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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.7
EAN num: 9781892145321
ISBN number: 1892145324
Label: Little Bookroom
Manufacturer: Little Bookroom
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 144
Printing Date: September 26, 2006
Publishing house: Little Bookroom
Release Date: September 26, 2006
Sale Popularity Level: 203958
Studio: Little Bookroom
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Jane Austen in Bath: Walking Tours of the Writer’s City is a beautifully illustrated book organized into four walking tours around the city of Bath–where she set both Northanger Abbey and Persuasion–two novels that mirrored her own experience: that of an impressionable, optimistic young girl hoping to meet the man she would marry and later, that of a mature woman disappointed in love. It was in Bath that many of Austen’s own romantic adventures and misadventures occurred, and this book artfully weaves together the story of Austen’s life there with those of her beloved characters.
This guidebook describes the places frequented by Austen and her characters. Readers can stroll along the shady, tree-lined walk where Anne Elliot met Captain Wentworth after he returned from seven years at sea, and visit the galleries that hosted the glittering balls where the impressionable young Catherine Moreland made her debut.
Bath is an exquisite, perfectly preserved Georgian town located in the stunning countryside just an hour and a half from London. It was a spa town in Austen’s day and still is. The streets, crescents, gardens, and buildings look almost exactly the same as they did then. Many of the places that she frequented are still there–visitors can still buy the traditional Sally Lunn rolls at the same bakery/caf? that Austen frequented; enter the famous Pump Rooms and Assembly Rooms where she drank the waters, gossiped, and danced; stroll the unique Georgian crescents and pleasure gardens where she enjoyed fireworks and lavish public breakfasts; and see the homes Austen and her family lived in, some of which are now open to the public.
Jane Austen in Bath is the perfect companion to discovering the vibrant and fashionable social scene of Bath during both Austen’s time and today.
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Rated by buyers -
Bath is a wonderful town to visit, and the town was very important in Austen's life and novels, especially in Northanger Abbey (Barnes & Noble Classics) and Persuasion (Penguin Classics).
Austen was 24 when her family moved from the countryside to the city, then at the very height of its glory. Reeve traces four "Walks" through the parks and beautiful buildings of Bath, and describes Austen's connection with each of the sights. The text is enhanced by period maps and illustrations, and enlivened by photographs of Austen's manuscripts.
Reeve argues that the transition was not easy for Austen, whose family suffered financial reverses and who had psychological difficulties of her own. She describes Austen's distress as follows:
"Martha accompanied Jane back to Steventon in early December, just before Jane's twenty-fifth birthday, on December 16. As their luggage was being taken upstairs by the servants Jane received a shock. Her niece, Caroline Austen, recalled her mother's version of events: 'My Aunts [Jane and Martha] had been away a little while, and were met in the Hall on their return by their mother who told them that it was all settled, and they were going to live at Bath. My Mother who was present said my Aunt Jane was greatly distressed--All things were done in a hurry by Mr Austen & of course this is not a fact to be written and printed -- but you have authority for saying that she did mind it.'"
Nigel Nicholson argued in "The Guardian" (December 13, 2003) that in fact Austen's stay in Bath was essential for her development as an author, and that she was not unhappy there. Because none of her six completed novels was even begun there, critics assume she was a country girl who hated towns; she could write fiction only in the country.
Nicholson reviews the 16 letters written by Austen during her Bath period. "The early letters record her dismay at her parents' decision to leave Steventon, where she was born, and settle in Bath." After an interval, she wrote 'I get more and more reconciled to the idea' ... 'We have lived long enough in this neighbourhood.'"
"So they made the move, selling all their furniture except their beds, and, inexplicably, George Austen's library of 500 books. After searching Bath for a suitable house, they settled on 4 Sydney Place, at the far end of Great Pulteney Street.... They could afford three servants and an annual holiday by the sea. This does not suggest a life of penury and exile. They expected to enjoy themselves, and so, in my reading of the evidence, they did."
"After her father's death in January 1805, Mrs Austen and her two daughters remained in Bath for several more months, living in straitened circumstances, and then moved to Clifton, a suburb of Bristol, and to Southampton where they remained until 1809, the year when they settled at Chawton. It was there that Jane Austen revised her earlier three novels and wrote Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion, all in the space of the eight years before she died. It has therefore been tempting to draw the conclusion that country living revived her latent genius. But never, in all her many letters written at this period, is there any hint that she felt hampered by city life or craved a return to the country."
It is great fun to read Reeve's take on these events, compare her analysis with the contrary analysis by Nicholson, and re-read the novels to make up one's own mind. The Little Bookroom has packed this pretty little book with a great deal of evidence. It's a delight to read and see Bath at least a little through Jane Austen's eyes.
It's worth mentioning that the Little Bookstore volumes are beautifully produced. One thoughtful note from this fine publisher: "When we become aware of any change in the information in our guidebooks, we will post it on each book's home page under the heading UPDATE." It's worth exploring their entire booklist if you love to travel.
Robert C. Ross 2008
Rated by buyers -
Verse rich in history is just one plus contained within the covers of this little gem. Illustrated with colour engravings from the era throughout. You can read it in about 30 minutes, but not to be missed. And something you'll enjoy reading again and again.
A great Christmas gift for all of your special Jane friends.....
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