUSTEN-L.
The following abbreviations for the adaptations are well-established and very convenient for use in postings about movies on AUSTEN-L; the use of these terms in a heading tells list members that the subject is a particular movie, and if they are not interested in that movie, then they should just move on:
- P&PO or P&P0 -
- 1940 movie with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier. Some use O, standing for `original', others 0 standing for `zero'.
- P&P1 -
- the BBC version from 1979 or 1980, with Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul
- P&P2 -
- the recent BBC/A&E collaboration with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth
- Emma1 -
- the BBC version from the early 1970's
- Emma2 -
- the recent Miramax movie version with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam
- Emma3 -
- The ITV/A&E production with Kate Beckinsale.
You can also go to the `Republic of Pemberley' (a Jane Austen writings and adaptations discussion board site), where some types of discussion (such as gossip about the actors) will be more welcome than on AUSTEN-L.
It seems that the majority of active AUSTEN-L list members are female (why is no one surprised?), though some very active participants are of the male persuasion. Perhaps partially for this reason, and/or because of the list's topic, AUSTEN-L tends not to be as argumentative as some other lists. However, we do have certain points of contention: --
WARNING: DANGER! Without a doubt, the most disputed topic on AUSTEN-L is: --
Miss Fanny Price
The heroine of Mansfield Park has always been a controversial topic on AUSTEN-L, and we have had periodic "Fanny Price wars", which one should avoid exacerbating needlessly and gratuitously. Therefore if you have just subscribed, and are new to the list, then it would be advisable, before you post any standing questions or urgent reflections about Miss Price, to take into account the current state of any discussions of the topic on the list, and especially whether or not a "Fanny Price war" has just ended (in such a case, your posting may serve to fan the dying embers of argument into fresh flames, just when many list members were beginning to breathe a sigh of relief); to check on this, you can retrieve or search the list archives. Meanwhile, you should be careful about casually throwing around words such as the following in reference to Miss Price: ``insignificant'', ``moralizing prig'', ``feeble'', ``dull'', or ``nebbish'' -- not because these are necessarily objectively wrong, but because on AUSTEN-L they are what the U.S. Supreme court has termed "fighting words".
On this web site, Fanny Price is discussed somewhat in the general comments on Mansfield Park (however, your humble web-page maintainer, being an inveterately biased pro-Fannyite, does not pretend to objectivity), in the list of passages from Mansfield Park detailing Fanny's endearing imperfections, and in the quotes given immediately below on this page; also, in the Opinions of Mansfield Park collected by Jane Austen herself, you can read the comments of the pro-Fannyites and anti-Fannyites of 1814 and 1815. Those Crawfordites among you might indulge your feelings by reading the Alternative Ending to Mansfield Park (if you can get hold of it) -- but probably would be offended by reading the comparison between Henry Crawford of Mansfield Park and Darcy of Pride and Prejudice (which shows how Henry Crawford falls far short of Darcy in true herohood).
Click here to view a concept illustration for another possible alternative ending to Mansfield Park (one that many people may find just as believable as Fanny getting together with Henry C.! )
Also see What Fanny Price would have to do for some people not to find her "insipid"!
Read a humorous updating of Mansfield Park set in rural Tennessee
By the way, when Jane Austen said "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like", she was referring to Emma Woodhouse, not Fanny Price!
The recent disputations about Fanny Price on AUSTEN-L have inspired me to include a passage from the C. S. Lewis book The Screwtape Letters below, in which the demon Screwtape ("his abysmal sublimity, the undersecretary") describes a certain character from his own point of view. In my own personal, highly subjective, and idiosyncratic opinion, if you can't top this, then don't even bother trying to insult Fanny Price!
I have looked up this girl's dossier and am horrified at what I find. Not only a Christian, but such a Christian -- a vile, sneaking, simpering, demure, monosyllabic, mouselike, watery, insignificant, virginal, bread-and-butter miss! The little brute! She makes me vomit. She stinks and scalds through the very pages of the dossier. It drives me mad, the way the world has worsened. We'd have had her to the arena [i.e. with the lions] in the old days. That's what her sort is made for. Not that she'd do much good there, either. A two-faced little cheat (I know the sort) who looks as if she'd faint at the sight of blood, and then dies with a smile. A cheat every way. Looks as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, [...a] Filthy, insipid little prude -- and yet ready to fall into this booby's arms like any other breeding animal.
The following profile is taken from a posting to AUSTEN-L (it shows some interesting points of agreement with the C. S. Lewis quote above!):
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 11:07:22 -0500
From: Theresa
The discussion about Fanny Price has been interesting, and leads me to offer my thoughts. My background is in psychology, and I couldn't help but to try to identify what puts so many Austen fans off about this particular heroine.
I believe that in Fanny, Jane Austen has developed a perfect INFP personality type (in the Jungian or "Myers-Briggs" classification). INFP stands for Introvert, iNtuitive, Feeling and Perceptive as dominant traits. In a word: an "Idealist". Interestingly, only 1 percent of the population fits into this group.
Consider this brief portrait: INFPs --
I think the only way she might have been persuaded to marry Henry Crawford was if he had had a profound reformation, so that she was able to believe that not only was his love true and deep, but her values of honesty (integrity) were shared. I believe she could accept less of a passionate love from Edmund Bertram because she believed him to share her same values.
You won't gain additional respect for your posts to AUSTEN-L by recycling these.
"we had an exceeding good ball last night... Mr. H. began with Elizabeth, and afterwards danced with her again; but they do not know how to be particular. I flatter myself, however, that they will profit by the three successive lessons which I have given them. You scold me so much in the nice long letter which I have this moment received from you, that I am almost afraid to tell you how my Irish friend and I behaved. Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together... But as to our having ever met, except at the three last balls, I cannot say much; for he is so excessively laughed at about me at Ashe, that he is ashamed of coming to Steventon, and ran away when we called on [his aunt] Mrs. Lefroy a few days ago."
"Mrs. Clay, who had been present while all this passed, now thought it advisable to leave the room, and Anne could have said much, and did long to say a little in defense of her friend's not very dissimilar claims [...] She left it to himself to recollect that Mrs. Smith was not the only widow in Bath between thirty and forty with little to live on, and no sirname of dignity."
discussion).
It is also apparently advisable not to take all the statements in What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool as the gospel truth. A number of people have reported inaccuracies or oversimplifications -- and especially that the book often fails to meticulously distinguish between Jane Austen's era and the quite different mid-Victorian period of 50 years afterwards.
For some further information on certain frequently-asked questions about Jane Austen, her writings, and her times, see my (unofficial) offered contributions for a possible FAQ for AUSTEN-L.
There have been four memorable "incidents" on the list since late 1994. The first happened when somehow the AUSTEN-L address was itself signed up as a recipient of AUSTEN-L digest postings. This meant that every time an AUSTEN-L digest was sent out, its contents were automatically received and added to the accumulated messages waiting to be included in the next digest. Now AUSTEN-L digests are sent at about midnight EST every day (if there are any messages waiting), and also earlier in the day whenever the total size of the accumulated messages waiting to be sent out exceeds a certain amount. So when the size of the material being recirculated through list digests exceeded this threshold, the list went into meltdown (or ``sorcerer's apprentice mode'', as the Jargon File calls it), sending over a hundred messages of steadily increasing length in a single day!
The second major incident was when Jeff Slaton (the "Spam King") made us the object of his tender attentions, posting his long pitch to buy schematics of the first two atom bombs not only once or twice, but every time he changed accounts (which was several times a week), even though he always knew he would shortly lose the account he was posting from, and for this reason requested that people contact him by other means than e-mail!
[There was another web-site at http://www.jeffslaton.com/ recently, detailing his questionable activities, but this now seems to have gone off-line.]
The third incident was a "flame war" (or what passes for a flame war on
AUSTEN-L). Since your humble web-page maintainer was a participant
, I shall refrain
from any subjective comment, merely remarking that the whole thing was
aggravated when the list malfunctioned, sending forth duplicate copies of some
of the more inflammatory messages.
The fourth and most recent incident involved a flaky attention-craving twit (she herself has said she identifies with Mrs. Elton!). I will render her AOL "screen name" (i.e. handle alias) here as "The Detestable M--- J---". Some people on the list felt that the list moderator should have expelled her from AUSTEN-L much more quickly than was actually done, while others felt that those who complained about the "Detestable" were hypersensitive types who should learn to ignore her messages. Whatever might have been the proper philosophical posture to take towards the "Detestable" in some abstract ideal world, there's no denying that she created a lot of turmoil on AUSTEN-L, and that she enjoyed creating this turmoil. -- This is very clear from the fact that after the first "screen name" associated with her AOL account was banned from the list, she started posting from a second "screen name" associated with her account, and then when that was banned from the list, she succeeded in taking advantage of the resentments and insecurities of another member of AUSTEN-L, who was almost certainly suffering from fairly severe mental-health problems, in order to persuade that other person to forward her messages to the list.
In March-May 1997, the AUSTEN-L list-owners offered a proposal to create a Usenet "newsgroup" (discussion group), to be titled "humanities.lit.authors.jane-austen", and to gateway this with AUSTEN-L. A formal "RFD" (proposal) was posted to the Usenet group news:news.announce.newgroups (now archived at ftp://ftp.uu.net/usenet/news.announce.newgroups/humanities/humanities.lit.authors.jane-austen). Reaction to the proposal on AUSTEN-L and Usenet's news:news.groups was largely negative, based mainly on fears that a two-way link with an unmoderated Usenet group might affect the AUSTEN-L mailing list negatively, and on a perception that the proponents were not taking very seriously the possible drawbacks to such a link that had been pointed out. Nevertheless, the proponents went ahead with the proposal, and a formal Usenet vote was held, ending on May 29th (the ballot is archived in the same FTP location) -- which resulted in the proposal being rejected.
Searching Jane Austen's novels and letters[Apparently defunct; you can use the
on-line search instead.]
A member of AUSTEN-L has set up a program to do word searches of e-texts of Jane Austen's novels and letters, and will do searches for people, if they are requested in the proper format. (It is also possible to do an immediate on-line search of the six novels, Lady Susan, and The Watsons only.)
I'm offering the following service: send in a list of words using the instructions below, and back will come a complete report on where the words occur in Jane Austen's novels and (the Brabourne edition of) her letters. There are a lot of possibilities for using this sort-of-concordance tool with terms of interest to you: colors, emotions, body movement or sensation, animals, music, food, household terms, writing, appearance, the senses, or anything you like. You even get your choice of number system (roman or arabic) and choice of numbering by volume/chapter or by chapter only.
Instructions:
Send your search request to mturner@ in the following format:
Example of a request message:
The following message requests a listing of all appearances of some feline and canine terms in the e-texts of the novels and letters.
[RFC-822 Headers:]
To: mturner@ Subject: JA Search
[Body of Message:]
vol roman cat cats dog dogs kitten pug pup puppy
Please try to avoid using words likely to appear very frequently. The searches are run manually, so don't expect an instantaneous response (I may be traveling).
[Also, if you're not sure that your WWW browser will include a valid return e-mail address in the RFC-822 headers of messages it sends (see the caveats above), then don't click on a mailto: link, but rather start up a separate e-mail program and use it to e-mail mturner@ manually.]
A listing such as the one below will be returned; it will look best if you use a fixed (non-proportional) font, such as Courier.
Report on: cat cats dog dogs kitten pug pup puppy
Emma
----
Vol Chapter Para
--- ------- ----
i xviii 32 not endure such a *puppy* when it came
iii vii 37 came from an abominable *puppy* you know who
iii xviii 63 no what an impudent *dog* i was how
Mansfield Park
--------------
Vol Chapter Para
--- ------- ----
i i 17 not tease my poor *pug* said lady bertram
i ii 4 sofa with herself and *pug* and vain was
i ii 31 thinking more of her *pug* than her children
i vii 57 sitting and calling to *pug* and trying to
i viii 30 and the barking of *pug* in his mistresss
i xii 4 his boast of his *dogs* his jealousy of
ii i 9 away her work move *pug* from her side
iii ii 28 maria the next time *pug* has a litter
iii ii 28 you shall have a *puppy*
iii vii 29 devil take those young *dogs* how they are
Northanger Abbey
----------------
Vol Chapter Para
--- ------- ----
i viii 10 of the horses and *dogs* of the friend
i ix 30 skill in directing the *dogs* had repaired the
ii xi 17 solitude a large newfoundland *puppy* and two or
Persuasion
----------
Vol Chapter Para
--- ------- ----
i vi 3 destroy their own horses *dogs* and newspapers to
i vii 24 was come for his *dogs* that his sisters
i x 6 taken out a young *dog* who had spoilt
Pride and Prejudice
-------------------
Vol Chapter Para
--- ------- ----
Sense and Sensibility
---------------------
Vol Chapter Para
--- ------- ----
ii x 9 fellow such a deceitful *dog* it was only
iii iii 8 as dull as two *cats*
iii viii 69 promise about a pointer *puppy* what i felt
iii xiv 18 breed of horses and *dogs* and in sporting
Letters
-------
No. Date To Para
------- ----------- -- ----
xviii May 17 1799 CA 9 and a little black *kitten* runs about the
lxiv Sep 23 1813 CA 6 i am still a *cat* if i see
lxxviii Dec 2 1815 CA 9 the mistake of the *dogs* rather vexed him
xci ??? ?? 1815 AL 3 am pleased with the *dog* scene and with
Summary of word counts:
Emma MP NA Pers P&P S&S Let Total
cat 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
cats 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
dog 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 4
dogs 0 2 2 2 0 1 1 8
kitten 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
pug 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 7
pup 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
puppy 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 5
Total 3 10 3 3 0 4 4 27
Mark Turner
mturner@
The AUSTEN-L Archives[See end of this page for new archive site.]
An archive of AUSTEN-L postings is available through e-mail from the LISTSERV. To get a monthly archive file, send an e-mail message (again, using your regular mailer program, and not from within your WWW browser) to LISTSERV@LISTS.MCGILL.CA, the body of which contains only the following words, on a single line:
GET AUSTEN-L LOG9XXX
Here you should substitute for "XXX" the appropriate numbers from the second column of the table below. Note that these files can be somewhat large, so that you shouldn't request files if your e-mail program can't handle large messages; and you should use common sense in not overloading the LISTSERV with requests. (In the table below, an approximate idea of the size of each file is given by "nrecs", which is the total number of lines in the file.)
From: BITNET list server at MCGILL1 (1.7f) <LISTSERV@LISTS.MCGILL.CA> Subject: File: "AUSTEN-L FILELIST" * * Archives for list AUSTEN-L (Jane Austen discussion list) * * Monthly NOTEBOOK archives for the list * last change * filename filetype lrecl nrecs Started on date time * -------- -------- ----- ----- --------------- -------- -------- AUSTEN-L LOG9401 80 478 Sun, 2 Jan 1994 94/01/24 06:57:01 AUSTEN-L LOG9402 80 1955 Sun, 6 Feb 1994 94/02/26 12:34:27 AUSTEN-L LOG9403 80 1599 Tue, 1 Mar 1994 94/03/31 20:11:36 AUSTEN-L LOG9404 92 1289 Sat, 2 Apr 1994 94/04/29 09:12:07 AUSTEN-L LOG9405 80 2464 Mon, 2 May 1994 94/05/31 16:24:17 AUSTEN-L LOG9406 80 1620 Thu, 2 Jun 1994 94/06/30 18:05:35 AUSTEN-L LOG9407 80 1704 Thu, 30 Jun 1994 94/07/31 20:38:24 AUSTEN-L LOG9408 80 1330 Mon, 1 Aug 1994 94/08/31 08:44:05 AUSTEN-L LOG9409 111 2336 Thu, 1 Sep 1994 94/09/30 22:57:31 AUSTEN-L LOG9410 80 2569 Sun, 2 Oct 1994 94/10/31 21:28:14 AUSTEN-L LOG9411 85 2630 Tue, 1 Nov 1994 94/11/30 19:31:32 AUSTEN-L LOG9412 80 2397 Thu, 1 Dec 1994 94/12/31 09:54:16 AUSTEN-L LOG9501 85 2699 Sun, 1 Jan 1995 95/01/31 04:09:47 AUSTEN-L LOG9502 85 2253 Wed, 1 Feb 1995 95/02/28 19:13:58 AUSTEN-L LOG9503 91 4417 Wed, 1 Mar 1995 95/03/31 17:15:21 AUSTEN-L LOG9504 86 2388 Fri, 31 Mar 1995 95/04/30 23:24:59 AUSTEN-L LOG9505 85 9019 Mon, 1 May 1995 95/05/31 10:29:24 AUSTEN-L LOG9506 80 5729 Wed, 31 May 1995 95/06/30 13:56:00 AUSTEN-L LOG9507 85 6378 Sun, 2 Jul 1995 95/07/31 15:52:08 AUSTEN-L LOG9508 82 8823 Tue, 1 Aug 1995 95/08/31 22:04:26 AUSTEN-L LOG9509 84 6225 Thu, 31 Aug 1995 95/09/30 11:56:51 AUSTEN-L LOG9510 85 9133 Sat, 30 Sep 1995 95/10/31 18:48:24 AUSTEN-L LOG9511 85 8702 Wed, 1 Nov 1995 95/11/30 22:48:44 AUSTEN-L LOG9512 85 9093 Fri, 1 Dec 1995 95/12/31 20:07:21 AUSTEN-L LOG9601 89 27111 Mon, 1 Jan 1996 96/01/31 20:12:45 AUSTEN-L LOG9602 85 22205 Wed, 31 Jan 1996 96/02/27 08:33:27 * * Weekly NOTEBOOK archives for the list * last change * filename filetype lrecl nrecs Started on date time * -------- -------- ----- ----- --------------- -------- -------- AUSTEN-L LOG9602D 80 2104 Tue, 27 Feb 1996 96/02/28 23:49:01 AUSTEN-L LOG9602E 85 961 Wed, 28 Feb 1996 96/02/29 23:39:02 AUSTEN-L LOG9603A 80 4993 Fri, 1 Mar 1996 96/03/07 23:23:25 AUSTEN-L LOG9603B 85 7488 Thu, 7 Mar 1996 96/03/14 23:54:37 AUSTEN-L LOG9603C 83 5809 Thu, 14 Mar 1996 96/03/21 21:37:13 AUSTEN-L LOG9603D 85 10288 Thu, 21 Mar 1996 96/03/28 23:58:20 AUSTEN-L LOG9603E 80 4934 Fri, 29 Mar 1996 96/03/31 23:34:52 AUSTEN-L LOG9604A 80 8644 Mon, 1 Apr 1996 96/04/07 23:11:19 AUSTEN-L LOG9604B 81 8814 Mon, 8 Apr 1996 96/04/14 23:23:36 AUSTEN-L LOG9604C 80 6467 Mon, 15 Apr 1996 96/04/21 18:06:32 AUSTEN-L LOG9604D 80 5875 Mon, 22 Apr 1996 96/04/28 17:40:59 AUSTEN-L LOG9604E 80 1735 Mon, 29 Apr 1996 96/04/30 19:17:22 AUSTEN-L LOG9605A 80 6205 Wed, 1 May 1996 96/05/07 18:22:35 AUSTEN-L LOG9605B 80 3378 Wed, 8 May 1996 96/05/14 18:38:11 AUSTEN-L LOG9605C 80 4021 Wed, 15 May 1996 96/05/21 12:19:09 AUSTEN-L LOG9605D 80 2464 Wed, 22 May 1996 96/05/28 14:37:57 AUSTEN-L LOG9605E 86 2813 Wed, 29 May 1996 96/05/31 20:43:48 AUSTEN-L LOG9606A 80 4998 Sat, 1 Jun 1996 96/06/07 19:00:14 AUSTEN-L LOG9606B 81 3293 Sat, 8 Jun 1996 96/06/14 16:15:51 AUSTEN-L LOG9606C 87 4324 Sat, 15 Jun 1996 96/06/21 17:51:18 AUSTEN-L LOG9606D 84 6222 Sat, 22 Jun 1996 96/06/28 23:06:02 AUSTEN-L LOG9606E 80 786 Fri, 28 Jun 1996 96/06/30 20:45:56 AUSTEN-L LOG9607A 81 7452 Sun, 30 Jun 1996 96/07/07 23:02:48 AUSTEN-L LOG9607B 81 7098 Sun, 7 Jul 1996 96/07/14 23:03:06 AUSTEN-L LOG9607C 81 5355 Sun, 14 Jul 1996 96/07/21 22:54:11 AUSTEN-L LOG9607D 80 8238 Mon, 22 Jul 1996 96/07/28 21:47:08 AUSTEN-L LOG9607E 80 3215 Mon, 29 Jul 1996 96/07/31 23:25:31 AUSTEN-L LOG9608A 177 8875 Thu, 1 Aug 1996 96/08/07 22:55:42 AUSTEN-L LOG9608B 81 6965 Thu, 8 Aug 1996 96/08/14 23:37:50 AUSTEN-L LOG9608C 84 7194 Thu, 15 Aug 1996 96/08/21 21:04:03 AUSTEN-L LOG9608D 83 8300 Thu, 22 Aug 1996 96/08/28 22:44:52 AUSTEN-L LOG9608E 88 4703 Thu, 29 Aug 1996 96/08/31 23:38:25 AUSTEN-L LOG9609A 87 9942 Sun, 1 Sep 1996 96/09/07 22:35:21 AUSTEN-L LOG9609B 86 12190 Sat, 7 Sep 1996 96/09/14 23:09:09 AUSTEN-L LOG9609C 81 7588 Sat, 14 Sep 1996 96/09/21 20:32:00 AUSTEN-L LOG9609D 80 5417 Sun, 22 Sep 1996 96/09/28 23:22:01 AUSTEN-L LOG9609E 80 1085 Fri, 27 Sep 1996 96/09/30 18:41:36 AUSTEN-L LOG9610A 80 4239 Tue, 1 Oct 1996 96/10/07 18:42:41 AUSTEN-L LOG9610B 80 4359 Mon, 7 Oct 1996 96/10/14 22:16:06 AUSTEN-L LOG9610C 80 6284 Tue, 15 Oct 1996 96/10/21 23:08:14 AUSTEN-L LOG9610D 80 8399 Mon, 21 Oct 1996 96/10/28 22:41:14 AUSTEN-L LOG9610E 80 3291 Mon, 28 Oct 1996 96/10/31 16:42:23 AUSTEN-L LOG9611A 80 4244 Fri, 1 Nov 1996 96/11/07 17:38:16 AUSTEN-L LOG9611B 80 5246 Fri, 8 Nov 1996 96/11/14 23:54:03 AUSTEN-L LOG9611C 80 4511 Fri, 15 Nov 1996 96/11/21 23:33:45 AUSTEN-L LOG9611D 80 4332 Fri, 22 Nov 1996 96/11/28 17:05:16 AUSTEN-L LOG9611E 80 1246 Fri, 29 Nov 1996 96/11/30 23:36:42 AUSTEN-L LOG9612A 84 4715 Sat, 30 Nov 1996 96/12/07 23:22:36 AUSTEN-L LOG9612B 80 3917 Sun, 8 Dec 1996 96/12/14 19:27:00 AUSTEN-L LOG9612C 80 4002 Sun, 15 Dec 1996 96/12/21 23:39:19 AUSTEN-L LOG9612D 79 3170 Sat, 21 Dec 1996 96/12/28 20:41:18 AUSTEN-L LOG9612E 80 2359 Sun, 29 Dec 1996 96/12/31 20:20:58 AUSTEN-L LOG9701A 80 5159 Wed, 1 Jan 1997 97/01/07 20:25:04 AUSTEN-L LOG9701B 80 5711 Wed, 8 Jan 1997 97/01/14 21:05:15 AUSTEN-L LOG9701C 80 5788 Tue, 14 Jan 1997 97/01/21 23:56:15 AUSTEN-L LOG9701D 80 4427 Tue, 21 Jan 1997 97/01/28 23:32:11 AUSTEN-L LOG9701E 80 1333 Wed, 29 Jan 1997 97/01/31 21:45:17 AUSTEN-L LOG9702A 80 6740 Sat, 1 Feb 1997 97/02/07 21:20:33 AUSTEN-L LOG9702B 80 5284 Sat, 8 Feb 1997 97/02/14 22:11:54 AUSTEN-L LOG9702C 80 7388 Fri, 14 Feb 1997 97/02/21 22:35:48 AUSTEN-L LOG9702D 80 9011 Sat, 22 Feb 1997 97/02/28 23:39:23 AUSTEN-L LOG9703A 83 9816 Sat, 1 Mar 1997 97/03/07 22:04:25 AUSTEN-L LOG9703B 84 6199 Fri, 7 Mar 1997 97/03/14 22:34:31 AUSTEN-L LOG9703C 80 4338 Fri, 14 Mar 1997 97/03/21 23:36:22 AUSTEN-L LOG9703D 80 8662 Fri, 21 Mar 1997 97/03/28 22:37:16 AUSTEN-L LOG9703E 79 3568 Sat, 29 Mar 1997 97/03/31 23:20:57 AUSTEN-L LOG9704A 85 7525 Mon, 31 Mar 1997 97/04/07 22:56:08 AUSTEN-L LOG9704B 82 7428 Mon, 7 Apr 1997 97/04/14 23:12:53 AUSTEN-L LOG9704C 83 5164 Mon, 14 Apr 1997 97/04/21 23:02:28 AUSTEN-L LOG9704D 80 5546 Tue, 22 Apr 1997 97/04/28 23:58:50 AUSTEN-L LOG9704E 79 1317 Mon, 28 Apr 1997 97/04/30 23:05:53 AUSTEN-L LOG9705A 80 5994 Thu, 1 May 1997 97/05/07 17:23:03 AUSTEN-L LOG9705B 82 3763 Wed, 7 May 1997 97/05/14 23:23:15 AUSTEN-L LOG9705C 81 4077 Wed, 14 May 1997 97/05/21 22:41:39 AUSTEN-L LOG9705D 83 4536 Wed, 21 May 1997 97/05/28 21:49:50 AUSTEN-L LOG9705E 79 2841 Wed, 28 May 1997 97/05/31 22:19:41 AUSTEN-L LOG9706A 87 4226 Sat, 31 May 1997 97/06/07 02:20:05 AUSTEN-L LOG9706B 80 2341 Sat, 7 Jun 1997 97/06/14 18:30:57 AUSTEN-L LOG9706C 80 2643 Sat, 14 Jun 1997 97/06/21 16:59:20 AUSTEN-L LOG9706D 83 3530 Sun, 22 Jun 1997 97/06/28 18:56:25 AUSTEN-L LOG9706E 78 1412 Sat, 28 Jun 1997 97/06/30 20:51:10 AUSTEN-L LOG9707A 82 2665 Tue, 1 Jul 1997 97/07/07 23:24:11 AUSTEN-L LOG9707B 82 3646 Tue, 8 Jul 1997 97/07/14 23:07:14 AUSTEN-L LOG9707C 80 7753 Tue, 15 Jul 1997 97/07/21 23:44:34 AUSTEN-L LOG9707D 82 5259 Mon, 21 Jul 1997 97/07/28 23:31:37 AUSTEN-L LOG9707E 80 2686 Mon, 28 Jul 1997 97/07/31 21:59:48 AUSTEN-L LOG9708A 80 9385 Thu, 31 Jul 1997 97/08/07 23:23:45 AUSTEN-L LOG9708B 83 10637 Thu, 7 Aug 1997 97/08/14 23:05:20 AUSTEN-L LOG9708C 84 10335 Fri, 15 Aug 1997 97/08/21 23:40:26 AUSTEN-L LOG9708D 83 9342 Fri, 22 Aug 1997 97/08/28 21:43:38 AUSTEN-L LOG9708E 79 1328 Thu, 28 Aug 1997 97/08/31 19:42:55 AUSTEN-L LOG9709A 80 5569 Mon, 1 Sep 1997 97/09/07 22:59:41 AUSTEN-L LOG9709B 80 4376 Mon, 8 Sep 1997 97/09/14 23:46:31 AUSTEN-L LOG9709C 80 2758 Sun, 14 Sep 1997 97/09/21 13:59:51 AUSTEN-L LOG9709D 87 3707 Mon, 22 Sep 1997 97/09/28 19:19:45 AUSTEN-L LOG9709E 88 1708 Sun, 28 Sep 1997 97/09/30 23:12:59 AUSTEN-L LOG9710A 80 4821 Tue, 30 Sep 1997 97/10/07 23:54:13 AUSTEN-L LOG9710B 80 8766 Wed, 8 Oct 1997 97/10/14 22:39:34 AUSTEN-L LOG9710C 85 9405 Tue, 14 Oct 1997 97/10/21 23:18:04 AUSTEN-L LOG9710D 80 8003 Wed, 22 Oct 1997 97/10/28 23:16:08 AUSTEN-L LOG9710E 81 2931 Wed, 29 Oct 1997 97/10/31 23:28:01 AUSTEN-L LOG9711A 103 10971 Sat, 1 Nov 1997 97/11/07 23:45:35 AUSTEN-L LOG9711B 80 8226 Sat, 8 Nov 1997 97/11/14 23:39:32 AUSTEN-L LOG9711C 80 7056 Sat, 15 Nov 1997 97/11/21 22:28:03 AUSTEN-L LOG9711D 80 6399 Sat, 22 Nov 1997 97/11/28 19:12:54 AUSTEN-L LOG9711E 80 479 Sat, 29 Nov 1997 97/11/30 20:47:14 AUSTEN-L LOG9712A 96 5263 Mon, 1 Dec 1997 97/12/07 23:24:33 AUSTEN-L LOG9712B 79 6645 Sun, 7 Dec 1997 97/12/14 23:11:44 AUSTEN-L LOG9712C 87 5323 Mon, 15 Dec 1997 97/12/21 18:50:22 AUSTEN-L LOG9712D 80 3589 Sun, 21 Dec 1997 97/12/28 17:31:52 AUSTEN-L LOG9712E 79 1152 Mon, 29 Dec 1997 97/12/31 21:51:46 AUSTEN-L LOG9801A 79 3371 Thu, 1 Jan 1998 98/01/07 23:19:22 AUSTEN-L LOG9801B 78 889 Thu, 8 Jan 1998 98/01/09 13:15:08 AUSTEN-L LOG9801C 81 4535 Tue, 13 Jan 1998 98/01/21 21:30:05 AUSTEN-L LOG9801D 80 3195 Thu, 22 Jan 1998 98/01/28 23:54:52 AUSTEN-L LOG9801E 79 1209 Thu, 29 Jan 1998 98/01/31 20:53:04 AUSTEN-L LOG9802A 80 5110 Sun, 1 Feb 1998 98/02/07 21:03:20 AUSTEN-L LOG9802B 80 11137 Sun, 8 Feb 1998 98/02/14 22:41:43 AUSTEN-L LOG9802C 80 9003 Sat, 14 Feb 1998 98/02/21 22:08:52 AUSTEN-L LOG9802D 133 9468 Sat, 21 Feb 1998 98/02/28 22:19:37 AUSTEN-L LOG9803A 80 6526 Sun, 1 Mar 1998 98/03/07 22:51:54 AUSTEN-L LOG9803B 80 9960 Sun, 8 Mar 1998 98/03/14 23:06:09 AUSTEN-L LOG9803C 80 8322 Sat, 14 Mar 1998 98/03/21 23:16:52 AUSTEN-L LOG9803D 80 6308 Sat, 21 Mar 1998 98/03/28 20:33:59 AUSTEN-L LOG9803E 80 2604 Sat, 28 Mar 1998 98/03/31 22:13:35 AUSTEN-L LOG9804A 79 8678 Wed, 1 Apr 1998 98/04/07 21:23:42 AUSTEN-L LOG9804B 81 6582 Tue, 7 Apr 1998 98/04/14 23:07:18 AUSTEN-L LOG9804C 81 11303 Tue, 14 Apr 1998 98/04/21 23:58:07 AUSTEN-L LOG9804D 80 11322 Tue, 21 Apr 1998 98/04/28 19:41:50
There is no "LOG9804E" because of the unexplained list glitch mentioned above.
AUSTEN-L LOG9805A 81 8271 Fri, 1 May 1998 98/05/07 23:34:58 AUSTEN-L LOG9805B 80 8706 Thu, 7 May 1998 98/05/14 22:19:12 AUSTEN-L LOG9805C 80 7481 Fri, 15 May 1998 98/05/21 23:49:57 AUSTEN-L LOG9805D 85 7458 Thu, 21 May 1998 98/05/28 23:58:27 AUSTEN-L LOG9805E 81 1960 Thu, 28 May 1998 98/05/31 23:44:55 AUSTEN-L LOG9806A 83 6843 Mon, 1 Jun 1998 98/06/07 23:48:07 AUSTEN-L LOG9806B 85 7262 Mon, 8 Jun 1998 98/06/14 23:38:53 AUSTEN-L LOG9806C 85 6129 Mon, 15 Jun 1998 98/06/21 23:13:15 AUSTEN-L LOG9806D 84 6778 Mon, 22 Jun 1998 98/06/28 22:49:45 AUSTEN-L LOG9806E 84 1321 Mon, 29 Jun 1998 98/06/30 22:39:02 AUSTEN-L LOG9807A 84 4354 Wed, 1 Jul 1998 98/07/07 23:01:35 AUSTEN-L LOG9807B 81 3998 Wed, 8 Jul 1998 98/07/14 22:57:07 AUSTEN-L LOG9807C 85 3511 Tue, 14 Jul 1998 98/07/21 23:49:37 AUSTEN-L LOG9807D 83 3350 Tue, 21 Jul 1998 98/07/28 23:24:13 AUSTEN-L LOG9807E 82 2203 Tue, 28 Jul 1998 98/07/31 22:58:21 AUSTEN-L LOG9808A 85 3144 Sat, 1 Aug 1998 98/08/07 22:57:02 AUSTEN-L LOG9808B 85 5601 Sat, 8 Aug 1998 98/08/14 21:32:30 AUSTEN-L LOG9808C 92 6677 Fri, 14 Aug 1998 98/08/21 13:30:06 AUSTEN-L LOG9808D 81 2924 Sat, 22 Aug 1998 98/08/28 22:58:38 AUSTEN-L LOG9808E 87 2083 Fri, 28 Aug 1998 98/08/31 21:10:35 AUSTEN-L LOG9809A 84 3770 Tue, 1 Sep 1998 98/09/07 22:25:14 AUSTEN-L LOG9809B 80 --- Mon, 7 Sep 1998 98/09/-- --:--:--
Warning: you can only retrieve a whole archive file's worth of messages at a time (when requesting log files -- for searching, see the next section below), and they will be sent to you as a single large e-mail message. The last monthly archive files were very large (the January 1996 file, AUSTEN-L LOG9601, is over a megabyte in length!), but this problem is somewhat alleviated now that the list has switched over to weekly archives.
Searching the Archives[This now defunct due to change of LISTSERV
to new host with different operating system;
see near end for on-line searches.]
Note:
For a while, the e-mail search function of the LISTSERV was having intermittent difficulties. It seems to be working now, but if you get back two or three e-mail messages, none of which has the requested results, and one of which consists entirely of the oh-so-informative errormessage ``DDname "RULES" not found in job stream.'', then your original search request may not have been at fault.
The LISTSERV search command allows one to search the list database (comprised of previous messages) for specific topics.
For example, to search the Jane Austen Discussion Group archives for messages that contain the word "dance", send e-mail to listserv@vm1.mcgill.ca consisting of the following six lines:
// database search dd=rules //rules dd * search dance in austen-l index /*
This will return a list of messages sorted by item (message) number. Assuming that one wants items 01729 and 01985 sent back as e-mail, then the following should be sent as a second e-mail message to listserv@vm1.mcgill.ca --
// database search dd=rules //rules dd * search dance in austen-l print all of 01729 01895 /*
In other words, to get the texts of articles sent back to you, you should send a second message almost identical to your original search request, but with the postings to be sent to you ("printed") specified on line 5. In these LISTSERV search and retrieval messages, only line 4 (the words between "search" and "in austen-l" which specify the object of the search) and line 5 (specifying the action) can vary. Thus all such search or retrieval requests should obey the following absolutely rigid template, where only the slots indicated by upper-case bold words can be changed (you don't have to understand what the other stuff means -- in fact, I don't know what it means myself, except that it has to do with old IBM mainframe control languages -- but you do have to copy it absolutely verbatim, exactly as it appears here):
//
database search dd=rules
//rules dd *
search {SOME SEARCH WORDS} in austen-l
{ACTION: "INDEX" OR "PRINT ALL OF ## ## ##"}
/*
More complicated searches can be performed by connecting search words with the AND or OR operators ("and" is the assumed default). For example, SEARCH DANCE AND EMMA IN AUSTEN-L will search for messages that contain the words "dance" and "Emma". Parentheses can also be used, so that including the following as line 4 of a search request, for example, will turn up quite a few messages:
search (Edmund Bertram) OR (Mansfield Park) OR (Fanny Price) in austen-l
Finally, if any command line would be longer than 80 characters, you should use the special "continuation line" mechanism -- at a word break in the command, instead of separating two words by a space character, the first word should be followed by a space, then a hyphen character ("-"), then a line break, with the second word at the beginning of the next line. So the line 4 command --
search ((Catherine Morland) OR (Henry Tilney) OR (Eleanor Tilney)) AND (Northanger Abbey) in austen-l
should in fact be sent as two lines, where the first line ends in the continuation sequence, and neither line is longer than 80 characters; for example:
search ((Catherine Morland) OR (Henry Tilney) OR (Eleanor - Tilney)) AND (Northanger Abbey) in austen-l
When formulating searches, you should be aware that the titles of the novels Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility are frequently abbreviated as "MP", "NA", "P&P", and "S&S" in postings to the list; that the surnames of the main younger characters are frequently omitted when they would be obvious from context; and that Elizabeth Bennet is frequently referred to as "Lizzy". (Also, casual misspellings such as "Bennett", "Elliott", "Moreland", "Tilny", or "Knightly" are not unknown.)
To have a manual on the search language and commands mailed to you, send a message to listserv@vm1.mcgill.ca with the words INFO DATAB on one line in the body of the message.
In addition to the above two-step e-mail method, you can also search AUSTEN-L messages interactively at the Web site http://www.reference.com/. However, AUSTEN-L postings only started being archived there in early June 1996 (and may not in fact still be kept going back that far), and searches are not restricted to AUSTEN-L unless you explicitly specify this. Individual postings to AUSTEN-L were at first archived separately on this service, but when searching more recent material, it is apparently entire digests which are the units of search and retrieval.
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