‘My characters shall have, after a little trouble, all that they desire.’

Jane Austen

I started getting excited about my visit to the Jane Austen centre weeks ago and as a result, drove everybody nuts talking about it constantly. The repeated question of “guess where I’m going?” was in the end answered with, “the bloody Jane Austen Centre,” and threats of death if I mentioned it again. Although, I was taken by surprise when one of my work colleagues dared to ask me who Jane Austen was, to which I answered very frankly, “You’re going to burn in hell for that.” Unfortunately, some people choose to avoid the imaginary worlds of books and scoff at those of us who enjoy nothing more than to read and of course, hunt out any landmark relative to the writers.

The Jane Austen Centre is in Bath and I wasn’t disappointed at all. It’s like taking a step back in time and you really feel like you’re living in the past. As I wandered through the museum looking at the period clothing and the remnants of Austen’s life, I was reminded of a simpler time when a richer English language, which is portrayed in her writing, was more prominent. The style of the clothing worn and the sturdy wooden furniture – now antiques, prompt one to think about what life would have been like when you couldn’t just flick on a light switch or plug in the kettle for a pot of tea.

Me in the museum

 

I enjoyed sitting down to Lady Catherine’s cream tea in the Regency Tea room with my sister Pauline and even though she hasn’t read any Jane Austen, I think she enjoyed it just as much as I did.  But that’s enough about the centre; let me tell you a little about Jane.



My sister outside the Jane Austen Centre

George and Cassandra Austen were honest and sensible parents. Jane who was born on the 16^th of December in 1775 in Steventon Hampshire, the second youngest of their eight children, enjoyed the arts and found pleasure in writing and also reading the stories produced by her siblings during an evening’s recital. This was common during that age as was singing and playing instruments to entertain, for there was no such thing as television. Much of Jane’s adult life was spent either living in Bath or visiting and she mingled with different classes which enabled her to write as though she knew the experience well.

Austen wrote six books in total and when they were first published, she chose to remain anonymous.  It wasn’t until she passed away that she was recognised as the author. In fact, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were both published posthumously with help from her brother Henry and sister Cassandra who were very close to Jane. The books are romantic and the relationships formed within are very similar to any epoch.  There’s the usual backstabbing and bitchiness which is slightly camouflaged by the style and language of the work, and as the books are written by a woman, there’s a resilient self-preserving female in each.

Jane Austen never married and she was described by the tour guide as a bit of a feminist who was indeed, strong willed and adventurous.  The author passed away in 1817 and is buried in Winchester. However, her work lives on and when read reiterates that, Once upon a time in a not so forgotten era, a woman with the idea of romance presented us with the classics that would bewitch us, body and soul.

 www.janeausten.co.uk