Anna of the Five Towns · Chapter
Endnotes explained
This chapter provides explanatory notes on regional dialect, industrial terms, and local customs referenced in the main text, clarifying terms such as 'Tellwright,' 'Bank,' 'Biscuit,' 'Jacket-man,' 'Saggars,' 'Welly,' 'Meet,' and 'Cut.'
What happens
This chapter provides explanatory notes on regional dialect, industrial terms, and local customs referenced in the main text, clarifying terms such as 'Tellwright,' 'Bank,' 'Biscuit,' 'Jacket-man,' 'Saggars,' 'Welly,' 'Meet,' and 'Cut.'
Themes in this chapter
Industrial Landscape and Provincial Life
The endnotes define terms like 'Bank' (manufactory) and 'Saggars' (clay receptacles for firing), grounding the story in the industrial pottery district.
Class and Social Mobility
The term 'Jacket-man' satirizes non-laboring roles, reflecting class distinctions in the industrial setting.
Key passages
“Tellwright : tile-wright, a name specially characteristic of, and possibly originating in, this clay-manufacturing district.”
The surname Tellwright likely means 'tile-maker' and is typical of the pottery region.
Explains the etymology of the Tellwright name.
“Jacket-man : the artisan’s satiric term for anyone who does not work in shirtsleeves, who is not actually a producer, such as a clerk or a pretentious foreman.”
Workers mockingly call non-laborers 'jacket-men'—those who wear jackets instead of working in shirtsleeves.
Highlights class tensions between laborers and supervisors.
“Meet : meet in class—a gathering for the exchange of religious counsel and experience.”
A 'meet' is a religious gathering where participants share spiritual advice and experiences.
Defines a Methodist practice central to the novel's religious themes.