Hi peeps!
I’m so happy to be here at Coffee Time Romance! My name is Cassandra Dean, and I write historical romance for Decadent Publishing. I’m here to chat about my latest release, TEACH ME, and the language of the fan.
TEACH ME (it’s out now, peeps!) is the tale of a curious widow and her quest to learn all of erotic pleasure. To that end, she is introduced to the Earl of Malvern, a debauched peer who undertakes her education. One of her lessons involves fan language, which she learns extremely well:
Deliberately, Elizabeth took the Venetian lace fan he’d purchased for her birthday in her right hand and raised it to obscure her features.
A faint smile touched Malvern’s lips as he deciphered the message. Foolish woman. He would have followed her anyway. Had he not proven that by his very presence at this tedious ball?
As she departed, her fan rested lightly on her bare shoulder, and his fingers itched to stroke her ivory skin. [“¦]Perspiration broke on his forehead and his hold on the façade of detachment slipped, his desire for her the only thing that could force such a reaction.
As she passed through the door, she glanced at him one final time. Her look promised all his fevered mind [“¦]imagined and more, the fan’s handle resting lightly on her lips. Burning with the need to kiss her as she had invited, he cursed himself for ever teaching her that damned fan language.
So, you can see the language of the fan was used to convey messages even in the middle of a crowd!
Fan Language developed due to the restrictions placed upon women during the Georgian era. Private communication wasn’t allowed between men and women, and so a language developed for furtive lovers. Being as fans were so prevalent, the language took the form of specific actions using the fan. Here are some examples:
Touching right cheek ““ yes
Touching left cheek ““ no
Twirling in left hand ““ we are watched
Twirling in right hand ““ I love another
Open and shut ““ you are cruel
Open wide ““ wait for me
With handle to lip ““ Kiss me
In right hand in front of face ““ Follow me
Drawing across the cheek ““ I love you
Seems like a pretty fun way to communicate with your sweetie, doesn’t it?
Further to this, the television show, Horrible Histories, a marvellous source of information, has the below delightful video featuring fan language:
Horrible Histories "Fan Language"
That’s it from me! I hope you enjoyed reading about Fan Language and that you all check out TEACH ME!
Now, the contest!#
Comment below on your thoughts of fan language. Would you have had fun enticing your sweetie? One lucky commenter will win a copy of my previous release, ENSLAVED, as well as a signed TEACH ME postcard and TEACH ME magnet!
And for those who wish it, here’s some more info on Fan Language:
The Language of the Fan
The Covent Garden Minuet Company
The Love of History
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# The small print: Comment before midnight on 17/03/2012 (Australian Central Daylight Saving Time) to be entered to win one (1) ebook copy of ENSLAVED, one (1) signed TEACH ME postcard, one (1) TEACH ME magnet and one (1) TEACH ME keyring. Winner will be selected via random.org, with winner’s name posted on Cassandra’s blog by 21/03/2012. Cassandra will also require the winner to contact her at http://cassandradean.wordpress.com/contact; the winner will be required to provide their postal address so Cassandra can send the prize to them. Only one entry per ISP address. International entries are welcome. No purchase necessary to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Void where prohibited.
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