anachronism watch, subclass Austen imitators

[Jonathan Lighter]

Has anyone checked "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"?  Very late Austen.

JL

On Sat, May 19, 2012 at 1:40 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: anachronism watch, subclass Austen imitators
>
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>
> On May 19, 2012, at 11:57 AM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>
> > At 5/19/2012 10:38 AM, Laurence Horn wrote:
> >> Just finished the aforementioned _Death Comes to
> >> Pemberley_, the recent (2011) Austenian pastiche
> >> by P. D. James in which the planning for an
> >> annual ball at the estate of Mr. Darcy and
> >> Elizabeth Darcy née Bennet is rudely interrupted
> >> by a murder in the woods.  It's not _Pride and
> >> Prejudice and Zombies_, the slightly less recent
> >> best-seller, but it's not really Austen.  I
> >> found it interesting to see what James, who is
> >> an intelligent but not always careful writer,
> >> would get wrong, since the narration as well as
> >> the dialogue is clearly intended to be in the
> >> language of _Pride and Prejudice_ (plus 5
> >> years), thus set in 1803 (Boney is on the
> >> march).  For example, she took what I assumed to
> >> be the trouble of referring to the Darcys
> >> "wedding journey" rather than "honeymoon"; the
> >> latter is attested for the relevant period in the OED, but just barely.
> >> ...
> >> A non-obvious (to me) lapse:
> >> (4) "police":  several instances, but a couple
> >> of decades too early (Amy West, p.c.); this is
> >> one I wouldn't have thought to check on myself.
> >
> > Larry will have to tell me what use of "police"
> > is anachronous here.
>
> Yes, as you surmise below, it seemed to me (and to Amy, who was the
> conduit for my noticing this particular case) that the earlier occurrences
> of sense 5a were restricted to the official naval police, not for city and
> other civil authorities, such as those summoned for a killing in the woods
> or the conveying of a prisoner to the gaol.  The 1829 cite was my
> motivation for saying James was only off by a couple of decades on this
> one. I was assuming the Scottish use was not a sanction for James's use of
> "police" for the local constabulary, but YMMV.  I acknowledge that this
> case is closer than those of "contact (v.)", "in touch", or "lifestyle".
>
> LH
>
> >  I find in OED3 (Sept. 2006):
> >
> > "5. a. The civil force of a state responsible for
> > maintaining public order and enforcing the law,
> > including preventing and detecting crime; (with
> > pl. concord) members of a police force, police
> > officers; the local constabulary.
> >     The earliest use in this sense occurs in
> > Marine Police (see marine n. 6), the name given
> > to the force instituted c1798 (originally by
> > private enterprise) to protect merchant shipping
> > on the River Thames in the Port of London. The
> > police force established for London in 1829 was
> > for some time known as the New Police (see New
> > Police n. at new adj. and n. Special uses 2a).
> > 1798   Duke of Portland Let. 16 May in P.
> > Colquhoun Treat. Commerce & Police R. Thames
> > (1800) 160 (note)    The expence of the Marine
> > Police Establishment, which appeared to me ought to be borne by
> Government.
> > 1800   P. Colquhoun Treat. Commerce & Police R.
> > Thames 219   To place their Vessels..under the protection of the Police."
> >
> > Is James's error applying "police" to a
> > land-based force, which did not arrive until 1829?
> >
> > There is also:
> > "†4. orig. Sc. A department of a government or
> > state concerned with maintaining public order and
> > safety, and enforcing the law. Obs.In later use passing into sense 5a.
> > 1740   C. Cibber Apol. Life C. Cibber ix.
> > 184   We are so happy, as not to have a certain
> > Power among us, which in another Country is call'd the Police.
> > 1774   T. Pennant Tour Scotl. 1772 128   The
> > police of Glasgow consists of three bodies; the
> > magistrates with the town council, the merchants house, and the trades
> house.
> > 1781   C. Johnstone Hist. John Juniper I.
> > 110   An insinuation so injurious to the honour
> > of my country; which is governed by so supremely vigilant and wise a
> police."
> >
> > Perhaps this is what James took as sanction,
> > although it does seem different from the "New Police".
> >
> > Joel
> >
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