CHASTAIN DAMASK. A technique that allows a glamourist to create two different images in one location. The effect would be similar to our holographic cards which show first one image, then another depending on the angle at which it is viewed. Invented by M. Chastain in 1814, he originally called this technique a jacquard after the new looms invented by M. Jacquard in 1801. The technique was renamed by Mrs. Vincent as a Chastain Damask in honour of its creator.
ETHER. Where the magic comes from. Early physicists believed that the world was broken into elements with ether being the highest element. Although this theory is discredited now, the original definition meant “A substance of great elasticity and subtlety, formerly believed to permeate the whole of planetary and stellar space, not only filling the interplanetary spaces, but also the interstices between the particles of air and other matter on the earth; the medium through which the waves of light are propagated. Formerly also thought to be the medium through which radio waves and electromagnetic radiations generally are propagated” (OED). Today you’ll more commonly see it as the root of “ethereal,” and its meaning is similar.
FOLDS. The bits of magic pulled out of the ether. Because this is a woman’s art, the metaphors to describe it reflect other womanly arts, such as the textiles.
LOINTAINE VISION. French for “distance seeing.” It is a tube of glamour that allows one to see things at a distance. The threads must be constantly managed or the image becomes static.
OMBRé. A fold of glamour that shades from one colour to another over its length. This technique was later emulated in textile by dip-dying.
N?UD MARIN. A robust knot used for tying glamour threads. This was originally used by sailors for joining two lines, but adapted by glamourists for similar purposes. In English, this is known as a Carrick Bend.
PETITE RéPéTITION. French for “small repetition.” This is a way of having a fold of glamour repeat itself in what we would now call a fractal pattern. These occur in nature in the patterns of fern fronds and pinecones.
SPHèRE OBSCURCIE. French for “invisible bubble.” It is literally a bubble of magic to make the person inside it invisible.
Reading Group Guide
1. Did you learn any new historical facts from Of Noble Family? If so, what?
2. How did you feel about Vincent’s attitude towards his nephew, Tom? Did his regard for the baby surprise you? Why or why not?
3. On several occasions in the book, Jane behaves unfairly towards people over whom she has social power—for instance, when she commandeers Amey’s house for her own medical exam and when she plans to use Nkiruka’s work in her book without asking. Has anyone ever treated you unfairly? How did it feel? Can you think of a time when you’ve behaved unfairly towards someone with less power?
4. Vincent and Herr Scholes tell funny stories about Vincent’s attempts to sneak out of the house as a young man. Did you ever use subterfuge to try to sneak out? Did you have better luck than Vincent?
5. Jane and Vincent have to engage socially with many people whose views on race and slavery they find abhorrent. Have you ever had to make nice with people whose political views repulsed you, or whose behavior you found unconscionable? How did you handle it?
6. In the book, Jane and Vincent are forced to stay with Vincent’s father, who is judgmental and cruel. How do they handle the stress of staying with him? Can you think of anything else they should have done, or of things that work for you that would not have worked for them, given their characters and circumstances?
7. Have you ever had to collaborate with someone who wasn’t as good at something as you, but who didn’t seem to know it, as Jane and Vincent had to do with Mrs. Ransford? How did you handle it?
8. How did you feel when Jane’s life was in danger when she was giving birth?
9. In the story, Vincent uses glamour to help Dr. Jones find the hemorrhage. Doctors in the real world did not have the equivalent ability until well into the twentieth century. Do you think medical science would have advanced differently in a world with glamour? How?
10. In Of Noble Family, Jane and Vincent interact with people of color from many social stations, including a rich landowner, a free black doctor, and many enslaved people. Did you find yourself wanting to learn more about what life was like for people of color in the early nineteenth century?
11. How did you feel about Vincent and Jane naming their baby Charles, after Jane’s father? Is there anyone else in their lives you think they might name a child after?
12. Medicine in the early nineteenth century was not nearly as advanced as it is now. Many doctors did more harm than good. Given the potential hazards, would you have trusted a doctor with your health?
13. Kowal addresses both family and racial injustice in this book. What do you think the major theme of the story is?
About the Author
MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL was the 2008 recipient of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, a multiple Hugo winner, and a frequent nominee for the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. She spent more than twenty years as a professional puppeteer but is now more frequently found in a recording booth as an audiobook narrator. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Robert, and over a dozen manual typewriters.