A couple days ago we toured around England and visited Bath, the area of England most associated with Jane Austen. I really enjoyed visiting this town and found it to be a great experience, although I do wish we could have stayed longer. I found out that the Austens' residence in Bath is a private home and not open for visits. But Herschel House, the residence of William Herschel and his sister Caroline, is comparable though not quite as elegant as the Austens' residence. I was able to see what Jane Austen meant when she described the houses, setting, and atmosphere in her novels and letters.
Austen was a close observer of social class and customs, and this is seen in her novel Emma. Considered the author's masterpiece, Austen believed she had created "a heroine whom no one but myself will much like (1).”
Our visit to Bath wouldn’t be complete without seeing the Assembly Rooms. The name comes from a form of eighteenth century entertainment known as an assembly. Here people would meet up to socialize — play cards, enjoy music, or dance. I was able to see that today this space is used to house the Museum of Costume. I loved seeing the architecture (which I heard another visitor call “Georgian architecture”), as well as the structural and interior designs. I was really able to see how this piece of literature was influenced by geography. For example, one of the times that this room was mentioned in Emma was when she stated, “Tea passed pleasantly here, and nobody seemed in a hurry to move (89).” Seeing this room and touring the entire area helped me better relate to the setting of the book. I was able to put a visual image in my head and connect it to what I had previously read.
I also enjoyed visiting the Upper Rooms in Bath. The Lower and Upper Rooms appear in Northanger Abbey and in Persuasion, and were the scenes for many dances and concerts. By doing research, I found out that the Lower Rooms no longer exist but the Upper Rooms, so called because they are situated in the upper part of town, are still much as they were in Jane Austen's time. In the basement of the Upper Rooms there is an excellent costume museum. I also did a little more research to find out some more about the town. Bath was Austen’s home only for four years, from 1801 to 1805. The family moved there when her father retired, and moved to Southhampton in 1805 after her father's death. Austen wrote little during the period between her residence in Bath and Southampton. Travel and various social engagements kept her busy in Bath.
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4 comments:
I really like the way you used our brief visit to Bath to help you understand better where Austen lived and how she incorporated that into her novels. I wonder if it's important to remember/realize that Bath was a "vacation" or "tourist spot" then much as it is now? If so, how what does that tell us about the way she used the Bath locations in her novels?
Pam, you did a really great job with this. I originally was planning on doing a post for our day in Bath, but sadly didn't find out enough about Jane Austen to create a substantial post. I like how you note on the Assembly rooms. This is typical Austen right here focusing on the social aspects of society. It's comforting to know that you were able to get a better understanding of the text by visiting this location; I agree entirely and now understand why Bath is such a hot spot (excuse the pun) for high society and why Austen includes it in so many of her works.
Pam, that was really interesting what you found out about Jane Austen living in Bath - I didn't know that! I wish I had seen the costume museum in the basement and I too wish we had spent more time there! Although I haven't read very much about the Baths, I am eager to read more works, like Emma, that incorporate that beautiful surrounding!!
Pam, I love how you found out more about Austen from visiting Bath. I agree that having seen the town of Bath it brings new depths to the novel, especially when you go back to the places in the novel, in my case _Persuasion_.
Dr Barrington, I do feel the difference between Bath in Austen’s day and ours are very different but, still it is a place of tourism and leisure. I noticed many places to stay and after walking around found it to be claming and enjoyable as Austen made it seem in her novel. Also, the Roman Baths that we visited were the tourist spot for the area but in Austen’s case it was an area in which one was noticed to reinforce their high status and to be seen. Roman Baths were used as a status symbol in the Austen’s novel. After what Pam has found out about Austen’s experience with them they were definitely to wonderful to leave out of her novels, it gives such a wonderful setting for pieces of them to take place.
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