tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79186145520949132622024-03-18T08:33:31.862+05:30AustenisedAll things Jane Austen.Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-76836172278274981472023-05-10T02:59:00.000+05:302023-05-10T02:59:22.957+05:30East Meets West at Brighton Pavilion<p><span style="font-family: arial;">In May last year, I visited Brighton on a beautiful, sunny day and was as excited as Lydia Bennet herself. I had long planned to visit Brighton Pavilion to get a real feel of Regency Britain and the opulence that the Prince Regent represented through his lavish style. </span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgU7aY5gNt50OGf455i3tgJV-vYKYAXOf8P57-MHKK_DF8mRsJQ7zMVBnbhq3ja0KHXybQb3qMOvmAr0oO4j8lPF_RKCg3M42n2j23X5pczcIzhMG2m0kp5cB_IZvacaRTMWtYbAhv3B5x2ISAxukAo8fMAj1iG2wyHyGttyyVhMswQF0A64Nzegge3w/s2016/47642A6D-8C2D-43DF-B4FF-15199B26E64C.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgU7aY5gNt50OGf455i3tgJV-vYKYAXOf8P57-MHKK_DF8mRsJQ7zMVBnbhq3ja0KHXybQb3qMOvmAr0oO4j8lPF_RKCg3M42n2j23X5pczcIzhMG2m0kp5cB_IZvacaRTMWtYbAhv3B5x2ISAxukAo8fMAj1iG2wyHyGttyyVhMswQF0A64Nzegge3w/w640-h480/47642A6D-8C2D-43DF-B4FF-15199B26E64C.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Brighton Pavilion was one of the royal residences of the Prince Regent, who replaced his father, King George III, whilst he was unable to reign the country due to mental illness, and later became King George IV. The Prince Regent lead an extravagant lifestyle, building expensive estates and throwing lavish parties, and he was widely considered an irresponsible monarch and had a scandalous reputation.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6qOSliLK_iV9e0MMXUf2jDgMwOlwTOwY4PHMVLNsrBaLCbAgjQWCQ0p4tTCS5DuVXpbMKAqabKp8XYfgCK7zhhVw5ZE0d0_-hv-Gqi5omy4DyNxP-NDI-Qj7U2mI9-JGkATq-c4u169mbc0eRIeKRktwLvN9ehfQt7O-278uTkTZPzRpZLqZ8H8IoXQ/s2016/79D7C4D1-3162-4BB8-92E8-4CE0F77C4705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6qOSliLK_iV9e0MMXUf2jDgMwOlwTOwY4PHMVLNsrBaLCbAgjQWCQ0p4tTCS5DuVXpbMKAqabKp8XYfgCK7zhhVw5ZE0d0_-hv-Gqi5omy4DyNxP-NDI-Qj7U2mI9-JGkATq-c4u169mbc0eRIeKRktwLvN9ehfQt7O-278uTkTZPzRpZLqZ8H8IoXQ/w480-h640/79D7C4D1-3162-4BB8-92E8-4CE0F77C4705.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This fascinating portrait of the Prince Regent by Domenico Moglia (1829) is unbelievably a micro-mosaic made of tiny pieces of marble and semi-precious stones and weighs close to half a ton. The Prince Regent had sent a portrait of himself painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence as a gift to Pope Pius VII, and in return, the Pope had commissioned this fascinating portrait. I believe the portrait shows the Prince Regent in a more favourable light and is likely to be an "airbrushed" version of him. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkpQdJ2FsUKR0nj00Ej-S9BjeKFNt-6H0AEzOfbbPRFvI1RhOGH3bbjS3kMYrBkRqsvyCTIBg4TCZ268lmk5iroiCuajm9KEkS_YJvACn5AqMQwGq85K4jzfdASuxDNDwFjq8DXiqnc_9gaRFxZ5eciDNeQHkqjQsVDGHjetWbsnYvueUNvEPeE3T4xA/s2016/88181165-3D3C-47EC-854D-81791596D423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkpQdJ2FsUKR0nj00Ej-S9BjeKFNt-6H0AEzOfbbPRFvI1RhOGH3bbjS3kMYrBkRqsvyCTIBg4TCZ268lmk5iroiCuajm9KEkS_YJvACn5AqMQwGq85K4jzfdASuxDNDwFjq8DXiqnc_9gaRFxZ5eciDNeQHkqjQsVDGHjetWbsnYvueUNvEPeE3T4xA/s320/88181165-3D3C-47EC-854D-81791596D423.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"> Detail of the portrait where you can see some of the tiny pieces of marble. <br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1787, The Prince Regent commissioned Henry Holland to create his pavilion in Brighton, as it had become a fashionable seaside resort and here, away from London, he could enjoy his clandestine affair with his mistress, Maria Fitzherbert (as despised by Jane Austen herself). Later, in 1815-1822, the building was extended and redesigned by John Nash, whose designs are still visible today. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZck5V6i4j2ODEuK47J_UfLapgayBpnRmaFirYCBWS10EcLPFmfVaQ11JmG3pMpIVf8OQpivZghrPgajoolTLqFlLGzD9Zb7MK05g8HeD6xIv_jYjraH9m4wrA-6LUmAjr4xMMNWKDx6k8LzcBER7rljcEm6P7SLLAeBlCTHzsHsxxi4UccujJoIlsg/s2016/1DECA091-82C1-4200-8B07-F0054E29B5EA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZck5V6i4j2ODEuK47J_UfLapgayBpnRmaFirYCBWS10EcLPFmfVaQ11JmG3pMpIVf8OQpivZghrPgajoolTLqFlLGzD9Zb7MK05g8HeD6xIv_jYjraH9m4wrA-6LUmAjr4xMMNWKDx6k8LzcBER7rljcEm6P7SLLAeBlCTHzsHsxxi4UccujJoIlsg/w640-h480/1DECA091-82C1-4200-8B07-F0054E29B5EA.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The design of the building is heavily influenced by Indian and Chinese style. The exterior is typically indo-islamic with its distinctive domed turrets, as seen in many Indian palaces, such as the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad I visited years ago (my image below). </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEix9COONV0p6T62PRLp5XuA1VdiL70_7fzyN1_W3_zGpZaRa6IUAcN6snZnjmaScSCJS5Cd0r07KCTTaBgsjO4C2MH-sZJITJyPgQm60oOPj41j-jFZ_ArkhZRESg8yQ3Kx7mRr8HSBDVPIKx4r5vbcMvDbuoCEsy_VeogY2lnTt27_5roU88GDiR5a0g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEix9COONV0p6T62PRLp5XuA1VdiL70_7fzyN1_W3_zGpZaRa6IUAcN6snZnjmaScSCJS5Cd0r07KCTTaBgsjO4C2MH-sZJITJyPgQm60oOPj41j-jFZ_ArkhZRESg8yQ3Kx7mRr8HSBDVPIKx4r5vbcMvDbuoCEsy_VeogY2lnTt27_5roU88GDiR5a0g=w640-h480" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"> The Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad. <br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Chinese influences are visible throughout the interiors of the building. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcQupi3e4nD_0YKE3SC8rUuuUKclFz022JP3BAzOcd1xr9FCy15ZsQahiRzew3m883-p_FvgzgEPEXpS9HkYc3-piX_ZOSyGmA1D61j4sWo99NUhTv-UlkW0zdIN-drifHmWLfeAsyO3RignpA4lH7GHEC7VpH9ZAtKBupcOyh4mj6I4R8TQP8wr8PQ/s3568/IMG_7181.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3568" data-original-width="2210" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcQupi3e4nD_0YKE3SC8rUuuUKclFz022JP3BAzOcd1xr9FCy15ZsQahiRzew3m883-p_FvgzgEPEXpS9HkYc3-piX_ZOSyGmA1D61j4sWo99NUhTv-UlkW0zdIN-drifHmWLfeAsyO3RignpA4lH7GHEC7VpH9ZAtKBupcOyh4mj6I4R8TQP8wr8PQ/w396-h640/IMG_7181.HEIC" width="396" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8lOBDrFBQ739aEG2iF8UeLe4qXJY6Bgi16k8Ov7nVUGe8nfjqXTcM0E92tkPsmym53Q-HaLBPWz1BM-r962YsY47G8eVEa0E-YmA7JHbM4RkzAF4SvU_kHNbLl1IUT6qz3haIhQrxJAbkQKOrpdHkSIComHCeKygto1yMO9bHjJgx3cQh08ZPXwl-g/s2016/D35B63BE-D87A-40EF-8879-6D1CABC1982E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8lOBDrFBQ739aEG2iF8UeLe4qXJY6Bgi16k8Ov7nVUGe8nfjqXTcM0E92tkPsmym53Q-HaLBPWz1BM-r962YsY47G8eVEa0E-YmA7JHbM4RkzAF4SvU_kHNbLl1IUT6qz3haIhQrxJAbkQKOrpdHkSIComHCeKygto1yMO9bHjJgx3cQh08ZPXwl-g/w480-h640/D35B63BE-D87A-40EF-8879-6D1CABC1982E.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiWdWcBxAXeIM2WFJH0IQIxufh0bEIZZmTE7nd7XKAqqRU6MoGNqqM_foJnU4d5t0KEpc35eFyATs7AGlMQSOEgB2sXneesHybNy6v5KaMImT-3qGD8-HNS9uyPZrG_Hw2TH46T7N_hO2Fp2Dn9OwMrHXhVtmtOMirLB26Ex9ajSNvfttheEipMu1Ow/s2016/28963500-CDC8-4FCE-BC78-E1867A3328AA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiWdWcBxAXeIM2WFJH0IQIxufh0bEIZZmTE7nd7XKAqqRU6MoGNqqM_foJnU4d5t0KEpc35eFyATs7AGlMQSOEgB2sXneesHybNy6v5KaMImT-3qGD8-HNS9uyPZrG_Hw2TH46T7N_hO2Fp2Dn9OwMrHXhVtmtOMirLB26Ex9ajSNvfttheEipMu1Ow/w480-h640/28963500-CDC8-4FCE-BC78-E1867A3328AA.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09zy03rbpQwPaNnsIw7RXhU8et3iTd4C1VU24DoIZv6efYskztOC-Ll_v7m9GO1UI-o1E4NuEIWwM9fyYLyS4VmYmYCpAhfJ1RnemqblLlZ3zrg3ZH1_5i4KQx4fqkk_rGRyErQ8REPTQCg6UwRo1Fu2R3SGxv8UMnUtuAUOcjhd6_2pNI3d6VNRnUA/s2016/0E10A70C-32E4-410C-A341-B3D813FB9AB3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09zy03rbpQwPaNnsIw7RXhU8et3iTd4C1VU24DoIZv6efYskztOC-Ll_v7m9GO1UI-o1E4NuEIWwM9fyYLyS4VmYmYCpAhfJ1RnemqblLlZ3zrg3ZH1_5i4KQx4fqkk_rGRyErQ8REPTQCg6UwRo1Fu2R3SGxv8UMnUtuAUOcjhd6_2pNI3d6VNRnUA/w480-h640/0E10A70C-32E4-410C-A341-B3D813FB9AB3.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The opulent banqueting room with its stunning chandeliers is a sight worth seeing. Food and feasting were key to the royal lifestyle here, and one can only imagine the grand dinners that took place in this room. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lOVUk_FiaWK2vWugV7rrIZPPZpjN1nG0yqRiBZlCo7PF1-WJuGsjzid5ETa_6443aT2NtfomsczuUldNulR8F5GiQhUKNQyyzHvjblvir3bgNgtx3IIcIiZZOyps9SaoExVpTrjdi8y12WLhc9fbLjoXCnKbRM_JcxgBmQwL0U20fGX0R9c4DRULKQ/s4032/8B17DF2F-4D9F-419F-B425-4578FF6A4742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lOVUk_FiaWK2vWugV7rrIZPPZpjN1nG0yqRiBZlCo7PF1-WJuGsjzid5ETa_6443aT2NtfomsczuUldNulR8F5GiQhUKNQyyzHvjblvir3bgNgtx3IIcIiZZOyps9SaoExVpTrjdi8y12WLhc9fbLjoXCnKbRM_JcxgBmQwL0U20fGX0R9c4DRULKQ/w640-h480/8B17DF2F-4D9F-419F-B425-4578FF6A4742.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The chandeliers inspired by Chinese mythology are exquisite. The central chandelier hangs from the claws of a gilded dragon and weighs a ton! The walls are adorned with Chinese wall art and everything around you is gilded, shiny, luxurious. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfmq62Pl9dftzgDroC9qGc0ZuGOuJxfUtJEHL1wkK7bKRJedoWsJTpye0OOQXdwN-1Eu3zF1CRutAxLzw-ER2XOCa48-oRF9S0tpY_4Guhnxshn59BqV4HrLl4wSn6cWOCrFq1LqsJJENiP7FieFTbx9J35HkD49nR8iGqzulQuyw7CrKbDBbDbpZlA/s4032/CA1F0092-BE2E-4996-B45E-72D4398B32D6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfmq62Pl9dftzgDroC9qGc0ZuGOuJxfUtJEHL1wkK7bKRJedoWsJTpye0OOQXdwN-1Eu3zF1CRutAxLzw-ER2XOCa48-oRF9S0tpY_4Guhnxshn59BqV4HrLl4wSn6cWOCrFq1LqsJJENiP7FieFTbx9J35HkD49nR8iGqzulQuyw7CrKbDBbDbpZlA/w480-h640/CA1F0092-BE2E-4996-B45E-72D4398B32D6.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The saloon was the formal reception room where the Prince Regent would greet his guests before taking them to the banqueting room. The gold theme with Eastern influences continues here in a repetitive, symmetrical design. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5gReMFABc2a-6tUO_PmapBCh7Uxp8S9KSY6cCCqAPniNP0o0eK5PfpUZ2DajBrSuETp5OUODBoBxAn-3BKHsFY1T7ma9FowiwxBl5GcZLYKQiJcRaFZP9_VyStCRrCMNqZYF5VpO_3cwkwiwURocA2UBY15FM7Zpmf_LdhEVoo_4Jkk-t23bEFrjmQ/s4032/A4727E3F-6E9E-4CD3-9A6E-00C93377E0CE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5gReMFABc2a-6tUO_PmapBCh7Uxp8S9KSY6cCCqAPniNP0o0eK5PfpUZ2DajBrSuETp5OUODBoBxAn-3BKHsFY1T7ma9FowiwxBl5GcZLYKQiJcRaFZP9_VyStCRrCMNqZYF5VpO_3cwkwiwURocA2UBY15FM7Zpmf_LdhEVoo_4Jkk-t23bEFrjmQ/w480-h640/A4727E3F-6E9E-4CD3-9A6E-00C93377E0CE.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The music room was stunning as well. The Prince Regent entertained his guests with music here, had his own band and often got involved in music making too. This room must have looked incredible at night when illuminated by the many chandeliers. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-TfxUHOG0KD_2rn5BjcYu_yqS1Q8FRcGrGvXOXmWzBhMEzS4sM0UzkJ45CEDiG-Er8dysAV6ridEpUx449Gr9hoy68Ty9SQ5Sb5QJ5ll1U1yw2PxXovM0tnb0tTI7IDPyBqSdBj64-BZ87Ctz0VyI8EWSPEnAc7cnKoNwL4rsNU_PnTGbVjnZ5W5nw/s4032/8CE12805-38A6-43EA-AC20-D97F89221A30.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-TfxUHOG0KD_2rn5BjcYu_yqS1Q8FRcGrGvXOXmWzBhMEzS4sM0UzkJ45CEDiG-Er8dysAV6ridEpUx449Gr9hoy68Ty9SQ5Sb5QJ5ll1U1yw2PxXovM0tnb0tTI7IDPyBqSdBj64-BZ87Ctz0VyI8EWSPEnAc7cnKoNwL4rsNU_PnTGbVjnZ5W5nw/w640-h480/8CE12805-38A6-43EA-AC20-D97F89221A30.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5vGoR7aQXEeGLHSe7RwMtFQLVG1reIWgQZ0cI6WfbYFEutdEbR9o6ToJK_ruoqDGleS7SkQqHus--O6V1TBPk8gwUAvEdW-ToFAOGwT77LQGIL8-1nJLmyLnyVITzHmCG5IgmUZ5gximbuNsY_RDxO5v_ISMGf0nw00MSy_q27RczlnNWJ1Yh3bhKg/s4032/D7F755E7-3500-4407-9AC1-06F0912AD322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5vGoR7aQXEeGLHSe7RwMtFQLVG1reIWgQZ0cI6WfbYFEutdEbR9o6ToJK_ruoqDGleS7SkQqHus--O6V1TBPk8gwUAvEdW-ToFAOGwT77LQGIL8-1nJLmyLnyVITzHmCG5IgmUZ5gximbuNsY_RDxO5v_ISMGf0nw00MSy_q27RczlnNWJ1Yh3bhKg/w480-h640/D7F755E7-3500-4407-9AC1-06F0912AD322.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The Prince Regent threw lavish parties and you can imagine large balls happening at the ballroom below. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidar-GbPmFhSiV-GCiOI3_1_aX2Q__-Ogi7vx1OydXkYZpCtX3A_bMIQOMMKoJo8CGPxlin0CmssSMDmo1ko2M594CgMU2Ksg0AJGYicnZN3fvQABXjcUkOLHqFwmFXg5Tja2LNYTlD7f_VJkJcvGHPz811i-772vutkAeJsuR-KQ48jxWCgUjleE66A/s4032/38EB2F82-2A82-4018-87AD-99922BFBD7C2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidar-GbPmFhSiV-GCiOI3_1_aX2Q__-Ogi7vx1OydXkYZpCtX3A_bMIQOMMKoJo8CGPxlin0CmssSMDmo1ko2M594CgMU2Ksg0AJGYicnZN3fvQABXjcUkOLHqFwmFXg5Tja2LNYTlD7f_VJkJcvGHPz811i-772vutkAeJsuR-KQ48jxWCgUjleE66A/w640-h480/38EB2F82-2A82-4018-87AD-99922BFBD7C2.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The king's living areas were moved to the ground floor due to his growing ill health and obesity later in life. The bedroom is less opulent but the oriental influences and Regency style follow through these rooms. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYpBZxIa9zB31EJIV1dkC-2KOerEaGz-89b03RsgDfpIZaeuveyhIAkA2VpTDh-j0EmKcLL6dKOg0hd2Vw_EMISnapcIzZZMRnfPlcnqcTPZtb3gz17rEJmee1CWv763gsbDCPCW4X0w1Uw1j3EkamjkB1wP79TgltO55n9TR5fUAR3G0hTRxBLl8-w/s2016/5D84CB0F-1A0F-4B24-AA48-0EC5DE04FA10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYpBZxIa9zB31EJIV1dkC-2KOerEaGz-89b03RsgDfpIZaeuveyhIAkA2VpTDh-j0EmKcLL6dKOg0hd2Vw_EMISnapcIzZZMRnfPlcnqcTPZtb3gz17rEJmee1CWv763gsbDCPCW4X0w1Uw1j3EkamjkB1wP79TgltO55n9TR5fUAR3G0hTRxBLl8-w/w640-h480/5D84CB0F-1A0F-4B24-AA48-0EC5DE04FA10.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUC4a49IitKlbpt7VQZamAN7HfdWKwEzXP12BteWeWHuTEzLeqVNtw1LwCeNWtfAqGUqpcEPstGD--fr8BAxGuoE_HYBZS-BoyANjjKwGg5Ifbb-soDVmX9T9CWiegPhxfLYeX8h-Iv350zDH82KKyGpamDzsESsn_e5gaDkNepNLDhekOkU0QtqPNrw/s2016/14AF9F51-A1B8-4F5F-A5D5-DF90E30661C4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUC4a49IitKlbpt7VQZamAN7HfdWKwEzXP12BteWeWHuTEzLeqVNtw1LwCeNWtfAqGUqpcEPstGD--fr8BAxGuoE_HYBZS-BoyANjjKwGg5Ifbb-soDVmX9T9CWiegPhxfLYeX8h-Iv350zDH82KKyGpamDzsESsn_e5gaDkNepNLDhekOkU0QtqPNrw/w480-h640/14AF9F51-A1B8-4F5F-A5D5-DF90E30661C4.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrj7Sirr5Hbxi4AAuI6zr1eepKfAF5Dy99ALPSnrBfo1LmgUIR1K5sjqCeroxWZwOp7tAuouPQGprHhWK85ldILlWPG4zid2HIC4CDRCwLaIkjNEZDNZjV76y3WYxSRk92crQMGyMwzzAhg4kuQJI0GSwdfefxCNtWF6qJkbk4kgweD1rpKI88wwe4ug/s2016/C5B08AD0-DAE4-4213-9F0F-2C6072B1D039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrj7Sirr5Hbxi4AAuI6zr1eepKfAF5Dy99ALPSnrBfo1LmgUIR1K5sjqCeroxWZwOp7tAuouPQGprHhWK85ldILlWPG4zid2HIC4CDRCwLaIkjNEZDNZjV76y3WYxSRk92crQMGyMwzzAhg4kuQJI0GSwdfefxCNtWF6qJkbk4kgweD1rpKI88wwe4ug/w480-h640/C5B08AD0-DAE4-4213-9F0F-2C6072B1D039.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The obese Prince Regent needed support to get onto his bed. </span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUuKUeaPTpoA_q-Vsyl4uOqSDYqYjASa__nxbgREEQYr7vhTtB-h7sxNvuNs9j40ZBBghL5Q50uyLH2hSmNop83ixwWkRuQi5ehC-zii5poCeLU_ztIzF4_bJypClt8S2fQGV0hhe82c6Qnh7Pg4cTUIgRkmwi-5MqB6NgQ9h2CQLPU_Y-5afnUnlJw/s2016/DD7C5181-43CF-4F6E-A53F-72504FA885CC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUuKUeaPTpoA_q-Vsyl4uOqSDYqYjASa__nxbgREEQYr7vhTtB-h7sxNvuNs9j40ZBBghL5Q50uyLH2hSmNop83ixwWkRuQi5ehC-zii5poCeLU_ztIzF4_bJypClt8S2fQGV0hhe82c6Qnh7Pg4cTUIgRkmwi-5MqB6NgQ9h2CQLPU_Y-5afnUnlJw/w480-h640/DD7C5181-43CF-4F6E-A53F-72504FA885CC.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The secret door off the bedroom took the prince to his indoor bathroom. </span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Queen Victoria, who spent time at the Pavilion later on in the 19th Century, had another bedroom made, which is gorgeous - I adore the handpainted wallpaper that features birds and flowers. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkPfA_k9UcADoInyz7DPlFa5TcUu4CsKgcFZlJ1KrWo25K8k2YipKWE_Vho6fPWhy8H2dA2_3AZx6gHpd-sezy0yQS8apRZyI1RDUoiH6aq_R_a4GpgnFM1cSzV8ycwBtBAukLe36Ltg3_AnHkuZV54kmW_xbLVHBGX0A5ndu_ifOdqeCBXFfptktzg/s4032/1451C69E-77AC-4D8B-A3F8-26C85F2A5B84.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkPfA_k9UcADoInyz7DPlFa5TcUu4CsKgcFZlJ1KrWo25K8k2YipKWE_Vho6fPWhy8H2dA2_3AZx6gHpd-sezy0yQS8apRZyI1RDUoiH6aq_R_a4GpgnFM1cSzV8ycwBtBAukLe36Ltg3_AnHkuZV54kmW_xbLVHBGX0A5ndu_ifOdqeCBXFfptktzg/w640-h480/1451C69E-77AC-4D8B-A3F8-26C85F2A5B84.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The kitchen has a unique look to it with cast iron columns topped with palm tree leaves central to the room. The heavily obese, indulgent Prince Regent loved food and entertaining amd his kitchen was technologically advanced. For each banquet, 70 dishes were prepared in this impressive kitchen by French chefs. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnedF40ksjQ8Z2nX4EQH_yGRAXOMxj7cJCq2tnaQA6ZABZ1IvJbWwW97V0osXvvRqPPhxPa65_95f7ohYl8MaaSv_t3jf3twoNJajghV8c3VCNqLxOoYKrJm4b9-s-AVoBaB9GceqbJsjOE8gJvJclzFQqhgD-4WLYtydFG7bfPzrtBSGWsN3AS5vzJg/s4032/1F214899-2BCD-4724-8547-C85F5FC4C3BF.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnedF40ksjQ8Z2nX4EQH_yGRAXOMxj7cJCq2tnaQA6ZABZ1IvJbWwW97V0osXvvRqPPhxPa65_95f7ohYl8MaaSv_t3jf3twoNJajghV8c3VCNqLxOoYKrJm4b9-s-AVoBaB9GceqbJsjOE8gJvJclzFQqhgD-4WLYtydFG7bfPzrtBSGWsN3AS5vzJg/w640-h480/1F214899-2BCD-4724-8547-C85F5FC4C3BF.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vjH8ufv6X9wL_U_7XVkUkxuyQIPfx1eQJJzPVrkepqq-PsTFSR7DG2p8SuDzd1kFvagf5B5jMLBX0WS7MO5c54wkrYyUSsNfqpxCY0Zn4vfgtvivSyONf0gKwqzMk0NvAogElIGXmoZJk4F-6JlTYFDusdrCpVzJwLbacLptNEedo5_M7t7IOkLcNw/s4032/E322DA03-9CCA-4EEA-89E1-EBAC0F62468F.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vjH8ufv6X9wL_U_7XVkUkxuyQIPfx1eQJJzPVrkepqq-PsTFSR7DG2p8SuDzd1kFvagf5B5jMLBX0WS7MO5c54wkrYyUSsNfqpxCY0Zn4vfgtvivSyONf0gKwqzMk0NvAogElIGXmoZJk4F-6JlTYFDusdrCpVzJwLbacLptNEedo5_M7t7IOkLcNw/w640-h480/E322DA03-9CCA-4EEA-89E1-EBAC0F62468F.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">A visit to the Brighton Pavilion is certainly memorable and the Pavilion is still a popular picnic spot today with its lush gardens and vibrant outdoor space. </span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XbSZ_7bc8Pnia4Hcnnr7mx_APd332eUvvYsyCE2EQhWpVhJnYGzE-7y4fUUcsmjDuLmmhcfBvTxkmIximlZWuaT9cObjie9A2ecAJb9xX-4sVNWjkp2N_M75LaGvb9Tka7BP9SxyCWm_PQX1Ldnz203shFzjQCcFGoTUwXOc1P5Qt93I3Vp2WXo5oQ/s2016/567143F2-C30E-4622-9730-4A9616A54006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XbSZ_7bc8Pnia4Hcnnr7mx_APd332eUvvYsyCE2EQhWpVhJnYGzE-7y4fUUcsmjDuLmmhcfBvTxkmIximlZWuaT9cObjie9A2ecAJb9xX-4sVNWjkp2N_M75LaGvb9Tka7BP9SxyCWm_PQX1Ldnz203shFzjQCcFGoTUwXOc1P5Qt93I3Vp2WXo5oQ/w640-h480/567143F2-C30E-4622-9730-4A9616A54006.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-87442564107643940322022-10-05T16:40:00.003+05:302022-10-05T16:40:00.147+05:30Look Inside A Typical Regency Wedding <p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYgGW1vpJ1y0CECamoCRBeqeu-hNjxsO8WwYENTPFpYqEyhoBmt_RvJ8oZa9j95StKONcp5Lm7t2OYAP3h376A11hyp07Hf6SGtQ8fVhFC1pvkRATqcze-4sEa37_xtdeGS0F0LqmyIOXx1z8Hq7AFClgZWxwVX_MrN2_0lRK_JKSaOMftopRr2Y_M9g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYgGW1vpJ1y0CECamoCRBeqeu-hNjxsO8WwYENTPFpYqEyhoBmt_RvJ8oZa9j95StKONcp5Lm7t2OYAP3h376A11hyp07Hf6SGtQ8fVhFC1pvkRATqcze-4sEa37_xtdeGS0F0LqmyIOXx1z8Hq7AFClgZWxwVX_MrN2_0lRK_JKSaOMftopRr2Y_M9g" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Having seen a glimpse of a Regency wedding in most adaptations of Jane Austen, you must have wondered what a wedding would be like? Would there be lots of planning involved? What would people wear and eat? Would there be dancing? </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Well the answer is: Regency weddings were very simple affairs. Caroline Austen, Jane's niece, wrote a fascinating memoir in her old age during the Victorian times, and recalls the weddings of her childhood being very quiet occasions. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1814, Caroline Austen writes about her sister's wedding to Benjamin Lefroy in Steventon: "Weddings were then usually very quiet. The old fashion of festivity and publicity had quite gone by, and was universally condemned as showing the great bad taste of all former generations." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Unlike in modern days, where brides and grooms plan their special day for months, even years in advance, in Regency times there was less planning involved. Unless she was of royalty, the bride would not wear a unique dress but wear her "best dress" and it wouldn't always be white - although white was a fashionable colour to wear to any occasion at the time. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjV92mLH9l4UuzqGcPxvGThttYyI9VHdskA9B0ksJBFj5iL7eQuHGNn6tvd-uF3GqsnHnKm8aLBEPAGF57qAGt0PbzlfeNysMdJQFHSCHRsrYwvBpZUHj9BnSY3RtseZStChQKrxzLCtQ3uSLjqhtUAPj2EElAONgB8gZ-TAf89NQIpObi5-zOFEnaYQ/s3170/DSCN3632dress5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3170" data-original-width="1900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjV92mLH9l4UuzqGcPxvGThttYyI9VHdskA9B0ksJBFj5iL7eQuHGNn6tvd-uF3GqsnHnKm8aLBEPAGF57qAGt0PbzlfeNysMdJQFHSCHRsrYwvBpZUHj9BnSY3RtseZStChQKrxzLCtQ3uSLjqhtUAPj2EElAONgB8gZ-TAf89NQIpObi5-zOFEnaYQ/w384-h640/DSCN3632dress5.JPG" width="384" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Caroline was one of the bridesmaids together with Anne Lefroy. "I and Anne Lefroy, nine and six years old, wore white frocks and had white ribband on our straw bonnets, which, I suppose, were new for the occasion." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">People would often walk to the wedding, although some went by carriage. Caroline writes, "We in the house had a slight early breakfast upstairs; and between 9 and 10 the bride, my mother, Mrs Lefroy, Anne and myself, were taken to church in our carriage. All the gentlemen walked." </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoX0r4RmSdHBAcQvW8QGFQjK7iPybmK5SeEE60CZRKV_GdUmpYqIxr3n8ngCYQAtMWVVktPZbdJFWoCEJAOWtl5RFsCl7Doah5XlFlyohPwUnVpqAveKbpe8DpUKzg_PLahhBvPvSxEl-SBz8phzyELodP6XEiSeuLZ8j03gIGBDslhDkVXb1Ezxve6A/s4032/IMG_2514-EFFECTS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoX0r4RmSdHBAcQvW8QGFQjK7iPybmK5SeEE60CZRKV_GdUmpYqIxr3n8ngCYQAtMWVVktPZbdJFWoCEJAOWtl5RFsCl7Doah5XlFlyohPwUnVpqAveKbpe8DpUKzg_PLahhBvPvSxEl-SBz8phzyELodP6XEiSeuLZ8j03gIGBDslhDkVXb1Ezxve6A/w480-h640/IMG_2514-EFFECTS.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Steventon Church </span><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">At the church. there would be a simple ceremony and traditional readings from the Book of Common Prayer. As is still common today, fathers would walk their daughters down the aisle. Caroline writes, "Mr Lefroy read the service, my father gave his daughter away." Rings were then exchanged and the church books were signed. When Jane Austen was a child and spending time at Steventon Church where her father was Rector, Jane Austen imagined herself to be married to fashionable imaginary men and mischieviously wrote in the church records: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"The Banns of Marriage Between Henry Frederic Howard Fitzwilliam of London and Jane Austen of Steventon". </i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IR3A-vwSNJqRVtMJtLqiZFHs9vXYdnmzCfXODo_hS9NBPFqWfR99Bx8IXmHtqxJ7mfBpy_fwj-SflFt0xyDn8XoA7CoU29dnDk-TLgIN1FQrdVjkO9-bOvZyTWRMC-JWtjFs9jJddix1D5JVFIAfZe2-6P3rqavm_oS2Ta7wLDiaxkYGrLSFzRvTMA/s4608/DSC01272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IR3A-vwSNJqRVtMJtLqiZFHs9vXYdnmzCfXODo_hS9NBPFqWfR99Bx8IXmHtqxJ7mfBpy_fwj-SflFt0xyDn8XoA7CoU29dnDk-TLgIN1FQrdVjkO9-bOvZyTWRMC-JWtjFs9jJddix1D5JVFIAfZe2-6P3rqavm_oS2Ta7wLDiaxkYGrLSFzRvTMA/w640-h480/DSC01272.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After the ceremony, a wedding breakfast would follow, just for the close family circle. The breakfast sounds like a fairly normal breakfast with the addition of a few special items, as described by Caroline: "The clerk was there... nor was anyone else asked to the breakfast, to which we sat down as soon as we got back... The breakfast was such as best as breakfasts then were: some variety of bread, hot rolls, buttered toast, tongue or ham and eggs. The addition of chocolate at one end of the table, and the wedding cake in the middle, marked the speciality of the day." "Soon after breakfast, the bride and bridegroom departed" for their new home, some would have a short honeymoon the week after. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It sounds like there weren't many invitees to weddings, but the generosity of the family did extend to the servants: "The servants had cake and punch in the evening". </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">References and further reading: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reminiscences of Caroline Austen. </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(1986) The Jane Austen Society. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial;">https://janeaustensworld.com/tag/regency-weddings/</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial;">https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2016/11/short-simple-and-to-point-regency.html</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p><br /></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-85438086068178303942022-09-28T16:22:00.001+05:302022-09-28T16:37:04.215+05:30The Fascinating Story of Hester Wheeler - an Inspiration for Colonel Brandon's foster child?<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Whenever I study the life and times of Jane Austen, I come across interesting stories of her contemporaries. One such story is that of Hester Wheeler - foster child of the Chute family, who lived at the Vyne, an estate close to my home. Did the story of Hester Wheeler inspire Jane Austen in her writing? </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8gMKeVCufdYQsZI6QxKtIEA2BVg02eoFYVpR-HzAdyTa_v5wvHE9sOrtu9VGCOVcKPYK1_-mbuLzMA5J6M_vX-a6PeQkk_zHxqZRXnmAbi9peuND8O0gIU4ZTeU13e3dVDc0u7Wd0vfncfek-Fd6mrkXpd0MS8Fx9P7bXUIr1jSZc-gAyO8nvABUXw/s4032/IMG_0680.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8gMKeVCufdYQsZI6QxKtIEA2BVg02eoFYVpR-HzAdyTa_v5wvHE9sOrtu9VGCOVcKPYK1_-mbuLzMA5J6M_vX-a6PeQkk_zHxqZRXnmAbi9peuND8O0gIU4ZTeU13e3dVDc0u7Wd0vfncfek-Fd6mrkXpd0MS8Fx9P7bXUIr1jSZc-gAyO8nvABUXw/w640-h480/IMG_0680.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> The Vyne from across the river.</span> </span></p>You may remember reading about my </span><a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2016/08/visiting-chutes-at-vyne.html" style="font-family: arial;">earlier visits</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> to the Vyne. The Vyne is a tudor mansion located in Sherborne St John, close to Basingstoke, and was the home of John and Eliza Chute, friends of the Austen family. James Austen was vicar of Sherborne St John and the Austen brothers were close to the Chutes. The brothers often went hunting with John Chute, and the Austen family sometimes visited the Vyne. Jane, however, didn't seem to warm to Eliza Chute, as discussed in my blog. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHZG7XIfsXhW3uvfWwUHdldSslp0AAHogXekIPfIeZtq2OX1aYxpO10bVZvuY9CWMP-EW0uVd3e5_OySW7CL1OoxBqBA0dOnkvFNzE6QV1Q5lbed6rJ9i9smhGYeb_RYbcw_mepv5qak7jMfDXlHYHUYI6HG9dlxkJIXWjfwjWoCV2vP5zh6ziqMb2w/s4032/20190817_134949.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHZG7XIfsXhW3uvfWwUHdldSslp0AAHogXekIPfIeZtq2OX1aYxpO10bVZvuY9CWMP-EW0uVd3e5_OySW7CL1OoxBqBA0dOnkvFNzE6QV1Q5lbed6rJ9i9smhGYeb_RYbcw_mepv5qak7jMfDXlHYHUYI6HG9dlxkJIXWjfwjWoCV2vP5zh6ziqMb2w/w480-h640/20190817_134949.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div> The Georgian style staircase inside the house.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Chutes got married in 1793 and had a long marriage, but it is unlikely to have been a happy one. Eliza Chute was a well-read and intelligent woman, who like other women of her times, lacked the freedom of independence and was lonely in the big house, and never managed to have a child of her own. </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2ICXcroHcxvmdA2WMych0sU7cQ759ecQ7rW9a6WSz4S-RxbW3A3tzDjMexIgVSVZK7UqZHqFOHk60s1o4HNxYjFghiQqiuX--x0KFAOzAHVRULOP5anXjQZAyXPnK3Ee36pXso9INc8eiUVfAzGoV1PlpTl9LU_2aWakPFZYmq7k_aZ0va3ynni-SQ/s4032/botanical%20painting%20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2ICXcroHcxvmdA2WMych0sU7cQ759ecQ7rW9a6WSz4S-RxbW3A3tzDjMexIgVSVZK7UqZHqFOHk60s1o4HNxYjFghiQqiuX--x0KFAOzAHVRULOP5anXjQZAyXPnK3Ee36pXso9INc8eiUVfAzGoV1PlpTl9LU_2aWakPFZYmq7k_aZ0va3ynni-SQ/w480-h640/botanical%20painting%20.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> A botanical painting by the talented Eliza Chute. </span><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After 10 years of marriage, the Chutes adopted Caroline Wiggett, a distant cousin of Mr Chute, in 1803 when she was 3 years old.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHynvvY3PvKSdWtyDiImFGol2dMJoTagcdr7Cwy3kLhI6JKM-uJnTFLuKbgkzEXHHSLwMeM41WzHOPUZkB68JXWcMzyg_B-v8CgyxwIIWxujooSYjQg1sG3bHpOM4DC6lXyjXoAIMrHGSdXYw7MeTzVj912Zvi0avwU-ZPb06mRgLqdKDYSnucIpofQ/s4032/20190817_134459.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHynvvY3PvKSdWtyDiImFGol2dMJoTagcdr7Cwy3kLhI6JKM-uJnTFLuKbgkzEXHHSLwMeM41WzHOPUZkB68JXWcMzyg_B-v8CgyxwIIWxujooSYjQg1sG3bHpOM4DC6lXyjXoAIMrHGSdXYw7MeTzVj912Zvi0avwU-ZPb06mRgLqdKDYSnucIpofQ/w480-h640/20190817_134459.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Caroline Wiggett</span><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Caroline considered Eliza and John as her aunt and uncle, and some say that the story of Caroline's adoption inspired the story of Fanny Price. She is said to have had a lonely childhood at the Vyne (like Fanny Price), but Jane Austen seems to have considered Eliza Chute a loving foster mother, as in 1817 when Caroline Wiggett was severely ill, she writes, "I am sorry to hear of Caroline Wiggetts being so ill. Mrs Chute would feel almost like a mother in losing her". Adoption by wealthy relatives was relatively common at the time and, despite the similarities, I feel that Fanny's story may equally well have been inspired by Jane's own brother, Edward's story, don't you think?</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW138i129fLnkgMGX59YXKKoOtj6R_fP2Ts6DNLEm5VPNtpt9bhKOBxXbj6OOelLWMYdrGGc9dIWJC7J0tE_9h574QEOVkY2oDJZf4eI7ErnTWkz0mo1l1XNdmadnWhbowNlfep2aKK9X4Kvf41o-KbLv1TkTJRRZ2l_jcF6bSdRhuYCXWWQtZOq_5KA/s4032/nursery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW138i129fLnkgMGX59YXKKoOtj6R_fP2Ts6DNLEm5VPNtpt9bhKOBxXbj6OOelLWMYdrGGc9dIWJC7J0tE_9h574QEOVkY2oDJZf4eI7ErnTWkz0mo1l1XNdmadnWhbowNlfep2aKK9X4Kvf41o-KbLv1TkTJRRZ2l_jcF6bSdRhuYCXWWQtZOq_5KA/w480-h640/nursery.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Playroom in the orangery. </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The Chutes then took in another child, Hester Wheeler, to live with them in 1814. Caroline Austen, Jane Austen's niece, was very fond of Hester and fascinated by her dramatic life story, and recalls in 1814: "In the summer of this year, I had the great pleasure of a friend and companion in Hester Wheeler, a girl about thirteen, whom Mrs Chute had brought to The Vyne about twelvemonth before. I had heard a great deal of her from my brother and brother's being so often there...To me she was a very delightful companion, the first I had ever felt really fond of, and it seemed afterwards that our intimacy must have lasted much longer than the twelve days, which I see was the term of her visit, so deep was the impression she made on me. Long before, I had eagerly listened to her history, all that I could hear of it, and <i>how </i>it was that she came to be at The Vine." </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOsEfB5TXgGkS7wv9s0j1urDdkx1g6OikbIFCc6cyPj4AJ4mODb5evioO_Tle1EzVsj_W6ExBOHQ1UJlL-rf39HPLuvZbWBY6dqGi5ZI0rvMWpx9JyKpXhyBykcvMI4W4Eyc2NNlQdatBtdPBiJpJAFw6oeYzpIcsnxNFJP1j-AWVpp_TRdNyAsWI1qQ/s400/IMG_9857.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="266" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOsEfB5TXgGkS7wv9s0j1urDdkx1g6OikbIFCc6cyPj4AJ4mODb5evioO_Tle1EzVsj_W6ExBOHQ1UJlL-rf39HPLuvZbWBY6dqGi5ZI0rvMWpx9JyKpXhyBykcvMI4W4Eyc2NNlQdatBtdPBiJpJAFw6oeYzpIcsnxNFJP1j-AWVpp_TRdNyAsWI1qQ/w266-h400/IMG_9857.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Eliza Chute </span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ts7YRTE7PQI-A09Qyij-4UeapXbyMsUnhBxirAOruafcENKvueijnJEq9rFB2bWZkxJ94kiueLXISmCRn55JasmOvRBMh6-NDuONBMayHhEDUjFLDKR1f5BKSygUQppz49rtetJzAeyKilSLpV4tpWSXE8e5OWx3gUBmRGiv-TrtAgVKH9uV8htM7A/s400/IMG_9856.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="266" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ts7YRTE7PQI-A09Qyij-4UeapXbyMsUnhBxirAOruafcENKvueijnJEq9rFB2bWZkxJ94kiueLXISmCRn55JasmOvRBMh6-NDuONBMayHhEDUjFLDKR1f5BKSygUQppz49rtetJzAeyKilSLpV4tpWSXE8e5OWx3gUBmRGiv-TrtAgVKH9uV8htM7A/w213-h320/IMG_9856.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> John Chute </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Caroline explains how Hester's great-aunt had been</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> governess to the Chute family and Mrs Chute had acknowledged "a strong claim of charity towards the family". "They were in very humble life, as Hester never sought to conceal. They must have at one time kept a shop, for she told me of a recollection of standing on her grandmother's counter." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And now to the scandalous part, as Caroline recollects: "Hester's mother was singularly beautiful; and unhappily a Captain Wheeler, stationed in the town, fell in some sort of love with her, and married her. He also deserted her, a few months afterwards, before Hester's birth, and never reappeared. In time it came to be rumoured that he was a married man when he first made her acquintance, and even that Wheeler was not his real name - but nobody ever knew. How much his young wife had loved him, and how much she grieved for him, as I never heard I will not pretend to say; but she was left in sad straits and difficulties, and had to seek maintenance for herself and her child, and leaving the little girl with her relations, she entered the family of Mr Beach as governess to his daughter. The position was different then from what it is now; for she acted as lady's maid to my Aunt Mrs Fowle... her health soon failed, and she fell into a decline." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Caroline then recounts how Hester's mother (and Hester) had been looked after by the Chutes at The Vyne until she died, and had then taken Hester in to live with them. Hester had been home educated and grew up to become quite a rebellious teenager, and eventually became a governess like her mother and died young of the same disease as her mother had. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The story of Hester echoes that of Colonel Brandon and his foster child by Eliza. Hester's story may well have inspired Jane Austen when writing about Eliza, but Captain Wheeler's promiscuous character also reminds me of Willoughby and Wickham. Jane Austen certainly drew inspiration from the local gossip and stories whispered by her friends and neighbours, and wrote about things actually happening around her. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>References and further reading: </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reminiscences of Caroline Austen. </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(1986) The Jane Austen Society. </span></span></p><p><em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Jane Austen’s Letters Collected and edited by Deirdre Le Faye</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial;"> (Third Edition). Oxford University Press (1997).</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tomalin, <i>C. Jane Austen - A Life.</i> Viking (1997). </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My visit to the Vyne: https://austenised.blogspot.com/2016/08/visiting-chutes-at-vyne.html</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Tony Grant's visit to the Vyne (Jane Austen's World): https://janeaustensworld.com/tag/chute-family/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-48254137686111676202022-08-21T04:34:00.001+05:302022-08-21T04:34:40.263+05:30Following "Miss Austen's" Footsteps Through Historic Kintbury <p>I recently read Gill Hornby's moving book, "Miss Austen", which focuses on the close relationship between Jane Austen and her elder sister, Cassandra. The Austens were family friends with Reverend Fowle's family, and Cassandra was engaged to be married to their son, Tom, who had been George Austen's pupil at home in Steventon. We know that, after tragically losing Tom to yellow fever, Cassandra continued to stay in touch with the Fowle family, and in this fictional story she visits Tom's sister Isabella in Kintbury at old age in 1840. The story centres around Cassandra's plans to destroy a large collection of Jane's letters in order to protect her legacy - which is generally thought to have happened, but we do not know the real reason for this - and Hornby explores the possible motives that Cassandra might have had at the time. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuj4r6KtKd1Qm6GXo-rY-BIAvmuDb17SKvhIv4mumXm4puMWEzainoJUHWZcahE6VLXkcAI-fXmNFKKxOu2dDYzS5Z08g3OA4uUzBMVfVmcIpUDO5LURAQEhxC9XDbHUGdlV-BgyIaI9UMwO49Bwo9-FC61lVDb2Ffmo9rnGoPMRqFsZO3e6Q073ewUg/s2560/miss%20austen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1635" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuj4r6KtKd1Qm6GXo-rY-BIAvmuDb17SKvhIv4mumXm4puMWEzainoJUHWZcahE6VLXkcAI-fXmNFKKxOu2dDYzS5Z08g3OA4uUzBMVfVmcIpUDO5LURAQEhxC9XDbHUGdlV-BgyIaI9UMwO49Bwo9-FC61lVDb2Ffmo9rnGoPMRqFsZO3e6Q073ewUg/w255-h400/miss%20austen.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><br /><p>Hornby became fascinated with Cassandra's story when she moved into the old vicarage in Kintbury and was told that the house had a Jane Austen connection. The vicarage was where the Fowles lived, and the Austens are said to have visited them on the way to Bath or Cheltenham. </p><p>I came across a <a href="https://www.westberkshireheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Kintbury-Heritage-Walk-V2.pdf">heritage walking tour of Kintbury</a> online and was intrigued to explore the milieu familiar to Jane and Cassandra. I drove to Berkshire on a hot August's day and I enjoyed the 3-mile-long walk across the fields and past interesting old properties that the Austens would have seen on their walks. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtol9iEB-SQCAr532QLCgEC7jd5yToSnbxUjZijerE62hTYKYzDdd5T1UASnelDtUR8g7fbM__hGfo8yd1AcJPUZSc7-7QyyImCsCjaO0_GblCUMawU1jaLl9ld38u0DaNb5WGK0xEXEoMK9h45rTz3svCKAfXJ9-Sw8bbK-dRzbMsr31chC2U1f6S0A/s4032/IMG_8912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtol9iEB-SQCAr532QLCgEC7jd5yToSnbxUjZijerE62hTYKYzDdd5T1UASnelDtUR8g7fbM__hGfo8yd1AcJPUZSc7-7QyyImCsCjaO0_GblCUMawU1jaLl9ld38u0DaNb5WGK0xEXEoMK9h45rTz3svCKAfXJ9-Sw8bbK-dRzbMsr31chC2U1f6S0A/w640-h480/IMG_8912.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">St Mary's Church </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>The walk started from the medieval St Mary's Church, which originates from the 12th Century. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc07zliu03lh8MTWbNeSr5RuAKwLbGAzwTZGH5rm0IZJHuUK6jwGilHKQ97ST_h2zGySYxgi3m5HGy_go0Y8foTRVMLUBXDHu3QJHxNn0CcU985eNuBQG38T9wyuWLJHgpfRjNkbHQHwVBExSPOejBcdtolFvzr-Qgu2Dxy9PqazfILuSD8XbsRpUKg/s4032/IMG_8913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc07zliu03lh8MTWbNeSr5RuAKwLbGAzwTZGH5rm0IZJHuUK6jwGilHKQ97ST_h2zGySYxgi3m5HGy_go0Y8foTRVMLUBXDHu3QJHxNn0CcU985eNuBQG38T9wyuWLJHgpfRjNkbHQHwVBExSPOejBcdtolFvzr-Qgu2Dxy9PqazfILuSD8XbsRpUKg/w480-h640/IMG_8913.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p>It would have been interesting to find some tombstones of the Fowle family members, but I decided not to spend time browsing through the dozens of moss-covered stones as I had a long walk ahead. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIW7xoO-gFDrYVscqmKRzC-VrA6wudX90mZguCBW0VSPnKsvWZDUYyJJTwvaN-l4NCxaYCDXepbwuqUa3ZLimdJTr1eiI8PPU9hil9huAM8g78WXZ2Y6qzmdM9yoVLbTaNLHv4E89QMEIdSoDzd03mAir4urfBDImTdjPb8huK4cPmN0YhTSnODkc7Zw/s4032/IMG_8916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIW7xoO-gFDrYVscqmKRzC-VrA6wudX90mZguCBW0VSPnKsvWZDUYyJJTwvaN-l4NCxaYCDXepbwuqUa3ZLimdJTr1eiI8PPU9hil9huAM8g78WXZ2Y6qzmdM9yoVLbTaNLHv4E89QMEIdSoDzd03mAir4urfBDImTdjPb8huK4cPmN0YhTSnODkc7Zw/w640-h480/IMG_8916.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> The Old Vicarage</span><br /><p>I then walked on and found the Old Vicarage that had been home to the Fowles. The vicarage was in a beautiful, peaceful leafy setting right by the canal of the river Kennet. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95vpb8O_H6aq8atH30h32WJjQH7Cm3afU1RA9cxnv7G3H-TV9lZXZCXJ5A9O1PXdCauAw23wd_cDvL-u0at3avxnDsUy4hOiXhGri1rAFYYIm0F5rhZFVB5H4BhuQpmKYdARrBfP14Yng25VwFzYviswKhyvdwiWtBSK2r_q-JwqZbTQNKJmN4bypxw/s4032/IMG_8920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95vpb8O_H6aq8atH30h32WJjQH7Cm3afU1RA9cxnv7G3H-TV9lZXZCXJ5A9O1PXdCauAw23wd_cDvL-u0at3avxnDsUy4hOiXhGri1rAFYYIm0F5rhZFVB5H4BhuQpmKYdARrBfP14Yng25VwFzYviswKhyvdwiWtBSK2r_q-JwqZbTQNKJmN4bypxw/w640-h480/IMG_8920.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>In an interview (linked below), Hornby says that the original house had been pulled down and the current house was built in 1860, but the cellar and the garden have remained as they were at the time of Jane Austen.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4DwAq1Qur_UtgRzoDq-mOG9kQTRP6_u94LqhqvkuAJ94Lpsvt01w5R8AbqHSLzdv1XVP5EJbhC1SkDAsCYC6T0SDXzZKythSlzTMFoMQ2jIn9tXrInuUblNizIH7wRgQst8tbEMcNdnWnbScCEgosXN53YVkal1Gb-O64QvGwZY15xlsBqclWBZakg/s4032/IMG_8927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4DwAq1Qur_UtgRzoDq-mOG9kQTRP6_u94LqhqvkuAJ94Lpsvt01w5R8AbqHSLzdv1XVP5EJbhC1SkDAsCYC6T0SDXzZKythSlzTMFoMQ2jIn9tXrInuUblNizIH7wRgQst8tbEMcNdnWnbScCEgosXN53YVkal1Gb-O64QvGwZY15xlsBqclWBZakg/w640-h480/IMG_8927.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>The bridge right next to the property that takes you across is known as the Kintbury Vicarage footbridge and was built in 1810. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfvXpECNi5GTacZ780h_v7FjDU-xRjNWBM4GAVn3L0vufwL5UeOC11ZuI756vfY0drfYu6rrtSlbLs88B4M-HFoTRArUT50Sp4C05Y_pALCRCdDw9AXeQxbygBzVIyD0EViFbvnh_rJejxLWNMANYVeOMZhuETUUDTZYyBPwoJYVAC7vEumCS5-55aA/s4032/IMG_8930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfvXpECNi5GTacZ780h_v7FjDU-xRjNWBM4GAVn3L0vufwL5UeOC11ZuI756vfY0drfYu6rrtSlbLs88B4M-HFoTRArUT50Sp4C05Y_pALCRCdDw9AXeQxbygBzVIyD0EViFbvnh_rJejxLWNMANYVeOMZhuETUUDTZYyBPwoJYVAC7vEumCS5-55aA/w640-h480/IMG_8930.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>You can get a glimpse of the vicarage from across the canal. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xa1sGtkUlIxf4piF8xKszV1JCl8fC-0qfCqyeF9iKqaSFwPVR8CRRjkqL04JgDsER3arJoyR2ADpMsgFBKwtuTCRo56zYgB1Lmgz4s2L27CnbKiQGF_vXRnIloJp0MNbBIgh5zTzYAZYM5eAMPYq1sny0m0OWuJ1dIlEzUExHJoiBO_7RFqlrMx-TA/s4032/IMG_8929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xa1sGtkUlIxf4piF8xKszV1JCl8fC-0qfCqyeF9iKqaSFwPVR8CRRjkqL04JgDsER3arJoyR2ADpMsgFBKwtuTCRo56zYgB1Lmgz4s2L27CnbKiQGF_vXRnIloJp0MNbBIgh5zTzYAZYM5eAMPYq1sny0m0OWuJ1dIlEzUExHJoiBO_7RFqlrMx-TA/w640-h480/IMG_8929.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>The garden looks large and beautifully landscaped, and we can just imagine the Austen sisters having a pleasant walk around with the Fowles, taking in the lovely landscape - the lush greenery and glittering water on the canal and ducks swimming past. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccccmX4iuXt6T44c4sjo0HgTg8xfpxjqQtKdux1feRgVrRoB4OERNdBdMnRBg6Yhkxz41PzHcYdNxsN-zDd9wbn410oogceWgzsajSVYgqKbJVLfqq4M6fWoEvNsjtvZ5qHwvcKbQ-quZnqsZNq6cWHmNfHgyXe5c-sh_kl0dYH-EBBbtv2_7zfmi0A/s4032/IMG_8931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccccmX4iuXt6T44c4sjo0HgTg8xfpxjqQtKdux1feRgVrRoB4OERNdBdMnRBg6Yhkxz41PzHcYdNxsN-zDd9wbn410oogceWgzsajSVYgqKbJVLfqq4M6fWoEvNsjtvZ5qHwvcKbQ-quZnqsZNq6cWHmNfHgyXe5c-sh_kl0dYH-EBBbtv2_7zfmi0A/w640-h480/IMG_8931.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcLO1lFQyRkd5G9u4e3Zsy1i11RHCDnefoQ3qyNWDuaOi4rl9QtDGqPdv6BwHB840YYWolJIUkKR94X9JGVAG3laxOLFISbGkhY2RkGbatiI2pZ6aBd3HX3mhxtGAMLt5xv69sZfJb006lv5JkjgqnclamzsBf8f0shOylrbHKVdYXYjm27WSJwjngA/s4032/IMG_8941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcLO1lFQyRkd5G9u4e3Zsy1i11RHCDnefoQ3qyNWDuaOi4rl9QtDGqPdv6BwHB840YYWolJIUkKR94X9JGVAG3laxOLFISbGkhY2RkGbatiI2pZ6aBd3HX3mhxtGAMLt5xv69sZfJb006lv5JkjgqnclamzsBf8f0shOylrbHKVdYXYjm27WSJwjngA/w640-h480/IMG_8941.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The walk then took me a long way down the canal, past the Kintbury Lock and and some Roman sites as well. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XKtdhQnTmAShXzePWYfP1qBKw0qXuQhuNnCPBUcuZ25z89G41BmPvYVgOpZjeOQ34OJ7MM1_JWU-nBxLAuv19MZzToE6-Srrh7EN8_7tkf7JKaQ_3IQQ7hZnEhJ1ok_KwRPpCYVSGMZt2XlWP8GXHaOju_WKFfoaE07z8FpafjIzI2mN_oyb6WXNgw/s4032/IMG_8938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XKtdhQnTmAShXzePWYfP1qBKw0qXuQhuNnCPBUcuZ25z89G41BmPvYVgOpZjeOQ34OJ7MM1_JWU-nBxLAuv19MZzToE6-Srrh7EN8_7tkf7JKaQ_3IQQ7hZnEhJ1ok_KwRPpCYVSGMZt2XlWP8GXHaOju_WKFfoaE07z8FpafjIzI2mN_oyb6WXNgw/w640-h480/IMG_8938.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Can you spot the horse ahead?</span><br /><p>To my surprise, I came across a large canal boat carrying dozens of tourists, being pulled by a shire horse - an old but painfully slow way to get around. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgih45l5CoXTIdFZ5866i5cqE27fLI5KQcsixhUj4gLSucR88Y_MD1Nb_ZIFfJYzbcNsPjX900wUKIXvoa0gYgGlxlOXyDxDzwF8cAgqJEZH5uEsuydm-h9_anMCvZbXLrim2bYgatlxxYkv0zrFVFiAY-C_DUUwW8jcdLz9e-iSSDCrLIC05RipMI7HQ/s2970/IMG_8939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2097" data-original-width="2970" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgih45l5CoXTIdFZ5866i5cqE27fLI5KQcsixhUj4gLSucR88Y_MD1Nb_ZIFfJYzbcNsPjX900wUKIXvoa0gYgGlxlOXyDxDzwF8cAgqJEZH5uEsuydm-h9_anMCvZbXLrim2bYgatlxxYkv0zrFVFiAY-C_DUUwW8jcdLz9e-iSSDCrLIC05RipMI7HQ/w640-h452/IMG_8939.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I asked "Drummer's" handler whether the horse would feel tired lugging such a heavy load, and he replied, "no! It's just like when you go through the water", whatever that means!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-d9RDjRnKWhVr4uMiUDM6lVmM19U5vLm1VqHmatBEeoh-A1qVYsbFjvzt_FsmvMeK-boMW4zeCFrZPe4zumxaSMulrJBMHJUwZbaFyv3oF--wNchU-94CoyB60A0Dfgd7MigM9c78djaF7LMPMgjvv1v0BCdehXA-00aubT-RGD4kc9YXy5pLGI1qDA/s4032/IMG_8949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-d9RDjRnKWhVr4uMiUDM6lVmM19U5vLm1VqHmatBEeoh-A1qVYsbFjvzt_FsmvMeK-boMW4zeCFrZPe4zumxaSMulrJBMHJUwZbaFyv3oF--wNchU-94CoyB60A0Dfgd7MigM9c78djaF7LMPMgjvv1v0BCdehXA-00aubT-RGD4kc9YXy5pLGI1qDA/w640-h480/IMG_8949.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>I then walked across the ancient fields, still marked by medieval field boundaries, admiring the rolling hills and golden harvest ready to be reaped. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnk1_-t34O5hswQYuUP00DaV2LYDcMemXfOmV_sDwPhb8Fc81G24HAXqrRKCiqkssqrgvA74ujG24CtRP8SKiWbWBG2PVNMCIlyC4b-pRovpw4JERclGEYXow0txMa_-ffYGfh63-LNDHYYYB7gMFLMkYYOIc7Jh5uHsUJm2Usxirc_b4Rwfxf21l7g/s4032/IMG_8944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnk1_-t34O5hswQYuUP00DaV2LYDcMemXfOmV_sDwPhb8Fc81G24HAXqrRKCiqkssqrgvA74ujG24CtRP8SKiWbWBG2PVNMCIlyC4b-pRovpw4JERclGEYXow0txMa_-ffYGfh63-LNDHYYYB7gMFLMkYYOIc7Jh5uHsUJm2Usxirc_b4Rwfxf21l7g/w640-h480/IMG_8944.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>I reflected on how generations of farmers would have ploughed on these fields and built houses around this historic village. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYD6hjkqWUYyP7UshPA8JVr2kLqIiRe4999_Cgu2mD4_VcsKtSLduzhl0uGU6Lg6GbiQk5SzlDGWqwD1O3hERQTPXzhzKKFnqAHG9ys3IyuQj_YQZz3Ht1Imv4jf2imMc1IB8hjl57MsEXRMDtM4NfjeRQWjFdYTxZNgEhWOxM4ZKtNgx-xv7nKHBhQ/s4032/IMG_8955%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYD6hjkqWUYyP7UshPA8JVr2kLqIiRe4999_Cgu2mD4_VcsKtSLduzhl0uGU6Lg6GbiQk5SzlDGWqwD1O3hERQTPXzhzKKFnqAHG9ys3IyuQj_YQZz3Ht1Imv4jf2imMc1IB8hjl57MsEXRMDtM4NfjeRQWjFdYTxZNgEhWOxM4ZKtNgx-xv7nKHBhQ/w640-h480/IMG_8955%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>I then walked through the village streets and came across some quaint cottages. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYaL9NZLuejNQpLlFEmhACysU2m3iIbQCrKvU75QXOPCE2h7QpufOLkmlkc8m_yCdvUESEdeUuPFHr-7xVo6tzClZq1e7HqRGZkz4pYhLiH54Plc8cQHtVRxm-BWVzhFrIdoaf18yGCUQyhbYfkl9005MKVQvHZUwRU9h2MvsBghJMVOWzXdI8m6x_Q/s4032/IMG_8950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYaL9NZLuejNQpLlFEmhACysU2m3iIbQCrKvU75QXOPCE2h7QpufOLkmlkc8m_yCdvUESEdeUuPFHr-7xVo6tzClZq1e7HqRGZkz4pYhLiH54Plc8cQHtVRxm-BWVzhFrIdoaf18yGCUQyhbYfkl9005MKVQvHZUwRU9h2MvsBghJMVOWzXdI8m6x_Q/w640-h480/IMG_8950.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXkzBwWONjYYJfvsuwpenWxFyRRFLsgDtLq_jIzbqM2EukknakWuCRdwz5Hmiqk6hJG_Fa-zs0ZbvQMYhh1FOrafSIdKyXZTcfNq5EkzpxcaMRDMBsBRntQd9jIINCU4oXDdrsB22X3DmR1Z2JcbHeoOWoyqDoJGc7zFGIehJZZFvRztLF1H9rZPrAQ/s3122/IMG_8954%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2038" data-original-width="3122" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXkzBwWONjYYJfvsuwpenWxFyRRFLsgDtLq_jIzbqM2EukknakWuCRdwz5Hmiqk6hJG_Fa-zs0ZbvQMYhh1FOrafSIdKyXZTcfNq5EkzpxcaMRDMBsBRntQd9jIINCU4oXDdrsB22X3DmR1Z2JcbHeoOWoyqDoJGc7zFGIehJZZFvRztLF1H9rZPrAQ/w640-h418/IMG_8954%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: x-small;">White Lodge (on the right). </span><p>White Lodge is a 17th century timber house that had been divided into two cottages. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqNHSpANVLiitOpJAeU_xrGeY4Pp9VIzK5d3Q5JtGUJbzfIjEIw-ecxH5i_c4Sv_kR5aLRphsPlwsFYRs4ZzIBkVQKATzbExBUpieW0WEYyuSjXyAyYu0WfXxfM77W22La477pC1osIvgqwAxK6ISgVLKZqDVfiui5VH3BW9vNp88nL00vouOs5hvgA/s4032/IMG_8956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqNHSpANVLiitOpJAeU_xrGeY4Pp9VIzK5d3Q5JtGUJbzfIjEIw-ecxH5i_c4Sv_kR5aLRphsPlwsFYRs4ZzIBkVQKATzbExBUpieW0WEYyuSjXyAyYu0WfXxfM77W22La477pC1osIvgqwAxK6ISgVLKZqDVfiui5VH3BW9vNp88nL00vouOs5hvgA/w640-h480/IMG_8956.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> Kennet House </span><br /><p>Kennet House would also have been familiar to the Fowles, having been built in the 18th Century. </p><p>I walked back to the church and finished my tour there. I thoroughly enjoyed my walk through this quintessential country village so steeped in history. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>References: </b></p><p>Interview with Gill Hornby: <a href="https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/whats-on/gill-hornby-interview-the-literary-mystery-that-sparked-a-novel-idea-9104810/">https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/whats-on/gill-hornby-interview-the-literary-mystery-that-sparked-a-novel-idea-9104810/</a></p><p>Heritage walking tour of Kintbury: <a href="https://www.westberkshireheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Kintbury-Heritage-Walk-V2.pdf">https://www.westberkshireheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Kintbury-Heritage-Walk-V2.pdf</a></p><p><br /></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-15946605355221057302022-07-21T02:40:00.001+05:302022-07-21T02:40:05.789+05:30Persuasion 2022 - Jane Austen for the Instagram Generation <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieltfj-Kvr8PUy0tbe_DrL8N5CAMzlDIrdloIMbeuYXLMIWlGw0oJ0Ub39WGv4oaQfUW-9eYw84PSitOQiuIUzCFc-AmcUczrsGZeedkpaOvd2l_HHSAmGMU6IXxoLZnyxJS0iksVQuDlTM4nuoRnTskLEbdrGvkEJc7plTtSuvpjL0RsRrbOjZ-Enkw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieltfj-Kvr8PUy0tbe_DrL8N5CAMzlDIrdloIMbeuYXLMIWlGw0oJ0Ub39WGv4oaQfUW-9eYw84PSitOQiuIUzCFc-AmcUczrsGZeedkpaOvd2l_HHSAmGMU6IXxoLZnyxJS0iksVQuDlTM4nuoRnTskLEbdrGvkEJc7plTtSuvpjL0RsRrbOjZ-Enkw=w270-h400" width="270" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I thought I should jump in the bandwagon and mention my thoughts on the new Persuasion film on Netflix, starring Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliott. Having seen some screenshots, I didn't have high hopes for the film, but I decided to watch it through with an open mind and find both positives and negatives about the film. I always seem to revert back to the 1990s adaptations on Austen novels, preferring a more traditional true-to-the-book approach and struggled with the positive list to be honest, but I have made an effort! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Here is a list of my 10 positive and 10 negative thoughts about the film: </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Pros:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">1) The cinematography is beautiful - the vivid colours, lighting, angles and handheld camera shots which make some scenes seem realistic. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">2) The landscapes are lovely, especially the dramatic seaside shots in Lyme regis that remind me of Sanditon. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">3) There are several nature scenes with quaint countryside shots, which I enjoyed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">4) The sets are gorgeous, with a lovely range of colourful decor and stunning wallpapers and furnishings. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">5) Most of the costumes are wonderful and several look authentic - with the exception of Anne Elliott's strange wardrobe and the lack of bonnets. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">6) I enjoyed the lively scenes where Anne plays with her little nephews and nieces. I imagine Jane Austen herself would have messed around like this with children! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">7) The plot follows Jane Austen's Persuasion quite closely (although some significant scenes and characters have been omitted/changed as below). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">8) Most of the acting is decent, and I particularly enjoyed the grumpy Mary Musgrove (Mia McKenna) and the charming William Elliott (Henry Golding). (I was disappointed with Richard E Grant's Sir Walter, however, as I was looking forward to an amazing performance by him). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">9) The film is entertaining and easy for a Jane Austen novice to follow. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">10) Persuasion 2022 introduces Jane Austen to younger generations in a fun way so that youngsters can relate to the characters - think Instagram, TikTok, Fleabag. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The cons (which do not end here): </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">1) The overall feel of Persuasion changes here - the original feel of the book is somewhat sad, autumnal, reflecting on lost opportunities. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">2) In the book, Anne is described as past her bloom, plain and melancholy and only brightens up later in the book as she begins to realise that Captain Wentworth loves her after all. Dakota Johnson's Anne, on the other hand, is gorgeous, confident, fun-loving, sarcastic and an upbeat character - even ridiculous in places, as opposed to the sensible, mature Anne of the book. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">3) The film is oblivious of formal Regency manners and etiquette, which the upper class characters would certainly have abided by. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">4) The dialogue is not taken from the original and I miss Jane Austen's beautiful language and classic quotations in this - the language here is far too modern, with phrases such as 'in-laws', 'narcissist', 'electrifying', 'playlist', 'cappuccino', 'fart around' and 'out of my league' casually thrown in. The accents don't sound right either... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">5) Anne's strange costumes, modern makeup and hair are so out of place and distract from the rest of the characters, who are much more appropriately dressed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">6) I did not enjoy the monologues, which I only tend to appreciate in Lovejoy - but each to their own in this case. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">7) Captain Wentworth lacks charisma. He is supposed to be the head of a ship and of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of sailors, and would have to have had a strong presence to get to that position. Cosmo Jarvis' Wentworth looks dreamy and lethargic, as opposed to Ciaran Hinds' perfect rendition of the confident, charismatic captain who Anne looks up to. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">8) Period lifestyle details have been overlooked, such as in the swimming scene. Ladies of the gentry would access the water through a swimming machine to protect their modesty, as seen in Sanditon. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">9) Don't get me started on the rabbits, octopuses, 'wild wees' and Anne's drunkenness in this film!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">10) Last, but not least, the plot moves too fast and a scene has been added in the middle of the film where Wentworth and Anne discuss their true feelings on the beach. Highly disappointing, as the story ought to be a slow burn, culminating in the intense letter scene at the end of the novel. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In conclusion, if you watch Persuasion 2022 with the same mindset that you would have while watching Bridgerton, looking for easy entertainment, you might just enjoy it. The film certainly has its cringeworthy moments, but it is a quirky, modern take on a classic for the Instagram generation. </span></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-11556683167808484122022-06-22T02:23:00.006+05:302022-06-22T04:34:44.589+05:30Kirsten and Jörg in Jane Austen’s World<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M6cugBAqTJk" width="320" youtube-src-id="M6cugBAqTJk"></iframe></div><br />During Regency Week, I happened to meet Kirsten and Jörg, whose You Tube channel I really enjoy watching. Like myself, Kirsten and Jörg are true Anglophiles, and the couple feature travel around Britain in their beautiful cinematographic videos and visit various interesting and beautiful places, exploring historic houses, gardens, antiques and other things quintessentially British. I loved their beautiful footage of Alton and Chawton and especially the Regency picnic that I participated in too, you might just be able to spot yours truly in the video! 😉<p></p><p><br /></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-89233287299035674232022-06-20T03:38:00.005+05:302022-07-29T03:47:58.640+05:30Regency Week Has Kicked Off in Alton <p><span style="font-family: arial;">This week, the Regency Week in Alton is in full swing after a long break of three years. It's been delightful to be able to attend events like this and meet likeminded people here in Hampshire, not far from my home. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">On Saturday, I attended the Regency market in Alton, browsed the various stalls and enjoyed the lively atmosphere and catching up with other Austenites there. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5OS51zh5UrZmgO0aJMuoAkYfU_Znd8uaVLh0xF3vppEXjO86SmYsaUCFCJr4tMA2D3G7V1yzUr0lS7V7dhqgJllLnYtmJehAvcPyz2k5ILYZ15BWrz4RYZK67FW_C78y-iPdkvPTGIMqoMs7_MT91pKRHsCXX4OYjf5L3tb_UvXN2Hh7E3mIvsOR0-Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1993" data-original-width="3025" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5OS51zh5UrZmgO0aJMuoAkYfU_Znd8uaVLh0xF3vppEXjO86SmYsaUCFCJr4tMA2D3G7V1yzUr0lS7V7dhqgJllLnYtmJehAvcPyz2k5ILYZ15BWrz4RYZK67FW_C78y-iPdkvPTGIMqoMs7_MT91pKRHsCXX4OYjf5L3tb_UvXN2Hh7E3mIvsOR0-Q=w640-h422" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>The best way to get into Regency mood! </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyIBA2UAtZQa7ctW8pOdVyv9eOOw4v7x4i_MqBYsnScv1yVyDmI0FU0XoxHOwsfMDVuQB2fUW0n5LldRtya55qBvEe7iYbIVeKyzuTQkMQwOgUf1Q5pFihRncreLhWpsTXZr8b_jIYMJk841RhMDmtkgpilOKDU_dgpLYiiuKd2NoXdeg2pu4NlI4EPA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyIBA2UAtZQa7ctW8pOdVyv9eOOw4v7x4i_MqBYsnScv1yVyDmI0FU0XoxHOwsfMDVuQB2fUW0n5LldRtya55qBvEe7iYbIVeKyzuTQkMQwOgUf1Q5pFihRncreLhWpsTXZr8b_jIYMJk841RhMDmtkgpilOKDU_dgpLYiiuKd2NoXdeg2pu4NlI4EPA=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Local militia - I think Lydia Bennet would approve.</span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgddGYFY-fGWDzUK_IcwD-w-Q8-QSyi6-vSjuacDnAkjkKlwJkgi9JUryaqiAXjlTrzq4RpnJJ69tiG_SIO90JPYkmCs75zu65ljW1fotQRBm9EB_C1s2m_8frl8vaH6RFHwUKTtuvB_wJnb4WXFTfyhHc6wdWdgZLEKFTLzvK_msOSzEvFOXlxHIuKAw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgddGYFY-fGWDzUK_IcwD-w-Q8-QSyi6-vSjuacDnAkjkKlwJkgi9JUryaqiAXjlTrzq4RpnJJ69tiG_SIO90JPYkmCs75zu65ljW1fotQRBm9EB_C1s2m_8frl8vaH6RFHwUKTtuvB_wJnb4WXFTfyhHc6wdWdgZLEKFTLzvK_msOSzEvFOXlxHIuKAw=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Freddie aka Captain Wentworth looking dashing in his uniform. Freddie (who belongs to Jenny Colquhoun) is a familiar furry face from the Bath festival parade. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSYzjIEvi3tOsTUaFfNKCl1HmIs7K5RcZbAAlPtb_pk3Xx861nXvG1w4PtzCMb9t2cgwyYJ9Tx7jMTNJgxPmTXnZocXBP_C8SBNGYwoJj27_9wJdGv2q5SG8TrqFODTQSP-jEDZIg5KXqUDT91UwXtB9_CKiDXZbTReyjQqiSJYliV0sJVA2O-v_Sskw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2641" data-original-width="3815" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSYzjIEvi3tOsTUaFfNKCl1HmIs7K5RcZbAAlPtb_pk3Xx861nXvG1w4PtzCMb9t2cgwyYJ9Tx7jMTNJgxPmTXnZocXBP_C8SBNGYwoJj27_9wJdGv2q5SG8TrqFODTQSP-jEDZIg5KXqUDT91UwXtB9_CKiDXZbTReyjQqiSJYliV0sJVA2O-v_Sskw=w640-h444" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Sophie (</span><a href="http://laughingwithlizzie.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: arial;">Laughing with Lizzie)</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> and </span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AbigailRoseCreative" style="font-family: arial;">Abigail Rose</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmqn2fmr5GaK_tGTs6oVtCgQK4YS0NmsDr3rD91OKDuvqBwcF9-QsBKmTkGQ09k-o4_9__xBoBq-DfEq1uduV16U27RVOXiPEvjO2lIh0jtan3wfSkU82qH5fxqQniNhys8SSMvS3fMWpwdFdhyxnIBDqY-WB1_VhcuF__nf6ttpfX28wfezfrRgorJQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmqn2fmr5GaK_tGTs6oVtCgQK4YS0NmsDr3rD91OKDuvqBwcF9-QsBKmTkGQ09k-o4_9__xBoBq-DfEq1uduV16U27RVOXiPEvjO2lIh0jtan3wfSkU82qH5fxqQniNhys8SSMvS3fMWpwdFdhyxnIBDqY-WB1_VhcuF__nf6ttpfX28wfezfrRgorJQ=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p>Velocipedes were fun to see, although strictly speaking, they aren't Regency, as they hadn't been invented until the 1860s. </p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcLIYS1qohxHjFd1Wc4DgkdJZqaVI2SnTlP5UmISMyOUlUm-wNknvQ-Ep2RQGtXKyBCdvEpj8SvSB4x3c-_utLazvVrXl97b5vYbVV6mbiuyYUYzGJr6jaemonmU5sWVtRT4Y9gX26FpfjaN21lKZW5ZNhQcxGKL3vO1thFzmsbA9UolKswWpS1ao6yA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcLIYS1qohxHjFd1Wc4DgkdJZqaVI2SnTlP5UmISMyOUlUm-wNknvQ-Ep2RQGtXKyBCdvEpj8SvSB4x3c-_utLazvVrXl97b5vYbVV6mbiuyYUYzGJr6jaemonmU5sWVtRT4Y9gX26FpfjaN21lKZW5ZNhQcxGKL3vO1thFzmsbA9UolKswWpS1ao6yA=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I always feel proud walking past </span><a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-did-jane-austen-look-like.html#:~:text=In%20complexion%20she%20was%20a,curls%20close%20round%20her%20face.%22" style="font-family: arial;">Miss Jane Austen (disputably</a><span style="font-family: arial;">) near Henry Austen's bank building in Alton. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">On Sunday, I visited Jane Austen's House, had a look at the new exhibition and attended a fascinating talk on Martha Lloyd's Household Book by director Lizzie Dunford (in lieu of food historian Julienne Gehrer). I then joined the <a href="https://janeaustenlf.org/">Jane Austen Literacy Foundation</a> Parade for Literacy to Chawton House, lead by Caroline Knight, a great-niece of Jane Austen's, who grew up in Chawton House and now runs the foundation. It was lovely to see so many familiar faces back in Chawton and some new as well. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDvbDCPYW_OozSU18cQaJH00-8ok8GDH3IPgnHrL0AwiFqmAEazU0u8rUiCO8A43a_eXzCq531y6DI_9OO4k0dFSAVitVQolY1M98iZAQe_fUPPam-MwhD87PHF8a8nu3gAZWujR5UOK4n2oGuCbKn71C_roJi-mTaQxbA5ASmUjAoWoxOwpHpvKkrMg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDvbDCPYW_OozSU18cQaJH00-8ok8GDH3IPgnHrL0AwiFqmAEazU0u8rUiCO8A43a_eXzCq531y6DI_9OO4k0dFSAVitVQolY1M98iZAQe_fUPPam-MwhD87PHF8a8nu3gAZWujR5UOK4n2oGuCbKn71C_roJi-mTaQxbA5ASmUjAoWoxOwpHpvKkrMg=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCQCaVKRP7XxWIStwk0O3LBj0xC3DuCn6iRzvleN5jjUWmZgwHlDnLJqHbwM6pC6rdsjZtpSgEucXKqpuF1kHqZ5cMNvxKcBo1ALBfT5cquE2qjyxpwDyJt18qutI_v4ibhbzIbqAgq14neQl4xQqLyAWgwl_q7xoAflttltuYVpymcek4V1zCH9zKAw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCQCaVKRP7XxWIStwk0O3LBj0xC3DuCn6iRzvleN5jjUWmZgwHlDnLJqHbwM6pC6rdsjZtpSgEucXKqpuF1kHqZ5cMNvxKcBo1ALBfT5cquE2qjyxpwDyJt18qutI_v4ibhbzIbqAgq14neQl4xQqLyAWgwl_q7xoAflttltuYVpymcek4V1zCH9zKAw=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdAMmBwjk1kO9vKxzViSw90GNi_GcEWEVIY84Wa60u_Rf3XxQi-9nDf3L9Vyk28dHwDKPBvMJzbXWkG1hujCaITNJCUYXU7OT8_ZpB8c6h3jiIXOG1IYp8H81UQmNluzLluN-eZi8JudPdnOjwnK2lWqwJEvJ9dKksd6Tu0KFxgXU0lWV6RZgOXXHJYw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdAMmBwjk1kO9vKxzViSw90GNi_GcEWEVIY84Wa60u_Rf3XxQi-9nDf3L9Vyk28dHwDKPBvMJzbXWkG1hujCaITNJCUYXU7OT8_ZpB8c6h3jiIXOG1IYp8H81UQmNluzLluN-eZi8JudPdnOjwnK2lWqwJEvJ9dKksd6Tu0KFxgXU0lWV6RZgOXXHJYw=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Caroline lead us to the barn at Chawton House for a picnic in aid of the foundation, in support of literacy projects for the children of Ukraine. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh63bJ_CLHYHpuG-XDYvaXOXG11tL7A_uIi2xnL6o6wOpgy4SecQrAiRb3W_D1IvpS2UXwwajxdg_CHITuaEsyYZilL46U3tmU2gKDFWqMlEHjfTSI9QvhtJg4AtbofgQpKA1cxo8KDEGnMEIKV6hIXcMeFjuRWxLeqFOeuTsgplagCIz8a_hdx0GBvGw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh63bJ_CLHYHpuG-XDYvaXOXG11tL7A_uIi2xnL6o6wOpgy4SecQrAiRb3W_D1IvpS2UXwwajxdg_CHITuaEsyYZilL46U3tmU2gKDFWqMlEHjfTSI9QvhtJg4AtbofgQpKA1cxo8KDEGnMEIKV6hIXcMeFjuRWxLeqFOeuTsgplagCIz8a_hdx0GBvGw=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Despite predicted rain, we had fine weather and enjoyed the picnic outside, catching up on the last three years and hearing readings. The finalists of the foundation's writing competition were also announced, and the winning story was read by Susannah Harker (Jane Bennet - Pride and Prejudice 1995) who performed at the <a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2019/06/starstruck-at-chawton-house.html">previous picnic</a> as well. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibmppUBDMj-BhLyyOQlKXuStUq_mchvQycE4YjBm4VPhc6RxMVHYTrYw0UIumnSy4Os8ytfXbLbCwQWkQmlxn1oVYL9usI727eFaD_MRwpUPuZvmjMN30Y9kUtll3QHVX7x7kLNuktq4MrO0H77Z-LiiKMJRlsQMlDo2CDTyD34hUrzk2awtnW5W3bRg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibmppUBDMj-BhLyyOQlKXuStUq_mchvQycE4YjBm4VPhc6RxMVHYTrYw0UIumnSy4Os8ytfXbLbCwQWkQmlxn1oVYL9usI727eFaD_MRwpUPuZvmjMN30Y9kUtll3QHVX7x7kLNuktq4MrO0H77Z-LiiKMJRlsQMlDo2CDTyD34hUrzk2awtnW5W3bRg=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDJnVd3NkBDT8XXDtzy5zn-tLluj-QH4JquHqCeoI9DcE4LJyjOySBZhRnnrFUcRWwNMypLAO6xUXQFm6uqkYdVO3TcxCmbi0KRNhwci3JA3cbiG46p8eynzsdOlccOaFmn8dB5uQ-yRC6fVhtPFPAdJ5pr-4TLfZsynSMxRJ-ehKJexxpatca1p_mcQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDJnVd3NkBDT8XXDtzy5zn-tLluj-QH4JquHqCeoI9DcE4LJyjOySBZhRnnrFUcRWwNMypLAO6xUXQFm6uqkYdVO3TcxCmbi0KRNhwci3JA3cbiG46p8eynzsdOlccOaFmn8dB5uQ-yRC6fVhtPFPAdJ5pr-4TLfZsynSMxRJ-ehKJexxpatca1p_mcQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span><span> </span>Susannah Harker </span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjH8mWN-vwFjdKdz73Cg7EeZoGjKiodyOhHchAteAXBSrmuK1k-Ji1cGJPrHRs3j7Ie5eTlDNxiZafF_cPJpGb6Ntpg9CZB4uBWGI3vGPSNuikZFqyAxO9UyhDJcK0KB3VXHjrBzMQaWqGNqe8UywI1iMq0L3sAB0keiz82qexGrnNK2Qa2pQzoFBOZDw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjH8mWN-vwFjdKdz73Cg7EeZoGjKiodyOhHchAteAXBSrmuK1k-Ji1cGJPrHRs3j7Ie5eTlDNxiZafF_cPJpGb6Ntpg9CZB4uBWGI3vGPSNuikZFqyAxO9UyhDJcK0KB3VXHjrBzMQaWqGNqe8UywI1iMq0L3sAB0keiz82qexGrnNK2Qa2pQzoFBOZDw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span><span> </span>The lovely Kirsten from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/KirstenJoerg/videos">"Kirsten and Joerg"</a>. </span><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRMigw-t-SFDWG5kdmYMMzwv-dJ_2IUlY19_70vCpBGS8XJOOXPbUhtXMkwrpStkj3F73wxlNfjPI0QNuIaMv5wotD3mk4q_B06EcZhCWiKPPfXqM8_sqoKInGBxuXYQud-yeW52OU9e0cv3rbiURsQmgCwujB2SVZhxeELIR440sP70c46HwsSRHKbQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRMigw-t-SFDWG5kdmYMMzwv-dJ_2IUlY19_70vCpBGS8XJOOXPbUhtXMkwrpStkj3F73wxlNfjPI0QNuIaMv5wotD3mk4q_B06EcZhCWiKPPfXqM8_sqoKInGBxuXYQud-yeW52OU9e0cv3rbiURsQmgCwujB2SVZhxeELIR440sP70c46HwsSRHKbQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Geoffrey Hall and Julia Grantham (author of Mr Darcy's Guide to Pemberley) with attendees from Tennessee, USA. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">What a memorable weekend!</span></div><div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-87695987315077465622022-03-14T04:13:00.005+05:302022-03-14T04:17:24.439+05:30The Abbey That Sparked Young Jane Austen's Imagination <p><span style="font-family: arial;">Having read Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, we learn about young girls' fascination with the gothic and "horrid" novels in particular. Northanger Abbey parodies the gothic romances that were popular in the 1790s, such as <i>The Mysteries of Udolpho</i> by Ann Radcliffe. These novels are often set in remote, crumbling castles or abbeys, and in Northanger Jane Austen certainly plays around with the idea of a gloomy, romantic medieval abbey as a setting. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But were you aware that Jane herself lived next to the ruin of a notable medieval abbey?<a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2010/08/peek-of-abbey-school.html"> In my previous post</a>, I discussed Jane Austen's experience of boarding school in Reading. When Jane Austen was 10 years old, she followed her older sister Cassandra to boarding school in Reading, "The Abbey School", which was attached to the Reading Abbey ruins. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgV9IC7Or-L2KJABYh5E0cfppIhZaTC_Bqd9sTRuQUVtVjOD6TnnYMH2nyzaDwUYsM2gTpXkeH_H0ec8SGqj5myH-Y-Ds07jkuzneP06bs2NYJXC8WQ7om9ojmXTGk-Oaufi4pmO1gIJlDH7zmI1fQYe8DqbT7vfYC7xcvXbeT_LMAo4kY4mdDc0jau8A=s640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgV9IC7Or-L2KJABYh5E0cfppIhZaTC_Bqd9sTRuQUVtVjOD6TnnYMH2nyzaDwUYsM2gTpXkeH_H0ec8SGqj5myH-Y-Ds07jkuzneP06bs2NYJXC8WQ7om9ojmXTGk-Oaufi4pmO1gIJlDH7zmI1fQYe8DqbT7vfYC7xcvXbeT_LMAo4kY4mdDc0jau8A=w640-h480" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Reading Abbey ruins. </span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The girls stayed at the school for just 18 months, and the school was known to focus more on the learning of feminine accomplishments rather than classical learning. The girls lived and studied in what is now the Abbey Gateway and a more modern building attached to it (no longer there), but they certainly had plenty of free time to play in the afternoons, and the sizeable abbey ruins will have been their playground. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxw7qWOQxwB290TFHCnsNxUmf9rVv2kkImnm01YI-ZbU_7gPHpINAVXmzx3tfsSLGYYiq91GMi1dVvpZcyU3TanlGDvtAuYBaGgAY9T7CnEVY5AwOWRpX6ePRjFv2c1Kwr388_-_v53VmLDhitCwzwZ8jVMJn_hX2P3nw4lcY-hQXxK90UyWPHdGiSJQ=s3874" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3020" data-original-width="3874" height="499" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxw7qWOQxwB290TFHCnsNxUmf9rVv2kkImnm01YI-ZbU_7gPHpINAVXmzx3tfsSLGYYiq91GMi1dVvpZcyU3TanlGDvtAuYBaGgAY9T7CnEVY5AwOWRpX6ePRjFv2c1Kwr388_-_v53VmLDhitCwzwZ8jVMJn_hX2P3nw4lcY-hQXxK90UyWPHdGiSJQ=w640-h499" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">The Abbey Gateway</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">A few years ago, <a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2018/06/inside-jane-austens-school.html">I had the chance to visit the Abbey Gateway </a>for a special event and see the building where Jane lived and studied. But it wasn't until today that I actually visited the Reading Abbey ruins, as the site has not been open to visitors for a very long time. It was fascinating to see the place that must have inspired young Jane's vivid imagination! </span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisRNe88aRFnDaIyPQpITMxxtGaD9ZVO0h6WuONAPjOiE3vOKMOrkp5c-TNinkWRCNr_HbCm7ZAB4xtcp3wLri9j6BFpcSDrg2T4lGU83OGK6M6NNvLYGYKW9rV8iWXFxw-vcaksOv4mtJhPuAEZp_NyaqEGuBEwJKCVVH20P99Hc8gnCwnWP-_1SCpmg=s640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisRNe88aRFnDaIyPQpITMxxtGaD9ZVO0h6WuONAPjOiE3vOKMOrkp5c-TNinkWRCNr_HbCm7ZAB4xtcp3wLri9j6BFpcSDrg2T4lGU83OGK6M6NNvLYGYKW9rV8iWXFxw-vcaksOv4mtJhPuAEZp_NyaqEGuBEwJKCVVH20P99Hc8gnCwnWP-_1SCpmg=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">The entrance into the abbey. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh82jBtKMXv1GBPey3zl4wR_EqdjlsG6TGx36dwb9Vy4AUydg644E_lZOzBM6h-4tjy5TMTyrFJmyq3oSCnEqxHdrN_0-EXad4dbQFPXc3PDPSDhz7LLoDQdVk86KGPzGM0PBctb1qFPpFWnkceGi886wRhFBVBIKpHdJIzFCoMyV6AcKYh2borr40UZA=s640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh82jBtKMXv1GBPey3zl4wR_EqdjlsG6TGx36dwb9Vy4AUydg644E_lZOzBM6h-4tjy5TMTyrFJmyq3oSCnEqxHdrN_0-EXad4dbQFPXc3PDPSDhz7LLoDQdVk86KGPzGM0PBctb1qFPpFWnkceGi886wRhFBVBIKpHdJIzFCoMyV6AcKYh2borr40UZA=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reading Abbey was built in the 1100s by King Henry 1st and took several centuries to build. It was a religious community centred around a magnificent church - the fourth largest in Britain! - and one of the largest monasteries in Europe. Monks lived and practised a religious life in the Abbey for 400 years, but the buildings were later destroyed in wars and to make way for private buildings. Jane Austen is the most famous alumnus of the Abbey Girls School. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhp_TiCZHKVzudoPWYr6c5CBaAV_r7bUPJvAFztCjJeSzvdyO3nlVgJYtnw73ESNJQG3YYK21DipdBXBp3BNTvOtLkTnGsYQyJrJ5Fz2J7JJJvxir1ayVCoulI-tNYJgGdyABnZ666IOZvfhbiI5nZJD_elSd2Bu44UAtXOEEb5vkHy2IywfPI_o9trkQ=s3180" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2557" data-original-width="3180" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhp_TiCZHKVzudoPWYr6c5CBaAV_r7bUPJvAFztCjJeSzvdyO3nlVgJYtnw73ESNJQG3YYK21DipdBXBp3BNTvOtLkTnGsYQyJrJ5Fz2J7JJJvxir1ayVCoulI-tNYJgGdyABnZ666IOZvfhbiI5nZJD_elSd2Bu44UAtXOEEb5vkHy2IywfPI_o9trkQ=w640-h514" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcXmuCUdzI5G89R8xa3SLlcq0FmBhBEu1tUbIIgGyVmPdIKEHY19C7mlFqaLMFsvaV8QBd05IChdei19fEfjeNfUTwKnLdoZiFvp8_xU29UQNoxyVzWj6WGtfkWb0Vx_JIl2IOk1P6Rc_q9moa8Hr8e85T4I6zJWt5AjJre1vD68CW0gkkgixV8XKoKw=s640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcXmuCUdzI5G89R8xa3SLlcq0FmBhBEu1tUbIIgGyVmPdIKEHY19C7mlFqaLMFsvaV8QBd05IChdei19fEfjeNfUTwKnLdoZiFvp8_xU29UQNoxyVzWj6WGtfkWb0Vx_JIl2IOk1P6Rc_q9moa8Hr8e85T4I6zJWt5AjJre1vD68CW0gkkgixV8XKoKw=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Reading Abbey ruins nestled amongst the modern buildings.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrPGZ4yKFn8CEQVNmVYvYb0GiMvBSqW-h10KS7Wuk_001G0AxGubHxtbs3GQwnWyON_jIW8lDCHHEZiN8cMnx83SsxADaHH1l6fYoqHgddP07HSaM2borH2DMU11pznzR5QFG-vZj0rFh1sSOBt2p5JvfEYANTxEfE8iodu6nYf_sPEXbvgc24u3I2oA=s3308" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2107" data-original-width="3308" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrPGZ4yKFn8CEQVNmVYvYb0GiMvBSqW-h10KS7Wuk_001G0AxGubHxtbs3GQwnWyON_jIW8lDCHHEZiN8cMnx83SsxADaHH1l6fYoqHgddP07HSaM2borH2DMU11pznzR5QFG-vZj0rFh1sSOBt2p5JvfEYANTxEfE8iodu6nYf_sPEXbvgc24u3I2oA=w640-h408" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The area is large and this image shows just how majestic the monastery had originally been. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwHPwy7xrvP6RUnYBqn4hHXL4WOOTsSwtgi8LfxiOdSZyoaVGQkzjeOmy1XSZbKXALKbmKAM2EFhsKzroqWB_5CzpcgHIZN_lPE5gt4-iHo9XIRK5Iwhc_--nKZHvnUKfABbogDHscumYC8bvXw_8R2DzwFw4kqnxmfYxpepuOi0gEv2o2F7SLxAvj4w=s640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwHPwy7xrvP6RUnYBqn4hHXL4WOOTsSwtgi8LfxiOdSZyoaVGQkzjeOmy1XSZbKXALKbmKAM2EFhsKzroqWB_5CzpcgHIZN_lPE5gt4-iHo9XIRK5Iwhc_--nKZHvnUKfABbogDHscumYC8bvXw_8R2DzwFw4kqnxmfYxpepuOi0gEv2o2F7SLxAvj4w=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What a perfect setting to inspire a young writer's imagination!</span></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-12307865098379800382021-10-30T03:27:00.001+05:302021-10-30T03:28:41.067+05:30What did Jane Austen and Fanny Burney have in common?<p><span style="font-family: arial;">What inspired Jane Austen to write those famous first lines of Pride and Prejudice?</span></p><p><i><b><span style="font-family: arial;">"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."</span></b></i></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Perhaps this sentence echoes Jane Austen's contemporary, Fanny Burney's </span><span style="font-family: arial;">(1752-1840)</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Camilla, where she writes: <i><b>"It is received wisdom among match-makers, that a young lady without fortune has a less and less chance of getting off upon every public appearance".</b></i> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Jane Austen took several influences from authors that she admired, such as Maria Edgeworth, Samuel Johnson and Jane West. Did you know that, during Jane Austen's lifetime, there were plenty of proliferous female authors around? While Jane Austen herself wasn't famous for her works and only became slightly better known as an authoress towards the end of her life, Fanny Burney (also known as Frances D'Arblay) was a well-known and celebrated Georgian author and much admired by young Jane Austen herself. Fanny Burney only became overshadowed by Jane Austen much, much later during the Victorian era. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In fact, in Fanny Burney's novel <b>Cecilia </b></span><span style="font-family: arial;">(1782)</span><span style="font-family: arial;">, the term, Pride and Prejudice, is mentioned three times</span><span style="font-family: arial;">, in block capitals. One example reads: </span><span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">“<i>The whole of this unfortunate business</i>,” said Dr Lyster, “<i>has been the result of <span style="font-weight: bold;">PRIDE and PREJUDICE</span></i>.” The powerful alliteration must have stuck firmly to young Jane's mind. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white;">I have written a <a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2011/02/jane-austen-shopping-with-burneys.html">more detailed analysis of Fanny Burney's most famous book, <b>Evelina</b></a>. I believe that Jane </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">Austen's creation of Mr Darcy is influenced by Burney's male hero, Lord Osbourne, Evelina's broody and moody love interest in the novel. They meet at an assembly and get on very badly to begin with but are eventually united. There are many more similaries in <b>Camilla </b>as well. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lI3zaWR1BXc/YXxpgntchGI/AAAAAAACPhE/W_Ct7ECXb5UDML3FRCnNF_7i0HuouOOGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s3233/IMG_4653.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3233" data-original-width="2085" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lI3zaWR1BXc/YXxpgntchGI/AAAAAAACPhE/W_Ct7ECXb5UDML3FRCnNF_7i0HuouOOGwCLcBGAsYHQ/w258-h400/IMG_4653.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">I recently read Claire Harman's biography of Fanny Burney, and it was fascinating to learn more about the author who was one of the most popular authors of her generation and who had a very eventful life. Based on my reading, I thought I might compare the two authors and their similarities and differences. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><u><b>Similarities between Jane Austen and Fanny Burney: </b></u></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">-Both authors grew up in the Georgian era, although Fanny Burney was 23 years older than Jane Austen, having been born in 1752.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">-Both wrote about young female protagonists. Burney's titles include 'Evelina', 'Cecilia' and 'Camilla', while Austen had 'Elinor and Marianne' (early title of Sense and Sensibility), 'Susan' (early title of Northanger Abbey), 'Catharine' (an early fragment) and 'Emma'.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">-Austen's Northanger Abbey follows a similar pattern of a coming-of-age novel to Burney's Evelina. Like Evelina, Catherine Morland is a simple, naive character entering the world and "society", makes mistakes and learns as she matures in the novel. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">-Both authors have adopted a highly stylised, complex style of writing and write about manners and morals. Both use clever, often comical dialogue to portray characters and their voices.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">-Both authors lived in Bath at around the same time, but it is not known if they met. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><u>Differences between Jane Austen and Fanny Burney: </u></b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">-Unlike Jane Austen, who lived a relatively quiet life as the daughter of a country clergyman, unknown to the public, Fanny Burney was born into a cultured family of authors. Her father, Charles Burney, was a music historian, composer and musician. Burney grew up in London, in the middle of fine society, mingling in theatrical and literary circles, and was always well known and recognised throughout her lifetime. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">-Although Jane Austen was invited to Carlton House to meet the Prince Regent's librarian, she never met members of the royal family. Austen was famously sceptical of the Prince Regent, sympathising with his long-suffering wife, Princess Caroline. She wrote,<i> </i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;">Poor woman, I shall support her as long as I can, because she is a Woman and because I hate her Husband.</span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>" </i>Fanny Burney, on the other hand, was a firm monarchist and had, a few decades earlier, been appointed Mistress of the Robes to Queen Charlotte (The Prince Regent's mother). Burney suffered greatly during her five year stint in the palace, but continued to support the queen after leaving her royal duties. Burney also mingled with the French royal family while she lived in Paris. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white;">-Although Jane Austen was well travelled in the south of England, she never ventured abroad. Burney, on the other hand, married a French exile, General D'Arblay, and they lived across both countries and had a bilingual family. The couple were stranded in France for over a decade due to the war between England and France in the early 1800s. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">-While Jane Austen sets most of her scenes inside people's houses, Fanny Burney's books are mostly set in London and often outdoors - at the theatre or in a pleasure garden and so on - reflecting the sociable life that Burney led. </span></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-20520703233552895512021-09-13T02:55:00.001+05:302021-09-13T03:14:32.826+05:30Beaus and Bonnets Back in Bath <p><span style="font-family: arial;">Yesterday, I was excited to attend the Jane Austen Festival in Bath after a long break of 2 years. I wasn't sure how grand the festivities would be this time around and, unsurprisingly, the number of visitors was somewhat reduced this year, but you wouldn't notice it, as it felt as festive as always (with some precautions of course). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As usual, I attended the day of the Promenade, which is my favourite event in the festival. It's always an exciting moment to enter Bath and spot many others in beautiful Regency attire walk down the ever-so-elegant streets of Bath. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J0rlY_IohQw/YT5kOuqTelI/AAAAAAACL4I/v6X6ntyRI9s9u0pMe__fm8GTFWuuXzQtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1170/IMG_4151.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1170" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J0rlY_IohQw/YT5kOuqTelI/AAAAAAACL4I/v6X6ntyRI9s9u0pMe__fm8GTFWuuXzQtQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4151.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">The promenade started off with a gathering at Holburne Museum (in Sydney Gardens opposite a house where Jane Austen used to live!), with dancing from a group of young dancers and music by a military band. Then, the town crier solemnly announced the departure of the parade. </span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZK5A8LKY9NI/YT5kSvAlxPI/AAAAAAACL4M/UXFg1fwZuCou-XZHwIHGbKtUxCLtbwPNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1170/IMG_4154.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1170" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZK5A8LKY9NI/YT5kSvAlxPI/AAAAAAACL4M/UXFg1fwZuCou-XZHwIHGbKtUxCLtbwPNQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4154.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This time, we promenaded the streets of Bath for an hour, chatting away in the glorious sunshine until we reached Parade Gardens where we dispersed to catch up with acquintances. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jeO6aQ8k9xw/YT5oQttS7TI/AAAAAAACL5k/7MKmVRF9gCcu4k8Dwopezo7HSiM8sDUfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s3394/IMG_4083.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2882" data-original-width="3394" height="543" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jeO6aQ8k9xw/YT5oQttS7TI/AAAAAAACL5k/7MKmVRF9gCcu4k8Dwopezo7HSiM8sDUfwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h543/IMG_4083.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RaeTidNDThY/YT5kuD6CqJI/AAAAAAACL4c/b0r9toPnmh0Heiua8XxJUBmPeTq4snSYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/IMG_4085.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RaeTidNDThY/YT5kuD6CqJI/AAAAAAACL4c/b0r9toPnmh0Heiua8XxJUBmPeTq4snSYQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4085.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7vJIsIgAQko/YT5kyg13dZI/AAAAAAACL4g/FXJd2sO10S0a0BojP4p-qRXImIDqYomQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/IMG_4086.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7vJIsIgAQko/YT5kyg13dZI/AAAAAAACL4g/FXJd2sO10S0a0BojP4p-qRXImIDqYomQwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4086.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sIhmpgqblP4/YT5k12AwdXI/AAAAAAACL4k/ebksrenC-Pk7ao9H06jq20HzJKAXreL3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/IMG_4087.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sIhmpgqblP4/YT5k12AwdXI/AAAAAAACL4k/ebksrenC-Pk7ao9H06jq20HzJKAXreL3ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4087.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KW6ekqvT85U/YT5k5a9NYCI/AAAAAAACL4o/lUBjLkZ5l-wJ7TJ47fnz4cjY07d5q_YqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/IMG_4091.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KW6ekqvT85U/YT5k5a9NYCI/AAAAAAACL4o/lUBjLkZ5l-wJ7TJ47fnz4cjY07d5q_YqQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4091.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJuKP70kaWs/YT5mbBajM4I/AAAAAAACL5Q/nEcIEwXeiYUFdDN9i2ANiYplWfx4DRQBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/IMG_4092.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJuKP70kaWs/YT5mbBajM4I/AAAAAAACL5Q/nEcIEwXeiYUFdDN9i2ANiYplWfx4DRQBQCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/IMG_4092.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After the promenade, I attended the Festival Fayre to browse some Regency clothes and accessories. I also attended a theatrical walk called "Austen Undone", a production by the Natural Theatre Company, which is a hilarious adventure into Regency Bath, including some ideas from Jane Austen's characters and her humour. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NSIVMzGTiKo/YT5lHvubbPI/AAAAAAACL40/9DHiamhp-QM0WzgNRkdnOPQ68KPHTTZhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/IMG_4109.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NSIVMzGTiKo/YT5lHvubbPI/AAAAAAACL40/9DHiamhp-QM0WzgNRkdnOPQ68KPHTTZhQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4109.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xiztVI1ua8s/YT5lL9S2PCI/AAAAAAACL48/S37gmBeqzpo--9qm3A8vftF4OAD-4UOFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/IMG_4115.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xiztVI1ua8s/YT5lL9S2PCI/AAAAAAACL48/S37gmBeqzpo--9qm3A8vftF4OAD-4UOFwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4115.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">A day well spent - I wish I could have stayed longer but look forward to next year's festival, fingers crossed!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jxS_2dpWO7Q/YT50mOB-JQI/AAAAAAACL6E/_x0ftK6pk0kRQNYdV57jGeKDOxPo3nzQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1560/IMG_4148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1560" data-original-width="1170" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jxS_2dpWO7Q/YT50mOB-JQI/AAAAAAACL6E/_x0ftK6pk0kRQNYdV57jGeKDOxPo3nzQQCLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/IMG_4148.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-7873881822864494442021-06-20T03:34:00.000+05:302021-06-20T03:34:15.495+05:30Visiting Lady Denham at Sanditon House <p><span style="font-family: arial;">Last weekend, I visited Dyrham Park, a beautiful National Trust estate near Bath. You might have seen Dyrham Park in the 2019 Andrew Davies adaptation of Jane Austen's Sanditon - or if you don't prefer the word 'adaptation' (which I don't in this case), the series 'inspired' by the fragment. Whilst I'm not a fan of Sanditon the ITV series, I was eager to visit the beautiful estate, having seen the gorgeous backdrop on screen. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wTf8LVAJP9c/YM5VCw3UM5I/AAAAAAACD4M/9l4vDQ9oYLQrOjTHBIcKZ1KoUGjjkoG-QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/image.png" width="640" /></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the series, Dyrham Park features as the location for Sanditon House - the formidable Lady Denham's estate. In the book and series, Sanditon is a coastal town, on the way to becoming a fashionable seaside resort. In reality, Dyrham Park isn't close to the sea, but it is situated in the beautiful rolling hills around Bath (also - rather appropriately - in Jane Austen country). </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nSNXaw_VJkQ/YM5VLnQkXvI/AAAAAAACD4Q/l-FNQ9mUyNsAg7jpOJjngGYeiTrg1yIPgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/image.png" width="640" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-neflt-cxST0/YM5USiYE8_I/AAAAAAACD38/lG_bRjdd53kp5kIM600t2Hx6oXuUeCpsQCLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_2617.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="902" height="452" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-neflt-cxST0/YM5USiYE8_I/AAAAAAACD38/lG_bRjdd53kp5kIM600t2Hx6oXuUeCpsQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h452/IMG_2617.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The back entrance into the house. </span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The rolling hills and sloped grounds of Dyrham Park are truly spectacular at this time of year, with fluorescent green dominating the verdure, and so many lovely hikes around the estate. It comes as no surprise that the lanscape design has been created by none other than Capability Brown, also known as "England's Greatest Gardener". </span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLChK3PcMPo/YM5kB_G-uSI/AAAAAAACD7U/-fSHRUb4BiErGXANMe3driNMqTYX4KvbACLcBGAsYHQ/s846/IMG_2623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="846" height="376" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLChK3PcMPo/YM5kB_G-uSI/AAAAAAACD7U/-fSHRUb4BiErGXANMe3driNMqTYX4KvbACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h376/IMG_2623.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WxrEArFYT6o/YM5WcxrZxmI/AAAAAAACD4w/nj2d8K64g-kyonVnNR1WLioh8BTyzlwLQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WxrEArFYT6o/YM5WcxrZxmI/AAAAAAACD4w/nj2d8K64g-kyonVnNR1WLioh8BTyzlwLQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/image.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JyqwYHcI54U/YM5ZNh0aAbI/AAAAAAACD6g/RJzqXDyk6-0A8IJJBhDvGldn0LJBASaZQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JyqwYHcI54U/YM5ZNh0aAbI/AAAAAAACD6g/RJzqXDyk6-0A8IJJBhDvGldn0LJBASaZQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/image.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> St Peter's Church next to the house.</span></span></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The gardens are also lovely, with two ponds, a waterfall, and an elegant range of perennials. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FmSbjttELCs/YM5m20TZCKI/AAAAAAACD7o/n1G9RIGl_QYlZ6FCuzWQc9_RcYkN6NRKwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="546" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FmSbjttELCs/YM5m20TZCKI/AAAAAAACD7o/n1G9RIGl_QYlZ6FCuzWQc9_RcYkN6NRKwCLcBGAsYHQ/w448-h640/image.png" width="448" /></a></div></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TsKgFuU15Pk/YM5XOtwwSeI/AAAAAAACD5Q/llllNjyQaswwzjlCgI88bRN0_pBND5RYACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="567" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TsKgFuU15Pk/YM5XOtwwSeI/AAAAAAACD5Q/llllNjyQaswwzjlCgI88bRN0_pBND5RYACLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/image.png" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-usM67dcZxA4/YM5XCyALqCI/AAAAAAACD5I/7SE_dGftol4PQHWa10xyBwgSB8Su5MJWQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="567" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-usM67dcZxA4/YM5XCyALqCI/AAAAAAACD5I/7SE_dGftol4PQHWa10xyBwgSB8Su5MJWQCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/image.png" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zoHhnu8WIv4/YM5W617o8MI/AAAAAAACD5A/z1BAxKGtIt8bZ6uJwfr38fqKjKH92iW_QCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="567" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zoHhnu8WIv4/YM5W617o8MI/AAAAAAACD5A/z1BAxKGtIt8bZ6uJwfr38fqKjKH92iW_QCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/image.png" width="480" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">According to the guide, the grounds were truly majestic in Georgian times, with several fountains placed around the grand entrance into the building. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3COywHhov7U/YM5TwigU7dI/AAAAAAACD3w/O476_5zd-Q8Fzto6ZQke9xdaM4_xHYSkgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/image.png" width="640" /></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>The landscape design of Dyrham Park in the 18th Century.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C8keRDaN5As/YM5TlFlhd-I/AAAAAAACD3s/dWT8jJF4D7Ukk6IHxrwhBOAAn5RzulNNACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C8keRDaN5As/YM5TlFlhd-I/AAAAAAACD3s/dWT8jJF4D7Ukk6IHxrwhBOAAn5RzulNNACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/image.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">This would have been the approach and the front entrance to the house. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Thanks to the recently relaxed restrictions, I was able to view the ground floor interiors of Dyrham Park as well. Some of these rooms featured in Sanditon, and were glamorously decorated (dividing the opinion of viewers), demonstrating the wealth of Lady Denham - the reluctant benefactor of the development of the seaside town. I thought that the rooms looked quite different in reality, but it has been a while since I watched the series. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F0ceQ2HyLks/YM5YuIOy5_I/AAAAAAACD6Q/n0a3RcaLB54U28XUeQvEdPaaQ9vtoXHaACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="981" height="492" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F0ceQ2HyLks/YM5YuIOy5_I/AAAAAAACD6Q/n0a3RcaLB54U28XUeQvEdPaaQ9vtoXHaACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h492/image.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The walls are adorned with interesting works of art, patterned wallpaper and tapestries. </span></p><p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VAFWC0skbx8/YM5YMxUNIBI/AAAAAAACD54/SUAKggAT4y0DH9wMbk0wgDbm2C3NYQNNwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VAFWC0skbx8/YM5YMxUNIBI/AAAAAAACD54/SUAKggAT4y0DH9wMbk0wgDbm2C3NYQNNwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/image.png" width="640" /></span></a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KmXsOK6oJCI/YM5XufuEkgI/AAAAAAACD5g/Hp0GxdiTZGQv9PztBRXCqfqGFwFLpz-0wCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="567" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KmXsOK6oJCI/YM5XufuEkgI/AAAAAAACD5g/Hp0GxdiTZGQv9PztBRXCqfqGFwFLpz-0wCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/image.png" width="480" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Interestingly, the exotic walnut material of the staircases (above) reveals the colonial history of the building. In fact, there was an exhibition about the colonial connections to Dyrham Park, and how the estate benefited from its colonial income and its links to the slave trade. Thought-provoking, yet sad at the same time - but it is an excellent development that the National Trust have become very open about the dark history of many of their great estates these days. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Yq1nbOQRNTs/YM5ZdKWTOPI/AAAAAAACD6k/WkwaAhw7ZEANpJKK02xJf0pBFATByrBtQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Yq1nbOQRNTs/YM5ZdKWTOPI/AAAAAAACD6k/WkwaAhw7ZEANpJKK02xJf0pBFATByrBtQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/image.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Filming also took place in the courtyard, which provided a location for Sanditon street scenes. The courtyard does look very familiar, and one can easily imagine a Sanditon street with horses and carriages and ladies in their bonnets walking along the street. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Have a look at this "Behind the Scenes" film: </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9EA3pWhA52g" width="320" youtube-src-id="9EA3pWhA52g"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Further reading: </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The filming of Sanditon at Dyrham Park - National Trust: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dyrham-park/features/dyrham-park-features-in-sanditon">https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dyrham-park/features/dyrham-park-features-in-sanditon</a><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The locations for filming Sanditon - PBS:</span></p><p><a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/sanditon-filming-locations-guide/"><span style="font-family: arial;">https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/sanditon-filming-locations-guide/</span></a><br /></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-75957126031754739222021-06-10T03:42:00.005+05:302022-08-22T18:34:22.504+05:30On Holiday with Jane Austen : "She thinks of nothing but the Isle of Wight, and she calls it the Island." <p><span style="font-family: arial;">As I was visiting the Isle of Wight for the first time with my family last week, I was surprised to discover a Jane Austen connection to the island. In fact, it turned out that the islanders were very proud of the fact that Jane Austen had mentioned the Isle of Wight in her letters and in her work and believed that Jane Austen had visited the island too. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PlmC9EDp-8M/YME3Ysq-3NI/AAAAAAACBtg/o2Y7800r0IMYKPbLowOqfxN_s--7E6rJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1386/20210602_151505.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1386" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PlmC9EDp-8M/YME3Ysq-3NI/AAAAAAACBtg/o2Y7800r0IMYKPbLowOqfxN_s--7E6rJgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/20210602_151505.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>As opposed to the common perception of the spinster living a quiet, uneventful life in a country village, few people are aware that Jane Austen was actually very well travelled around the South of England and and spent plenty of time with her brothers in London, Southampton and Kent, and she frequently visited the coastal towns (inspiring Sanditon). Her knowledge of different areas of Southern England is evidenced in her writing, which is full of references to real places around Southern England all the way up to Derbyshire. </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">During my trip, I came across frequent references to Jane Austen and other literary figures, such as Keats, Tennyson, Dickens and George Eliot, and I discovered that Jane Austen's brother, Edward Austen Knight had visited "The Island" (as Jane preferred to call the Isle of Wight) in 1813 with his daughter Fanny and sister-in-law Louisa, but we are not aware if Jane herself visited there personally. Her heroine of Mansfield Park (published in the next year 1814), Fanny Price, uses the same word to refer to the Isle of Wight, as we can see in this excerpt where Maria and Julia Bertram mock Fanny's lack of geographical knowledge in Mansfield Park: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-indent: 24px;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 24px;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 24px;"><i> "Dear mama, only think, my cousin cannot put the map of Europe together-- or my cousin cannot tell the principal rivers in Russia-- or, she never heard of Asia Minor--or she does not know the difference between water-colours and crayons!-- How strange!--Did you ever hear anything so stupid?"</i></span></span><div><div style="text-indent: 24px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="text-indent: 1.5em;"><span> </span>"My dear," their considerate aunt would reply, "it is very bad, but you must not expect <span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span>everybody to be as forward and quick at learning as yourself."</i><br /></span><p class="reading" style="line-height: 20px; margin: 0.5em 20px; text-align: left; text-indent: 1.5em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"But, aunt, she is really so very ignorant!--Do you know, we asked her last night which way she would go to get to Ireland; and she said, she should cross to the Isle of Wight. <b>She thinks of nothing but the Isle of Wight, and she calls it the Island, as if there were no other island in the world</b>. I am sure I should have been ashamed of myself, if I had not known better long before I was so old as she is." </i>(MP, Chapter 2) </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Fanny Knight kept a pocket book and on 7th June, 1813, she wrote: </span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"Uncle H.A. and I in the curricle, Papa and At L. in the gig, set off at 8, Breakfasted at Petersfield, Dined and Saw the Dock Yard at Portsmouth, & took a wherry over to the Isle of Wight in the evening. We slept at Ride."</span></i></p></div></blockquote><div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KRmixHtcT-I/YME5qzXlQaI/AAAAAAACB0Y/3ya7oRuMiekjJh8VW69tFRQH_g6FvzLDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1386/20210602_145703.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1386" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KRmixHtcT-I/YME5qzXlQaI/AAAAAAACB0Y/3ya7oRuMiekjJh8VW69tFRQH_g6FvzLDgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/20210602_145703.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Fanny mentions visiting the famous landmark of the Needles, which I visited with my family. On 9th June, she wrote: </span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"We went on in the sociable to Newport, where we dined, & then went to Freshwater towards the Western Coast, & took a boat round the Needles point to Yarmouth where we slept". </span></i></p></div></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HY_ohA6gr0c/YME4MvEMS7I/AAAAAAACBxo/SBBregECmjMvmnMpQn-BTSIKqpdDzQkCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1386/20210602_123528.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1386" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HY_ohA6gr0c/YME4MvEMS7I/AAAAAAACBxo/SBBregECmjMvmnMpQn-BTSIKqpdDzQkCgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/20210602_123528.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"The Needles" </span></div></span> <p></p><div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Unfortunately, my photos from The Needles are hardly spectacular, as it happened to be a miserable, wet day during my visit and I didn't particularly enjoy the crowds. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I did enjoy our stay at Shanklin.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KaGQe2Jx0KY/YME5Q_7yNlI/AAAAAAACBzk/rQT9tU9luIM9eWq3NjC0IEK4ThOcGUKqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/BC6AAFA0-E204-45DC-A163-DD71E7C9D3FD.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KaGQe2Jx0KY/YME5Q_7yNlI/AAAAAAACBzk/rQT9tU9luIM9eWq3NjC0IEK4ThOcGUKqgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/BC6AAFA0-E204-45DC-A163-DD71E7C9D3FD.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-znEubpK0B4w/YME4g66l_7I/AAAAAAACBx4/kNfsCfG0IEoJ4um5xS7YoUmDdwf0M4mFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/268EEB0B-C57D-4688-AF09-121ECFA1BA26.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-znEubpK0B4w/YME4g66l_7I/AAAAAAACBx4/kNfsCfG0IEoJ4um5xS7YoUmDdwf0M4mFwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/268EEB0B-C57D-4688-AF09-121ECFA1BA26.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zhyrRfVHo3w/YME4nHNr9-I/AAAAAAACBx8/cCfrjWE_zJ0STvzjnt-C1KPnvWMAzVtKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/CB5BAD56-6068-48A4-8AE7-A97092D6840C.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zhyrRfVHo3w/YME4nHNr9-I/AAAAAAACBx8/cCfrjWE_zJ0STvzjnt-C1KPnvWMAzVtKQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/CB5BAD56-6068-48A4-8AE7-A97092D6840C.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">Shanklin Village as Austen Knights would have known it. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The highlight of my trip was visiting the magical</span><a href="https://www.shanklinchine.co.uk/history/" style="font-family: arial;"> Shanklin Chine</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, which equally impressed Fanny. On the 8th June, she wrote: </span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">"We hired a sociable & drove around the Eastern and Southern coasts of the Island - saw the Priory a sweet place - Shanklin Chine, lovely!"</span></i></p></div></blockquote><div><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOMiKV7B2v4/YME6J8Wpe4I/AAAAAAACB10/lzSbo3xBCb0qjJwQtdvLDWWj_0mPzULowCLcBGAsYHQ/s1538/20210604_122146.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1538" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOMiKV7B2v4/YME6J8Wpe4I/AAAAAAACB10/lzSbo3xBCb0qjJwQtdvLDWWj_0mPzULowCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/20210604_122146.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0f-_8nzRGEI/YME6X1uBDMI/AAAAAAACB2M/kFRdCpP4KbYh__rtwDWyPmdvjLS80i3RgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/924E3E08-1B78-4C39-8FAA-BA5C8428C7C0.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0f-_8nzRGEI/YME6X1uBDMI/AAAAAAACB2M/kFRdCpP4KbYh__rtwDWyPmdvjLS80i3RgCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/924E3E08-1B78-4C39-8FAA-BA5C8428C7C0.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">Chine is a local word originating in the Saxon language, meaning a narrow ravine, and this ancient ravine is such a peaceful haven of waterfalls, plants and wildlife. I could imagine sitting there for ages just listening to the water dripping down and admiring the lush greenery in the ravine. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GHqVw_Tker4/YME6ik_W_tI/AAAAAAACB2Y/aLxn4jSXE_Agg7IF-erLpLoJjbdfZh5NQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1386/20210604_122232.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1386" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GHqVw_Tker4/YME6ik_W_tI/AAAAAAACB2Y/aLxn4jSXE_Agg7IF-erLpLoJjbdfZh5NQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/20210604_122232.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s_sLQ9l4eTU/YME651SYBcI/AAAAAAACB2s/XRoM9bHhvpUzlmC3Q8zJwaC8TjZNGllHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s780/20210604_122153.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="439" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s_sLQ9l4eTU/YME651SYBcI/AAAAAAACB2s/XRoM9bHhvpUzlmC3Q8zJwaC8TjZNGllHwCLcBGAsYHQ/w360-h640/20210604_122153.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>In Jane Austen's days, Shanklin Chine was a rough walk and very few people managed to make it to the waterfalls, and it wasn't until 1817 that the place really became an attraction - Victorians were full of praise of the place. I do wonder how the Austen Knights managed to "drive around" in their <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociable_(carriage)">"sociable"</a> on these terrains! <p></p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u_J-hbn1HN0/YMEuw_6dHeI/AAAAAAACBNs/NO94KcXYfM4Sew4XygGACUhtzverfpLFACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="330" height="224" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u_J-hbn1HN0/YMEuw_6dHeI/AAAAAAACBNs/NO94KcXYfM4Sew4XygGACUhtzverfpLFACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A barouche-sociable, as mentioned by Jane Austen, carrying King George V. and Queen Mary. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image from Wikipedia: https://bit.ly/2SqNFdk</span></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As Queen Victoria made Osborne House her summer retreat, the Isle of Wight became a very popular watering place and it was fashionable to visit natural beauty spots, such as the Needles and Shanklin Chine. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It sounds like the young Fanny Knight really enjoyed her trip to "the Island" and had many stories to share with her Aunt Jane, which must have given her some inspiration for Mansfield Park, if indeed she never herself visited the Isle of Wight. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eDx1r13rcZI/YME7KUtdxJI/AAAAAAACB20/KGod5vZS8jwVDLYoJFpOpyaMoYIDOzwTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/1E2BF87B-F7EC-49E6-9704-A166873DD2EA.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eDx1r13rcZI/YME7KUtdxJI/AAAAAAACB20/KGod5vZS8jwVDLYoJFpOpyaMoYIDOzwTgCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/1E2BF87B-F7EC-49E6-9704-A166873DD2EA.JPG" width="480" /></a>It </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Tfk9YgLuFY/YME7RN7sTDI/AAAAAAACB24/jsxL8Hxoa1oAC_kJlQiBt1pbVhi8biiGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1386/20210604_123035.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1386" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Tfk9YgLuFY/YME7RN7sTDI/AAAAAAACB24/jsxL8Hxoa1oAC_kJlQiBt1pbVhi8biiGgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/20210604_123035.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">The Heritage Centre at Shanklin Chine, which tells you the story of Shanklin Chine and has a fascinating collection of art and caricatures from the likes of Rowlandson. </span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">References and further reading: </span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Le Faye, D. (2006) <i>A Chronology of Jane Austen and Her Family. </i>Cambridge University Press. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">On the history of Shanklin Chine: <u>https://www.shanklinchine.co.uk/history/</u></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">On writers visiting the Isle of Wight:<u> https://farringford.co.uk/news-events/tennyson-poems-blog/writers-on-the-isle-of-wight</u></span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p></div></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-23097014956439914222021-04-26T03:56:00.001+05:302021-04-27T02:49:24.087+05:30In the Footsteps of Elizabeth and Darcy at Stunning Stourhead <p>In my family we are active members of the National Trust and spend many a weekend exploring the various estates around us. This weekend we visited Stourhead in Wiltshire, which may be familiar to many Jane Austen fans from Pride and Prejudice (2005) and particularly the rain scene where Mr Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NcJ0gKBcdzA/YIXXlAla4AI/AAAAAAAB8As/ZYDq8lvZ6tUkI_DrO-lizaLaY_iR3WFOQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="191" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NcJ0gKBcdzA/YIXXlAla4AI/AAAAAAAB8As/ZYDq8lvZ6tUkI_DrO-lizaLaY_iR3WFOQCLcBGAsYHQ/w341-h191/image.png" width="341" /></a></div><br />Stourhead House was built in the 18th Century in the Palladian style for the Hoare family. Whilst we didn't get to visit the house due to Covid regulations, we enjoyed our walk around the stunning world-famous landscaped gardens. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xeJcp9X2xak/YIXfBrfZ3gI/AAAAAAAB8QY/mGwBB9tZD7wl26gWNSSz1VxiIM3tAIYnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1784.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xeJcp9X2xak/YIXfBrfZ3gI/AAAAAAAB8QY/mGwBB9tZD7wl26gWNSSz1VxiIM3tAIYnwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_1784.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jAm9F4mK7VE/YIXcV0OVsNI/AAAAAAAB8MM/4wW8BnGScb8JBGfqyTR2ulmI5LFT0e4bgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1749.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jAm9F4mK7VE/YIXcV0OVsNI/AAAAAAAB8MM/4wW8BnGScb8JBGfqyTR2ulmI5LFT0e4bgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_1749.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Stourhead House </span><br /><p>The gardens were designed by Henry Hoare II in the style of landscape paintings, and there are bridges, grottoes and classical temples to explore along the beautiful walks. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1XuYXKU2Mjs/YIXflsCnP9I/AAAAAAAB8Qo/jD6xHW-m258e-1raSb5C38unaMYMZB4ygCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1783.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1XuYXKU2Mjs/YIXflsCnP9I/AAAAAAAB8Qo/jD6xHW-m258e-1raSb5C38unaMYMZB4ygCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_1783.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">View across the lake to the Pantheon</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A1KU_uB9KCc/YIXlp4n7xQI/AAAAAAAB8SU/iOWW0Nw-iF83TkYRtYO0gtno2ac7DG5xgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/88FE44B8-BDC2-47D2-B5AF-3830E712A0AE.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A1KU_uB9KCc/YIXlp4n7xQI/AAAAAAAB8SU/iOWW0Nw-iF83TkYRtYO0gtno2ac7DG5xgCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/88FE44B8-BDC2-47D2-B5AF-3830E712A0AE.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Inside the grotto </span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JyiwHysHbek/YIXliI5QT8I/AAAAAAAB8SI/Drfzo65F68AyPfFni4GqGD6fvGCJe1XeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/EBA3AC27-6DD1-47A1-910F-D52C236538B3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JyiwHysHbek/YIXliI5QT8I/AAAAAAAB8SI/Drfzo65F68AyPfFni4GqGD6fvGCJe1XeQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/EBA3AC27-6DD1-47A1-910F-D52C236538B3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> The Pantheon </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q1aSUDbsYXg/YIXf-jV2n8I/AAAAAAAB8Qw/WJarOOwio0Y1C1p3wVZJIrC0jFxisERugCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1780.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q1aSUDbsYXg/YIXf-jV2n8I/AAAAAAAB8Qw/WJarOOwio0Y1C1p3wVZJIrC0jFxisERugCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_1780.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> The Temple of Apollo at the top </span></p><p>At this time of year, the bright green lawns are adorned with the spring blossom of daffodils and bluebells, and magnolia and rhododendron trees shine bright in various shades of magenta, baby pink and white. Swans, ducks and geese float in the glittering water, and there is something interesting to see at every turn. </p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x1seNzEZvWs/YIXldJ1r3lI/AAAAAAAB8R4/C1lB_QsNEkMZjPcOO3JvimTlsdLTatQQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/37F26B33-B73B-4709-9028-CDF10E7F0316.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x1seNzEZvWs/YIXldJ1r3lI/AAAAAAAB8R4/C1lB_QsNEkMZjPcOO3JvimTlsdLTatQQwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/37F26B33-B73B-4709-9028-CDF10E7F0316.JPG" width="640" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>The highlight of the walk for me were the classical temples and the Palladian bridge, as seen in Pride and Prejudice. While this version of the film is by no means my favourite (I am partial to the 1995 BBC miniseries), I thought the proposal scene at the Temple of Apollo was beautiful, if not quite faithful to the book. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yBqyLoWtYg8" width="320" youtube-src-id="yBqyLoWtYg8"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In the scene, we see Elizabeth running in pouring rain across the Palladian bridge and going up to the Temple of Apollo, where Mr Darcy (coincidentally) finds her. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aL5hPOQe5ac/YIXlfIRQ92I/AAAAAAAB8R8/Dh8UtT9GKxQWE9Kx8pU7d-HjS2ErFzWvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/13FF93F8-D7E0-43EC-891F-C03EBB52DDE4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aL5hPOQe5ac/YIXlfIRQ92I/AAAAAAAB8R8/Dh8UtT9GKxQWE9Kx8pU7d-HjS2ErFzWvQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/13FF93F8-D7E0-43EC-891F-C03EBB52DDE4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Palladian Bridge </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xedf6EgIcPo/YIXpeaOA9LI/AAAAAAAB8S8/1Mg4bCQl4x4vjhhF7_HSSQSnfzr_v6ZRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s836/IMG_1877.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="627" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xedf6EgIcPo/YIXpeaOA9LI/AAAAAAAB8S8/1Mg4bCQl4x4vjhhF7_HSSQSnfzr_v6ZRQCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/IMG_1877.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> The Temple of Apollo</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At the temple, he proposes to her "against his better judgment", while the rain gushes down, adding to the drama, and the distraught Elizabeth's hem is several inches deep in mud. In the backdrop, we see the gorgeous lake and rolling landscape of Stourhead (portrayed as Rosings).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBI0vBLeNOE/YIXlaOWcigI/AAAAAAAB8Rw/cq4FMjQfkL4XUdcS8puo69UGJ3aAWsUzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/41862873-5CE3-4C8D-9FEC-353BF096F72B.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBI0vBLeNOE/YIXlaOWcigI/AAAAAAAB8Rw/cq4FMjQfkL4XUdcS8puo69UGJ3aAWsUzQCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/41862873-5CE3-4C8D-9FEC-353BF096F72B.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QGLXMsaLGCM/YIXlgxYz8MI/AAAAAAAB8SA/rMFk_Kcrg2cSqJzhGwA8wkeNfBlbw0cagCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/FD1AB7D9-7DF5-4B25-8831-C45F3C84281C.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QGLXMsaLGCM/YIXlgxYz8MI/AAAAAAAB8SA/rMFk_Kcrg2cSqJzhGwA8wkeNfBlbw0cagCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/FD1AB7D9-7DF5-4B25-8831-C45F3C84281C.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w8rteL94Yhc/YIXlbkPMTSI/AAAAAAAB8R0/RtEGU2IcvccW6BumCg3CejPt8Oc9EyPHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/4700BD22-7E40-4A89-9E53-D40C5BBE6F75.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w8rteL94Yhc/YIXlbkPMTSI/AAAAAAAB8R0/RtEGU2IcvccW6BumCg3CejPt8Oc9EyPHgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/4700BD22-7E40-4A89-9E53-D40C5BBE6F75.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> The view from the Temple of Apollo</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-92Qy0oA45zQ/YIXlk0Se08I/AAAAAAAB8SQ/Nzay4bPbeTUjKt_1z6WN41xghVEzOA2ngCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/D7369A88-8E4E-4D9B-AA7D-2062C73540EF.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-92Qy0oA45zQ/YIXlk0Se08I/AAAAAAAB8SQ/Nzay4bPbeTUjKt_1z6WN41xghVEzOA2ngCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/D7369A88-8E4E-4D9B-AA7D-2062C73540EF.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The view from the Temple of Apollo</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">To end this post, I'm adding this video from the Temple of Apollo - quite a different feel on a sunny day! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx4uTPTY5D16kITJiOyrBxIr2oHTveAVm9BI_dQAUF9Q_W6z9z4CT9d5C1neQyXlOnhUiLrEXdrEcBdGSjWSw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-61125028540263518082020-10-29T05:28:00.003+05:302020-10-29T05:53:20.964+05:30A Review of "Unmarriageable" by Soniah Kamal <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3vdKR8Vrgp4/X5oFU2oGMBI/AAAAAAABxG8/pA-Ob3e8YSgaR-QZ_UvZFYylOPx9ssmLACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="454" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3vdKR8Vrgp4/X5oFU2oGMBI/AAAAAAABxG8/pA-Ob3e8YSgaR-QZ_UvZFYylOPx9ssmLACLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/image.png" width="300" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">While I don't usually read much fan fiction or spin-offs, I just had to get hold of Soniah Kamal's Unmarriageable, which is a South Asian take on Pride and Prejudice. Having lived in South Asia for 12 years and having got married there, I was sure that this rewrite would resonate with me, as I could relate to the characterisations and contexts - which I absolutely did. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I feel that any of the Jane Austen novels would adapt well to South Asian literature and cinema, a topic which I will explore further in another post. There are so many similarities between Regency society and the social norms of contemporary South Asian culture. The marriage market, the stereotypical over-zealous, matchmaking mothers and aunties, the limited freedom of young women, marital gold diggers, societal taboos surrounding marriage and sex... it's all there in Pride and Prejudice - and in modern-day Pakistan (and elsewhere in South Asia). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Many modern day South Asian girls battle with similar moral dilemmas to girls of Jane Austen's era, with pressure to marry a man of their parents' choice and to give up their careers after marriage. Premarital relationships would be unheard of and illegitimate children a definite no-no - which is why Mr Wickaam turns out to be a villain just like in the original story. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This novel shows a modern, independent, free-thinking Elizabeth - young teacher, Alys Binat - who, like Elizabeth Bennet, isn't afraid to voice her opinions. Alys, like her sisters, is under tremendous pressure from her mother, Mrs Binat, to marry and marry well. Soniah Kamal's Mrs Binat is very much like Mrs Bennet in P and P, hysterical, ridiculous, and in need of tranquillisers. Alys won't marry the rude, proud, snobbish Valentine Darcee - whose proposal she declines, as he is "unmarriageable". Neither will she marry the riciculous but wealthy, "suitable boy", Farhat Kaleen (Mr Collins). One of my favourite scenes in the novel is Mr Kaleen's proposal to Alys - very much like Mr Collins's - with his premeditated flowery phrases full of praise and pomp.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In Unmarriageable, Kamal really brings Jane Austen's spirit to life. The plot mirrors that of Pride and Prejudice and there are so many parallels between Alys' story and that of the original; the characters and their idiosyncrasies, the humour and wit, but there are also many South Asian references, which are very well explained to someone less familiar with the culture. In the first chapter, in her role as a teacher at an all-girls school, Alys discusses the role of women in Pakistani society - a wonderful introduction to their world and the issues that girls and women deal with. After that, the story slows down a little and it did take me a while to get into the story, but it got much more interesting towards the end. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There are several references to Pride and Prejudice in the book and, as Alys says (p.227), "we are... a society teeming with Austen's cruel Mrs Norrises, snobby looks-obsessed Sir Walters, and conniving John Thorpes and Lady Susans." I'm pretty sure you could find many a Mrs Bennet, a Lydia and a Mary Bennet in Pakistan as well! </span></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-51385164814067705052020-09-19T03:18:00.004+05:302020-09-19T03:21:15.201+05:30Following Colin Firth's footsteps at Lacock Abbey!<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I absolutely love Lacock, as visiting the village feels like visiting a film set and it really takes you back to Pride and Prejudice (1995). <a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2020/03/last-mothers-day-wow-it-has-taken-me.html">On our last visit</a>, the Lacock Abbey cloisters were closed for filming a Netflix series, so we missed seeing those, and this time we were lucky enough to have a peek. </span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1qEWWGLZ1Gw/X2Ui_zUsnnI/AAAAAAABvxg/Twb_DoBa7KUdyELyCk0Oydd_39uVZJUQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/LacockAbbey5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1qEWWGLZ1Gw/X2Ui_zUsnnI/AAAAAAABvxg/Twb_DoBa7KUdyELyCk0Oydd_39uVZJUQQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/LacockAbbey5.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lacock Abbey (now a National Trust property) was founded in 1229, and its vaulted rooms were used as a nunnery of the Augustinian order.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The gardens are lovely to walk around and picnic in. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sVsz6UYwkYc/X2UgLmJZNwI/AAAAAAABvwg/caoBPqdxjiIvI9JhWDzW9HaazWtCf7ZOACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/LacockAbbey2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sVsz6UYwkYc/X2UgLmJZNwI/AAAAAAABvwg/caoBPqdxjiIvI9JhWDzW9HaazWtCf7ZOACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/LacockAbbey2.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We have previously visited the manor house, which was built over the old cloisters in the 16th century. The house later became the home of William Henry Fox Talbot, who created the earliest camera negative. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bl8qcKVrDt8/X2Ug9WKS4QI/AAAAAAABvw0/x4BSyiHYjYcuSy2l8t5GSk1CJ2n8k_6LgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/LacockAbbey3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bl8qcKVrDt8/X2Ug9WKS4QI/AAAAAAABvw0/x4BSyiHYjYcuSy2l8t5GSk1CJ2n8k_6LgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/LacockAbbey3.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The house is currently closed, but the gardens and cloister are really worth a visit... and I shall tell you why!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-yPkt5uh3U/X2UknymUsxI/AAAAAAABvxs/bCovNZkFb0w7370wYOBxWJ3MRpqb4geTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/LacockAbbey6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-yPkt5uh3U/X2UknymUsxI/AAAAAAABvxs/bCovNZkFb0w7370wYOBxWJ3MRpqb4geTwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/LacockAbbey6.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Of course, the medieval cloister (above) downstairs is more famously known as Hogwarts school in Harry Potter, but as that is not exactly my genre, the cloister is far more familiar to me from Pride and Prejudice. This is where the flashback scene of Mr Darcy at Cambridge University was filmed and where we learn more about Mr Wickham's character and Mr Darcy's relationship with Mr Wickham. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Colin Firth is filmed walking down the corridor, until he enters a room where he finds Mr Wickham "misbehaving" with a girl!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sNzn8NG_sps/X2Uli-rW0jI/AAAAAAABvyA/7ZD2wgyuP0I1dvyDLVtH9bd3m6EHC88yACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/LacockAbbey8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sNzn8NG_sps/X2Uli-rW0jI/AAAAAAABvyA/7ZD2wgyuP0I1dvyDLVtH9bd3m6EHC88yACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/LacockAbbey8.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iMuBk_k8waE/X2Ul-3DnmJI/AAAAAAABvyQ/3nNnksQQRsUmSQuYbfJIgAR6_hFmjIEIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/LacockAbbey%2B9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iMuBk_k8waE/X2Ul-3DnmJI/AAAAAAABvyQ/3nNnksQQRsUmSQuYbfJIgAR6_hFmjIEIQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/LacockAbbey%2B9.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Also, the Lacock Abbey stables (below) were used as the exterior of the coaching inn where Lydia and Kitty meet their sisters when they return from London. Lydia throws open a window and waves at her sisters, and later inside the inn (shot elsewhere) they gossip about men and hats. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0IygcnpN168/X2UfnrZsGJI/AAAAAAABvwQ/sPjjmkJNg7gzuqWf0TzbAXVMyJn5YhlcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/LacockAbbey1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0IygcnpN168/X2UfnrZsGJI/AAAAAAABvwQ/sPjjmkJNg7gzuqWf0TzbAXVMyJn5YhlcgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/LacockAbbey1.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As always, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting another Jane Austen film location - do have a look at <a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2020/03/last-mothers-day-wow-it-has-taken-me.html">my previous blog from Lacock</a> for a tour around Lacock village. </span></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-52965968616088426322020-09-06T03:24:00.007+05:302022-07-29T04:01:16.558+05:30The Practicality of Pattens <p><span style="font-family: arial;">Have you ever wondered how ladies of Jane Austen's time used to manage to keep the hems of their gowns clean? At a time when country roads were mostly dirt lanes, likely to get muddy throughout winter, and city roads were covered in rubbish and dirt, one would think that their hems would always be "six inches deep in mud" like Elizabeth Bennet's in Pride and Prejudice. And how on earth did ladies protect those delicate shoes? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The answer to Regency shoe issues lies in pattens. These were a type of overshoe, often consisting of a wooden sole raised on an iron ring, lifting the wearer several centimetres above the ground, which would have protected their shoes and hems. Pattens were like an early version of galoshes, a type of overshoe. My grandad, ever the gentleman, always used to wear galoshes to protect his finer polished shoes. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NsvCGCd8VjU/X1QGxCTmj_I/AAAAAAABufA/sZLRRrWMELoOIEvNLh158w1WWnVCl4gpgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Pattens%2B.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="375" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NsvCGCd8VjU/X1QGxCTmj_I/AAAAAAABufA/sZLRRrWMELoOIEvNLh158w1WWnVCl4gpgCLcBGAsYHQ/w500-h375/Pattens%2B.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>I was excited to come across a pair of pattens on holiday at Chippenham Museum (near Bath) in their local history section. In this picture from the museum, you can see a child's pair on the left and an adult pair on the right. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In Persuasion, Jane Austen writes about </span><i style="font-family: arial;">"<span style="color: #292c2e; font-size: 16px;">the dash of other carriages, the heavy rumble of carts and drays, the bawling of newspapermen, muffin-men and milkmen, and <b>the ceaseless clink of pattens...</b>these were noises which belonged to the winter pleasures" (Chapter 14). </span></i><span style="font-family: arial;">Anne feels alien in Bath with all the noises surrounding her after years of quiet country life (perhaps like Jane Austen?). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It was very common for ladies to wear these when out and about - more so amongst the working ladies. One could easily imagine Jane wearing pattens, as she comes across quite a practical person. Jane's niece, Anna Austen, wrote, </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="background-color: white;">"I recollect the frequent visits of my two Aunts, & <strong>how they walked in wintry weather through the sloppy lane between Steventon & Dean</strong> <b>in pattens</b>, usually worn at that time even by gentlewomen.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I can't imagine pattens being comfortable to wear over long distances - what do you think? Would they be difficult to balance on? On the other hand, I couldn't imagine living without a pair either, what with all those white gowns, and no modern detergents! </span></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>References and further reading:</b> </p><p>Tomalin, C. (1997) <i>Jane Austen: A Life</i>. Penguin Books.</p><p><a href="https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2014/04/12/regency-fashion-keeping-hems-clean/">https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2014/04/12/regency-fashion-keeping-hems-clean/</a></p><p><br /></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-86664695798905133212020-08-16T02:34:00.005+05:302020-08-16T02:35:28.749+05:30Picnicking with Emma on Leith Hill <p>If you've seen <a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2020/02/my-thoughts-on-emma-2020-not-badly-done.html">the new Emma film</a>, you might remember the Box Hill scene, where the dull picnic ends in a fiasco with Emma insulting Miss Bates? Well, it turns out that the scene wasn't filmed on the actual <a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2016/05/they-had-very-fine-day-for-box-hill.html">Box Hill</a> but rather on Leith Hill. The same scene in the 2009 Emma (with Romola Garai) was also filmed there. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N5-RTsrlinQ/XzhL9SkqOFI/AAAAAAABt0I/3g6KoELY2ys1i53NFRC9b6Vq9Ugj0wF4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Leith%2BHill%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N5-RTsrlinQ/XzhL9SkqOFI/AAAAAAABt0I/3g6KoELY2ys1i53NFRC9b6Vq9Ugj0wF4gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Leith%2BHill%2B1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Leith Hill is a hill situated not far from Box Hill, in the Surrey Hills, also known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In fact, at 294 meters above sea level, Leith Hill is the highest point in Surrey, and the views from its summit are no less spectacular than those from Box Hill. I enjoyed a picnic there with my family several weeks ago, and we enjoyed the sweat-inducing hike up the hill - the view from the top was definitely worth the hike. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bgO3f-ijLm0/XzhNCFJZFII/AAAAAAABt0s/H1v4xLKlFeUWKq1rr9Nl1e3ICMLuaxcbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Leith%2BHill%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bgO3f-ijLm0/XzhNCFJZFII/AAAAAAABt0s/H1v4xLKlFeUWKq1rr9Nl1e3ICMLuaxcbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Leith%2BHill%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Like Box Hill, Leith Hill is maintained by the National Trust. At the summit, there is also Leith Hill Tower, an 18th Century tower built in the Gothic style. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rz5jn9S_CEs/XzhMqi_T9SI/AAAAAAABt0c/4R2zBvQwj1g9sVj2eXg46ohMGV42kKGAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Leith%2BHill%2BTower2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rz5jn9S_CEs/XzhMqi_T9SI/AAAAAAABt0c/4R2zBvQwj1g9sVj2eXg46ohMGV42kKGAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Leith%2BHill%2BTower2.jpg" /></a></div><p>Under normal circumstances, you could climb up the tower and admire the views with a telescope, but the tower isn't open to visitors during Covid. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ql5jwSwHhzc/XzhMJLNnu0I/AAAAAAABt0M/ffE95VDro9okTDnXuuqBjJNrHfNzktHEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Leith%2BHill%2BTower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ql5jwSwHhzc/XzhMJLNnu0I/AAAAAAABt0M/ffE95VDro9okTDnXuuqBjJNrHfNzktHEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Leith%2BHill%2BTower.jpg" /></a></div><p>Interestingly, Leith Hill was also the second home of composer Vaughan Williams, whose grandparents lived in <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/leith-hill-place">Leith Hill Place</a>, now a National Trust property. Some fascinating connections there, and I made it a point to visit the house when it reopens. </p><p><b>Further reading: </b></p><p>-For more about Leith Hill, you could read <a href="http://general-southerner.blogspot.com/2020/03/leith-hill-walk-with-tony-brown-and.html">Tony Grant's detailed and informative blog</a> on Leith Hill, the surrounding area and its literary connections. </p><p>-Leith Hill is also mentioned in Quint, K. (2019) <i>Jane Austen's England - A Travel Guide. </i>ACC Art Books. (p. 165)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-69556526584492645642020-07-31T04:35:00.002+05:302020-08-02T12:00:26.579+05:30A Walk Around Chawton House Garden "was a sweet view — sweet to the eye and the mind. English verdure, English culture, English comfort, seen under a sun bright, without being oppressive."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was delighted to find that the Chawton House Gardens had opened again after a long period of lockdown. It's so lovely to walk around the gardens in the footsteps of Jane Austen, as she must have spent many a happy summer's day strolling around her brother's garden, and there are so many mentions to gardens in her novels. In Edward Austen's estate, Jane found plenty of comfort, and she must have enjoyed the serenity and beauty of this landscape. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started my walk from the South Lawn, where I sat down to have my picnic, admiring the green, lush views towards Chawton House. In the early Georgian times, there were formal gardens here, but during the period 1763-1780, these were replaced by parkland in the style of Capability Brown, whose landscaping has become a trademark of 18th century gardens. His style, although carefully designed and executed, leaned towards a more natural style that looked almost untouched. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From the South Lawn I walked through to the Upper Terrace, which wasn't there during Jane Austen's times. This terrace was built in ca 1901 by Edward Austen Knight's grandson, Montagu, who revolutionised much of the estate and took excellent care of it, and also built a 'Library Terrace' near the house. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I walked down the path to Edward Austen Knight's walled garden. I love a walled garden, as it reminds me of Frances Hodgson Burnett's "Secret Garden", a story which I loved as a child. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the end of the 19th century, Montagu Knight divided this garden into two, and created a rose garden in the first half of the garden. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The second half of the garden is a wonderful mismatch of colourful flowers, vegetables and herbs - just like Jane Austen would have known it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is a lovely trail around the gardens, with quotes from Jane Austen's books, which reminded me of her wit and cheeky personality. In one of her letters from 1816, Jane Austen mentions that it was difficult for her to write, as she had her <i>"head full of joints of mutton and doses of rhubarb"</i>. Obviously she needed to be free of mundane things, such as housework, to be able to concentrate on her work. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Herb gardens were used extensively to treat various kinds of ailments and to create natural beauty products. This herb garden is inspired by Elizabeth Blackwell's book, "A Curious Herbal", from the Chawton House early women's literature collection. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Each quadrant contains ten plants that are curative for a particular body part: head beds, chest beds, digestion beds and skin beds. Seems logical to me - if you had a complaint, you could just head over to that particular part of your garden and get a treatment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apple orchards are always such a treat, and I'm pleased to know that Jane Austen was fond of the fruit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Austen ladies had apple trees in their own garden, as well as berries. </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XEnQJGOW8qo/XyNC6JiJYDI/AAAAAAABtYM/ph1_Ve2sNUYPjxBnl5WIGJ09_h7a2-KWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Strawberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XEnQJGOW8qo/XyNC6JiJYDI/AAAAAAABtYM/ph1_Ve2sNUYPjxBnl5WIGJ09_h7a2-KWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Strawberry.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jane was no stranger to strawberries either. In 1816, she wrote to Cassandra,<i> "<span style="background-color: white;">Yesterday I had the agreeable surprise of finding several scarlet strawberries quite ripe; had </span><span style="background-color: white;">you</span></i><span style="background-color: white;"><i> been at home, this would have been a pleasure lost. There are more gooseberries and fewer currants than I thought at first."</i> I am assuming that these berries grew in their own kitchen garden at Chawton Cottage. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wOxsNBui7R4/XyNCgR2LonI/AAAAAAABtX4/pXF05HdPpqkvhbeyjlPZXIcGBJSzFmrhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/WalledGarden7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wOxsNBui7R4/XyNCgR2LonI/AAAAAAABtX4/pXF05HdPpqkvhbeyjlPZXIcGBJSzFmrhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/WalledGarden7.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also enjoyed the rose walk at the end of the walled garden. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3UQ3xkKaefY/XyNCjQ-yukI/AAAAAAABtX8/PpPMtsFugWMJQ9E63orN3-ahOv2oMPEsACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/WalledGarden8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="432" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3UQ3xkKaefY/XyNCjQ-yukI/AAAAAAABtX8/PpPMtsFugWMJQ9E63orN3-ahOv2oMPEsACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/WalledGarden8.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I then walked out of the walled garden towards the shrubbery. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F-ZLNPy0rNA/XyNER4mkXcI/AAAAAAABtYY/10cPeZTSr1EFSxnEvh0ym8GvQn0mI7lwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Shrubbery2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F-ZLNPy0rNA/XyNER4mkXcI/AAAAAAABtYY/10cPeZTSr1EFSxnEvh0ym8GvQn0mI7lwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Shrubbery2.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A shrubbery was a route where the ladies of the house could take their exercise, when the weather permitted. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_gocyLepSuU/XyNEpuhxhNI/AAAAAAABtYg/L09CJ8Ec9z0sMatLmqz-T-w3jvma1df3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Shrubbery%2BWalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_gocyLepSuU/XyNEpuhxhNI/AAAAAAABtYg/L09CJ8Ec9z0sMatLmqz-T-w3jvma1df3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Shrubbery%2BWalk.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shrubberies seem to occur often in Jane Austen's writings, as Kim Wilson discussed in her talk "Love in the Shrubbery" as part of the Chawton House Virtual Garden Festival. In fact, a shrubbery is mentioned in each of her novels. Jane Austen's characters often meet up in a shrubbery to get away from others, or to reflect in a safe space. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LMRfzdjPfKA/XyNHPmu7TXI/AAAAAAABtYw/Gk7X6CFodpEF2Y4RGvwB697TYFGuPRByACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Wiolderness2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LMRfzdjPfKA/XyNHPmu7TXI/AAAAAAABtYw/Gk7X6CFodpEF2Y4RGvwB697TYFGuPRByACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Wiolderness2.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Admiring the serene fields, I then walked towards what was known as a "wilderness". </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kjFDzXE7fos/XyNHdvI1ldI/AAAAAAABtY4/tdYp9LbTenwsFYvp5rSxKm6rEFv64o92QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Wilderness3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kjFDzXE7fos/XyNHdvI1ldI/AAAAAAABtY4/tdYp9LbTenwsFYvp5rSxKm6rEFv64o92QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Wilderness3.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A common feature in an English Landscape garden in the 18th century, a wilderness was a wooded area that would appear natural but was actually carefully and deliberately designed. It was fashionable to have a wilderness in one's garden and there is a reference to a wilderness in Pride and Prejudice. Lady Catherine wants to find out if Elizabeth and Mr Darcy are engaged, and asks Elizabeth, <i>"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e;"><i>Miss Bennet, there seemed to be a prettyish kind of a little wilderness at the side of your lawn. I should be glad to take a turn in it".</i> </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ib8B0Gdg4dA/XyNIsjK4CtI/AAAAAAABtZI/6xdsPeihdhQMaUgEKh0HGTgRrezA9QbIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Lime%2BAvenue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ib8B0Gdg4dA/XyNIsjK4CtI/AAAAAAABtZI/6xdsPeihdhQMaUgEKh0HGTgRrezA9QbIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Lime%2BAvenue.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An avenue of lime trees lead me back towards Chawton House. This didn't exist at the time of Jane Austen, as it was planted by Montagu Knight. Lime trees were common, though, and in Emma, Jane describes the Donwell Abbey grounds as follows: </span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"It was hot; and after walking some time over the gardens in a scattered, dispersed way, scarcely any three together, they insensibly followed one another to the delicious shade of a broad short avenue of limes, which stretching beyond the garden at an equal distance from the river, seemed the finish of the pleasure grounds."</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The last, but not the least important feature of the garden, was the Ha-Ha. A sunken fence, these were a typical feature of an 18th century garden, preventing the sheep or other livestock from entering the gardens and coming too close to the house. They also had some symbolic significance in Jane Austen's novels, symbolising hidden authority or the entrance into vice. In Mansfield Park, Fanny Price decides to stay back, while she watches Maria Bertram cross the ha-ha with Henry Crawford, leaving her behind. In the scene, Austen discusses the moral dilemma in a symbolic way, contrasting virtue and vice, stability and risk. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">References and further reading </span></span></div>
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<li><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">on ha-has: <a href="http://www.jasna.org/persuasions/printed/number17/brodey.pdf">http://www.jasna.org/persuasions/printed/number17/brodey.pdf</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">on shrubberies (video by Kim Wilson):<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxgaNU1-AaY&t=306s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxgaNU1-AaY&t=306s</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">on wildernesses: <a href="http://www.jasna.org/publications/persuasions-online/vol36no1/clark/">http://www.jasna.org/publications/persuasions-online/vol36no1/clark/</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">on Capability Brown:<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/how-to-spot-a-capability-brown-landscape">https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/how-to-spot-a-capability-brown-landscape</a></span></li>
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-36619871670279827232020-07-17T03:18:00.000+05:302020-07-17T03:18:00.345+05:30Death Comes to Pemberley and A Fan Moment With Matthew Goode <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've never been much into fan fiction or sequels of Jane Austen, thinking that I didn't want to mess around with my idea of Jane Austen's writing. I was pleasantly surprised when, finding "Death Comes to Pemberley" on Amazon Prime, I actually really enjoyed this mini-series. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Death Comes to Pemberley is based on a novel by crime novelist P. D. James. I haven't read the novel yet, so I am not in the position to assess whether it is a good adaptation of James' novel, but I enjoyed it as a sequel to Jane Austen's work. I was impressed by the acting and thought the storyline was very captivating and credible. I was intrigued until the very end to find out who the murderer was. The series had all the essential elements of Pride and Prejudice woven into the screenplay, and the characters were recognisable. It resonated Jane Austen's wit, and I think that she herself would have enjoyed the story, given the fact that her juvenilia was full of stories like this and she may well have been amused by the twists to her story. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RiB1qOox760/Xw4sCFkqpNI/AAAAAAABrfA/irD9phxiSNEj_yidOMSJF7DlFNg11-_FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/death%2Bcomes%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="400" height="356" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RiB1qOox760/Xw4sCFkqpNI/AAAAAAABrfA/irD9phxiSNEj_yidOMSJF7DlFNg11-_FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/death%2Bcomes%2B3.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Image from Wikipedia: https://binged.it/38WP7bi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I also loved seeing Matthew Goode cast as Wickham in this adaptation. I was smitten by Matthew Goode in Downton Abbey, a series which I really enjoyed, and I thought he made a great dashing villain in Death Comes to Pemberley as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To my great surprise, I had the good luck of bumping into the said gentleman as I was visiting Oxford a couple of years ago. I was at the Bodleian Library with my family and I was quite shocked as I walked right up to him at a doorway to the library courtyard, and there he was, right in front of me, staring at me straight in the face. I immediately recognised him and thought that he was even more dashing in real life! He was incredibly handsome, in a Bond-like manner, dressed in a slim black suit - this reminded me of him as Henry Talbot in Downton Abbey. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was too embarrassed to ask for a photo, and I was mortified when my husband teasingly said that I'd love a photo with him, but Matthew was a perfect gentleman and happily obliged! He told me that he was shooting a Netflix series at the Bodleian (I later found out that they were shooting "A Discovery of Witches" - not my type of genre but perhaps some of you have seen it?). What a shy fangirl moment that was!</span><br />
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-48903631909185975332020-05-17T03:04:00.002+05:302020-05-17T03:08:12.360+05:30Chawton House Lockdown Literary Festival and Interesting Literary Connections <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span data-offset-key="8aulj-0-0"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This weekend I was pleased to discover the<a href="https://chawtonhouse.org/whats-on/lockdown-literary-festival/"> Chawton House Lockdown Literary Literary Festiva</a>l. While my home life during lockdown keeps me very busy, I managed to squeeze in some time to watch a speech by Devoney Looser, Professor of English at Arizona State University and author of <a href="http://www.makingjaneausten.com/">"The Making of Jane Austen".</a> Professor Looser is an expert in early women's literature.</span></span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="9balg-0-0"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Her speech was very eye-opening and I would love to share some of the things I learnt from her today. </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="6dral-0-0"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-During Jane Austen's lifetime, there was an almost equal number of male and female writers? This fact surprised me, as I had assumed the profession to be far more common amongst men, thinking that it was considered more acceptable for men to become authors. There were hundreds of other active women writers and, in fact, women were far more prolific fiction writers than men. </span></span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="a96ks-0-0"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility was likely to have been influenced by the writing of Jane West, a household name who was probably the most famous female writer at the time. Jane West wrote "A Gossip's Story", featuring two sisters, one of whom was more rational and the other more emotional, just like Elinor and Marianne - in fact, the more emotional of the two sisters was named Marianne. It would be fascinating to read "The Gossip's Story" and compare the two. Later on, Jane West rewrote Jane Austen's Emma in "Ringrove", which is another piece of writing that I would be keen to explore. </span></span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="eobr6-0-0"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-A contemporary of Jane Austen and a well-known writer, Jane Porter, was born in the same year as Jane (1775). Jane Austen was approached by the Prince Regent's librarian, James Stanier Clarke, to write a historical romance dedicated to Prince Leopold. She never endeavoured to do this, famously saying that she preferred writing about things she knew well. However, Jane Porter took a similar offer eight years later, perhaps in the hope of royal pension, and wrote "Duke Christian of Luneburg". </span></span></div>
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-10611641616148557832020-03-08T04:35:00.001+05:302020-03-08T04:41:35.992+05:30On Location in Lacock<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Last Mother's Day (wow, it has taken me a year to write this post!) I was taken to Lacock in Wiltshire for a treat. I am a big fan of the National Trust, and I had wanted to visit Lacock for a long time, as it is one of the most famous film locations for several period dramas - most interestingly, the location for Meryton in Pride and Prejudice (1995) and Highbury in my favourite adaptation of Emma (1996 with Kate Beckinsale) - not to forget Downton Abbey. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Stepping into Lacock is like stepping back in time. Lacock Abbey dates back to 1232, and the village houses are several centuries old. You can easily imagine why production companies might choose this as a location, as the village has changed very little over the centuries, there is not a satellite dish in sight (those are banned by the National Trust), and the only thing to remind us of our modern times is the cars parked on the side of the road. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lacock is, however, a working village with a school, village hall, church, quaint boutiques and several pubs, but walking the roads truly feels like walking through a film set. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The High Street was used as a location for the Meryton high street. The exterior of the Red Lion pub on your left was used as a location for Meryton Assembly Rooms in P & P where Sir Lucas' country ball was held. Don't you love all those vintage cars parked outside? </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qhdGqcMM6S0/XmQge2CDnNI/AAAAAAABhI4/ZdJDbmBDXIUxAKb0BwZ1YN4-JpXrhgH1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1460%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qhdGqcMM6S0/XmQge2CDnNI/AAAAAAABhI4/ZdJDbmBDXIUxAKb0BwZ1YN4-JpXrhgH1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_1460%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The High Street was also seen as shops in Pride and Prejudice, such as the haberdasher's shop where the Bennet sisters stopped to look at bonnets until they were interrupted by Mr Wickham (and a cold greeting from Mr Darcy). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Another street, Church Street, served as the high street of Highbury in Emma. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">St Cyriac's Church was where the Westons' wedding was shot at the beginning of Emma and perhaps some of the other wedding scenes as well (who recognises the church?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I enjoyed reading "The Making of Jane Austen's Emma", which was a companion for the 1996 film. In the book, there are interesting stories about the production in Lacock. We learn that the company had just three days to film the Lacock scenes, as it was a busy time in the village and the National Trust didn't wish to have filming during the weekends, which are their busiest time with tourists flocking the village. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CHLvJ4K_mJk/XmQi3yMNAZI/AAAAAAABhJw/cRAaWYzFnB0GA2U3PhcpsdqR7tSwfvxngCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1437%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CHLvJ4K_mJk/XmQi3yMNAZI/AAAAAAABhJw/cRAaWYzFnB0GA2U3PhcpsdqR7tSwfvxngCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_1437%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was fascinating to read about how the village was transformed from 1996 to 1813. Ground cover was laid, earth and grit spread around the roads, autumn leaves and manure scattered around the floor, straw for horses left in places... </span></span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Some of the facades, for example Miss Bates' house, were changed entirely, and signs were changed to period ones, film lights added in front of windows and cars moved from the roads. Even the existing flowers were swapped with more period-appropriate ones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Some of you might recognise this house as being Harry Potter's first home. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qpbtWBP3d0g/XmQj3l0iG-I/AAAAAAABhKE/hPwbrW1jRjghhAozJjygyEAT2WyghZSFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1452%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qpbtWBP3d0g/XmQj3l0iG-I/AAAAAAABhKE/hPwbrW1jRjghhAozJjygyEAT2WyghZSFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_1452%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Harry Potter's Hogwart's school was shot in Lacock Abbey cloisters. This was also used as a location for Cambridge University, where Mr Darcy studied as a young man with Mr Wickham. We visited Lacock Abbey as well, which is an interesting building in itself, but the cloisters were closed at the time as there was a film crew working on a series. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are stalls and shops selling various Harry Potter related paraphernalia around the village, catering to the flocks of tourists that visit the village. <span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I loved it how there were many stalls (as below) in front of people's houses, selling crafts and preserves with an honesty box and not a salesman in sight. Obviously, being a National Trust village, there is a feeling of trust that people will behave sensibly and be kind to the locals. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YU9o8gzHcHM/XmQkDKCxDyI/AAAAAAABhKI/wVpq7X2p7LohLSapQSlDMHymerQoqMibQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1446%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YU9o8gzHcHM/XmQkDKCxDyI/AAAAAAABhKI/wVpq7X2p7LohLSapQSlDMHymerQoqMibQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_1446%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">All in all, Lacock is a wonderful place to visit and I would recommend a day trip there with a visit to the Abbey, one of the lovely ancient pubs, and the quaint gift shops that line the streets of Lacock, spotting familiar film locations on the way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You can get more information on Lacock and several other film locations in Karin Quint's guidebook and do have a look at the film companions for some interesting snippets. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Further reading: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Birtwistle, S. & Conklin, S. (1996)<i> The Making of Jane Austen's Emma.</i> Penguin Books. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Birtwistle, S. & Conklin, S. (1995)<i> The Making of Pride and Prejudice.</i> Penguin Books. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Quint, Karin. (2019<i> Jane Austen's England - A Travel Guide. </i>ACC Art Books.<i> </i></span></span><br />
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-357050727941950222020-03-05T03:47:00.001+05:302020-03-05T03:48:31.366+05:30Austenised is on Facebook! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Dear readers,<br />
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I'm excited to announce that Austenised is finally up on Facebook! I thought it was about time to bring the blog to the modern world of social media - I opened a page for Austenised, where I will be uploading my newest posts and any other interesting things to do with Jane Austen that I come across. This will allow me to connect better with other Janeites but also share photos and articles that do not make up a full blog post but are worth sharing. So please do like, share and follow my new Facebook page and I look forward to reading your comments there, too!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Austenised-107521884174383/">https://www.facebook.com/Austenised-107521884174383/</a><br />
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-90794151239786945732020-02-20T04:54:00.001+05:302020-03-06T12:06:58.041+05:30My Thoughts on Emma (2020): Not "badly done"!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I thought I should voice an opinion on the newest adaption of Emma (2020), which came out last week. I was really excited to see the film, but equally daunted by the possibility of the film proving to be an utter disappointment like<a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-review-of-sanditon-episode-1.html"> Sanditon</a>, which I never bothered to review after the first episode, which ended any similarity to Jane Austen. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised, although it is hard for me not to compare it to my favourite version of Emma (1996 with Kate Beckinsale).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Emma (2020) was directed by (the beautifully named) Autumn de Wilde, this being her directorial debut (she is better known for music videos and portraiture), and written by novelist Eleanor Catton. De Wilde's Emma is an entertaining and gorgeous take on the novel, with lavish pastel coloured sets and hilarious performances by well-known, popular actors, such as Bill Nighy and Miranda Hart. Last year, Andrew Davies mostly left out the comedy in Sanditon, so essential to Jane Austen's style of writing, but de Wilde's Emma has comedy in abundance, sure to entertain a wider general audience. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was delighted *finally* to see costumes so true to the period, with light muslins, sheer fabrics and lots of white (indeed, "a woman can never be too fine while she is all in white" - Edmund Bertram -Mansfield Park). No hair flowing down the shoulders (</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">à la</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> the hideous Billie Piper in Emma and Charlotte in Sanditon). No strangely low waistlines (</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">à la</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Pride and Prejudice 2005), no modern looking fabrics (several adaptations). <a href="https://curatorscurio.com/2020/01/14/movie-costumes-emma-2020/">Curator's Curio</a> has written a great comprehensive analysis of the costume in this film. The sets, albeit beautiful, do seem a tad too elaborate, with numerous high towers of cakes, excessive floral arrangements etc. The beautiful sets probably reflect de Wilde's artistic background and her sense of the aesthetic, but are perhaps a little too "art for art's sake" to be realistic. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now to Emma, our feisty, independent "heroine whom no one but myself will much like" (Jane Austen). I feel that the film beautifully captures the spirit of Emma, Anya Taylor-Joy portraying her well; it helps that she is almost the same age and has Emma's captivating hazel eyes, which first haunted me in the period piece, "The Miniaturist". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The chemistry between her and Mr Knightley (Johnny Flynn) is strong, and Johnny Flynn does the role beautifully (as he did in Vanity Fair). However, I would have to agree with many others in that (while Flynn, at 36, is almost the same age as Mr Knightley, 37) he does look too young to be Mr Knightley. I find that the age gap between Emma and Mr Knightley is one of the central themes in the book; after all, he is like the older brother for Emma, being 16 years older than her; being an older family friend, he feels moral responsibility over Emma. The age gap, which is therefore of some significance, does not really show in this film - unlike in 1996, where Mark Strong made a much more credible Knightley. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I enjoyed watching Josh O'Connor (who I thought was brilliant in the Durrells) as a hilarious, off-putting Mr Elton, and Miranda Hart as the annoying spinster, Miss Bates, although (me being finicky) I didn't imagine her to be as tall as the stately Miranda Hart! Bill Nighy makes a great hypochondriac Mr Woodhouse; however, I could have done without his usual snorting. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The dialogue does not appear to follow the book word to word, but the script does stay faithful to the original plot for the most part and, to my relief, the style of speech and manners appear contemporary to Jane Austen (unlike in Sanditon, which took many liberties to suit a more modern audience). The intriguing word game scene at Box Hill has been left out, and there are a couple of scenes at the end, which differ from the original: 1) when Emma goes to the Martins' farm and apologises to Mr Martin, and 2) a (horrendous) proposal scene (with bodily fluids involved, no spoilers however!). I would have liked to have seen a more romantic proposal faithful to the style of Jane Austen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Also, there seems to be a general trend these days to add nudity in Jane Austen wherever possible, and this film makes no exception. The very first scene where we meet Mr Knightley, we get a view of him stark naked from behind and, while I am no prude, I thought it was unnecessary. Fortunately, de Wilde does not venture further with the nudity and we do not see Emma catching a glimpse of a naked Mr Knightley, which would have suited Andrew Davies very well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Overall, I felt that Emma has been skilfully made and has clearly been created with a wider audience in mind, with some great comedy elements and an impeccable style. I would love to see it once again to get a better feel of the film and to enjoy those costumes once more. </span><br />
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-1245437016582695042019-10-13T04:14:00.000+05:302019-10-13T04:28:09.463+05:30A Tour of Southampton with "Happy Feelings of Escape"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My blog seems to be turning into a travel blog of sorts, as somehow these days I tend to get inspired by my travels across Jane Austen country now that I live surrounded by it. I continue to be fascinated by the life of this strong female figure that lived 200 years before my time and faced very different kinds of challenges throughout her life, but who, despite all odds, managed to produce literary works that have inspired and impacted on so many people after her time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Besides the exciting events at the Jane Austen Festival last month, my most recent exploration was a spontaneous day trip to Southampton, where Jane Austen lived for a couple of years. Jane liked Southampton, which was a lively town, but as a country girl, she never considered it her home, although she did prefer it to Bath, having "happy feelings of escape" as they left Bath for Southampton. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Southampton of today is a mismatch of the old and new, considering that most of the old architecture was sadly destroyed in World War II. Sadly, very few buildings exist from Jane Austen's days, and the Old Town is very quickly gone through. However, with a good guide or walking tour in hand, it was very interesting to explore the streets of the Old Town and the places where Jane Austen might have visited during her time there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I used <i>Jane Austen's Hampshire </i>(by Terry Townsend) and <i>In the Steps of Jane Austen</i> (By Anne-Marie Edwards) as my guide, and I would also recommend you read <a href="https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/jane-austen-in-southampton/">the detailed blog post by Tony Grant</a> who has described the area with the insight of a local.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jane Austen first stayed in Southampton in 1783 at the age of 7-8 when she went to boarding school there, run by Mrs Ann Cawley, with her sister Cassandra and their cousin, Jane Cooper. I wrote about the Abbey School in Reading <u><a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2010/08/peek-of-abbey-school.html">here </a></u>and <a href="https://austenised.blogspot.com/2018/06/inside-jane-austens-school.html">here</a> where Jane attended before she was moved to Southampton. Southampton being a port and a place likely to harbour infectious diseases, Jane very nearly died as a result of a typhus outbreak and was forced to return home. Jane, Cassandra and Jane Cooper survived the fever, but her aunt caught the fever and sadly died a few days later. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started my tour from Bargate (above) in the High Street, which served as a gateway to medieval Southampton. Bargate was built by the Normans, dating back to the 12th Century, and is a structure quite unchanged throughout the times. The gateway, the ramparts and the city wall would have been very familiar to Jane Austen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">City Wall with Arundel Tower on the left.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jane Austen returned to the city at the age of 18 for a happier visit, staying with her cousin, Elizabeth, whose father was a sheriff in the city. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">High Street as it is now</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">A picture of the High Street in the 19th Century (from the Tudor House Museum).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jane attended a ball at the Dolphin Hotel in the High Street, which still functions as a hotel. The Dolphin has been the head inn of Southampton for centuries, first mentioned as an inn in 1506, although the present building dates back to the mid-1700's; the bow windows to the street are said to be the largest of their kind. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can visit the ballroom, which now functions as a meeting room and has been renamed "Jane Austen Suite". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jane wrote, "Our ball was rather more amusing than I expected...The room was tolerably full, and there were, perhaps, thirty couple of dancers....It was the same room in which we danced fifteen years ago. I thought it all over, and in spite of the same of being so much older, felt with thankfulness that I was quite as happy now as then. We paid an additional shilling for our tea, which we took as we chose in an adjoining and very comfortable room...You will not expect to hear that I was asked to dance, but I was."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jane next stayed in Southampton after the death of her father in 1805, for two and a half years from 1806 to 1809. For Jane Austen, it was a relief to leave Bath and a comfort to find a home with her brother, Frank, and his wife, Mary Gibson, who was expecting their first baby. The ladies were accompanied by their friend, Martha Lloyd. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The house would have been behind the wall, somewhere close to where the mock Tudor building now stands. This part of the wall used to house a vault in the medieval times. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first rented lodgings were too costly and they soon moved to a house at 3 Castle Square, close to the ruins of a medieval castle and surrounded by the city walls. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The house was located somewhere behind the city wall, at what is now known as Upper Bugle Street, close to the Juniper Berry pub. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The architecture at the square is very modern. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two years before the Austens moved in, their landlord, The Marquis of Lansdown, built a Gothic fantasy castle somewhere close to the unsightly high-rise in the video; the castle was soon pulled down. Jane Austen describes the castle as a "fantastic edifice" and watched the Marchioness drive out in "a light phaeton drawn by six or eight ponies in graduated shades of brown". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The gothic fantasy castle built by the Marquis of Lansdowne. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was a pleasant situation for the Austen ladies, as the country ladies at heart would have their own large garden which must have provided some solace from city fumes. Jane Austen planted flowers, fruit trees and currant and gooseberry bushes, and wrote "We hear that we are envied our house by many people and that the garden is the best in town". She also planted a syringa, as described in a poem by her favourite poet, Cowper - something that Jane and I have in common as I absolutely love a fragrant syringa. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As you walk down Upper Bugle Street, you come across a small square with a lovely church and a famous building called Tudor House. Tudor House is now an interesting museum, which tells the story of the inhabitants of this area across the centuries, also describing life in Jane Austen's days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wealthy artist, George Rogers, used to live in this part of the house in Jane Austen's times. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The above photo shows the Georgian section of the house, painted in yellow, with the typical Georgian sash windows. Interestingly, behind Tudor House, you can see King John's Palace - the ruins of a fine stone house dating back to the Norman times (1300's), picture below. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Such a fascinating museum with so many layers of history in one building!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Continuing down Bugle Street, there are a number of interesting period houses from different eras that Jane would have been familiar with. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Making a small detour left onto French Street, there is a medieval merchant's house (below).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Turning right to Westgate Street, you can see Westgate and the Tudor Merchant's Hall. Westgate led to the quay where the Pilgrim Fathers had started their journey in the Mayflower in 1620.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the end of the street, you will see Wool House (now a pub), which interestingly served as a prison for French prisoners of war. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jane would probably have heard French spoken close to where she lived, and it is fascinating how close in proximity she was to the realities of war and the French Revolution. Despite having an in-depth understanding and knowledge of naval life, she has often been criticised for not touching politics or current issues in her fiction - however, it is quite understandable why she preferred letting "other pens dwell on grief and misery" and focus on what might be considered escapism. "I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can", she wrote - perhaps the realities of war and suffering were too close for comfort. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">References:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Edwards, A-M. (1991).<em> In the Steps of Jane Austen – Walking Tours of Austen’s England</em>. Wisconsin: Jones Books.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Townsend, T. (2014) <i>Jane Austen's Hampshire</i>. Halsgrove.</span></span><br />
<a href="https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/jane-austen-in-southampton/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/jane-austen-in-southampton/</span></a></div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7918614552094913262.post-90025145694614562902019-08-31T02:58:00.003+05:302019-09-07T00:45:13.393+05:30A Review of Sanditon Episode 1 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've just finished watching the first episode of the 8-part series, Sanditon, on ITV this week, based on Jane Austen's unfinished novel. I was very much looking forward to seeing the series and afraid of being disappointed. Screenwriter, Andrew Davies, is, after all, the brains behind my favourite Jane Austen adaptation of all time - Pride and Prejudice (1995). Surely he would be the best person to adapt the never-before-serialised Sanditon?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Excited to view the setting of Sanditon on screen, I enjoyed the beautiful seascape of Sanditon with its high, green cliffs and the digital remake of the sleepy-village-turned-seaside hub. The subtle changes in society where a landowner-turned-businessman, Tom Parker, leaves sleepy village life and attempts to turn a village into a vibrant, popular seaside resort, making money from entrepreneurship rather than ancestral land, is well captured. The ball episode has people dancing to waltz, which was an entirely new form of dance, involving much closer physical contact between partners - the choice of dance perhaps reflects Tom Parker's vision of making Sanditon a modern, popular bathing place, even more so than Brighton or Eastbourne.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Andrew Davies' style has changed a lot over the years, and his take on period dramas is far more catered to modern sensibilities these days. The adaptation is popularised (perhaps by what Davies thought was popular demand after the Mr Darcy "wet shirt" episode) by adding nudity in places, (which I felt was not necessary to the story) and the use of more modern, popular soundtracks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I particularly enjoyed the small details based on Jane Austen's fragment, such as the fascination for blue shoes ("Waterloo blue" shoes were in vogue following the victory at Waterloo - I would have loved to have seen more references to the historical events). I also enjoyed the scene where Arthur Parker toasts bread for Charlotte Heywood, as this was discussed in detail by Jane Austen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The acting, in general, is excellent, and the portrayal of Lady Denham (Anne Reid) is particularly accurate as an "abrupt", "free-spoken", "mean", "self-important" character who only cares about money. Sanditon being a coming-of-age story of sorts, Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) is convincing as the spirited, smart heroine who is on a learning curve, observing the kinds of vices and manipulations that would take place in a Regency seaside resort. However, I would have loved to have seen more of the obsessive personality of Tom Parker (Kris Marshall) whom Jane Austen describes as a "zealot" who "could talk about it (Sanditon) forever". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also, in the fragment, Sir Edward Denham (Jack Fox) comes across far more ludicrous, bordering on Mr Collins, with his numerous rote-learned quotes and his never-ending wrong usage of complex vocabulary, which Charlotte finds silly. In Jane Austen's Sanditon, Clara Brereton sees through Sir Edward and only feels disdain towards him, while the adaptation portrays Sir Edward ( simply as a vicious, seductive character who manipulates others (similar to Mr Wickham, for example). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where are all the hypochondriacs? As Jane Austen was writing from her deathbed, she coined several characters complaining about all sorts of illnesses, aches and pains, and despite her own condition, she despised and mocked those who complained about their health. The story focuses on health and illness, the seaside resort being created as a health hub of sorts, and is full of people with complaints of various kinds. The story begins with Tom Parker falling off his carriage and having a painful sprain on his foot - an episode, which is only mentioned in passing here. In the fragment, Arthur Parker (and his sisters) is a sickly, self-pitying hypochondriac, who never ceases to complain about his health - in the adaptation, he runs into the sea naked and forgets all about his (imagined) ailments!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sidney Parker (Theo James), as Charlotte's love interest, is handsome and cold in true Darcy-style. He does come across "fashionable" and "clever", as described in his introduction towards the end of the fragment. However, there is something about his personality that irritates the viewer, and the twist at the end of the episode (which I shall not reveal at this point) turns things between the two main characters over, and I feel that this may have happened too early in the story to be true to the style of Jane Austen. In Emma, for instance, a very similar episode happens towards the very end of the story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In short, Andrew Davies' Sanditon makes for entertaining period drama; pure Jane Austen it is not (disappointingly). Much of the humour and original dialogue is lost in the adaptation. The first episode has followed Jane Austen's plot quite carefully but I was disappointed about how quickly and superficially the original story written by Jane Austen was covered in the episode. Judging by the twists in the story towards the end of the episode, the story may well go in a more extreme direction - I'm not sure if I wish to watch the rest of the series and spoil my enjoyment of Jane Austen's Sanditon. I do hope that Andrew Davies stays true to the story and does not turn Sanditon into a soap opera, as it might appear.</span><br />
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945462611904903179noreply@blogger.com6