Lit Reader’s Reviews > Fair Stands the Wind: A Pride & Prejudice Variation > Status Update
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I have my own list of pet-peeves in Austenesque or Hist Romances. The use of woman/women instead of “ladies” is one ; the period-inaccurate use of “bully” is another !
Bully had different meanings in the late 18th to mid 19th Century; it went from loud/quarrelsome, brash or violent, to even used as a synonym for “pimp” (!). To bully as a verb for intimidation, or a playground bully are modern additions.
— Jun 11, 2026 02:20PM
Bully had different meanings in the late 18th to mid 19th Century; it went from loud/quarrelsome, brash or violent, to even used as a synonym for “pimp” (!). To bully as a verb for intimidation, or a playground bully are modern additions.
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J.C.
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Jun 11, 2026 04:13PM
I didn't know that about the word "bully." Thanks for the information!
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It is canon for Austenesque to describe Lady Catherine as a bully, which goes against the grain because the period accurate term didn’t define the bold intimidation that authors seek to portray, but also because the word was coarse and somewhat gendered, being incompatible for a matron of Lady C’s status.
